Environmental conditions influence phenology and physiological processes of plants. It is common for maize and sorghum to be sown at two different periods: the first cropping (spring/summer) and the second cropping (autumn/winter). The phenological cycle of these crops varies greatly according to the planting season, and it is necessary to characterize the growth and development to facilitate the selection of the species best adapted to the environment. The aim of this study was to characterize phenological phases and physiological parameters in sorghum and maize plants as a function of environmental conditions from the first cropping and second cropping periods. Two parallel experiments were conducted with both crops. The phenological characterization was based on growth analyses (plant height, leaf area and photoassimilate partitioning) and gas exchange evaluations (net assimilation rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration and water-use efficiency). It was found that the vegetative stage (VS) for sorghum and maize plants was 7 and 21 days, respectively, longer when cultivated during the second cropping. In the first cropping, the plants were taller than in the second cropping, regardless of the crop. The stomatal conductance of sorghum plants fluctuated in the second cropping during the development period, while maize plants showed decreasing linear behaviour. Water-use efficiency in sorghum plants was higher during the second cropping compared with the first cropping. In maize plants, in the second cropping, the water-use efficiency showed a slight variation in relation to the first cropping. It was concluded that the environmental conditions as degree-days, temperature, photoperiod and pluvial precipitation influence the phenology and physiology of both crops during the first and the second cropping periods, specifically cycle duration, plant height, leaf area, net assimilation rate, stomatal conductance and water-use efficiency, indicating that both crops respond differentially to environmental changes during the growing season. 相似文献
Landscape Ecology - Several case studies investigated the role of ecosystem services in participatory planning processes. However, no systematic study exists that cuts across a large number of... 相似文献
In this study, we evaluated the effects of including cassava wastewater in the diet on the feeding behavior of feedlot lambs in 35 male uncastrated Santa Inês × Dorper crossbred lambs at an approximate age of 3 months, with an average live weight of 20.0?±?3.4 kg. Diets were formulated with hay of cassava shoots (roughage) and a concentrate based on corn and soybean, with a roughage:concentrate ratio of 50:50, plus inclusion of cassava wastewater at the levels of 0, 12, 24, 36, or 48 g/kg of the total diet. Feeding behavior was evaluated between the 46th and 52nd days of the experiment. Increasing cassava wastewater levels in the diet reduced (P?<?0.05) the intakes (kg/day) of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber as well as the efficiency of rumination (g/cud and g/h) of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber. The other behavioral parameters were not affected by wastewater inclusion in the diet. Therefore, the inclusion of up to 48 g/kg of cassava wastewater on fresh matter of diets is not recommended for feedlot lambs. 相似文献
So far, rumination has been used as a proxy for monitoring dairy cow health at farm level. However, investigating its genetic aspects as well as its correlation with other important productive traits may turn this management tool into a new informative selection criterion. However, scientific evidences on genetic correlation among rumination time (RT) and milk production and milk composition are still scarce. Therefore, the objective of this study was to estimate the heritability of RT across three lactation phases and its genetic correlation with milk production, milk composition and somatic cell count (SCC). Results of our study showed that heritability for RT was 0.34 and was constant across lactation. The mean genetic correlations between RT and milk production and composition traits were 0.07 (milk production), ?0.07 (protein yield), ?0.31 (fat yield), and ?0.32 (fat/protein ratio). The mean genetic correlation between RT and the SCC was 0.05. 相似文献
Effects of adding different concentrations of melatonin (10?7, 10?9 and 10?11 M) to maturation (Experiment 1; Control, IVM + 10?7, IVM + 10?9, IVM + 10?11) and culture media (Experiment 2; Control, IVC + 10?7, IVC + 10?9, IVC + 10?11) were evaluated on in vitro bovine embryonic development. The optimal concentration of melatonin (10?9 M) from Experiments 1–2 was tested in both maturation and/or culture media of Experiment 3 (Control, IVM + 10?9, IVC + 10?9, IVM /IVC + 10?9). In Experiment 1, maturated oocytes from Control and IVM + 10?9 treatments showed increased glutathione content, mitochondrial membrane potential and percentage of Grade I blastocysts (40.6% and 43%, respectively). In Experiment 2, an increase in the percentage of Grade I blastocysts was detected in IVC + 10?7 (43.5%; 56.7%) and IVC + 10?9 (47.4%; 57.4%). Moreover, a lower number and percentage of apoptotic cells in blastocysts were observed in the IVC + 10?9 group compared to Control (3.8 ± 0.6; 3.6% versus 6.1 ± 0.6; 5.3%). In Experiment 3, the IVC + 10?9 treatment increased percentage of Grade I blastocysts with a lower number of apoptotic cells compared to IVM /IVC + 10?9 group (52.6%; 3.0 ± 0.5 versus 46.0%; 5.4 ± 1.0). The IVC + 10?9 treatment also had a higher mRNA expression of antioxidant gene (SOD 2) compared to the Control, as well as the heat shock protein (HSPB 1) compared to the IVM + 10?9. Reactive oxygen species production was greater in the IVM /IVC + 10?9 treatment group. In conclusion, the 10?9 M concentration of melatonin and the in vitro production phase in which it is used directly affected embryonic development and quality. 相似文献
In silvopastoral (SP) systems, forage responses depend on the microenvironment in which the plants develop. Our objective was to evaluate canopy and tillering characteristics of shaded 'Marandu' palisadegrass [Brachiaria brizantha (Hochst A Rich) Stapf, syn. Urochloa brizantha] under continuous stocking in a SP system. Treatments were one full sun (FS) and three shaded systems (silvopasture, SP) corresponding to distances from tree groves: 7.5 m north (SP1), and 15 m (SP2) and 7.5 m south (SP3) studied during two rainy seasons (Year 1 and Year 2). The tree in the SP system was Eucalyptus urograndis (hybrid of Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden × Eucalyptus urophylla S. T. Blake). The photosynthetic active radiation was greater in FS (923 μmol m-2 s-1), followed by SP2 (811 μmol m-2 s-1), SP1 (727 μmol m-2 s-1) and SP3 (673 μmol m-2 s-1). Forage accumulation in FS was 15% greater than the mean of SP1, SP2 and SP3 (10,663 kg DM/ha). There was no difference in net accumulation of leaf, stem and dead material, averaging 3,302, 3,420 and 4,063 kg DM/ha respectively. Leaf accumulation and accumulation rate were greater in Year 2, and leaf accumulation rate was similar among treatments (19 kg DM ha−1 day−1). Leaf proportion increased 14% from Year 1 to Year 2. Specific leaf area was greater for treatments SP1 and SP3 (193 cm2/g). Tiller population density was similar across treatments in Year 1. Shaded palisadegrass maintains leaf productivity similar to FS under continuous stocking in an SP system. 相似文献
Grazing livestock has strong impact on global nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions by providing N sources through excreta. The scarcity of information on factors influencing N2O emissions from sheep excreta in subtropical ecosystems such as those of Southern Brazil led us to conduct field trials in three different winter pasture seasons on an integrated crop–livestock system (ICL) in order to assess N2O emission factors (EF-N2O) in response to variable rates of urine and dung.
Materials and methods
The equivalent urine-N loading rates for the three winter seasons (2009, 2010, and 2013) ranged from 96 to 478 kg ha?1, and the dung-N rates applied in 2009 and 2010 were 81 and 76 kg ha?1, respectively. Air was sampled from closed static chambers (0.20 m in diameter) for approximately 40 days after excreta application and analyzed for N2O by gas chromatography.
Results and discussion
Soil N2O-N fluxes spanned the ranges 4 to 353 μg m?2 h?1 in 2009, ??47 to 976 μg m?2 h?1 in 2010, and 46 to 339 μg m?2 h?1 in 2013. Urine addition resulted in N2O-N peaks within for up to 20–30 days after application in the 3 years, and the strength of the peaks was linearly related to the N rate used. Emission factors of N2O (EF-N2O, % of N applied that is emitted as N2O) of urine ranged from 0.06 to 0.34% and were essentially independent of N rate applied. By considering a ratio of N excreted by urine and dung of 60:40, a single combined excretal EF-N2O of 0.14% was estimated.
Conclusions
Our findings showed higher mean EF-N2O for sheep urine than that for dung (0.21% vs 0.03%), irrespective of the occurrence or not of urine patches overlap. This value is much lower than default value of 1% of IPCC’s Tier 1 and reinforces the needs of its revision.