Experiments on outdoor bush tomatoes cv. Sleaford Abundance were conducted during 3 years to compare seedling establishment from fluid-sown pre-germinated seeds with that from conventionally sown dry seeds and to compare the effects on ripening and yields of these establishment methods with transplanting. Fluid-sown pre-germinated seeds emerged about 15 days earlier than conventionally sown dry seeds from sowings made in late April (mean soil temperature at seed depth from sowing to emergence ranged from 9 to 11.5 °C) and about 6 days earlier from sowings made in mid-May (mean soil temperature ranged from 12 to 15 °C). The percentage seedling emergence from pregerminated fluid-sown seeds was, on average, 57% from the earlier sowings and 65% from the later sowings, 34 and 24% higher, respectively, than from dry seeds sown conventionally. Plants from fluid-sown pre-germinated seeds were about 50% heavier than those from dry seeds at all stages of growth up to flowering. Crops established by fluidsowing started to ripen 7 days earlier than those established from dry seeds, when averaged over sowing dates and years. Yields of ripe marketable fruit > 35 mm in. size from crops established from pre-germinated seeds were 35·2 t/ha, averaged over sowing and planting dates, 37% higher than from dry seeds though 51% lower than from transplants. In the two years with good growing seasons crops fluid sown in late April gave as good yields as those transplanted in late May and early June, after the last frosts, though in the cool wet year yields from fluid-sown crops were considerably lower than those from transplanted crops. Yields of ripe, marketable fruit from ‘bare-root’ plants raised from pre-germinated seeds in unheated Dutch-light structures were, on average, 48·5 t/ha, 25% higher than from plants raised in soil blocks in a heated glasshouse.

Forage maize (Zea mays L.) is often grown year after year on the same land on many intensive dairy farms in north-west Europe. This results in agronomical problems such as weed resistance and decline of soil quality, which may be solved by ley-arable farming. In the current study, forage maize was grown at different nitrogen (N) fertilization levels for 3 years on permanent arable land and on temporary arable land after ploughing out different types of grass–clover swards. Swards differed in management (grazing or cutting) and age (temporary or permanent). Maize yield and soil residual mineral N content were measured after the maize harvest. There was no effect on maize yield of the management of ploughed-out grass–clover swards but a clear effect of the age of grass–clover swards. The N fertilizer replacement value (NFRV) of all ploughed grass–clover swards was >170 kg N/ha in the first year after ploughing. In the third year after ploughing, NFRV of the permanent sward still exceeded 200 kg N/ha, whereas that of the temporary swards decreased to 30 kg N/ha on average. Soil residual nitrate (NO3−) remained below the local, legal threshold of 90 kg NO3− N/ha except for the ploughed-out permanent sward in the third year after ploughing (166 kg NO3− N/ha). The current study highlights the potential of forage maize – ley rotations in saving fertilizer N. This is beneficial both for the environment and for the profitability of dairy production in north-western Europe.

Winter wheat grown on a sandy-loam and on a clay-loam soil was given ammonium sulphate alone or treated with the nitrification inhibitor, 2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl)- pyridine, drilled with seed, in autumn. In spring, dressings of treated or untreated ammonium sulphate or of calcium nitrate, were broadcast. 75 or 150 lb N/acre were given on the sandy loam and 50 or 100 lb on the clay loam. Plants were sampled during growth and grain yield was measured.

Without fertilizer-N, the wheat yielded 17 cwt/acre on the sandy-loam and 46 cwt on the clay, and with the double dressings given in spring yields were 52 and 56 cwt/ acre. On the light soil, treated ammonium sulphate given in autumn increased yield by 3–5 cwt/acre with the single dressing and by 5–4 cwt/acre with the double one.

On the heavy soil the inhibitor had no effect on yield. Dressings of 50 lb N/acre in autumn or spring increased yields equally, but with 100 lb N/acre the spring dressing increased yield slightly more than autumn dressings. Calcium nitrate at 75 lb N/acre was significantly better than ammonium sulphate on the light soil.

The inhibitor did not affect the speed with which N was taken up, or the total uptake, from fertilizer given in spring.

The present study aimed to explore the molecular factors underlying differences in Calpain/Calpastatin proteolytic system in Nellore and Angus cattle. Longissimus muscle samples were collected in Nellore (n = 6; body weight (BW) = 373 ± 37·3 kg) and Angus (n = 6; BW = 383 ± 23·9 kg) cattle at slaughter for analysis of gene and protein expression, and Calpastatin enzyme activity. Additionally, the myofibrillar fragmentation index was used to quantify the extension of proteolysis in longissimus muscle samples. A greater myofibrillar fragmentation was observed in skeletal muscle of Angus compared with Nellore cattle. Conversely, no differences were found between breeds for mRNA expression of Calpain 1 (CAPN1) and Calpastatin (CAST). Similarly, no differences were observed for the abundance of Calpain and Calpastatin proteins between skeletal muscles of Nellore and Angus cattle. Despite the lack of differences in mRNA and protein abundance, a greater activity of Calpastatin was observed in skeletal muscle of Nellore compared with Angus cattle. These data indicate that the greater proteolysis in skeletal muscle of Angus compared with Nellore cattle is mainly driven by a greater Calpastatin activity rather than Calpain or Calpastatin mRNA and protein expression.

For many horticultural crops the distribution of weight over size grades is of more importance than the total weight. This paper shows how simply determined features of interrelationships of the weight, size and shape of an individual in the crop can be combined to provide estimates of various aspects of the distribution of crop weight over size grades. The two relationships required are (i) the probability density function of the grading variable for the crop; (ii) a function relating the weight of an individual to the corresponding value of the grading variable.

The paper shows how each of these can be determined either from published data or by simple experiment. Examples using data on onions and carrots are given to illustrate this and also to show some of the more important practical applications of the methods. For example, they allow the results of grading with one set of size grades to be extrapolated to a different set of grades without recourse to further measurement or experimentation and this is illustrated using published data on carrots. Other possible uses are also discussed and outlined.

‘Nitro-chalk” was applied to established swards of ryegrass S. 24 and cocksfoot S. 37 at the rate of 24 and 96 lb N/acre (27 and 107 kg N/ha) before growth commenced and after each cutting. The cuts were taken each time the grass reached a length of 10–11 in (8–9 in of cut herbage). The main effect was that the higher rate of fertilization allowed the grass to be harvested more frequently and this grass had lower pectin, cellulose and hemicellulose contents and a higher level of digestibility. A secondary effect was that the proportion of hemicellulose to cellulose was less in the more heavily fertilized grasses. The cocksfoot grasses at both levels of fertilizer were cut more frequently than the corresponding ryegrasses and were only slightly less digestible. There was some decline in the digestibility of the grasses from May to September which was associated with lengthening growth intervals and generally higher percentages of the structural constituents.

In a trial laid out to compare the effects of liquid digested sludge with equivalent nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers as ‘Nitra-shell’ and superphosphate, growth data, and data of grain and straw yield were obtained.

Liquid digested sludge increased the dry weight and shoot number at the ‘tillering’ stage, and dry weight and ear number at the flowering stage, more than equivalent fertilizer.

By 13 May, sludge-treated plants had absorbed more nitrogen than fertilizer-treated plants. By 19 June this was reversed for the sludge-treated plants had then absorbed 81% of the nitrogen absorbed by fertilizer-treated plants; ripe grain from sludge plots had a lower nitrogen percentage than grain from fertilizer plots.

The water extracts obtainable from soils are of constant composition as regards organic matter when the time allowed for the extraction varies from 20 to 320 minutes, the temperature from 7° to 23°, and the proportions from 5 to 10 of soil to 100 of water. The inorganic matter is not affected by the time, but is by the temperature and proportions.

The increase in soluble matter produced by heating a soil, and the accompanying toxic qualities towards the germination of seeds in it, is gradually reduced by exposing these soils in a moist condition to the air, even under aseptic conditions, but is not reduced, when the soils are kept moist in the absence of air. The destruction of the toxic substance is probably, therefore, due to oxidation.

Unheated soils, or soils heated only to a low temperature, exhibit on keeping an increase in soluble matter; this occurs whether air is admitted or not, and this change, therefore, is probably not an oxidation process: the substance formed, moreover, in such cases appears to have little or no toxic action on germination. This increase of soluble matter, due to the formation of a non-toxic substance, is preceded by a preliminary diminution of soluble matter, precisely similar to the diminution of toxic matter occurring continuously in the more highly heated soils: such toxic matter, therefore, appears to be present in all soils, whether heated or not, though, in the latter case, it is present in such small quantities that it soon becomes completely oxidised.

Air-dried soils, heated and unheated, when kept for some months show an appreciable reduction in soluble constituents, and also in toxic properties (where such properties were originally present), closely similar to the reduction exhibited by moist soils kept in air for about ten days.

In 1883 Mr George Fry, F.L.S. described a series of observations which he had made upon silage. From these he drew the conclusion that if the conditions of silage making were such that the temperature exceeded 45° C. sweet brown silage resulted, but that if the temperature failed to rise above 40° C. then sour silage with a rather repulsive odour was produced. These results were obtained in the type of silos then commonly in use, which varied in depth generally between 12 and 18 feet, frequently had a considerable surface area and were filled comparatively slowly.

The direct response of a divergent selection programme for total cell wall ester-linked diferulate concentration in maize pith stalk tissues and its indirect effect on cell wall degradability and corn borer resistance have been previously evaluated. Since increased total diferulate concentration is expected to improve crop performance in response to corn borers, the objective of the present research was to evaluate the indirect response of the divergent selection for diferulates on agronomic traits under corn borer infestation. For this purpose, five maize populations with contrasting total diferulate concentrations were evaluated four environments for performance under protected and infested conditions. Measured traits were: days to anthesis, days to silking, plant height, stalk lodging, grain moisture at harvest and grain yield. High diferulate populations showed a significant reduction in anthesis (precocity), and were 11 cm taller than the starting population, while low diferulate populations were 9 cm shorter, and showed nearly 1 t/ha lower grain yield than the original and high diferulate populations. The analysis showed that cycles of selection were positively correlated with flowering, plant height and grain yield. The infestations with borers produced >1 t/ha of reduction in grain yield; although the higher diferulate populations showed a better performance under infestation than the low diferulate populations. This positive effect on the grain yield by increasing diferulate content can be considered an extra in order to breed for resistance to corn borers.

Field experiments on the effect of moisture regimes and fertilizer application on fibre yield of two jute varieties showed that JRO 632 (Corchorus olitorius L.) produced significantly more fibre, utilized moisture more efficiently and extracted water from deeper layers than did JRC 212 (Corchorus capsularis L.). Scheduling of irrigation at 20% available soil moisture (ASM) gave the highest fibre yield in normal (1970) and drought (1972) years but unirrigated conditions (dry regime) gave highest yield in a year of excess rainfall (1971). The consumptive use (CU) increased from dry to wet regimes and the water use efficiency (WTJE) was greater in dry regimes in normal as well as in excess rainfall years. But the WUE was maximal when the crop was irrigated at 60% ASM in the drought year. The water requirement of the jute crop was 490 mm in the normal and excess rainfall years (20% ASM and dry regime respectively) while in the drought year it was 560 mm (20% ASM). The moisture extraction was more from deeper depths in the dry regime and only from shallower depths in wet regimes.

The fibre yield increased with increase in nitrogen application from 40 to 80 kg/ha. Application of 40 kg P2O5 and 40 kg K2O/ha did not improve the fibre yield in the excess rainfall and drought years. In the drought year (1972) irrigating at 20% ASM and 80 kg N/ha and in the excess rainfall year (1971) the dry regime with 40 kg N/ha produced highest fibre yields. There was not much variation in CU and WE of the crop due to different fertilizer levels. The WUE was increased by irrigating at 20% ASM with 80 kg N/ha in a crop rotation system where P and K were applied to preceding crop.

Abnormal leg trouble or perosis occurred in chickens getting an excessive amount of meat and bone meal in their ration, and rarely occurred when the bone meal content was low or nil.

The use of the battery brooder was found to intensify bone deformities, when the ration was unsatisfactory in mineral balance.

The floor space allowed was not found to be a factor in perosis.

Under the conditions of the experiment, slipped tendons were not produced by feeding calcium carbonate (ground limestone) in the ration.

The protein content of the ration and the rate of growth did not materially affect the occurrence of perosis.

In horses, the quantity of faeces and the faecal concentrations of plant and synthetic alkanes are inconsistent throughout the day. The estimation of feed intake and digestibility can additionally be limited by irregular and incomplete faecal recovery of alkanes that are used as dietary markers. The correction of alkane concentrations minimizes the bias of estimates, but requires the determination of faeces quantity by total collection. However, in consideration of the dynamics of alkane concentrations in faeces, sampling at selected timeframes throughout a day may be useful in avoiding such correction. Five adult horses were fed a hay-based diet offered three times a day in equal amounts. Horses received a bolus with similar quantities of n-octacosane (C28), n-dotriacontane (C32) and n-hexatriacontane (C36) synthetic alkanes twice a day. Total faeces were quantified over 3 consecutive days. Dry matter intake (DMI), output (DMO) and digestibility (DMD) were determined from the total collection trial and additionally estimated for each of 12 equal timeframes throughout the day. The diurnal patterns of the single faeces quantity (SFQ) and faecal alkane concentrations were similar between horses and were repeated from day to day. The intra-day dynamic of SFQ was pronounced. The dynamic of the faecal concentration was much more pronounced when the alkane was administered twice instead of three times a day. The faecal recovery of alkanes that has been calculated from the total collection trial ranged from 82 ± 4·1% for C36 to 108 ± 11·1% for C28. Measured DMI was 12·0 kg/day, measured DMO was 5·9 kg/day and measured DMD was 0·51. Reliable estimates were obtained for DMI with 12·3 ± 0·79 kg/day for the combination of n-nonacosane (C29) and C28 and 12·1 ± 1·01 kg/day for the combination of n-tritriacontane (C33) and C28 at 2 h after administration, and 12·1 ± 0·96 kg/day for the combination of n-hentriacontane (C31) and C32 at 2 h prior to the morning meal, which included the first bolus administration. When calculated from DMO and DMD, DMI was 12·2 ± 0·89 kg/day for C29 and 12 ± 1·0 kg/day for C33 between 5 and 6 h after the morning meal. Estimates of DMD were unbiased between the 3rd and 4th hour after the morning meal with 0·52 ± 0·014 for C29 and 0·51 ± 0·021 for C33, respectively. The DMO was 5·7 ± 0·34 kg/day and 6·1 ± 0·43 kg/day when estimated 3–4 h after the 2nd meal, or prior to the 2nd bolus administration, using the product of SFQ and the daily defecation frequency or the synthetic alkanes, respectively. Knowledge of defecation dynamics might be helpful for simplifying experimental trials. They specifically followed intake dynamics, which can prospectively be used to select sampling timeframes. Based upon current results, a selection of two to three spot samples of faeces that are evenly distributed between 2 h before and 6 h after the morning meal, which was the time of bolus administration, allows for the greatest reliability. Defecation dynamics are probably less influenced by ration/bolus type, rate of exercise, or gut peristalsis, which nevertheless can result in individual shifts of optimal timeframes.

Caustic lime is found to have two distinct effects on the soil:

1. A partial sterilisation effect,

2. A chemical action, decomposing some of the soil organic matter.

The amount of caustic lime necessary to induce specific changes in the flora and fauna of the soil depends very largely on the character of the soil. The light sandy Millbrook soil, poor in organic matter and in carbonate, reacted sharply with 0·2 to 0·3 per cent. caustic lime; the Rothamsted clay soil, poor in organic matter but rich in carbonate, was found to react to 0·3 to 0·4 per cent.; the acid Woburn soil required an amount between 0·5 and 1·0 per cent., as did also the rich Chelsea garden soil, which already contained carbonate; the Craibstone soil, with a high organic and a low carbonate content, failed to react even to applications of 1·0 per cent, caustic lime.

1. The compositions of unthreshed and threshed Northern Irish ryegrass hay as saved for seed are given and compared with published values for firstyear seeds hay low in clover and average first-year seeds hay.

2. The results of digestibility trials with samples of unthreshed and threshed ryegrass and crested dogstail hays as saved for seed are reported. It is suggested that perennial ryegrass hay as saved for seed (unthreshed) may have a starch equivalent in the neighbourhood of 23% less than that of average first-year seeds hay low in clover, and that threshed hay may have a starch equivalent of the order of 15% less than that of the unthreshed hay. There are good grounds, therefore, for the poor reputation of threshed hay among stock feeders.

It has been known from the earliest times that soils would remove salts and colouring matters from solution and the problems arising out of the observations made on this phenomenon were among the earliest to be attacked by agricultural chemists. It was known to Aristotle that sea water lost some of its taste by filtration through sand and this observation seems to have been confirmed and applied in many ways. Lord Bacon in his Sylva Sylvarum discussed the question of making sea water potable by filtering through sand. Le Comte de Marsilli made quantitative experiments. Sea water was filtered through fifteen successive vessels of garden soil and a diminution in the salt content was proved by evaporation and by the change in specific gravity. Similar results were obtained with sand. Boyle Godfrey discussed the question of making sea water fit for use on ships and observed that if sea water be put into a stone straining cistern the first pint that runs through will be like pure water, having no taste of salt, but the next pint will be as salt as usual. Stephen Hales in dealing with the same question refers to the use of a soft stone by the Dutch as a filtering material, but he points out that this method has no practical value as only the first portions of the filtrate are free from salt.

Four field experiments in 1972–6 investigated the effect of undersowing trefoil or ryegrass in barley, and of fodder radish sown after barley, on yield and nitrogen requirement of following sugar beet. Autumn applications of isobutylidene diurea or glycoluril (slow-release nitrogen fertilizers) were also included for comparison with green manures. The plots were split in the following spring and dressings of 0, 50, 100 and 150 kg N/ha as ‘Nitro-Chalk’ tested on the sugar-beet crop.

The undersown green manure crops slightly decreased the yield of barley but, at the time of ploughing, returned up to 3·7 t dry matter/ha and 50 kg N/ha. In the absence of spring-applied nitrogen fertilizer for the sugar beet, green manures increased root and sugar yield, but when more than 50 kg N/ha was applied for the sugar beet they had no effect on yield. Autumn applications of nitrogen fertilizers such as isobutylidene diurea decreased the requirement for nitrogen in spring, but yields were no greater than from spring-applied nitrogen alone. Top and subsoils sampled in late winter and early summer from plots where green manures had been grown showed no detectable increase in soil organic carbon or total nitrogen, but soil mineral-nitrogen concentrations were increased slightly by green manures as was the potentially available mineralnitrogen released in an incubation test. It is concluded that, on loamy soils, green manures decrease the nitrogen requirement of sugar beet but give no benefits in yield which cannot be obtained from nitrogen fertilizer in spring before sowing the crop. assistance and Miss G. Smith for statistical analyses.

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of the chemical growth regulator Terpal (a mixture of mepiquat chloride and ethephon or 2 chloroethyl phosphonic acid) on the pattern of branching, plant height and yield components of winter oil-seed rape (cv. Jet Neuf). Mepiquat chloride (a quaternary ammonium compound with similar antigibberellin properties to cycocel) was developed as a morphoregulator for cotton where it has been shown to reduce plant height, shorten internodes and increase boll retention (Willard et al. 1977). The activity of ethephon has been attributed to its release of ethylene which influences a wide range of developmental processes, for example fruit abscission and ripening (Chatterjee, 1977; Gvozdenovic, Dulic & Slavic, 1978), growth retardation (Van Andel & Verkerke, 1978) and also the extent of lodging in cereals (Hill, Joice & Squires, 1982).

Yield variability of spring barley and winter wheat varieties is investigated in National Institute of Agricultural Botany trials sown to assess the influence on varieties of fungicide treatment. The extent of the variation in relative variety performance due to years and centres is estimated for untreated and treated yields and for yield response to fungicide. The consequences for the design of future trials systems are considered.