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Improving Forage Quality from Permanent Grasslands to Enhance Ruminant Productivity
Permanent grasslands play a crucial role in ruminant nutrition, providing cost-effective and nutritionally rich forage. Their effective management is essential for improving agricultural productivity and sustainability. This review examines factors affecting forage quality, including environmental conditions, botanical composition, conservation methods, and fertilization strategies. The impact of grassland management practices, such as cutting frequency, grazing systems, and soil fertility enhancement, on forage nutritional value is discussed. Advances in breeding, including genomic selection and molecular techniques, offer opportunities to improve digestibility and resistance to environmental stress. Furthermore, conservation methods, including haymaking and silage production, significantly influence forage quality. Special attention is given to the role of legumes and multi-species swards in enhancing protein content and mineral composition. The review highlights that optimizing forage quality requires an integrated approach, combining agronomic practices, genetic improvements, and sustainable management strategies. Future research should focus on developing resilient forage systems that maintain high nutritional value while adapting to changing climatic conditions.
Application of Artificial Neural Networks Sensitivity Analysis for the Pre-Identification of Highly Significant Factors Influencing the Yield and Digestibility of Grassland Sward in the Climatic Conditions of Central Poland
Progressive climate changes are the most important challenges for modern agriculture. Permanent grassland represents around 70% of all agricultural land. In comparison with other agroecosystems, grasslands are more sensitive to climate change. The aim of this study was to create deterministic models based on artificial neural networks to identify highly significant factors influencing the yield and digestibility of grassland sward in the climatic conditions of central Poland. The models were based on data from a grassland experiment conducted between 2014 and 2016. Phytophenological data (harvest date and botanical composition of sward) and meteorological data (average temperatures, total rainfall, and total effective temperatures) were used as independent variables, whereas qualitative and quantitative parameters of the feed made from the grassland sward (dry matter digestibility, dry matter yield, and protein yield) were used as dependent variables. Nine deterministic models were proposed Y_G, DIG_G, P_G, Y_GB, DIG_GB, P_GB, Y_GC, DIG_GC, and P_GC, which differed in the input variable and the main factor from the grassland experiment. The analysis of the sensitivity of the neural networks in the models enabled the identification of the independent variables with the greatest influence on the yield of dry matter and protein as well as the digestibility of the dry matter of the first regrowth of grassland sward, taking its diverse botanical composition into account. The results showed that the following factors were the most significant (rank 1): the average daily air temperature, total rainfall, and the percentage of legume plants. This research will be continued on a larger group of factors influencing the output variables and it will involve an attempt to optimise these factors.
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of NBPT and NPPT Application as a Urease Carrier in Fertilization of Maize (Zea mays L.) for Ensiling
The study presents the results of a 3-year field trial aimed at assessing the yield and quality of raw material for ensiling in the cultivation of three maize varieties differing in their agronomic and genetic profile, conditioned by the selection of nitrogen fertilizer. Maize cultivar ES Metronom showed a significant advantage over other cultivars when fertilized with UltraGrain stabile, or alternatively Super N-46. The application of nitrogen-stabilized fertilizers or urea + N-Lock significantly increased the yield of maize green fodder for ensiling. The “stay-green” maize cultivars were characterized by a higher content of non-structural carbohydrates, including starch and water-soluble sugars, and a lower content of structural carbohydrates, compared to the conventional cultivar, which increased their suitability for ensiling. The negative effect of maize fertilization with ammonium nitrate and ammonium nitrate + N-Lock on the chemical composition of green fodder was demonstrated by a reduced starch content and increased structural carbohydrate contents, including crude fiber and NDF. In turn, the positive effect of maize fertilization with urea and urea + N-Lock on the chemical composition of maize fodder was shown by increased starch content and reduced structural carbohydrate contents, including crude fiber and its NDF and ADF fractions. The analysis of the number and weight of leaves may indicate a highly effective utilization of nitrogen (“stay-green” maize hybrids), leading to the faster formation of leaves with a larger assimilation surface, which is the basis for the efficient absorption of solar radiation. The results obtained clearly show that only the correct choice of maize variety for silage cultivation, combined with nitrogen fertilizer guaranteeing access to N during the growing season, can guarantee a high yield for ensiling.
Nutritional Status of Wood Melick (Melica uniflora Retz.) in a Natural Forest Stand in South-Western Poland
Melica uniflora Retz., commonly known as wood melick, is a grass species that is native to most of Europe. Melica uniflora grows in hardwood forests near Fagus species, providing vital food and shelter for forest wildlife. The nutritional status of wood melick is not sufficiently recognized. The study aims to identify the intrapopulation variability of Melica uniflora plants collected from natural forest habitats in Poland in terms of nutritional status variability in relation to stage development and the course of weather conditions. The research was conducted for two consecutive years: 2021 and 2022, in the area of the Ślęża Massif, near the town of Sobótka in Lower Silesia voivodeship (Poland). The material for analyses was collected from 10 natural forest sites twice: in July (I) and October (II). The content of nutritive components: crude protein (CP), crude ash (CA), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), and water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) was evaluated. Relative feed value (RFV), dry matter digestibility (DDM), dry matter intake (DMI), cellulose (CL), and hemicellulose (HCL) content were calculated based on ADF and NDF. Melica uniflora plants contained 75.2 g·kg−1 DM of CP, 290.6 g·kg−1 DM of CF, 120.0 g·kg−1 DM of CA, and 25.9 g·kg−1 DM of WSC. The content of NDF was 637.6 g·kg−1 DM, ADF 407.5 g·kg−1 DM, and ADL 58.0 g·kg−1 DM. The nutritional status of wood melick depended on the course of weather conditions in the following years and its location, which changed during the growing season. Plants collected in the first year of the study contained more CL, NDF, and ADF fractions and less CA, ADL, and WSC. Melica uniflora plants harvested in June were characterized by higher CP (102.1 g·kg−1 DM) and WSC (30.1 g·kg−1 DM) content and lower content of remaining nutrients. It can be concluded that Melica uniflora plants can be a valuable source of these nutrients in the forage of forest animals.
Challenges of Pasture Feeding Systems-Opportunities and Constraints
Grazing plays an important role in milk production in most regions of the world. Despite the importance of grazing, current trends in livestock farming in Europe are causing a decline in the popularity of pasture-based feeding of dairy cows. This paper aims to provide an overview of the challenges faced by the pasture feeding system under climate change. Grazing lands provide ecosystem services including regulation and storage of water flows, nutrient cycling, and C sequestration. Livestock grazing is the most important factor shaping and stabilizing pasture biodiversity. Some opportunities for pasture feeding are the health-promoting and nutritional qualities of milk and milk products, especially milk from pasture-fed cows. The beneficial effects of pasture feeding on animal health and welfare are not insignificant. Available organizational innovations can help better manage livestock grazing and, above all, better understand the impact of the grazing process on the environment and climate change.
Effect of harvest date on structural carbohydrates and lignin content in meadow sward in different pluvio-thermal conditions
The content of structural carbohydrates and lignin are important assessment criteria of the feed value of meadow plants. It is affected by many independent factors, including among others its development stage during the harvest as well as climatic conditions, especially the amount of rainfall. During the years 2014–2016, plant samples were harvested at weekly intervals, respectively five times from late April to late May. The effect of harvest date on cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin contents was evaluated. The chemical composition of plants was varied, depending not only on harvest date but also on the year of study. Regardless of the course of meteorological conditions in subsequent growing seasons, the increase of cellulose (from 236.5 to 297.9 g∙kg–1 DM), hemicelluloses (from 159.3 to 210.8 g∙kg–1 DM), and lignin (from 31.5 to 43.1 g∙kg–1 DM) in the following dates of harvest were observed. These parameters were also positively correlated with the total rainfall from the begging of vegetation season to the date of plants sampling (R2 = 0.65, 0.12 and 0.44 for cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin, respectively), and with the average daily air temperature in the moment of harvest (R2 = 0.66, 0.32 and 0.52 for cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin, respectively). The cellulose and lignin content, regardless of the harvest date, were significantly higher in the first year of the study (2014), when moisture conditions for plant development were optimal.
Wpływ stosowania biokondycjonerów glebowych na zawartość fosforu i potasu w runi Lolium perenne (L.) odmiany Maja
Evaluation of the Effect of Conventional and Stabilized Nitrogen Fertilizers on the Nutritional Status of Several Maize Cultivars (Zea mays L.) in Critical Growth Stages Using Plant Analysis
The study presents the results of a three year field trial aimed at assessing the nutritional status of maize in critical growth stages by means of a plant analysis in the cultivation of three maize cultivars differing in their agronomic and genetic profile. The main research problem was to demonstrate whether the availability of nitrogen from stabilized fertilizers for “stay-green” maize varieties is consistent with the dynamics of the demand for this component. This is very important from both the economic and agronomic aspect of maize cultivation. The research showed a significant response of the maize cultivars to different nitrogen fertilizer formulations, which was observed in the period from the five-leaf stage to the full flowering stage. The advantage of the fertilizer, UltraGran stabilo, over other nitrogen fertilizers in the BBCH 15 stage was demonstrated only for the cultivar, ES Metronom, which produced a greater aerial mass while maintaining the nitrogen concentration at the level of the other two maize cultivars. The nitrogen and potassium content shaped the kernel weight in the ear in the flowering stage, confirming the importance of the interaction of these two elements in forming this feature of maize as the main predictor of the grain yield. This trait (expressed by the R2 coefficient) manifested each year of the study, but especially in the years with optimal weather patterns (i.e., the first year). The response of the maize cultivars to nitrogen fertilizers, especially the cultivar, ES Metronom, was manifested by an increase in the content of nutrients and chlorophyll in the ear leaf, that is considered a predictive organ for grain yield. The fertilizers, Super N-46 and UltraGran stabilo, had a positive effect on the chlorophyll content (CCI parameter) and increased its efficiency of excitation energy transfer (the F0 parameter).