A two-year comparison on nutritive value and yield of eight lucerne cultivars and one red clover cultivar

Red clover (Trifolium pratense) and lucerne (Medicago sativa) are among the most common legume species used for ruminant feeding systems. Besides the greater nutritive quality and first-year ley yield compared to lucerne, red clover decreases its yield over the years. However, under unfavourable soil conditions the persistency of lucerne can be compromised, not performing as expected. This study compared yield and chemical composition of eight lucerne cultivars and one tetraploid red clover cultivar, with similar growth capacity as lucerne, replicated over two years. In the second year, four lucerne cultivars and the red clover cultivar were analysed for crude protein (CP) fractions, dry matter and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) digestibility. A randomized block design was used with three field blocks per cultivar for the multiple comparisons within each year. There were differences in DM yield, concentrations of CP and NDF and CP fractions among the lucerne cultivars, but the differences were inconsistent between years and between growth cycles within year. The red clover cultivar had lower CP and NDF concentrations than a majority of the lucerne cultivars, and greater in vitro organic matter digestibility compared to all of the lucerne cultivars. Also, the red clover cultivar had greater rumen undegradable-to-degradable CP ratio but confirmed its lower yield persistency compared to the lucerne cultivars.     

Seasonal changes in herbage mass and nutritive value of a range of grazed legume swards under Mediterranean and cool temperate conditions

Seasonal changes in herbage mass and herbage quality of legume‐based swards under grazing by sheep or cattle were investigated at four locations in climatically different zones of Europe: Sardinia (Italy), southern France, northern Germany and south‐west England (UK). At each location standard treatments were applied to legumes typical of species widely used in each locality: Medicago polymorpha in Italy, Medicago sativa in France, and Trifolium repens in Germany and in UK. At each site comparisons were made of two other legumes: Trifolium subterraneum and Hedysarum coronarium in Italy, Onobrychis sativa and Trifolium incarnatum in France, Trifolium pratense and Lotus corniculatus in Germany, and Trifolium ambiguum and L. corniculatus in UK. Legumes were sown in mixture with locally appropriate companion grasses, and measurements were made over two or three grazing periods. In Italy M. polymorpha swards gave the greatest herbage mass in grazing period 1 but H. coronarium was more persistent. At the French site all legumes established poorly with no significant herbage mass differences between treatments. At both the UK and German sites L. corniculatus maintained a high proportion of legume in the sward; T. repens showed poor persistence under continuous sheep grazing in UK but persisted under cattle grazing in Germany, while T. ambiguum was slow to establish in the UK, and T. pratense proved to be of comparable herbage mass to the standard T. repens‐based sward in the last year of the experiment. The concentration of crude protein and in vitro digestibility of organic matter in the dry matter of herbage showed greater within‐season variation than between treatments at each site. It is concluded that, in addition to currently used species, legume‐based swards containing H. coronarium, O. sativa and L. corniculatus all have potential to contribute to forage production for low‐input grazing and their use merits further consideration in systems of livestock production in Europe.     

Evaluation of protein nutritive value in barley and wheat cultivars usingAspergillus flavus

The fungusAspergillus flavus was used to evaluate the protein nutritive value of barley and wheat cultivars with a wide range in protein and amino acid concentrations. The biomass yield, after 72h incubation on isonitrogenous diets, also varied widely among barley or wheat cultivars. However, biomass was more closely associated with sample weight or glucose supplementation of the medium than with amino acid concentrations. Only threonine, serine and histidine in barley proteins gave low positive correlations with biomass yield at all energy levels in the diets, and no consistent correlations were found in the wheat experiment. Also biomass mycelium varied in nitrogen concentration, depending on diet, and biomass weight was not a consistent measure of nitrogen retention by the mycelum. It was concluded thatA. flavus was not a satisfactory organism for rapid screening of barley or wheat cultivars for concentration of available amino acids, essential for human nutrition.     

不同品种亚麻籽组成及抗氧化特性分析

分析了我国不同产区不同品种亚麻籽的组成及体外抗氧化特性。结果表明,除基本组成成分外,不同品种亚麻籽主要活性组分含量和体外抗氧化活性具有显著差异。α-亚麻酸、木酚素、总酚酸、黄酮、生育酚、植物甾醇含量范围分别为33.42%~59.74%,120~918 mg/100g,209~491 mg/100g,33.04~75.63 mg/100g,8.68~20.75 mg/100g,340~596 mg/100g。亚麻籽提取物DPPH值和FRAP值分别为4 357~8 146 μmol Trolox/100g, 8 289~15058 μmol Trolox/100g。此外,不同品种亚麻籽抗营养因子生氰糖苷含量差异较为显著(5.57~11.34 mg HCN/100g)。相关性分析结果表明,亚麻籽提取物体外抗氧化活性与木酚素、总酚酸和黄酮含量具有显著相关性（p<0.05）。主成分分析和聚类分析结果表明,亚麻籽主要酚类化合物及其抗氧化活性主要依赖于亚麻籽品种特性,而非种植区域。     

Fatty acid composition and nutritive value of twelve cultivars of perennial ryegrass

A comparison was made of the fatty acid composition and nutritive value of twelve cultivars of perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne L.) differing in heading date and ploidy level. The cultivars were sown in triplicate plots and three sequential cuts of herbage were taken at 20-d intervals during the late spring and early summer to describe the fatty acid composition and other measurements of nutritive value. Differences between cultivars were recorded for DM content ( P  <   0·01) and concentrations of gross energy, neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) and ash ( P  <   0·05). Diploid cultivars had a higher DM content and concentration of NDF ( P  <   0·01) than tetraploid cultivars whilst late-heading date cultivars had the lower NDF ( P  <   0·05), ADF and ash ( P  <   0·01) concentrations. There was variation between cultivars in fatty acid composition. Diploid cultivars had a higher concentration of C18:0 ( P  <   0·01) and C18:1 ( P  <   0·05) than tetraploid cultivars and late-heading date cultivars had the highest concentrations of total fatty acids, C16:0, C18:2 and C18:3 ( P  <   0·05). This was predominantly due to the cultivar Tyrella which is a diploid, late-heading cultivar. The study showed that some variation exists between perennial ryegrass cultivars in concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which may present opportunities to select for this trait, but further research on the developmental stages and degree of leafiness of cultivars is first required.     

杂交稻产量相关性状的灰色关联度分析

对构成杂交水稻产量的相关性状进行了分析,结果表明在构成产量性状的相关因素中,灰关联系数结实率〉播始历期〉千粒重〉株高〉穗长〉有效穗〉穗均粒数,表明结实率、生育期和千粒重三者对产量影响较大。试验结果以期为高产杂交稻的选育提供参考。     

花生品种(系)叶部病害综合抗性鉴定

:1 998～ 1 999年在自然发病条件下对 2 0个花生品种 (系 )进行叶部病害综合抗性鉴定。结果表明 ,目前我国广泛种植的花生品种对晚斑病、早斑病、网斑病等主要叶部病害的抗性存在差异 ,缺乏高抗和兼抗性材料。花生对叶部病害的抗性与主茎高、分枝数、结果数、饱果率等农艺性状及其分类类型无显著相关。自然发病条件下花育 1 7和花育 1 6荚果产量较高 ,引进花生品种 UF91 1 0 8产量较低 ,但对晚斑病、网斑病等具高抗水平 ,可提供花生育种作抗源材料     

Morphology and nutritive value of perennial ryegrass cultivars at different phenological stages

Eight perennial ryegrass cultivars (representing the variations in ploidy, heading date and water‐soluble carbohydrates concentration) were investigated for morphology and nutritive value at three phenological stages: pre‐heading vegetative, reproductive and post‐flowering vegetative stages. Chemical compositions and digestibility of morphological components (lamina, pseudostem and reproductive stem) from each perennial ryegrass cultivar were analysed in a split‐plot design. At the vegetative stages, perennial ryegrass cultivars differed significantly in the proportions of lamina and pseudostem. Tetraploid cultivars, Base and Bealey, always had the greatest lamina proportion (51.8% and 53.2% at the pre‐heading and post‐flowering vegetative stages respectively). At the reproductive stage, the emergence of seed heads diminished the differences in morphology among cultivars. Perennial ryegrass cultivars also had distinct nutritive value throughout three phenological stages. The high‐sugar cultivar, AberMagic, had high WSC concentrations (276, 227 and 90 g/kg DM at the pre‐heading vegetative, reproductive and post‐flowering vegetative stages respectively); the intermediate‐heading cultivars, Kamo and Commando, generally had a lower organic matter digestibility in dry matter than the late‐heading cultivars at the pre‐heading vegetative (70.7% vs. 74.4%) and reproductive stage (63.9% vs. 68.2%). However, although the morphological components were different in nutritive value consistently, the differences in morphology did not account for the variation in nutritive value among perennial ryegrass cultivars.     

Yield,nutritive value and silage fermentation of kura clover‐reed canarygrass and lucerne herbages in northern USA

Excellent winter hardiness, persistence and nutritive value of both kura clover (Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb.) and reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) suggest that intercropping these species could substitute for lucerne (Medicago sativa L.). The dry matter (DM) yield and nutritive value of herbage, and silage characteristics of kura clover‐reed canarygrass (KC‐RCG) herbage, were compared to those of lucerne over two growth cycles near Arlington, WI, USA. First and second growths of lucerne and KC‐RCG herbage were sampled four times at 1‐week intervals and ensiled for 100 d. Yield of DM of the KC‐RCG was 0·23–0·57 greater than that of lucerne on sampling dates in the first growth cycle, with no differences in DM yield in the second growth cycle. The pH of lucerne silage was lower than that of KC‐RCG silage in the first growth, and the opposite occurred in second growth, which was attributed to maturity differences and the proportion of kura clover in the mixture. Lactate concentration was lower in KC‐RCG than lucerne silages in both growth cycles. The lucerne and KC‐RCG silages had similar in vitro DM digestibility except for the final sampling date in the first growth cycle when neutral‐detergent fibre concentration of KC‐RCG herbage exceeded 550 g kg^?1 DM. Crude protein concentration was greater in lucerne silage than in KC‐RCG silage in both growth cycles. Overall, differences in nutritive value and silage fermentation between the two herbages were minimal across growth cycles. These results suggest that a KC‐RCG sward is a viable alternative to lucerne in northern environments of the USA where lucerne production may be limited by winter injury or edaphic factors.     

274个甘蔗常用亲本主要叶部病害和黑穗病的抗性评价

甘蔗优良亲本的选择和利用是决定甘蔗品种选育的关键因素,甘蔗亲本资源单个性状研究较多,但是,多种病害的综合性评价较少。为了解甘蔗亲本抗病性,优化甘蔗杂交亲本选择和组合,在广西农业科学院甘蔗研究所海南甘蔗杂交基地筛选常用甘蔗亲本274个,包括引进美国（US）15份、引进其他国家（GW）31份、引进中国台湾（TWCHN）25份、引进国内其他地区（GN）92份和自育亲本（GT）111份,进行甘蔗叶部白条病、叶焦病、赤腐病、轮斑病、花叶病、黄叶综合症（黄叶病）、梢腐病、黄斑病8种甘蔗叶片主要病害的抗病性评价和甘蔗黑穗病发病率调查,并利用灰色关联度分析锤度与中国甘蔗8个主要病害的关联度和亲本的抗病性加权关联度分析。结果表明,轮斑病是甘蔗常用亲本群体中发病最普遍的病害,有214个亲本发生病害,发病比例达78.10%,但其抗病级别7~9级只有9个亲本,总体感病程度较轻。亲本群体感病数最少的3个病害分别为白条病、梢腐病和黄斑病。美国和中国台湾是我国大陆甘蔗最重要的亲本来源地,已育成多个优良品种。美国引进亲本群体感染白条病、叶焦病和黄叶病的发病比例最高,分别为20.00%、33.33%和33.33%,但其他叶部病害的发病比例较低;中国台湾引进亲本群体中,轮斑病、黄叶病和叶焦病的发病比例较高;国内其他地区引进和自育亲本群体的发生病害比例较一致,属于中间水平,但自育亲本群体的轮斑病发病比例高达80.18%。黑穗病是中国大陆危害最严重的甘蔗病害。美国15个亲本群体的黑穗病发病比例为13.33%,且其中最大发病率仅为2.17%,属于感染亲本多但病害发病较轻;中国台湾引进亲本群体的黑穗病发病比例为24.00%,且其中最大发病率为10%,在各来源地亲本中发病率最高;甘蔗亲本叶部病害与锤度之间的相关性分析表明,其中梢腐病与锤度关联度最高为0.960,而黑穗病最低为0.711。灰色关联度加权分析常用亲本的抗病性表现为：F171、Tai98-2817、RB92-579、YuanL7、YueY R1、GF2、GT03-1462、GT08-120抗病性优良,而YZ99-596、CP01-1178、YunY06-450、CP94-1100、CP09-4256抗病性差。以欧式距离分类法对274个常用亲本的8个叶部病害和黑穗病进行模糊聚类分析,常用亲本可分为6类,其中第一类群是ROC28、MeiY8、YG45、YZ11-1204、GT05-1141和GT09-268,中抗轮斑病和黄斑病,高抗其他病害。本研究对甘蔗杂交亲本材料的选择和优化提供参考,对甘蔗育种材料的创制具有重要意义。     

灰色关联度分析和DTOPSIS法对大麦新品系评价效果比较

利用灰色关联度分析和DTOPSIS法,对大麦的主要性状与产量进行了分析评价。结果表明两种分析方法的评价结果基本相同,灰色关联度方法品种间差异不大,DTOPSIS法中Ci值差异十分明显,能更好的评价品系的优劣。研究认为,灰色关联度分析与DTOPSIS法结合能全面、客观地评判品系。。     

Morphological characteristics and nutritive value of some grass species in an arid ecosystem

An experiment was conducted on four genotypes of Cenchrus ciliaris, two genotypes of C. setigerus and one genotype each of Panicum maximum, P. antidotale and Lasirus sindicus grasses at CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Haryana, India in 2003 and 2004. Two cuts were taken in the months of September and November in each year. Measurements were made of seven morphological characteristics and the nutritive value of the grasses. The total green fodder yield was highest in C. ciliaris cv. IGFRI in 2003 and in C. ciliaris cv. CAZRI 75 in 2004. Total dry matter (DM) yield was highest in P. maximum cv. IGFRI and C. ciliaris cv. CAZRI 75 in 2003 and 2004, respectively. Crude protein and digestible DM yields were highest in C. ciliaris cv. CAZRI 75. It was concluded that C. ciliaris cv. CAZRI 75 can be recommended as the one with the most potential among the studied grasses for use in the arid regions of south‐west Haryana, India.     

Evaluation in pot and field trials of resistance of potato cultivars and breeding lines to common scab caused byStreptomyces scabies

Summary The resistance to common scab of nine cultivars and eight advanced breeding lines of potatoes, fiveSolanum andigenum Juz. et Buk. clones, and three potato breeding lines selected for resistance to common scab, was investigated in a field and a pot trial. In the pot trial potaroes were planted in inoculated coarse river sand in plastic pots (150 mm in diameter) placed on irrigated subsoil in a glassfibre house. In a field trial potatoes were planted in an artificially infested field. The harvested tubers were scored individually for scab incidence according to two scales, viz. a 1–5 point scale for percentage surface covered with scab and a 1–3 point scale for lesion type. A scab index value was calculated for each tuber. A significant correlation coefficient of 0.82 was obtained for the results of the two tests.     

Effects of shrub encroachment on herbage production and nutritive value in semi-arid Mediterranean grasslands

There is limited information on the effects of the increase in the density of shrubs on herbage production and nutritive value of natural grasslands in the Mediterranean region, currently facing major land use changes. Herbage production of drymatter (herbaceous fractions, of plant functional groups and by species), crude protein (CP), neutral‐detergent fibre (NDF), acid‐detergent fibre (ADF), acid‐detergent lignin (ADL) and hemicellulose concentrations and in vitro organic matter digestibility were determined at the time of peak of annual growth across four types of grassland vegetation each characterized by different shrub cover regimes. A sharp reduction in herbage production and a reduction in nutritive value were found as a result of the increase in shrub cover. These changes appeared to be closely related to the shift in plant functional groups detected as shrub density increased. Herbage production from grasses and legumes was found to be more sensitive to shrub cover changes than herbage production from forbs, whereas, as grassland types became denser, annual species were gradually replaced by perennials and C₄ grasses by C₃ ones. The impact of shrub encroachment on Mediterranean grasslands is discussed in relation to their use by livestock.     

小麦主要性状与产量的通径和灰色关联度分析

利用通径分析法和灰色关联分析法,对小麦的主要性状与产量进行了分析。通径分析结果表明,各性状对产量贡献率大小依次为：有效穗数〉穗粒数〉株高〉小穗数〉穗长〉千粒重。灰色关联分析的结果表明,小麦各性状的重要性排序为：有效穗数〉穗粒数〉千粒重〉株高〉穗长〉小穗数。试验通径分析中得到的贡献率大小及次序与灰色关联分析得到的关联度有...     

Herbage mass and nutritive value of herbage of extensively managed temperate grasslands along a gradient of shrub encroachment

Semi-natural grasslands often serve as important reserves of biodiversity. In Europe extensive grazing by livestock is considered an appropriate management to conserve biodiversity value and to limit shrub encroachment. However, little is known about the influence of shrubs on agronomic values. A gradient analysis of shrub-invaded temperate grasslands (from shrub-free to pioneer forest) in Germany was carried out to test the hypothesis that herbage mass and variables describing nutritive value of herbage decrease with increasing shrub encroachment. The herbage mass of dry matter (DM), variables describing the nutritive value of herbage, composition of the vegetation and mean of Ellenberg's indicator values were analysed with respect to the extent of shrubs. There was a reduction of herbage mass of DM from 3570 to 210 kg ha⁻¹ with increasing shrub encroachment. Metabolizable energy concentration of herbage ranged from 8·9 to 10·2 MJ kg⁻¹ DM and crude protein concentration from 72 to 171 g kg⁻¹ DM, both measures being positively correlated with shrub occurrence. Increasing shrub occurrence was associated with a decrease in water-soluble carbohydrates concentration (from 151 to 31 g kg⁻¹) and a reduction in the indicator 'forage value'. The results indicate a potentially large agronomic value for shrub-encroached temperate grasslands.     

Establishment techniques affect productivity,nutritive value and atmospheric N2 fixation of two sunn hemp cultivars

Nitrogen fertilization is a common practice for sustaining forage production in forage systems in southeastern United States. Warm-season annual legumes may be an alternative forage to warm-season perennial grasses that do not require N fertilization. Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) is a fast-growing, warm-season annual legume native to India and Pakistan. The objective of this 2-year study was to assess the herbage accumulation (HA), atmospheric N₂ fixation (ANF) and nutritive value of sunn hemp. Treatments were the factorial arrangement of two sunn hemp cultivars (“Crescent Sun” and “Blue Leaf”), three seeding rates (17, 28 and 39 kg seed/ha) and seed inoculation (inoculated or non-inoculated seeds), distributed in a randomized complete block design with four replicates. Crescent sun had greater HA (3,218 vs. 1764 kg DM/ha) and ANF (41 vs. 25 kg N/ha). Blue leaf had greater crude protein (CP) (188 vs. 176 g/kg) and in vitro digestible organic matter (IVDOM) concentrations (564 vs. 531 g/kg) than crescent sun. Non-inoculated seed had greater CP than inoculated seed, 188 and 177 g/kg, respectively, and inoculation did not affect HA. Intermediate seeding rate (28 kg/ha) decreased HA (2002 kg DM/ha), while HA from high and low seeding rates (17 and 39 kg/ha, respectively) did not differ (2,863 and 2,615 kg DM/ha respectively). Planting non-inoculated crescent sun at 17 kg/ha seeding rate is a feasible management practice to produce sunn hemp in subtropical regions; however, inoculation should always be recommended for proper establishment.     

Impact of deferred grazing and fertilizer on herbage production,soil seed reserve and nutritive value of native pastures in steep hill country of southern Australia

Developing sustainable grazing management systems based on perennial species is critical to preventing land degradation in marginal land classes. A field study was conducted from 2002 to 2006 to identify the impacts of deferred grazing (no defoliation of pastures for a period generally from spring to autumn) and fertilizer application on herbage accumulation, soil seed reserve and nutritive value in a hill pasture in western Victoria, Australia. Three deferred grazing strategies were used: short‐term deferred grazing (no defoliation between October and January), long‐term deferred grazing (no defoliation from October to the autumn break) and optimized deferred grazing (withholding time from grazing commenced between annual grass stem elongation and seed head emergence and concluded in February/March). These treatments were applied with two fertilizer levels (with or without fertilizer at 50 kg phosphorus ha^?1 and 2000 kg lime ha^?1 applied in year 1 only) in a factorial arrangement and two additional treatments: continuous grazing (CG) and no grazing (NG) in year 1. The deferred grazing treatments on average produced herbage dry matter of 4773 kg ha^?1, the NG produced 4583 kg ha^?1 and the CG produced 3183 kg ha^?1 in year 4 (2005–06) of the experiment. Deferred grazing treatments with and without fertilizer application produced an average of 5135 and 4411 kg DM ha^?1 respectively. Averaged over 4 years, deferred grazing increased the germinable seed pool of perennial grasses by 200% and annual grasses by 50% (except optimized deferred grazing that considerably decreased the annual grass seed pool) compared with the CG. The best of the deferred grazing strategies increased the digestibility of pastures by 7% compared with the CG. The results demonstrated that deferred grazing from spring to autumn followed by rotational grazing could be an effective tool to increase herbage production and soil seed pool and improve the digestibility of native pastures in the steep hill country of southern Australia.     

Morphological development and nutritive value of herbage in five temperate grass species during primary growth: analysis of time dynamics

In a 2‐year field experiment, morphological development and measures of the nutritive value of herbage for livestock during primary growth in Meadow foxtail, Tall oatgrass, Cocksfoot, Perennial ryegrass and Yorkshire fog were investigated. All measured variables were affected significantly by both species and sampling date, and their interaction (P < 0·001), in the period of primary growth. Changes with time in mean stage weight for Meadow foxtail and Cocksfoot were different from the other species due to their indeterminate growth habits. Mean stage weight of Tall oatgrass and Yorkshire fog increased more rapidly than that of Perennial ryegrass with time. Changes in mean stage weight with time were described by linear, parabolic and sigmoid relationships. Crude protein (CP) concentration of herbage was higher for Cocksfoot and Meadow foxtail than for Perennial ryegrass. A parabolic relationship of CP concentration with time was typical for all the species. Concentrations of neutral‐detergent fibre (NDF) and acid‐detergent fibre (ADF) in herbage of the species differed most during the mid‐period of primary growth. Their increases with time showed curvilinear (sigmoid and parabolic) relationships. Perennial ryegrass had lower concentrations of both NDF and ADF in herbage than the other species. Differences between the in vitro dry matter (DM) digestibility among the grasses increased in mid‐ and late periods of primary growth. Perennial ryegrass had higher values for in vitro DM digestibility but the difference from other species was small in the early period of primary growth and from cocksfoot in the late period of primary growth. In vitro DM digestibility showed, in most cases, a sigmoid and, in others, a linear decrease with time. Principal component analysis showed that perennial ryegrass and meadow foxtail were the most distinctive of the species in characteristics relating to morphological development and the nutritive value of herbage to livestock.     

Effects of nitrogen application rate on productivity,nutritive value and winter tolerance of timothy and meadow fescue cultivars

Finnish N fertilizer application regulations for forage grasses are based on field experiments mainly conducted in the 1960–1970s with cultivars and management practices typical of the time. In order to update the yield response function of N, to make it better suited to current grassland farming, field experiments were conducted at two sites in 2015–2017 with two cultivars of timothy (Phleum pratense L.) and one of meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.). Dry matter (DM) yield, nutritive value and N balance were evaluated, with N application levels 0, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400 and 450 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. The grasses were harvested three times per season. The data indicate that the DM yield response was significantly stronger, and N was used more efficiently for DM production than earlier without compromising the nutritive value, especially during the first two years. The third harvest produced on average 23% of the annual yield, utilizing N efficiently. N application rates below 350 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ did not cause substantial overwintering losses or lodging. The data indicate that with changing climate and improved cultivars and management practices, there is a need to modify the rates and timing of N application. The results suggest that N application levels could be increased by at least 50 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ from the current maximum accepted rate (250 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) without too high NO₃^- or CP concentrations in feed, or too high N balance that indicates increasing risk of N leaching.