The effect of dairy effluent on dry matter yields, nutritive characteristics, and mineral content of summer-active regrowth forage crops in southern Australia

2008 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 578 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Jacobs ◽  
G. N. Ward ◽  
Gavin Kearney

In southern Australia, the majority of dry land dairy farms use a 2-pond system to treat and contain dairy effluent collected at the milking platform. This effluent contains a range of nutrients that have the potential to affect forage dry matter (DM) yields, nutritive characteristics, and mineral content of forages. The effect of applying second-pond dairy effluent to the summer-active forages chicory (Chichorium intybus L. cv. Grouse), Hunter (Brassica campestris L. × Brassica napus L.), Winfred (Brassica napus L.), and Sweet Jumbo (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench × Sorghum sudanese (Piper) Stapf.) over two summer periods was measured. Effluent was applied at rates of 0, 40, 80, and 100 mm with application split into two equal application times. The first occurred 6–10 weeks after sowing and the second immediately after the first grazing. Forages were assessed for DM yield, nutritive characteristics, and mineral content over the two growth periods in each year. Analysis of effluent showed that on average over the 2 years, the effluent contained 146, 34, 439, and 18 kg/ML of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and sulfur (S), respectively. Furthermore, the effluent also contained 161 kg/ML of calcium (Ca) and 222 kg/ML of magnesium (Mg). For the total growth period in Year 1, all crops showed a linear increase (P < 0.05) in DM yield to applied effluent, with response values varying for each crop. Responses were 49, 52, 29, and 51 kg DM/ha.mm applied effluent for chicory, Hunter, Sweet Jumbo, and Winfred, respectively. For Year 2, all crops also showed a linear increase (P < 0.05) in DM yield (15 kg DM/ha.mm applied effluent) with applied effluent. In Year 1, crude protein (CP) content of all crops increased (P < 0.05) in a linear manner at rates of 0.073 and 0.047% per mm applied effluent for growth periods 1 and 2. There were also linear responses (P < 0.05) in Year 2, with responses varying for each crop for each growth period. For chicory there was no effect of effluent application on CP content in either growth period, while other crops generally exhibited a linear increase with responses of up to 0.08% per mm applied effluent. The greatest changes in mineral content of herbage were those of K, Ca, and Mg. There was a linear increase (P < 0.05) in K content for all growth periods in Years 1 and 2. Magnesium content of chicory (periods 1 and 2) and Winfred (period 2) showed a linear decrease (P < 0.05) in response to effluent application in Year 1, whereas there was no effect in Year 2 for any crops. The results from this study highlight the potential of second-pond dairy effluent to increase DM yields of a range of summer-active forage crops. The data also suggest that while effluent can improve DM yields when soil moisture is limiting, when additional moisture as rainfall occurs, responses from effluent are even more pronounced. In addition, the CP content of forages can be improved when effluent is applied. The combination of increased DM yield with higher CP content provides greater flexibility in dairy cattle feeding options through the dry summer period.

2007 ◽  
Vol 58 (9) ◽  
pp. 884 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Jacobs ◽  
G. N. Ward

Dairy farms in southern Australia generally use a 2-pond system to manage dairy shed effluent. This system consists of a deep anaerobic first pond and a shallow aerobic second pond. The liquid in the second pond contains a range of nutrients that may have agronomic benefits for forages. The effect of applying second-pond dairy effluent to a summer turnip (Brassica rapa L.) crop over 3 consecutive summer periods was measured. Effluent was applied at 6 rates, 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, and 75 mm, approximately 6–8 weeks after turnips were sown each year. Turnips were assessed for dry matter (DM) accumulation, nutritive characteristics, and mineral content. In addition, total annual production for years 1 and 2 was calculated by including the DM accumulation from annual ryegrass grown from autumn to spring each year. Concentrations of nutrients within the effluent as an average over the 3 years were 31, 454, 20, and 149 kg/ML for phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S), and nitrogen (N), respectively. In addition, effluent also contained 152 kg/ML of calcium (Ca), 225 kg/ML of magnesium (Mg), and 529 kg/ML of sodium (Na). Soil pH was generally unaffected with effluent application, while soil EC and total soluble salt (TSS) content increased with effluent addition. In the first year, application of effluent at 15 mm and higher resulted in increases in available K; however, in subsequent years, rates of 45 mm and higher led to an increase in available K, while for the control and lower effluent rates there was a marked decline in K status. In all years there was a linear increase (P < 0.05) in leaf, root, and total DM yields with applied effluent. For leaf, responses were 19, 50, and 26 kg DM per mm applied effluent and for roots, 10, 39, and 25 kg DM per mm applied effluent for years 1, 2, and 3, respectively. In years 2 and 3, turnip leaf crude protein (CP) content increased (P < 0.05) in a linear manner at rates of 0.046 and 0.044% per mm applied effluent, respectively. There was also a linear increase (P < 0.05) in turnip root CP in years 2 and 3 of 0.033 and 0.021% per mm applied effluent, respectively. In all years there was a linear increase (P < 0.05) in leaf K content, while for root K there was a quadratic trend (P < 0.05) for year 1 and a linear increase (P < 0.05) for years 2 and 3. The results from this study indicate that the use of dairy effluent can increase DM yield and improve the nutritive value of turnips through an increase in CP content. The data also indicate that this effect can be maintained over consecutive years, which in turn may provide greater flexibility for returning effluent to farm land. While results appear to indicate that the primary responses are due to N, further work is required to determine the effects of water and other nutrients within dairy effluent.


2011 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 77 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Jacobs ◽  
G. N. Ward

In the dryland areas of southern Australia, summer-active forage crops have been traditionally grown to provide additional home-grown feed during a period when pasture is often in short supply. Dry matter (DM) yields are often variable and the use of nitrogen (N) fertiliser is considered a viable option to increase such yields. The effect of applying N fertiliser to the summer-active species, forage brassica cv. Hunter (Brassica campestris L. × Brassica napus L.), forage brassica cv. Winfred (Brassica napus L.), turnips (Brassica rapa L. cv. Barkant), chicory (Chichorium intybus L. cv. Grouse), plantain (Plantago lanceolata L. cv. Tonic), sorghum sudangrass hybrid cv. Sweet Jumbo [Sorghum bicolour (L.) Moench × Sorghum sudanese (Piper) Stapf.], millet (Echinochloa utilis Ohwi & Yabuno) and a mixture of Winfred and millet (1 : 5) over two summer periods were measured. N was applied at 0, 40, 80, 120, 160 and 200 kg N/ha with half of the N being applied ~5–6 weeks after sowing for all crops and the remainder immediately following the first grazing of regrowth crops and at 9 weeks after sowing for turnips. DM yield responses to applied N were variable, with increases only being observed in the first year. For the regrowth forages (all forages except turnips), the DM yield increase occurred during the second growth period and reflects higher than average rainfall during that period. The crude protein content of all forages generally increased with increasing N application in both years, with the highest response being 0.14% per kg N applied. In contrast, the water-soluble carbohydrate content of forages decreased with N application. The results from this study indicate that the effect of applying N fertiliser to summer forages is limited by available moisture and subsequent active growth of the forage. Where there is adequate moisture, N application can improve DM yield and also the crude protein content of most summer forages. Application of N to summer forages should be seen as a tactical decision based on available soil moisture and active plant growth to ensure N uptake and subsequent DM accumulation.


2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 226 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. N. Ward ◽  
J. L. Jacobs

The use of summer brassica forage crops in dryland dairy systems in southern Victoria is considered a key component of the feed base as they provide home-grown forage with high nutritive characteristics during a period where perennial ryegrass growth is limited due to high summer temperatures and low soil water content. Current knowledge on the use of single-grazing brassica crops such as turnips (Brassica rapa L.) is well defined; however, information on the management of regrowth brassica species that can provide multiple grazings is more limited. The present experiment determined the effect of different grazing regimes (high, medium and low defoliation intensity) at the first grazing on subsequent regrowth capability and nutritive characteristics of Winfred (Brassica napus L.) over the summer growing period across 2 years. We hypothesised that intensive defoliation of a summer regrowth brassica at the first grazing will result in lower total DM yields and harvested estimated metabolisable energy (ME) and crude protein per hectare for the growing season than do more lax grazing options that results in less DM removal at the first grazing. Total DM and estimated ME consumed over the growing period varied between years. In Year 1, more (P < 0.05) DM was consumed at the first grazing and less (P < 0.05) at the subsequent grazing for the high-intensity treatment. However, both total DM and estimated ME consumed were higher (P < 0.05) for the high-intensity treatment than for the low-intensity treatment, while in Year 2, there were no differences between the treatments. Nutritive characteristics and mineral concentrations were relatively unaffected by grazing regimes. The results of the present experiment indicated that the optimum grazing management to maximise total DM yields and consumption of spring-sown Winfred will vary depending on the seasonal growing conditions. In years where moisture stress will be limiting crop growth, a high defoliation-intensity first grazing that consumes a high proportion of DM on offer, including some of the main stem, will maximise the total DM grown and consumed from the crop. Care, however, should be taken not to remove all axillary buds from the remaining stems. In summers where moisture stress is not likely to seriously restrict crop growth, a medium defoliation-intensity grazing where the leaf and petiole, but little of the stem, are removed will maximise DM regrowth, leading to maximum total DM grown for the season. A high defoliation-intensity first grazing that removes at least half the stem is, under these conditions, likely to remove too many axillary buds and reduce water-soluble carbohydrate reserves required for DM regrowth, while a lax first grazing will result in a lower DM regrowth.


2014 ◽  
Vol 94 (8) ◽  
pp. 1461-1469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun Ren ◽  
Jianfang Zhu ◽  
Nazim Hussain ◽  
Shanlin Ma ◽  
Genru Ye ◽  
...  

Ren, Y., Zhu, J., Hussain, N., Ma, S., Ye, G., Zhang, D. and Hua, S. 2014. Seedling age and quality upon transplanting affect seed yield of canola (Brassica napus L.). Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 1461–1469. Seedling quality is an essential indicator for seed yield in canola, which is affected by many factors, including seedling age. Two field experiments were conducted to compare canola seedling quality and seed yield on 30-, 35-, 40-, 45-, 50-, 55-, and 60-d-old seedlings in 2011 and 2012. The relationship between seedling quality traits and seed yield of different seedling ages was also analyzed. Results revealed that the highest seed yield obtained from 40-d-old seedlings was attributed to more branches and siliques per plant. The negative effect of young seedlings (30-d-old) on seed yield was greater than that of old seedlings (60-d-old). The reduction rates in seed yield on the 30- and 60-d-old seedlings were 25.7 and 18.2%, respectively, compared with the 40-d-old seedlings. Increased root neck diameter, green leaf number, shoot, and root dry matter was the case on 40-d-old seedling transplanted plants compared with other ages. However, the increase was larger in the old seedlings than in the young seedlings. On average, the shoot and root dry weights of the 30-d-old seedlings were 1.9 and 1.7% of those in the 60-d-old seedlings. However, correlation analysis revealed that the seedlings with the highest shoot and root dry matter did not necessarily obtain the highest seed yield. Factor analysis suggested that the effects of root neck diameter and green leaf number on seed yield were more pronounced than those of shoot and root dry matter. Therefore, high seed yield in canola could be defined in terms of optimum green leaf numbers and branches per plant.


2013 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 115 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. N. Papantoniou ◽  
J. T. Tsialtas ◽  
D. K. Papakosta

For crops grown in Mediterranean environments, translocation of pre-anthesis assimilates to the fruit is of great importance, because hot and dry conditions during fruit ripening diminish net assimilation rate and nitrogen (N) uptake. This field study was conducted to assess the pattern of dry matter and N accumulation and the role of assimilate translocation in pod development of oilseed rape plants in a Mediterranean environment. Four cultivars of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), i.e. three hybrids (Royal, Exact, Excalibur) and an inbred line (Fortis), were grown for two growing seasons (2005–06 and 2006–07) in northern Greece. On average, 581, 1247, 1609, and 2749 growing degree-days (GDD) were required for six leaves, stem elongation, 50% anthesis in main stem, and physiological maturity in the first year, and 539, 1085, 1601, and 2728 GDD in the second year. The R2 of the modified Richards function indicated that aboveground biomass and N accumulation were described with high approximation efficacy. The across-cultivars genotype mean maximum predicted total aboveground dry matter and N content were 1368.8 and 21.4 g m–2 in 2006 and 1655.1 and 25.4 g m–2 in 2007. In 2007, dry matter and N translocation from vegetative tissues to pods were 464.4 and 21.0 g m–2, and significantly higher than the corresponding values recorded in 2006 (264.4 and 17.0 g m–2). These differences were due to greater amounts of dry matter and N accumulating at anthesis and the greater sink capacity of plants (pod number) in 2007. The fact that pod development occurred in a period when N accumulation by oilseed rape plants had stopped led to high values of contribution of pre-anthesis N accumulation to pod N content in both years (92.8% in 2006 and 96.6% in 2007). Results indicated that hot and dry weather post anthesis reduced dramatically the net assimilation rates; thus, translocation of pre-anthesis assimilates was crucial for pod development. The results demonstrate that variation in weather conditions between growing seasons is one of the main causes of seasonal variation in oilseed rape productivity under Mediterranean conditions.


Author(s):  
Necda Çankaya ◽  
Ulviye Kumova

This research was carried out in 2011 and 2012 in order to determine the flowering phenology, number of flowers, nectar and pollen potential in the Samsun province of the oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), which is widely used in agriculture in our country. In the first year of the study (2011), it was determined that the rapeseed plant was in flower for 44 days, there were 2.694 flowers per plant, 1.89 kg/da nectar per day and 1330 kg/da pollen production. In the second year of the research (2012), it was revealed that the rapeseed plant was in flower for 39 days, there were 701 plants/flower in the plant, 0.38 kg/da nectar secreted daily and 331.57 kg/da pollen. According to the results of two years, the yield of rapeseed was found to be 41.5 days, the daily nectar production was 0.23 mg/flower/day, the nectar dry matter level was 20.25% and the pollen production was 0.48 mg/flower/day. In Samsun province, it was determined that rapeseed plants flowered before the flowering of many plants in the vicinity in the early spring, and provided honey bees, Apis mellifera L., and many other honey bees, nectar and pollen. It has been demonstrated that the cultivation of rapeseed is cultivated in the early spring, and it can be a convenient source of food for honey bees and other dusty insects.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
tengyue wang ◽  
Lijuan Wei ◽  
Jia wang ◽  
Ling Xie ◽  
Yangyang Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Brassica napus is one of the most important oilseed crops, and also an important biofuel plant due to its low air pollution and renewability. Growth period are important traits that affect yield and are crucial for its adaptation to different environments in B. napus.Results: To elucidate the genetic basis of growth period traits, genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) and linkage mapping were employed to detect the quantitative trait loci (QTL) for days to initial flowering (DIF), days to final flowering (DFF), days from initial flowering to final flowering (FP), days from final flowering to maturity (MT), and whole growth period (GP). A total of 146 SNPs were identified by association mapping, and 83 QTLs were identified by linkage mapping using the RIL population. Among these QTLs, 19 were pleiotropic SNPs related to multiple traits, and six (q18DFF.A03-2, q18MT.A03-2, q17DFF.A05-1, q18FP.C04, q17DIF.C05 and q17GP.C09) were consistently detected using both mapping methods. Additionally, we performed RNA sequencing to analyze the differential expression of gene (DEG) transcripts between early- and late-flowering lines selected from the RIL population, and the DEGs were integrated with association mapping and linkage analysis to confirm their roles in the growth period. Consequently, twelve candidate genes associated with growth period traits were identified in B. napus. Among these genes, seven have polymorphic sites in the coding sequence and the upstream 2-kb sequence based on the resequencing data. The haplotype BnaSOC1.A05-Haplb and BnaLNK2.C06-Hapla showed more favorable phenotypic traits. Conclusions: The candidate genes identified in this study will contribute to our genetic understanding of growth period traits and can be used as targets for target mutations or marker assisted breeding for rapeseed adapted to different environments.


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