Dry matter yield, chemical composition and estimated extractable protein of legume and grass species during the spring growth.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of the variation of extractable protein amount in legumes and grasses as affected by harvest time is important for identifying optimal combinations to enable a high protein production in a biorefinery. The extractability of protein was estimated using the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System across six harvests during the spring growth. RESULTS: The estimated extractable protein [g kg-1 dry matter (DM)] defined as the easily available fractions B1 +B2 was significantly higher in white clover and lucerne at all harvests while, if the more cell wall attached fraction B3 can be extracted, white clover had the highest extractable protein amongst all species. Total yield of B1 +B2 per ha was higher in white clover and red clover at the early growth while B1 +B2 +B3 was by far the highest for red clover through all harvests. CONCLUSION: White clover could be a good candidate for protein production purpose in a biorefinery due to its high extractable protein content per kg DM. In order to maximise the protein production capacity, harvest should take place during early growth due to a decline in protein extractability with maturity. The final economy of the concept will depend on the value of the fibre after extraction of the protein. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Fatty acid, tocopherol and carotenoid content in herbage and milk affected by sward composition and season of grazing.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present work was to study to what extent grazing large amounts of white clover (WCL), red clover (RCL), lucerne (LUC) or chicory (CHI) was suitable for production of bovine milk with a high milk fat content of tocopherols, carotenoids, α-linolenic acid and conjugated linoleic acid. RESULTS: WCL, RCL, LUC and CHI swards were established to investigate the influence of herbage composition on the milk quality of grazing dairy cows at three periods. Average milk fat composition showed high concentrations of linolenic acid (12 mg g⁻¹), conjugated linoleic acid (13 mg g⁻¹), carotenoids (6 µg g⁻¹) and α-tocopherol (21 µg g⁻¹ milk fat). There were minor differences between herbage types and periods, but multivariate analysis of these data showed no clear grouping. Chemical composition of herbage varied with species as well as period, but it was not possible to relate milk and feed contents of specific fatty acids, carotenoids or tocopherols. CONCLUSION: All four herbages tested were suitable for production of milk with a high content of beneficial compounds. Thus any of these herbages could be used in production of such differentiated milk based on a large proportion of grazing in the ration.

Species Diversity Effects on Productivity, Persistence and Quality of Multispecies Swards in a Four-Year Experiment.

Plant species diversity may benefit natural grassland productivity, but its effect in managed grassland systems is not well understood. A four-year multispecies grassland experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of species diversity-legumes and non-leguminous forbs-on productivity, persistence and sward quality under cutting or grazing regimes and with or without slurry application. Three mixtures were established- 3-mix: grass, red and white clover, 10-mix: 3-mix plus birdsfoot trefoil and six non-leguminous forbs, and 12-mix: 10-mix plus lucerne and festulolium. Species diversity increased sward production and yield persistence under cutting regime. The 12-mix had the highest yield from the second year onwards and no statistically significant yield reduction over four years, while annual yields in the 3-mix and 10-mix decreased significantly with increasing grassland age. The higher yield in the 12-mix was mainly due to the inclusion of high-yielding lucerne. The 10-mix and 12-mix had lower proportions of unsown species than the 3-mix, the difference being dependent on grassland age. Generally, the 3-mix had higher concentrations of in-vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and crude protein (CP), and a lower concentration of ash than the 10-mix and 12-mix. Slurry application increased annual yield production by 10% and changed the botanical composition, increasing the proportion of grass and decreasing the proportion of legumes. Compared to cutting, grazing increased forage production by 9% per cut on average and lowered legume and forb proportions in the mixtures, but yields did not differ among the three mixtures. Overall, our results suggest that species diversity increases sward productivity and persistence only under an ungrazed cutting regime. We conclude that increasing species diversity by selecting appropriate species with compatible management is key to achieving both high yields and high persistence in managed grasslands.

Forbs enhance productivity of unfertilised grass-clover leys and support low-carbon bioenergy.

Intensively managed grasslands are dominated by highly productive grass-clover mixtures. Increasing crop diversity by inclusion of competitive forbs may enhance biomass production and sustainable biofuel production. Here we examined if one or all of three forbs (chicory, Cichorium intybus L.; caraway, Carum carvi L.; plantain, Plantago lanceolata L.) included in ryegrass-red clover mixtures enhanced above- and below-ground productivity, and assessed their biofuel potentials, based on a three-year experiment with and without fertilisation as cattle slurry. We determined herbage yield, standing root biomass, and estimated methane energy output and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per energy unit using life cycle assessment. Results showed that plantain-containing grass-clover mixtures significantly increased herbage yield, while chicory- or caraway-containing mixtures maintained similar yields to the grass-clover mixture. Standing root biomass of the grass-clover mixture was enhanced by inclusion of caraway and plantain, with that of plantain further enhanced by fertilisation. The highest methane energy output was achieved in plantain-containing grass-clover mixtures. All unfertilised mixtures achieved the 60% reduction in GHG emissions compared to fossil fuel, whereas all fertilised mixtures did not meet the 60% reduction target. These findings suggest that including competitive forbs such as plantain in grass-clover mixtures enhances productivity, supporting low-carbon footprint bioenergy production.

Warts Signaling Controls Organ and Body Growth through Regulation of Ecdysone.

Coordination of growth between individual organs and the whole body is essential during development to produce adults with appropriate size and proportions [1, 2]. How local organ-intrinsic signals and nutrient-dependent systemic factors are integrated to generate correctly proportioned organisms under different environmental conditions is poorly understood. In Drosophila, Hippo/Warts signaling functions intrinsically to regulate tissue growth and organ size [3, 4], whereas systemic growth is controlled via antagonistic interactions of the steroid hormone ecdysone and nutrient-dependent insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) (insulin) signaling [2, 5]. The interplay between insulin and ecdysone signaling regulates systemic growth and controls organismal size. Here, we show that Warts (Wts; LATS1/2) signaling regulates systemic growth in Drosophila by activating basal ecdysone production, which negatively regulates body growth. Further, we provide evidence that Wts mediates effects of insulin and the neuropeptide prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) on regulation of ecdysone production through Yorkie (Yki; YAP/TAZ) and the microRNA bantam (ban). Thus, Wts couples insulin signaling with ecdysone production to adjust systemic growth in response to nutritional conditions during development. Inhibition of Wts activity in the ecdysone-producing cells non-autonomously slows the growth of the developing imaginal-disc tissues while simultaneously leading to overgrowth of the animal. This indicates that ecdysone, while restricting overall body growth, is limiting for growth of certain organs. Our data show that, in addition to its well-known intrinsic role in restricting organ growth, Wts/Yki/ban signaling also controls growth systemically by regulating ecdysone production, a mechanism that we propose controls growth between tissues and organismal size in response to nutrient availability.

Interrelations between herbage yield, α-tocopherol, ß-carotene, lutein, protein, and fiber in non-leguminous forbs, forage legumes, and a grass-clover mixture as affected by harvest date.

Pastures with diverse botanical composition may enhance animal-derived product quality. A recent study demonstrated high vitamin concentrations and yields in some forb species. The objectives of the present study were to investigate interrelations between herbage yields, vitamin concentrations, protein and fiber contents and analyze the effect of harvest date. We hypothesized that interrelations would be similar across investigated forage species. Four nonleguminous forbs: salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor), caraway (Carum carvi), chicory (Cichorium intybus), and ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata), three legumes: yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis), lucerne (Medicago sativa), and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) and a perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)-white clover (Trifolium repens) mixture were sown in a field trial with two replicated and randomized blocks. Forage in 1.5 m × 9 m plots was grown in two consecutive years and cut four times per year (May-October). Analyses of variance were performed. In most herbages, α-tocopherol and ß-carotene were positively correlated as were ß-carotene and lutein; all vitamins were negatively correlated with fiber content and herbage yield. ß-Carotene was positively correlated with protein content. α-Tocopherol and ß-carotene contents were generally highest in October and lowest in July. Our results showed similar interrelationships in most investigated species, and we suggest that these species may be mixed when designing novel biodiverse mixtures for particular product quality characteristics.

Biogas potential from forbs and grass-clover mixture with the application of near infrared spectroscopy.

This study investigated the potentials of forbs; caraway, chicory, red clover and ribwort plantain as substrates for biogas production. One-, two- and four-cut systems were implemented and the influence on dry matter yields, chemical compositions and methane yields were examined. The two- and four-cut systems resulted in higher dry matter yields (kg [total solid, TS] ha(-1)) compared to the one-cut system. The effect of plant compositions on biogas potentials was not evident. Cumulative methane yields (LCH4kg(-1) [volatile solid, VS]) were varied from 279 to 321 (chicory), 279 to 323 (caraway), 273 to 296 (ribwort plantain), 263 to 328 (red clover) and 320 to 352 (grass-clover mixture), respectively. Methane yield was modelled by modified Gompertz equation for comparison of methane production rate. Near infrared spectroscopy showed potential as a tool for biogas and chemical composition prediction. The best prediction models were obtained for methane yield at 29 days (99 samples), cellulose, acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fibre and crude protein, (R(2)>0.9).

Fatty acids, α-tocopherol, ß-carotene, and lutein contents in forage legumes, forbs, and a grass-clover mixture.

Fresh forages are an important natural source of vitamins and fatty acids in ruminant diets, and their concentrations in forage species are important for the quality of animal-derived foods such as dairy and meat products. The aims of this study were to obtain novel information on vitamins and fatty acids (FA) in a variety of forage legumes and non-legume forb species compared to a grass-clover mixture and to explore implications for animal-derived products. Seven dicotyledons [four forbs (salad burnet ( Sanguisorba minor ), caraway ( Carum carvi ), chicory ( Cichorium intybus ), and ribwort plantain ( Plantago lanceolata )) and three legume species (yellow sweet clover ( Melilotus officinalis ), lucerne ( Medicago sativa ), and birdsfoot trefoil ( Lotus corniculatus ))] and a perennial ryegrass-white clover mixture were investigated in a cutting trial with four harvests (May-October) during 2009 and 2010. The experimental design was a randomized complete block, and analyses of variance were performed. In addition, three other forbs were grown: borage ( Borago officinalis ), viper's bugloss ( Echium vulgare ), and chervil ( Anthriscus cerefolium ). Lucerne and yellow sweet clover had the lowest α-tocopherol concentrations (21-23 mg kg(-1) DM) and salad burnet and ribwort plantain the highest (77-85 mg kg(-1) DM); ß-carotene concentrations were lowest in lucerne, salad burnet, and yellow sweet clover (26-33 mg kg(-1) DM) and highest in caraway, birdsfoot trefoil, and ribwort plantain (56-61 mg kg(-1) DM). Total FA concentrations were lowest in lucerne, ribwort plantain, chicory, and yellow sweet clover (15.9-19.3 g kg(-1) DM) and highest in caraway and birdsfoot trefoil (24.5-27.0 g kg(-1) DM). Birdsfoot trefoil had the highest (53.6 g 100 g(-1) FA) and caraway and lucerne the lowest (33.7-35.7 g 100 g(-1) FA) proportions of n-3 FA. This study demonstrated higher vitamin concentrations in some forbs compared with major forages such as lucerne and grass-clover, more total FA in salad burnet, caraway, and birdsfoot trefoil than in lucerne, and higher n-3 FA concentrations in all forbs than in lucerne. Opportunities are discussed to develop novel biodiverse pastures for particular product quality characteristics.