Sward characteristics,nutritive value and choice by cattle of conterminous monocultures of centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides) and bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum)

In south‐western Japan, centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides; CG) offers a novel option for a warm‐season perennial for grazing use in areas where bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum; BG) can be grown. However, the potential of CG as a forage has not been fully explored because of the short history as a forage crop. We conducted four experiments to evaluate CG (cv. TifBlair) in comparison with BG (cv. Pensacola) in terms of sward characteristics, nutritive value and choice by animals. In each experiment, four Japanese Black cows (Bos taurus) were individually allowed to graze conterminous monocultures of CG and BG (5 × 10 m each) for 30 min. Irrespective of regrowth durations and fertilizer rates, CG was consistently shorter, leafier and denser, contained lower acid detergent fiber and cellulose, and was preferred or equally selected by cows, as compared with BG. Furthermore, CG maintained sufficient levels of crude protein (80–89 g/kg DM) to ensure voluntary intake of ruminant animals under extended regrowth^? and without fertilizer, whereas BG failed to do so (65 g/kg DM). CG provided higher digestible dry matter than BG when crude protein concentration exceeded 86 g/kg DM. The results indicate advantages of CG as a forage.     

盛夏干旱期猕猴桃园百喜草覆盖与敷盖的生态生理效应

在盛夏干旱期，猕猴桃园行间百喜草覆盖（Covering)与株间百喜草敷盖（Mulching)可以降低地表温度，根际土温与冠幕气温，有效保持土壤含水量及冠幕空气相对湿度，随干旱期的持续延长，猴猴桃园土壤含水量，叶片水势，叶片光合速率均逐渐降低，而进喜草覆盖与敷盖可在一定程度上延缓它们的下降。     

野葛对红壤坡地水土保持和改良土壤效应的研究

针对红壤坡地水土流失严重的状况,选用横峰野葛、百喜草为材料对红壤坡地水土保持和土壤改良进行了研究。结果表明:横峰野葛和百喜草能有效地提高土壤持水量,降低土壤容重,增大土壤孔隙度,提高土壤PH值,增加土壤有机质和N、P、K含量,大大减少土壤侵蚀量和径流量,达到了较好的水土保持和改良土壤效果,而且野葛的综合效果比百喜草更好。     

Seeding strategies of bahiagrass and pintoi peanut affect pasture establishment under weed competition

Pintoi peanut (Arachis pintoi Krapov. & W.C. Greg.) is a warm‐season perennial legume with potential for use in grass–legume mixtures in Florida; however, limited information exists about its establishment in mixtures with bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flügge). The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the establishment of bahiagrass cv. “Argentine” and pintoi peanut cv. “Amarillo” as monocultures or mixture. The experiment was conducted in Ona, FL, from June to October of 2014 and 2015. Treatments were a split‐plot design of seeding strategies (bahiagrass monoculture, pintoi peanut monoculture or bahiagrass‐pintoi peanut mixtures; main plots) and two N fertilization strategies (30 or 80 kg/ha N; 30N and 80N; subplots), with four replicates. Measurements of plant density and frequency were taken every 4 weeks after seeding. Ground cover and herbage mass (HM) measurements were taken 112 days after seeding. Pintoi peanut ground cover was affected by seeding strategy × N level interaction. Ground cover was greater with 80N than 30N when pintoi was seeded in monoculture (3.6% vs 1.5% respectively) but not when it was seeded with bahiagrass (2.1%). There was no effect of seeding or N strategy on pintoi peanut proportion in HM (1.4%). Bahiagrass ground cover was not affected by seeding or N strategy (15.9%); however, its proportion in the HM was greater in 80N than 30N (12.1% vs 9.4% respectively). Mixed seeding did not negatively affect the establishment of bahiagrass and pintoi peanut and greater N fertilization levels improved some establishment parameters, with no negative effect for pintoi peanut.     

Land Application of Aluminum Water Treatment Residual: Aluminum Phytoavailability and Forage Yield

Negative impacts of land‐applied aluminum (Al)–rich water treatment residuals (WTRs), which have been suggested to improve soil phosphorus (P) sorption, could include excessive immobilization of plant‐available P and Al phytotoxicity. We studied the impacts of an Al‐rich WTRs on agronomic returns and plant Al concentrations in glasshouse and field studies. The glasshouse study was a 4 × 2 × 3 factorial experiment with one control in a randomized complete block design and three replicates. Four sources of P were each applied at two agronomic rate [44 kg P ha^?1, P‐based rate; and 179 kg plant‐available nitrogen (PAN) ha^?1, N‐based rate] to topsoil (0–15 cm) of a sandy, siliceous, hyperthermic Arenic Alaquods. Three WTR rates (0, 10, and 25 g kg^?1 oven‐dry‐weight basis) were further applied, whereas the control received neither P source nor WTRs. Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Fluggae), ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), and a second bahiagrass crop were continuously grown in succession for 18 months. Applied WTRs increased soil Al but not plant Al concentrations (22–80 mg Al kg^?1), which fell within the normal concentration range for pasture plants. In the glasshouse, when WTRs were incorporated with the soil, bahiagrass dry matter (DM) accumulation was reduced, but ryegrass DM was not affected even at 25 g kg^?1 WTR. A 2‐year field study, with same treatments but two rates of WTRs (0 and 10 g kg^?1 WTR) surface applied to established bahiagrass on the same soil type (Spodosols) showed neither reduced yields nor increased plant Al phytoavailability in the WTR treatments. The studies show no increase in plant Al is associated with Al‐WTRs applied to reduce excess soil‐soluble P and P losses but plant DM accumulation may be reduced.     

Electron probe microanalysis of silicon in grass leaves

Abstract

Silicon is a major constituent of grasses, therefore, research was initiated to evaluate the use of the paraffin technique for electron probe microanalysis of Si in grass leaf tissue. Mature healthy leaves of a tropical grass, Wilmington bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flügge), and a cool season grass, tall fescuegrass (Festuca arundinacea Schred), were selected for study. Paradermal sections (10 μ) of paraffin impregnated leaf tissue were placed on sheet carbon that had been attached with Haupt's adhesive to 2.5 cm glass discs. The grass sections were fixed to the sheet carbon with Haupt's adhesive and the paraffin removed with xylene prior to microanalysis. Silicon was found to be highly concentrated in the epidermis of fescuegrass and bahiagrass. Short cells, many containing opal bodies, had the highest contents of Si of the epidermal cells. Large quantities of Si was also present in guard cells but long cells contained relatively small amounts.     

Evaluation of Paspalum germplasm for variation in leaf wax and heat tolerance

Summary The genus Paspalum contains a number of important forage grasses, including P. dilatatum Poir. (dallisgrass) and P. notatum Flugge (bahiagrass). Even though many Paspalum species are adapted to moist, humid areas, they frequently are subjected to extended periods of drought stress which reduces forage productivity. This study was initiated to determine the range of variation for different indicators of drought tolerance in several Paspalum species. Fifteen species representing a broad cross section of germplasm were grown in a replicated field nursery and sampled for leaf epicuticular wax content on four dates over three years. Wax was extracted with chloroform and quantified by the dichromate oxidation technique. Heat tolerance (solute leakage technique) was also determined by calculating the ratio of the conductivity of the external bathing solution of leaves following a heat treatment to the conductivity of the bathing solution after leaves were boiled. Wax values of the entries ranged from 5.7 to 0.88 mg/dm². Both relative rankings and absolute wax values were very consistent across all sampling dates. The accessions of Paspalum nicorae Parodi and P. quandrifarum Lam. were consistently high in wax content, while the accessions of P. commune Lillo and P. unispicatum (Scribn. et Merr.) Nash were consistently low. The heat tolerance testing demonstrated that the accession of P. notatum var. saurae Parodi was the most heat tolerant of the entries. Results from this investigation demonstrate the wide range of diversity that exists for both epicuticular wax and heat tolerance within the genus Paspalum.     

Evaluating different bahiagrass cytotypes for heat tolerance and leaf epicuticular wax content

Summary Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge) is a polymorphic species indigenous to South America which has become naturalized in the southeastern U.S. The most common form in the United States is Pensacola bahiagrass,P. notatum var.saurae Parodi., which is a valuable forage. Pensacola is a sexual diploid, while most other bahiagrasses are apomictic tetraploids. Pensacola bahiagrass is considered to have greater heat tolerance (based on anin vitro heat tolerance test) than a number of otherPaspalum species, but has less leaf epicuticular wax (a drought avoidance mechanism) than other species. Both heat tolerance and leaf epicuticular wax are desirable characteristics for species grown where periodic drought occurs. We measured both characteristics over two years in a collection of 23 bahiagrass accessions, many of which had been collected in South America near the center of origin of the species. The collection included various ploidy levels. For both years, no accessions ranked statistically lower in damage in the heat tolerance test than Pensacola, although eight had significantly higher damage. Two entries in addition to Pensacola had very low damage in the heat tolerance test. Pensacola was high in leaf wax, with 16 accessions rated significantly lower in wax. The accession having the lowest wax content was a triploid, which also exhibited considerable leaf death in the field in response to drought and heat. The diploid entries tended to be higher in leaf wax than the other ploidy levels. This study has identified additional bahiagrass germplasm which may be of use in a breeding program.