bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers for wheat and barley in a semi-arid region
Authors: Krentos V. D. , Orphanos P. I. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYNineteen NP experiments were carried out with wheat and barley mostly in the Mesaoria plain of Cyprus over the period 1968–78. The fields were fallowed over the season preceding the experiments. Rainfall ranged from 68 to 405 mm. Kyperounda, a tall durum wheat, Pitic 62, a semi-dwarf aestivum wheat, and Athenais barley were the test varieties. No yield was obtained when rainfall was below 100 mm. Athenais barley consistently outyielded the wheat varieties, particularly Kyperounda, by up to 200% presumably because of earlier heading, which helpedthe crop to escape drought to a certain extent.Kyperounda wheat and Athenais barley mostly responded to 35 kg N/ha but Pitic 62 benefited from up to 70 kg N/ha. Fertilizer N not taken up in a year of extremely low rainfall remained in the soil and was available to the following crop.Response to P was more marked when rainfall was below 250 mm being linear over the rates tested (highest rate 26 kg P/ha). Athenais barley responded to P more than the other varieties. Bicarbonate-soluble soil P was between 1 and 10 mg/kg.Since rainfall is unpredictable it is recommended that 20–40 kg N/ha be applied atseeding together with 13–26 kg P/ha. A similar amount of N should be top dressed in late January. The higher amount refers to the semi-dwarf Pitic 62 wheat and could be increased further if the December-January rainfall, which normally constitutes 40% of the total, is high. These rates refer to crops grown after fallow. For continuous growing the rates would probably have to be increased.
Control of potato cyst-nematode, Globodera rostochiensis, in a three-course rotation
Authors: Whitehead A. G. , Tite D. J. , Fraser Janet E. , French Eileen M. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYPotato cyst-nematode, Globodera rostochiensis, was controlled in a three-course rotation (potatoes-sugar beet-barley) by treating the soil with an effective nematicide before growing susceptible Pentland Crown potatoes, or by growing Maris Piper potatoes, resistant to the nematode. In moderately infested sandy loam, Maris Piper potatoes grew and yielded much better in soil treated with a nematicide than in untreated soil. Maris Piper outyielded Pentland Crown only in years with ample rain in August. Sugar beet and barley in some years yielded better after Pentland Crown than after Maris Piper potatoes. Yield loss in Pentland Crown due to potato cyst-nematode varied greatly in the same field. The nematode was controlled better by 5·6 kg oxamyl/ha, or by 448 or 672 kg dazomet/ha, than by 448 kg Telone/ha. Large soil populations of G. rostochiensis declined faster under sugar beet and barley than small soil populations did, suggesting action of a predator or pathogen.
The cell walls ofEragrostis tef: variations in chemical composition and digestibility
Authors: Morris E. Jane 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYTeff(Eragrostis tef)was cut at various stages of growth and divided into leaf, stem (including leaf sheath) and inflorescence. Cell walls were isolated from the leaf and stem fractions and their composition determined. Acetyl groups and individual sugars were determined by gas-liquid chromatography.Recoveries of cell walls from the same fresh weight of leaves or stems were similar at each stage of growth, but increased with maturity.Throughout the growing season the leaf cell walls differed in composition from those of the stem. At the start of growth the leaves had a lower content of xylose and acetyl groups but were otherwise similar to the stems. However, with increasing maturity and the production of a flowering stem the stem cell wall composition changed much more than that of the leaf cell walls, with a marked decrease in the content of arabinose and an increase in the content of lignin and acetyl. Over the same period the leaf cell walls showed a smaller increase in acetyl content and decrease in arabinose and uronic acid, but were otherwise unchanged.Digestion of the cell walls with a fungal cellulase preparation showed that although the two cell wall types were equally degradable while the grass was in the vegetative state, the digestibility of the stem cell walls decreased well below that of the leaves with the onset of maturity and the production of a flowering stem. This was confirmed byin vivoincubations of the cell walls in nylon bags.
Comparison of the effects of potassium fertilizer on the yield, potassium content and quality of 22 different vegetable and agricultural crops
Authors: Greenwood D. J. , Cleaver T. J. , Turner Mary K. , Hunt J. , Niendorf K. B. , Loquens S. M. H. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYSixty-one experiments with 15 levels of K fertilizer in the presence of excess N and P fertilizer were carried out on adjacent sites of the same field. Yield was always related to level of K fertilizer by a ‘diminishing returns’ type curve, and a derived equation, which defined relative responsiveness in terms of a single parameter, fitted the data for each crop very satisfactorily. Although the responsiveness of many of the crops was similar there were marked differences and the optimum levels of K (defined as the level at which a further 10 kg/ha increased yield by 1%) varied from 0 to 360 kg/ha, depending on the crop. Responsiveness was largely independent of the plant family to which the crop belonged, but was related to the mean plant weight atharvest; the larger the weight the less reponsive the crop. No general relation existed between responsiveness and duration of growth.The % K in the dry matter of leaves (including stems) at harvest of crops receiving the optimum levels of K fertilizer was mainly determined by the family. It was generally between 0·9 and 1·1 for the Amaryllidaceae, between 1·1 and 1·2 for the Leguminosae and between 1·9 and 2·5% for the Cruciferae. The difference between the % K in the dry matter with the optimum level of K fertilizer and that with no fertilizer was proportional to responsiveness. Percentage K at harvest was a good indicator of the extent to which crop growth was restricted by lack of potassium.At harvest crops receiving the optimum levels of K fertilizer contained between 29 and 220 kg/ha of K, but uptake increased asymptotically to a maximum as K applications were raised to higher levels. Maximum uptake for nearly all crops was almost double the uptake with the optimum fertilizer application.Percentage recovery of 100 kg/ha of added K fertilizer varied between 8 and 70%, roughly in proportion to the total crop dry weight, which varied between 1 and 15 t/ha.Effects of level of K fertilizer on crop quality were also measured and over the practical range of applications the effects were generally small.The differences between the K requirements of crops are discussed and it is argued that the responsiveness of one crop relative to that of another would be expected to be similar on a range of soils.
The value of nitrophosphate for spring-sown cereals
Authors: Cooke G. W. , Widdowson F. V. 
Published: March 2009

Thirteen experiments on spring cereals were carried out from 1952 to 1954 to compare broadcasting with combine-drilling for nitrophosphate and for mixtures of superphosphate plus equivalent nitrogen. Broadcast nitrophosphate was of little value; drilled dressings were much more effective. Superphosphate drilled with the seed produced consistently higher yields than broadcast superphosphate. Superphosphate plus equivalent nitrogen gave higher average yields than nitrophosphate both when broadcast and when drilled. When the dressings were broadcast, superphosphate was markedly superior to nitrophosphate, but when the fertilizers were drilled with the seed, average yields with superphosphate were only a little higher than with nitrophosphate.Nitrophosphates may be substituted for mixtures containing water-soluble phosphorus for cereals providing that they are drilled with the seed. Since nitrophosphates do not make cereals grow as rapidly as does superphosphate, even when drilled with the seed, such materials may give poor crops in conditions where the plants need a rapid start. The nitrophosphate tested contained rather more than one-quarter of its phosphorus in water-soluble form; the improved early growth observed where nitrophosphate was combine-drilled may have been largely due to this fraction of the fertilizer.
Bloat investigations
Authors: Ferguson W. S. , Terry R. A. 
Published: March 2009

An account is given of experimental work carried out at Jealott's Hill on bloat.Bloat was produced in dairy cows and sheep by dosing with lucerne juice. Sheep proved convenient test animals and were used in most of the tests described.Parenteral and intravenous administration of the flavone quercetin, which inhibits the activity of smooth muscle, did not cause bloat even in the presence of cyanide. It is unlikely that flavones are concerned in bloat.Fractionation of bloat-provoking lucerne juice showed that activity was retained after (a) precipitation of chloroplastic material, and (b) passage of clear juice through an anion or cation exchange resin. This suggests that the bloat-provoking factor is non-ionic and not adsorbed on resins—properties shown by saponinis.Dosing sheep with lucerne saponins, four other saponins, egg albumin and a synthetic foaming compound failed to produce bloat.Two household detergents and a number of surface-active agents did not relieve bloat, but foam-breaking compounds were very effective.A synthetic inorganic saliva and cow's saliva did not prevent bloat in sheep and from the single test made with cow's saliva it is not possible to say if it increased the severity of bloat.It is concluded that the formation of a stable foam is a major factor in lucerne bloat and that food constituents, other than saponins, and the physical condition of the rumen ingesta probably influence the stability of the foam.
Observations of nutritional and seasonal changes in the fleeces of some masham sheep
Authors: Byder M. L. 
Published: March 2009

1. An experiment was carried out in summer when sheep do not normally shed their wool fibres to see if a poor diet would induce fibre shedding. Observations were then continued for a year to follow seasonal variations in the fleece.2. The two experimental sheep lost about a quarter of their body weight during the nutrition experiment. Measurement of areas tattooed in the skin showed that there was a reduction of about 5% in these areas.3. Histologieal observations of skin samples showed that there was very little fibre shedding during the nutrition experiment. This suggests that poor nutrition alone will not cause sheep to shed their fibres. More fibre shedding took place during the winter even though the sheep were well fed, suggesting a seasonal stimulus for shedding.4. ‘Brushes’ which are normally formed when fibres shed in primary follicles were also seen in secondary follicles.5. Observations were made during the nutrition experiment of the blood vessels in the skin and glycogen in the outer root sheaths of the follicles. No changes were seen in either the numbers of vessels, or the amount of glycogen present.6. The weight of wool produced per unit area per day was determined at each sampling time during the whole year. The experimental sheep behaved differently from the controls in their wool production during the nutrition experiment. Thereafter all sheep behaved the same, and seasonal fluctuations in wool production were found.7. The mean length and mean diameter of the wool produced was determined at each sampling time throughout the year.
The nutritive value of roughages for sheep II. The relationship between the gross digestible energy and the chemical composition of silages
Authors: Walker D. M. , Hepburn W. R. 
Published: March 2009

1. The relationship existing between the gross digestible energy content and the chemical composition of twenty-four silages has been studied with nine Cheviot wether lambs over a period of 8 months.2. Silages were made from grassland herbage and varied widely in the chemical composition of the ingoing material.3. Each silage was fed to a group of three lambs for a 10-day preliminary- and a 9-day collectionperiod. Faeces and urine were collected in metabolism crates.4. The silages were analysed for volatile acids and bases, for proximate nutrients and for some of the more precise chemical constituents as suggested in the scheme of analysis of Ferguson (1948).5. A close relationship existed between the gross digestible energy contents of the silages and the lignin (Ellis) content.6. The most accurate prediction of gross digestible energy was obtained by taking into account the content of lignin (Ellis), cellulose (Crampton & Maynard) and crude protein, in the silage.7. In the case of hays (Walker & Hepburn, 1955) no increase in the accuracy of predicting gross digestible energy was obtained by estimating the lignin and cellulose content, rather than crude fibre alone. However, with silages the results give support to the opinion of Mitchell (1942) and Schneider et al. (1951) that analysis for more precise chemical constituents will increase the accuracy of predicting digestibility.8. Crude fibre and cellulose were not related in any fixed way with the digestibility of energy. Crude fibre itself was digested to some 80% compared with 62% in hays.9. Metabolizable energy was closely related to digestible energy.10. The starch equivalents of the silages were calculated by conventional methods and also from the content of gross digestible energy.
The influence of copper deficiency on the fleeces of British breeds of sheep
Authors: Lee H. J. 
Published: March 2009

The fleeces of Border Leicester, Romney Marsh, Lincoln and Dorset Horn ewes which were confined for 3 years to copper-deficient pastures at Robe, in South Australia, have been studied.As the copper status of the untreated ewes fell, their fleeces revealed abnormalities identical with those encountered in similarly copper-deficient Merino and Merino crossbred sheep.The crimp characteristic of each breed was lost and straight, ‘steely’ fibres were produced. The capacity for crimp formation returned immediately when the copper status was restored.Ewes which received regular copper supplements grew normal wool throughout the experiment. Supporting analytical data are presented.The absence of this specific lesion from the fleeces of copper-deficient British breeds of sheep elsewhere is discussed.
The effects of agronomy on the carbon and nitrogen contained in the soil biomass
Authors: Adams T. McM. , Laughlin R. J. 
Published: March 2009

SummarySoils of various agronomic histories were fumigated with chloroform, and the resultant increased production of CO2 and mineral-N measured and expressed as biomass C and the flush of mineral-N production (FN), respectively. Biomass C and FN contents of grassland soils were greater than those of arable soils, and significant correlations with macro organic-matter content were found. Biomass C contents varied from 7 to mg C/100 g soil in arable soil and from 31 to 222 mg C/100 g soil in grassland or woodland. The proportion of soil organic C that was contained within the biomass ranged from 0·3 to 4·0%, whilst FN comprised from 1·0 to 11·7% of total soil N. FNcontents ranged from 1·1 to 13·2mg N/1OOg soil for arable soils, and from 2·5 to 31·7 mg N/100 g soil for grassland and woodland. Application of organic manures increased biomass C and FN contents in grassland soil.
Interrelationships between stem and ear development in winter wheat: the effects of a Norin 10 dwarfing gene, Gai/Rht2
Authors: Brooking I. R. , Kirby E. J. M. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryA field and a glasshouse experiment were carried out to assess in winter wheat genotypes the interrelationships between stem and ear development, and to relate these to number of grains and yield. Capelle-Desprez (gai/rht2) and Hobbit ‘s’ (Gai/Rht2) were used together with four F4 lines from the cross between them. Two of the lines were homozygous for gai/rht2 and two lines homozygous for Gai/Rht2. Within each pair of homozygous lines there was a contrast between a tall and a short genotype.There were no consistent differences in shoot apex morphogenesis between the genotypes, and, in general, similar numbers of spikelets and floret primordia were initiated in all genotypes. This contrasts with the hypothesis that genotypes based on Norin 10 (Gai/Rht2) have a fundamentally different pattern of ear morphogenesis. The main differences between genotypes were in dry-matter partitioning to stem and ear prior to anthesis and these were associated more consistently with the dwarfing gene than with height per se. Gai/Rht2 genotypes partitioned more dry matter to the ear during its development and less to the stem and this was reflected in greater ear weight at anthesis, more fertile florets and grains per spikelet, a higher harvest index and higher grain yield than the gai/rht2 genotypes. Although similar numbers of floret primordia were initiated in all genotypes, assimilate partitioning during development determined the proportion which developed into fertile florets at anthesis.
Field studies on leaching behaviour of a highly saline-sodic soil under two modes of water application in the presence of crops
Authors: Dahiya I. S. , Malik R. S. , Singh Maharaj 
Published: March 2009

SummaryThe leaching behaviour of a highly saline-sodic, moderately permeable, sandy-loam soil was evaluated under continuous and intermittent submergence conditions in a longterm field study in the presence of rice and subsequent wheat and sesbania crops. Leaching curves with respect to both desalinization and desodification showed that leaching efficiency was considerably higher with intermittent than with continuous submergence. The curves were useful in determining the amount of leaching water needed for a given mode of water application to reduce harmful levels of salinity and sodicity to acceptable ones. Empirical equations were determined to fit the experimental data. Their comparison with another empirical equation from published bare-field data of this site showed that leaching efficiency under crops was higher than under fallow. From the desodification leaching curve, it is concluded that in reclamation of these soils there is no need of the application of any amendment like gypsum. The soil salinity and sodicity data recorded at different growth stages and crop yields showed that leaching during the rice growing season, under intermittent submergence without previous leaching, decreased salinity and sodicity throughout the top 100 cm of the soil to levels safe for the successful cultivation of rice and subsequently the relatively deep-rooted crops of wheat and sesbania.
True and apparent metabolizable energy of some indigenous feedingstuffs and finished feeds determined by modified rooster bioassay techniques
Authors: Ranaweera K. N. P. , Nano W. E. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryThe true and apparent metabolizable energy (TME and AME) of a range of indigenous feedingstuffs and finished feeds were determined by rooster bioassay techniques adapted to suit a small nutrition laboratory.The AME and TME of some common feedingstuffs were similar to the values published elsewhere. The AME of two finished feeds were similar to their zero-N corrected metabolizable energy values determined by the conventional total collection method. The mean ±S.E. endogenous and metabolic excreta energy per bird for 24 h was 70·4 ± 2·94 kJ.
The effect of cold treatments on the curd maturity of winter-heading cauliflowers
Authors: Wurr D. C. E. , Kay Rosemary H. , Allen E. J. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryIn four experiments in different years, plants of four winter-heading cauliflower varieties with mean numbers of leaves and leaf initials varying from 9·5 to 16·5 were stored for periods of 14–24 days at different temperatures from 0 to 5 °C. Cold treatment tended to delay the time from sowing to 50% maturity but did not reduce the spread in the time of maturity of individual plants within a population. The reasons for this are discussed.
Effects of maternal nutrition and plasma progesterone concentrations on survival and growth of the sheep embryo in early gestation
Authors: Parr R. A. , Cumming I. A. , Clarke I. J. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYMature Merino ewes (n = 320) were fed either maintenance (100% M) or 25% maintenance (25% M) rations from the day after mating until embryos were collected at either day 11 or 21 after mating. On the 4th day after mating 223 ewes were ovariectomized and given 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 mg progesterone/day (intramuscular) until embryo collection. A further group of sham operated ewes (n = 54) acted as controls. Despite live-weight losses of 10·7 and 15·8% from mating to days 11 and 21 after mating respectively, ewes on 25% M rations showed no evidence that embryonic survival was influenced by undernutrition. The embryos from ewes fed 25 % M rations were significantly (P < 0·05) smaller than those fed 100% M (crown-rump measurements were 5·93 ± 0·139 mm and 6·39 ± 0·116 mm at day 21 after mating in the 25 % M and 100% M groups respectively). Development, assessed by formation of the first pharangeal lobe and the fore- and hind-limb buds, was significantly retarded (P < 0·05) in the 21-day-old embryos from the undernourished ewes. Embryo survival in ovariectomized ewes receiving 5 or 10 mg progesterone/day was significantly (P < 0·05) lower than in ovariectomized ewes receiving 20 and 25 mg progesterone/ day at day 11 after mating. Embryo survival at both days 11 and 21 after mating increased with increasing doses of progesterone. Ewes fed 25% M rations had elevated (P< 0·001) concentrations of peripheral progesterone compared with those fed 100% M. This occurred when the progesterone was derived from either exogenous or endogenous (ovarian) sources, dismissing the possibility that changes in secretion rates could account for these observed differences. Differences in embryo growth and development were not related to these variations in the plasma progesterone concentration. Undernutrition restricted both growth and development to 21 days of pregnancy.
Absorption by sheep of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium from a poultry litter supplemented diet
Authors: Ben-Ghedalia D. , Tagari H. , Geva A. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYEight Morino lambs equipped with simple cannulac in the duodenum and terminal ileum were divided into two equal groups and used to study the net absorption of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium from concentrate diets supplemented by soyabean meal or by ensiled poultry litter. Mean net absorption of Ca, P and Mg for the soya-bean meal and poultry-litter treatments, respectively, was 31·6, 10·1; 34·7, 35·4; and 51·5, 41·6.Irrespective of the diet, the small intestino was the major site for Ca and P absorption and the stomachs for the absorption of Mg. A large secretion of P in the stomachs was found with both diets; 8·50 and 9·32 g/day for the soya-bean meal and poultry-litter treatments, respectively.The results of the present study support the view that poultry litter is a good source of P and Mg for sheep and can be used with deficient diets. Owing to the low rate of Ca absorption from the poultry-litter diet, it appears that at limited levels of inclusion, the extra added Ca would not be a detrimental factor.