Modelling the concentrations of nitrogen and water-soluble carbohydrates in grass herbage ingested by cattle under strip-grazing management

There is scope of increasing the nitrogen (N) efficiency of grazing cattle through manipulation of the energy and N concentrations in the herbage ingested. Because of asymmetric grazing by cattle between individual plant parts, it has not yet been established how this translates into the concentrations of N and water‐soluble carbohydrates (WSC) in the herbage ingested. A model is described with the objective of assessing the efficacy of individual tools in grassland management in manipulating the WSC and N concentrations of the herbage ingested by cattle under strip‐grazing management throughout the growing season. The model was calibrated and independently evaluated for early (April), mid‐ (June, regrowth phase) and late (September) parts of the growing season. There was a high correlation between predicted and observed WSC concentrations in the ingested herbage (R² = 0·78, P < 0·001). The correlation between predicted and observed neutral‐detergent fibre (NDF) concentrations in the ingested herbage was lower (R² = 0·49, P < 0·05) with a small absolute bias. Differences in the N concentration between laminae and sheaths, and between clean patches and fouled patches, were adequately simulated and it was concluded that the model could be used to assess the efficacy of grassland management tools for manipulating the WSC and N concentrations in the ingested herbage. Model application showed that reduced rates of application of N fertilizer and longer rotation lengths were effective tools for manipulating herbage quality in early and mid‐season. During the later part of the growing season, the large proportion of area affected by dung and urine reduced the effect of application rate of N fertilizer on herbage quality. In contrast, relative differences between high‐sugar and low‐sugar cultivars of perennial ryegrass were largest during this period. This suggests that high‐sugar cultivars may be an important tool in increasing N efficiency by cattle when risks of N losses to water bodies are largest. The model output showed that defoliation height affects the chemical composition of the ingested herbage of both the current and the subsequent grazing period.     

Phänotyp und Futterqualitat einschliefilich Konservierungseigenschaften bei Grasern

Phenotype and forage value, including conservation properties, of grasses The phenotype of grasses can be influenced by the date of harvest as well as by breeding programs. In contrast to dicotyledons, the stems of grasses are younger than the leaves, although the grass leaves are usually considered to have a higher nutritional value than the stems. In a field experiment, Lolium multiflorum Lam. ssp. gaudini (Parl.) Schinz et Kell. was grown as a model-plant in order to study effects of ploidy-level, N-fertilization, stage of development, and growth time on the main aspects of nutritional value and conservation properties in relation to the phenotype. As regards the nutritional value, the interactions of ploidy × plant organ (=stem or leaf) and of ploidy × N-input were not significant. Hence, the results for leaf and stem can be generahzed. Until the emergence of the inflorescence, EC 49, the stem showed a significant higher net energy content than the leaf; at later stages of development this relationship changed. The evaluation of the net energy content of leaf and stem was significantly influenced by the method of estimation. In vitro methods with rumen liquor may show the best approximation to the real value. The crude protein/energy ratio of the stem as compared to the leaf better meets the nutritional requirements of ruminants; on the other hand the leaf was more valuable than the stem in relation to the nitrate content, especially when the whole plant showed an increased nitrate level. The general relationship between the mineral content and the phenotype was not evident. The investigation indicated significant differences between stem and leaf in relation to their conservation properties. The leaf showed more favourable drying properties than the stem but ensilability was better for the stem than for the leaf. As a result of this investigation it is assumed that, in the past, the nutritional value of young stem has been underestimated whereas the value of the leaf has been overemphasized. This may also be due to the criteria and determination methods of the nutritional value.     

盆栽百合鳞茎发育与碳水化合物变化的关系

为深入探讨盆栽百合的鳞茎发育机制,对盆栽百合粉冠军(After eight)和橙色精灵(Tinydina)的鳞茎发育规律及鳞茎不同部位中淀粉、可溶性糖和蔗糖含量进行了研究。结果表明:现蕾后鳞茎中可溶性糖和蔗糖含量迅速下降;盛花后鳞茎干质量和鲜质量同时增加;叶半枯到叶全枯时新鳞茎中淀粉含量迅速上升,两品种增长幅度分别为41.9%和15.6%。因此,盛花期是粉冠军和橙色精灵百合鳞茎膨大的转折点,此时新鳞茎成为主要的"库";盆栽百合鳞茎发育存在后熟期。     

24个甜高粱品种主要农艺性状与品质性状遗传多样性分析

本研究对国内9份和国外15份甜高粱自交系品种的45个农艺性状和品质性状在新疆干旱区的表现进行遗传参数分析。目的是了解甜高粱种质资源在新疆干旱区的表现,为新疆干旱区甜高粱品种选育提供参考依据。遗传多样性分析表明,主要农艺、产量及品质性状的遗传多样性指数平均为1.831 9,明显高于分级性状的0.779 6。其中,茎秆产量的遗传多样性指数达到1.817 2,茎秆可溶性总糖含量遗传多样性指数为1.946 9。变异系数分析表明,各性状的遗传变异潜力较大。其中,叶鞘可溶性总糖含量变异系数最大为50.3%,播种-出苗期变异系数最小为5.7%,总体平均为23.9%。遗传参数分析表明,农艺性状平均广义遗传率为0.74;产量性状平均广义遗传率为0.92;各品质性状平均广义遗传率为0.93,其中茎秆可溶性总糖的广义遗传率达到0.99。进一步分析发现茎秆产量和茎秆可溶性总糖含量的相对遗传进度分别为81.1%和84.9%,可获得遗传增量分别是122.3和212.3g/kg,说明该甜高粱群体的茎秆产量和茎秆可溶性总糖含量均有着巨大的改良潜力。     

Effects of dietary carbohydrate sources on plasma glucose, insulin and IGF-I levels in multiparous sows

Effects of different carbohydrate sources on plasma glucose, insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels were compared to subsequently be able to study effects of insulin-stimulating diets on follicle development in sows. The following feed components were tested in 12 sows during six consecutive test periods of 9.5 days: dextrose (DEX), sucrose (SUC), lactose (LAC), dextrose plus lactose (DL), sucrose plus lactose (SL), dextrose plus sugarbeet pulp (DSBP) and control (CON). On day 2, 5 and 9 of each test period, plasma glucose (only at day 9), insulin and IGF-I profiles were determined. Despite similar glucose profiles for all diets, the postprandial insulin response was higher for DL and SL compared with CON and LAC; the other diets were intermediate. Plasma IGF-I levels were higher in CON, LAC and SL compared with DSBP, but differences were only marginal. It was concluded that dextrose and sucrose have the potential to stimulate fast and high insulin peaks, especially when combined with additional lactose. Despite the high dextrose in the DSBP diet, the insulin response was flattened, probably due to the viscosity of sugarbeet pulp. The results show that modulation of plasma insulin levels by dietary carbohydrates seems possible in anabolic sows, but IGF-I levels are less easily modified.     

Atmospheric carbon dioxide enrichment reduces carbohydrate and nitrogen reserves in overwintering Picea mariana

Abstract

Elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) can directly affect the cold hardening process in evergreens through their effect on the accumulation of carbon and nitrogen reserves. This study investigated the biochemical responses of black spruce [Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.] seedlings to CO₂ enrichment during growth, cold hardening and dehardening. Seedlings were grown under 350 (ambient) or 710 (elevated) ppm of CO₂ for 12 months in eight mini-greenhouses. Photoperiod and temperature were gradually lowered in autumn to induce cold hardening, and the conditions were reversed in spring to promote dehardening. At regular intervals, cold tolerance was assessed and sugars, starch and amino acid concentrations were measured. The freezing tolerance differed between the two treatments only in early autumn, with seedlings growing under high CO₂ being more tolerant. The northern ecotype was more cold tolerant with concomitant higher concentrations of sucrose, fructose, pinitol, glucose and total soluble sugars. The concentration of soluble sugars increased in needles and roots of black spruce along with cold hardening, and the concentrations of the cryoprotective sugars sucrose and raffinose were lower under elevated CO₂. Amino acid concentrations were also lower under elevated than under ambient CO_2. The lower level of reserve did not translate into a lower level of freezing tolerance.     

After‐effects of drought did not predispose young Picea abies to infection by the bark beetle‐transmitted blue‐stain fungus Ophiostoma polonicum

The defence of Norway spruce against a combined attack of the bark beetle Ips typographus and its associated blue‐stain fungi is based upon a) constitutive resin stored in ducts of the bark and sapwood, and b) induced resinosis in reaction zones surrounding the point of infection. Empirically, beetle epidemics are associated with external stresses, drought being a particularly prominent factor. An attempt was made to mechanistically explain the apparent link between drought and infestations, through studying after‐effects of drought on the induced defence in stressed trees. In the field, 3–5.5 m tall trees were exposed to artificial drought over three growth seasons to investigate whether this treatment would predispose them to fungal infection in a fourth season when drought was absent. Pre‐dawn xylem water potentials down to ‐1.85 MPa and a considerable foliage depletion were recorded. In the fourth season, the trees were inoculated with Ophiostoma polonicum, a pathogenic associate of Ips typographus. No difference in susceptibility could be seen between drought stressed trees and unstressed controls. Carbohydrate concentrations of foliage and branch bark were slightly enhanced and mineral nutrient concentrations strongly reduced in stressed trees.     

不同生育时期牛心朴子及甘草碳水化合物与全N含量分布部位及C/N比变化规律研究

对毛乌素沙漠边缘地带野生植物牛心朴子、甘草不同生育时期碳水化合物、全N含量、分布部位及C/N比的变化规律进行了研究。结果表明:1植物体各个器官均储藏营养物质,但根系是这两种多年旱生植物储藏碳水化合物的主要器官。2牛心朴子、甘草光合产物最终储藏物形式不同,牛心朴子根系以可溶性糖为主,且含量大于甘草;而甘草根系则以淀粉为主。3在生育期内碳水化合物积累和消耗动态变化有差异。总糖含量变化,牛心朴子为减少—减少—增加—减少—增加—增加;甘草为减少—减少—增加—增加—增加—减少。牛心朴子可溶性糖含量变化与总糖一致,而甘草可溶性糖含量变化有时与总糖一致,有时则不一致。4在两种植物体内,全N含量分布同表现为根<茎<叶;C/N比值的变化则为根>茎>叶。5牛心朴子全生育期根系对全N的需求量小于甘草,而叶对全N的需求量却大于甘草。表明可溶性糖既是牛心朴子的主要光合产物储藏物,是生长的主要能源物质,又是干旱胁迫下最好的渗透调节剂。牛心朴子对氮素营养的需求量少,植株体的生长量也小,这就降低对水分的敏感性,耐干旱耐瘠薄的能力相对强于甘草。     

Diversity of non‐structural carbohydrates in grasses (Poaceae) from Brazil

Non‐structural carbohydrates (NSC) are the primary energy available for growth and dry‐mass production in forage grasses. They are also associated with tolerance to environmental stresses, including drought. Soluble carbohydrates, especially fructans of temperate forage grasses, have been extensively studied; however, little is known about NSC of tropical grasses. These plants are abundant in the Cerrado, a savanna‐like vegetation with a definite seasonality in rainfall distribution. Such an environment presents an ideal condition for the occurrence of fructans. However, the present analysis of carbohydrates in aerial parts of twenty‐four tropical grass species, mainly from the Panicoideae subfamily in the Cerrado, shows a distinctively different NSC profile when compared with temperate grasses. Free glucose and starch are common NSC found in most plant organs. However, free fructose and sucrose‐based oligosaccharides were only found in very low amounts. Sucrose was detected in higher amounts only in stems. A linear series of malto‐oligosaccharides was found in leaf blades, sheaths and stems of most of the Cerrado grasses, except for those from the Andropogoneae tribe. These results indicate a diversity of regulatory pathways of NSC metabolism in tropical forage grasses from the Cerrado.