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Agronomy
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Enhancement of Grassland Function and Productivity with Legumes and Other...
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Enhancement of Grassland Function and Productivity with Legumes and Other Forbs

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Grassland and Pasture Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 5011

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jennifer MacAdam

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plants, Soils & Climate, Utah State University, 4820 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
Interests: forage production; irrigated pasture management; forage physiology; forage management; ruminant production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Benjamin F. Tracy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
Interests: plant production systems; forage; crop ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

While legumes and other forbs are not the dominant functional groups in grasslands, their value is far-reaching. Forb species provide essential biological diversity to native grasslands from alpine to desert environments, and seeded broadleaf ley and cover crops increase soil organic matter and nutrient status. Legumes contribute nitrogen to grasslands through biological fixation, and the belowground rooting structure is broadened by tap-rooted forbs. Many forbs synthesize bioactive chemicals, such as tannins, essential oils and isoflavones, that benefit the health and productivity of ruminants while reducing negative environmental impacts, including methane emissions and nitrogen losses. This Special Issue of Agronomy is focused on the enrichment that forbs introduce to grasslands around the globe. Current research on grassland forbs includes the provision of floral resources for pollinators, the differential delivery of soil nutrients provided by grasses and forbs, and the positive effect of legumes on soil carbon sequestration. We invite reports of original research and reviews on all aspects of the contributions of forbs to grasslands and implications for ruminants, wildlife and pollinator habitats, soil microbiology, and grassland sustainability and resilience in a changing climate.

Prof. Dr. Jennifer MacAdam
Dr. Benjamin F. Tracy
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pollinator habitat
  • plant secondary metabolites
  • soil carbon sequestration
  • grassland functional groups
  • cover crops
  • ley pastures
  • biological nitrogen fixation
  • wildflowers
  • native grasses

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1134 KiB  
Article
Evaluating Different Methods to Establish Biodiverse Swards of Native Grasses and Wildflowers for Pasturelands
by Jonathan O. C. Kubesch, Scott P. Greiner, Gabriel J. Pent, J. Leighton Reid and Benjamin F. Tracy
Agronomy 2024, 14(5), 1041; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14051041 - 14 May 2024
Viewed by 876
Abstract
Many cool-season pastures in the southeastern U.S. are dominated by a competitive cool-season grass, tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus), and lack substantial plant diversity. Planting native warm-season grasses (NWSGs) and wildflowers (WFs) into these pastures could provide summer forage for cattle and [...] Read more.
Many cool-season pastures in the southeastern U.S. are dominated by a competitive cool-season grass, tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus), and lack substantial plant diversity. Planting native warm-season grasses (NWSGs) and wildflowers (WFs) into these pastures could provide summer forage for cattle and more floral resources for pollinators. This paper summarizes field experiments designed to evaluate different spatiotemporal planting arrangements of NWSGs and WFs to improve their establishment success. The study was conducted from April 2021 to October 2023 in central Virginia (USA). Planting treatments included NWSG and WF mixtures planted: (1) together in the same space, (2) spatially separated in space (i.e., side by side), or (3) temporally separated where NWSGs and WFs were planted in difference sequences. Results showed few differences in forage mass, floral production, and botanical composition as well as stand density in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, NWSG abundance was greater where grasses were planted first or mixed with WFs. Similarly, the WF component was favored when they were planted before NWSGs. Overall, planting NWSG and WF mixes separately, either spatially or temporally, favors successful establishment and could offer more flexibility for using selective herbicides to suppress the heavy weed pressure that often accompanies these plantings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancement of Grassland Function and Productivity with Legumes and Other Forbs)
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17 pages, 1624 KiB  
Article
Blooming and Forage Characteristics of Twelve Native Forbs Subjected to Repeated Defoliation
by Jessica L. Prigge, Eric Bisangwa, Jonathan D. Richwine, Keagan J. Swilling and Patrick D. Keyser
Agronomy 2024, 14(1), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14010028 - 21 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1239
Abstract
Insect pollinators are in population decline due to environmental and chemical stressors. Including native forbs in pastures could benefit grazers and pollinators; however, their forage and flowering characteristics are not fully documented. The objectives of our research were to evaluate 12 native forbs [...] Read more.
Insect pollinators are in population decline due to environmental and chemical stressors. Including native forbs in pastures could benefit grazers and pollinators; however, their forage and flowering characteristics are not fully documented. The objectives of our research were to evaluate 12 native forbs for persistence, forage mass, nutrient composition, and flowering patterns under repeated defoliation. Twelve species were planted in a small-plot experiment in 2018. Response variables were measured from 2020 to 2022. Annual (partridge pea, PPEA, Chamaecrista fasciculata) and biennial (black-eyed Susan, BESU, Rudbeckia hirta) species established high (p < 0.05) plant populations during the first season; however, the PPEA declined (p < 0.05) in forage mass during 2021. Tall species (Maximilian sunflower, MSUN, Helianthus maximiliani; cup plant, CUPP, Silphium perfoliatum) increased in forage mass, produced high-quality forage, and flowered during early fall. Lanceleaf coreopsis (LCOR, Coreopsis lanceolata) produced consistent (p > 0.05) forage mass and flowered in spring. The purple coneflower (PURC, Echinacea purpurea), Illinois bundleflower (ILBF, Desmanthus illinoensis), and oxeye sunflower (OSUN, Helopsis helianthoides) produced high-quality, consistent (p > 0.05) forage mass and flowered mid-season. Interseeding the BESU, ILBF, PPEA, LCOR, PURC, OSUN, and MSUN or CUPP would produce high-quality forage and floral resources throughout summer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancement of Grassland Function and Productivity with Legumes and Other Forbs)
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20 pages, 4133 KiB  
Article
Designing Management Strategies for Sheep Production and Bees in Dryland Pastures
by Mia Caudillo, Andony Melathopoulos, David Eduardo Prado-Tarango, Mary Smallman, Sarah A. Taylor and Serkan Ates
Agronomy 2024, 14(1), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14010024 - 21 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1123
Abstract
Novel grazing management practices for livestock and bee health are becoming increasingly crucial in pasture-based farming systems. The effect of pasture type and spring closing dates on lamb liveweight gain, pasture production, botanical composition, bloom density and bee visitation was monitored over 2 [...] Read more.
Novel grazing management practices for livestock and bee health are becoming increasingly crucial in pasture-based farming systems. The effect of pasture type and spring closing dates on lamb liveweight gain, pasture production, botanical composition, bloom density and bee visitation was monitored over 2 years. Total annual dry matter yield (DMY) of diverse pastures in 2020/2021 was 8.8 t DM ha−1. This yield was greater than the DMY obtained from both simple (7.6 t DM ha−1) and legume pastures (6.6 t DM ha−1). In 2021/2022, the total annual DMY of simple (8.6 t DM ha−1) and diverse pastures (9.0 t DM ha−1) was similar. However, the legume pastures produced 27–30% less than simple and diverse pastures. In successive years, lambs grew faster in legume pastures (287, 215 g per head d−1) than diverse (207, 151 g per head d−1) and simple pastures (204, 132 g per head d−1). However, spring liveweight production (kg ha−1 day−1) from pastures did not differ due to the lower stocking density of legume pastures as compared to the other two pasture mixtures. Bloom density (flower/m2) and bee visitation (bees/min−1 m2) were 16 and 40 times greater with legume rather than simple pastures. Bloom density for diverse pastures was also relatively lower than for the legume pastures. Our findings indicated that the diversification of pastures greatly increased pasture productivity, while legume pastures provided the highest bee benefit without penalizing lamb liveweight production in spring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancement of Grassland Function and Productivity with Legumes and Other Forbs)
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12 pages, 1414 KiB  
Article
Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Chemometrics Methods to Predict the Chemical Composition of Cratylia argentea
by Lucas Freires Abreu, Ângela Maria Quintão Lana, Leonardo Campos Climaco, Walter José Rodrigues Matrangolo, Elizabeth Pereira Barbosa, Karina Toledo da Silva, Jason E. Rowntree, Edilane Aparecida da Silva and Maria Lucia Ferreira Simeone
Agronomy 2023, 13(10), 2525; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13102525 - 29 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1052
Abstract
Cratylia argentea is a leguminous shrub that has the potential for use as livestock feed in tropical areas. However, time-consuming and labor-intensive methods of chemical analysis limit the understanding of its nutritive value. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a low-cost technology widely used in [...] Read more.
Cratylia argentea is a leguminous shrub that has the potential for use as livestock feed in tropical areas. However, time-consuming and labor-intensive methods of chemical analysis limit the understanding of its nutritive value. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a low-cost technology widely used in forage crops to expedite chemical composition assessment. The objective of this study was to develop prediction models to assess the crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and dry matter (DM) of Cratylia based on NIRS and partial least squares analysis. A total of 155 samples were harvested at different maturity levels and used for model development, of which 107 were used for calibration and 48 for external validation. The cross-validation presented a root mean square error of prediction of 0.77, 2.56, 3.43, and 0.42; a ratio of performance to deviation of 4.8, 4.0, 3.8, and 3.4; and an R2 of 0.92, 0.92, 0.87, and 0.84 for CP, NDF, ADF, and DM, respectively. Based on the obtained results, we concluded that NIRS accurately predicted the chemical parameters of Cratylia. Therefore, NIRS can serve as a useful tool for livestock producers and researchers to estimate Cratylia’s nutritive value. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancement of Grassland Function and Productivity with Legumes and Other Forbs)
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