bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A comparative assessment of water use efficiency in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) grown in containers and in the field under water-limited conditions
Authors: Hebbar K. B. , Sashidhar V. R. , Udayakumar M. , Devendra R. , Nageswara Rao R. C. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYWater use efficiency (WUE) was measured on fourteen genotypes of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) grown in containers under adequately irrigated and water-limited conditions. The genotypes used similar amounts of water but produced different quantities of dry matter. WUE accounted for > 92% of the variation in dry matter production under both irrigated and water-limited conditions. There was a significant increase in WUE under water-limited conditions. Four genotypes selected from the container experiment as having either a high or a low WUE under non-limited or limited water input conditions were further tested under prolonged water deficit conditions in a field experiment. WUE varied significantly between genotypes and there was a positive correlation between WUE and the quantity of dry matter produced by the genotypes. The results suggested that, in three out of four genotypes, the WUE measured in the container experiment was positively correlated with the WUE estimated under field conditions.
SC-9880-progesterone applications in the induction of early breeding in sheep
Authors: Gordon I. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThe mating response and lambing outcome was studied in 584 sheep in twentyeight farm flocks after treatment with progestagen impregnated intravaginal sponges and PMS during June/July (period of late anoestrus). Each pessary carried a dose of 30 mg ‘Cronolone’ (9α-fluoro-11β-hydroxy-17α-acetoxy-progesterone; SC-9880, G. D. Searle) in finely dispersed form; half the number of pessaries carried an additional dose of 400 mg progesterone. Intravaginal treatment was for 12 days; a single intramuscular injection of 500 i.u. PMS (Burrough's Wellcome) was made at pessary withdrawal. Breeding was by natural service, using 10% rams. The response was 98·8% bred in the 4 days after treatment, 61·2% conceptions in those served and an average of 1·65 lambs/conception. This resulted in the birth, within the period of about 1 week, of 100 ‘early’ lambs for every 100 ewes exposed to rams. The addition of 400 mg progesterone to pessaries or the injection of a dose of 5 mg progesterone at sponge withdrawal did not improve response beyond that found with ‘Cronolone’ alone.
A study of genotype × environment interaction in three chickpea triple test crosses
Authors: Singh S. , Pawar I. S. , Singh I. P. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThe analysis of Perkins & Jinks (1971) was applied to 360 progeny families of three chickpea F2 triple test crosses, namely, F 378 × ICCC 1, P 1198–1 × ICCC 1 and US 613 × BG 203, to detect and measure the interaction of additive, dominance and epistatic gene effects with sowing dates. The families were grown in completely randomized blocks in three replications with two sowing dates, and data were recorded for plant height, number of branches per plant, number of days from sowing to flowering, number of days from sowing to maturity, number of pods per plant, number of grains per plant, 100-grain weight and grain yield per plant. The i type epistasis and additive genetic component were relatively more important than j and l type epistasis and dominance component, respectively. The j and l type epistasis and additive gene effects were more sensitive to environmental differences than the i type epistasis and dominance gene effects, respectively.
Fine-scale discrimination of forage quality by sheep offered a soyabean meal or barley supplement while grazing a nitrogen-fertilized heather (Calluna vulgaris) mosaic
Authors: Duncan A.J. , Hartley S. E. , Iason G. R. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThe ability of 12 Scottish Blackface ewes to discriminate and concentrate grazing activity in nitrogenfertilized heather patches was determined. The nitrogen content of a stand of heather (Calluna vulgaris) was increased and the fibre content decreased by adding ammonium nitrate fertilizer (7·5 g N/m2) 3 months prior to grazing, in Scotland during August 1991, to selected areas within a patchwork array. The sheep were offered either a high protein (300 g soyabean meal) or low protein (285 g ground barley) supplement daily before being allowed to graze within the heather mosaic during November 1991. The proportion of time spent grazing in fertilized and control patches (patch selection) and the proportion of daylight hours spent grazing (proportion of time spent grazing) was estimated for individual sheep for 6 days. Rumen ammonia concentrations were determined at the end of the grazing period. All animals spent approximately twice as much time grazing in fertilized as in control patches. About half of the daylight hours were spent grazing. The nature of the supplement did not influence patch selection, the proportion of time spent grazing or rumen ammonia concentrations. It was concluded that sheep are able to discern differences in the chemical composition of heather on a fine scale and that their foraging behaviour is not influenced by the type of supplement offered.
Rotation and tillage effects on yield of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), and aspects of crop water balance and soil fertility in a semi-arid tropical environment
Authors: Klaij M. C. , Ntare B. R. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYA 4-year field experiment was conducted from 1986 to 1989 in Niger to determine the effects of pre- and post-harvest tillage and rotation of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L). R. Br.) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) on crop yield, crop water use and soil fertility on a sandy soil. Presowing tillage increased grain and crop residue yields over the traditional system of no tillage. Post-harvest tillage resulted in lower yields than pre-sowing tillage during the last 2 years of the experiment. Millet-cowpea rotation increased yield and there were no important tillage × rotation interactions. Crop water use was similar for a dry and a wet year, but less water was held in the profile after the harvest of cowpea. Compared to pre-sowing tillage and no tillage, post-harvest tillage increased the amount of water conserved until the next season. In all treatment combinations, soil organic matter and total N content both declined on average by 62%, and soil pH (KCI) decreased from 4·6 to 4·3.
Control of mean root weight in carrots (Daucus carota) by varying within- and between-row spacing
Authors: Benjamin L. R. , Sutherland R. A. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryResults are reported from four carrot experiments (1987/88) to measure edge effects in crops of different ages grown in beds. A wide range of cultivars, densities and contrasting row-spacing systems was used to determine how effectively these edge effects could be eliminated by increasing the seeding rate in the outer rows relative to that in the inner ones.Edge effects were first significant between 50 and 100 days after sowing. Where each row was sown with the same quantity of seed, carrots in the outer rows were 1·5 to 2·0 times heavier than those in the inner rows.Increasing the seeding rate in the outer rows to between 1·5 to 3·0 times that in the inner rows, whilst holding the overall density constant, resulted in equal mean root weight in all rows. There was no evidence of alternate large and small plants in successive rows across the bed, as has been suggested in the literature.A previously published spacing model gave large systematic deviations when fitted to these data, but this was rectified by a simple modification to the model, which did not entail the incorporation of more parameters.
Herbage yield and botanical composition over 20 years of a predominantly ryegrass sward treated frequently with phorate pesticide and three rates of nitrogen fertilizer
Authors: Clements R. O. , Murray P. J. , Bentley B. R. , Henderson I. F. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYPlots at Hurley, UK, sown to perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) in 1968 were given 188, 376 or 752 kg N fertilizer/ha per year. Half of each plot at the lowest and highest rate of N fertilizer was given a severe pesticide (phorate) treatment at frequent intervals. Plots were cut and their herbage yield was assessed on five occasions during each of the following 20 years. There was no indication of a long-term decline in total annual herbage yield at any rate of N fertilizer use. The severe pesticide regime enhanced yield by an average of 14·6%/year during the first 11 years, but tended to have little effect or to reduce yields subseque7tly. Initially (1969) all treatment plots comprised at least 85% perennial ryegrass, but this proportion declined to between 67% (medium N) and 40% (high N) by 1989. Apart from ryegrass, the main sward components were species of the grasses Agrostis, Poa, and Elymus and traces of the broad-leaved species Stellaria media and Taraxacum officinale.
Effect of pollination on flower, pod and seed production in white lupin (Lupinus albus)
Authors: Williams I. H. , Martin A. P. , Ferguson A. W. , Clark S. J. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThe pollination requirements of the white lupin cultivar Vladimir were investigated in a glasshouse. Five treatments were compared in which the flowers of each plant were (i) left to autopollinate, (ii) shaken, (iii) tripped, (iv) self pollinated or (v) cross pollinated. Pollination treatments had no effect on the numbers of flowers, pods or seeds or weight of seed produced by the plants but did slightly shorten the duration of flowering, the effect being greatest when flowers were tripped or cross pollinated and least when they were shaken or self pollinated.The proportion of flowers that developed into pods differed with raceme, with secondaries producing more than tertiaries > primaries > quaternaries; the number of seeds per pod differed in the same order, but mean single-seed weight decreased on successive racemes. However, pollination treatments had no effect on the distribution of flowers, pods or seeds on the plant.This crop species is clearly highly self fertile and self pollinating and likely to yield well without insect pollination.
Differences between twelve forage species in physical breakdown when eaten
Authors: Mtengeti E. J. , Wilman D. , Moseley G. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThe effectiveness of chewing by sheep during eating in breaking a forage diet into particles was studied in twelve plant species over 2 years and related to the physical structure of the plants and their rate of intake. The twelve species were: Trifolium repens L., Medicago sativa L., Onobrychis viciifolia Scop., Desmodium intortum (Mill.) Urb., Brassica napus L., Spergula arvensis L., Lolium perenne L., Lolium multiflorum Lam., Festuca arundinacea Schreb., Chloris gayana Kunth, Cenchrus ciliaris L. and Zea mays L. In each case early harvesting was compared with later harvesting. The plants were grown in a heated glasshouse.L. perenne and L. multiflorum were broken into a large number of particles per g dry matter; the particles were rather long and thin. F. arundinacea was broken into heavier, slightly shorter and slightly wider particles. C. gayana and C. ciliaris were broken into particles which were smaller, heavier and contained more vascular bundles than those of Lolium, reflecting the lower rate of intake, greater weight per unit area of leaf blade and greater proximity of bundles of the tropical grasses. Z. mays leaf blades broke into shorter, wider particles than the leaf blades of the other grasses, reflecting the much wider blades of Z. mays.The leaflets of the four leguminous species and the leaf blades of B. napus were broken into particles with an average length:width ratio of c. 2:1, compared with an average ratio of c. 7:1 for particles derived from grass leaf blades other than those of Z. mays. The legume leaf petioles were broken into particles with an average length: width ratio of c. 13:1; many of the legume petioles were not split longitudinally during chewing. The stems of M. saliva and D. intortum were broken into particles similar in length and width to those from the stems of the tropical grasses, although the rate of intake of the legume diets was at least twice that of the tropical grass diets. The average length: width ratio of particles from B. napus petioles and stems was 5:1. A high proportion of particles from the B. napus and D. intortum diets had a rough surface. 5. arvensis was broken into more particles per g dry matter than the legumes and B. napus, despite its very high rate of intake. Many pieces of stem of S. arvensis were not split longitudinally during chewing.
15N-determined dinitrogen fixation capacity of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) cultivars under water stress
Authors: Castellanos J. Z. , Peña-Cabriales J. J. , Acosta-Gallegos J. A. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThe effect of water stress on nitrogen fixation in seven common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes was investigated in Celaya, Gto., Mexico, in 1991. Beans were grown under four moisture regimes: (1) well-irrigated, control, (2) with water stress during the vegetative stage, (3) with water stress during the reproductive stage and (4) with water stress during the whole growing cycle. Biological nitrogen fixation was measured by 15N-isotope dilution using sorghum as a reference crop. Nodulation and N2-fixation data showed genotypic differences in response to water stress. Under non-stressed conditions, cv. Bayocel fixed the most nitrogen (85 kg/ha) and cultivar Flor de Mayo Baji'o the least (33 kg/ha). Under water stress at the reproductive stage, these cultivars fixed 9 and 6 kg N/ha, respectively. Water stress during the reproductive stage reduced nodulation by an average of 43% with no recovery after rewatering. Water stress during the reproductive stage had a greater effect on N2-fixation than on grain yield; in comparison to the control, N2-fixation was reduced to one sixth while grain yield was only reduced by 50%.
Dry matter production, fibre composition and plant characteristics of cool-season grasses under two harvest systems
Authors: Kunelius H. T. K. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYCultivars of Phleum pratense, Festuca pratensis, Festuca arundinacea, Dactylis glomerata and Lolium × Festuca hybrids were exposed to 4- and 3-cut harvest systems in Prince Edward Island, Canada, in 1985–87. Lolium perenne × F. pratensis, Lolium multiflorum × F. pratensis and L. multiftorum × F. arundinacea hybrids and D. glomerata had more uniform growth among the harvests than other grasses during the growing season. L. perenne × F. pratensis and L. multiflorum × F. pratensis had lower contents of neutral and acid detergent fibre than other grass cultivars, particularly early in the growing season. P. pratense cv. Farol had the lowest and L. perenne × F. pratensis cv. Prior the highest tiller population density. The stem apex of all cultivars was above the cutting height of 5 cm in c. 50% of tillers of primary growth. Leaf area per tiller was largest for P. pratense cv. Farol in the primary growth stage but differences were small in subsequent cuts.
Traits associated with high yield in barley in low-rainfall environments
Authors: Acevedo E. , Craufurd P. Q. , Austin R. B. , Pérez-Marco P. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYResults are reported from nine field trials carried out in 1985/86 and 1986/87 aimed at identifying plant traits which are associated with high yield in barley in low-rainfall Mediterranean areas. Thirtyseven two-rowed and 35 six-rowed genotypes, representing the known diversity in traits considered to be useful, were compared in trials at three sites differing in expected annual rainfall (212–328 mm) in northern Syria, and in droughted and irrigated trials at Cambridge, UK. Yield, its components and other morphological and developmental traits were measured and correlations calculated.Grain yields of the two- and six-rowed groups of genotypes were similar at all sites except in the irrigated trial in Cambridge, where the six-rowed genotypes gave the highest yield. Aside from the known difference in number of ears and number of grains/ear between two- and six-rowed genotypes, the simple correlations between grain yield and measured traits suggested that important traits for high yield in two- and six-rowed genotypes in dry environments were prostrate habit, vigorous seedling growth, good ground cover, early ear emergence, many ears/m2 and large grains. In the two-rowed genotypes, short stature and a short grain-filling period were also important, while in the six-rowed genotypes, tall stature, high straw yield, many grains/ear and long peduncles were important. Correlations of these characters with an index of drought susceptibility and with yield adjusted for yield potential and date of ear emergence supported the conclusions based on the simple correlations.The physiological basis of the correlated traits is discussed and the implications for breeding are considered.
Effect of altering the starch: fibre ratio in the concentrates on hay intake and milk production by Friesian cows
Authors: Sutton J. D. , Morant S. V. , Bines J. A. , Napper D. J. , Givens D. I. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYSixty-four multiparous Friesian cows were given one of eight diets from weeks 4–20 of lactation at the former National Institute for Research in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading in 1983–84. The diets consisted of 13·5 kg/day of experimental concentrates plus hay at 4·5 kg/day (fixed) or ad libitum. Concentrates were high-starch (S) based on cereal grains and cassava, high-fibre (F) based on highquality by-products, and two intermediate types containing 2:1 (SF) and 1:2 (FS) starch:fibre, all with a crude protein concentration of c. 180 g/kg DM. The diets were designed to provide similar intakes of digestible energy and crude protein at fixed hay intakes.With ad libitum feeding, hay intake was lowest on S concentrates. With increasing fibre in the concentrates, the yields of milk, protein and lactose fell but fat concentration and yield were increased. These changes were linear and were unaffected by hay intake. Increasing hay intake to ad libitum had no effect on milk yield but increased the concentrations and yields of fat and protein. It also changed a net liveweight loss on fixed intakes to a gain on ad libitum intakes.Diet digestibility was measured using sheep at about maintenance and cows at production intakes. Digestibility was higher in the sheep, probably because of the difference in level of intake. In the cows, increasing fibre in the concentrates reduced the digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, energy and nitrogen but increased the digestibility of fibre fractions and ether extract. Level of hay intake had variable effects on mean digestibility and on the relationship with concentrate type.Increasing the fibre in the concentrates increased the molar proportions of acetate and n-butyrate in the rumen and reduced the proportions of propionate, n-valerate and n-caproate.It is concluded that, with mixed diets of hay and relatively high proportions of concentrates, changes in the starch:fibre ratio of the concentrates by substitution of high quality by-products for starchy ingredients can induce linear changes in the yields of milk and the principal solids constituents and in milk fat concentration. Since changes in yields of fat and protein went in opposite directions, the optimal concentrate composition depends on the milk composition required by the market. These conclusions may not apply if poorer quality by-products are used.
Formation of biogenic amines in well fermented grass silages
Authors: van Os M. , van Wikselaar P. G. , Spoelstra S. F. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYBiogenic amine formation was studied in silages made from perennial ryegrass. In 1991 two batches of grass from the same sward of the ID–DLO permanent pasture were wilted to either 250 or 450 g dry matter (DM)/kg, and ensiled in eight 1-litre laboratory silos for eachtreatment (Expt A). To induce differences in fermentation pattern, the grass was ensiled without additive (CON) or treated with formic acid (5 ml/kg; FA), cell wall degrading enzymes (2·1 ml/kg; ENZ), molasses (50 g/kg; MOL), or inoculated withLactobacillus plantarum(107colony forming units (CFU)/g; LP), a combination ofLactobacillus plantarumandStreptococcus faecium(105CFU/g; LPSF), orEnterobacter sakazakii(6×lO6CFU/g; EB). One silo for each treatment was opened after 1, 2, 4 and 7 days for pH determination and duplicate silos were opened after 10 and 90 days for pH determination and analysis of fermentation products. Two similar experiments (B and C) were performed using the CON, FA and LP treatments.Total amine content of the grass was low (0·1–0·2 g/kg DM). The well preserved silages in each experiment contained considerable amounts of amines, ranging from 0·1 g/kg DM in the wilted LP and FA silages to 7·4 g/kg DM in a low DM CONsilage. Tyramine, cadaverine, putrescine and histamine were, in descending order, the principalbiogenic amines formed, representing together 90 (S.E. 9)% of the total biogenic amine contentof the silages. Formation of amines occurred mainly during the first 10 days of fermentation, and was highest in silages with a slow acidification rate. Ensiling at high DM content, with formic acid or inoculation with large numbers of lactic acid bacteria significantly (P< 0·01) reduced the amount of amines in the silage. Total and individual amine contents of the silages were significantly correlated with concentrations of ammonia and acetic acid. It was concluded that the formation of biogenic amines in grass silage is related to protein degradation, and that amine formation can be reduced by restriction of fermentation in the silage, or by achieving rapid acidification during the first phase of ensiling.
Classification of environmentally induced genetic male sterile lines of rice based on their fertility responses to photoperiod and temperature
Authors: Cheng S. H. , Si H. M. , Zhuo L. S. , Sun Z. X. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThe use of environmentally induced genetic male sterile (EGMS) rice could alter the development of hybrid rice from a three-line system to a two-line system. It is critical for the utilization of EGMS rice to determine which are the main environmental factors influencing fertility changes. Fertility responses to photoperiod (P) and temperature (T) were studied in 101 EGMS rice lines under nine controlled regimes combining three photoperiods (15·0, 14·0 and 12·5 h)x three temperatures (30·1, 24·1 and 23·1 °C). According to the variance analysis of seed-setting data, 96% of the total EGMS lines studied could be divided into three types as follows: (1) photoperiod-sensitive genetic male sterility (PGMS) characterized statistically by significant (P < 0·05) P and P × T interaction effects but by a non-significant T effect on fertility, (2) thermosensitive genetic male sterility (TGMS) by a significant T effect, a non-significant P effect and by either a significant or a non-significant P × T interaction effect on fertility, and (3) photo-thermosensitive genetic male sterility (P-TGMS) by only a significant P × T interaction effect on fertility. Among the japonica EGMS lines studied, PGMS, TGMS and P-TGMS accounted for 32·3, 9·7 and 51·6%, respectively. However, among the indica EGMS lines, no PGMS lines were detected and most of them were TGMS or P-TGMS (61·4 and 35·7%, respectively). The results indicate that the selection of indica PGMS lines of rice might be very difficult. The availability of different types of EGMS rice in two-line system hybrid rice is evaluated and the selection of an ideal model of response to photoperiod and temperature for indica EGMS is discussed.