Experiments in 1985 and 1986, at Woburn Experimental Farm in Bedfordshire, tested the effects of fungicides, applied in autumn, and a growth regulator, applied at GS3O–31 or GS32–33 in spring, on winter barley grown on two contrasting soil types in each year. Leaf diseases did not become severe in any of the experiments but take-all (Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici) was prevalent in 1985. Triadimenol (‘Baytan’) was more effective than flutriafol (‘Ferrax’) in decreasing the severity of takeall and its activity against the disease was related to earliness of sowing.

Mean responses in grain yield to the fungicide treatments were mostly small and not significant but did not conflict with the hypothesis that crops on lighter soils benefit more from autumn fungicides than those on heavier soils. Mean effects of the growth regulator sprays were also small but they interacted with both soil type and season. Over the 2 years the later spray applied to crops on the heavier soil gave the largest mean response. Sprays applied to crops on lighter soils were often detrimental to yield, especially in 1985.

Reproductive performance has been reported to be declining within the UK dairy herd due to continued selection for increased milk production. The aim of the current work was to assess the influence of genetic merit for milk production (as described by PIN95, the index in use at the time), and level of herd performance on reproductive performance. Fertility records from seven commercial dairy farms over a two-and-a-half year period between August 1997 and January 2000, providing a total of 1003 cow records (with a mean genetic merit of 38·6 (±0·80) PIN95) were collected. The influence of genetic merit for milk production, herd mean 305-day milk yield and their interaction on the reproductive performance of individual dairy cattle was estimated. Additionally, 90-day milk yield, 90-day body condition score and deviation from herd mean 305-day milk yield were also investigated for their influence on fertility. A series of regression models using the Proc GLM procedure in SAS were run using data from those cows that conceived during the monitoring period (n=874) (PIN95=38·8±0·83). The models included the variables, year of calving, month of calving and parity. The results showed that days from calving to conception and services per conception increased significantly both with herd 305-day milk yield, and within herds with deviation from herd 305-day milk yield level. Calving to conception also increased with reduced body condition score of cows at 90 days postpartum. Genetic merit (PIN95) was not significantly related to these fertility measurements.

That rhizobial strains belonging to pulses not only differ among themselves but also show differences in their effectiveness when Azotobacter isolates are used as co-inoculants has been shown by Sanoria & Ram (1979) and Sanoria & Mallik (1981). This has now been further demonstrated in trials conducted over 2 years using bengal gram. These trials also included a phosphate solubilizing bacterium (Pseudomonas spp.) as an extra inoculant but it had no effect on the responses obtained.

Previous research has shown that sewage sludge can act as a source of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer. Fen peat soils are organic soils derived from plant material and are known to differ from mineral soils in their plant-nutrient availability. The work reported in this paper compares the effects of liquid digested, liquid raw and dewatered digested sludge with inorganic nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers on a typical fenland rotation of winter wheat, sugar beet and potatoes.

It is concluded that sludge can replace inorganic nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer on fen soil, and it appears that applications of sludge containing large amounts of fresh organic matter can act as a soil conditioner and produce higher yields than can be obtained from the use of fertilizer alone.

Swards on wet hill land in mid-Wales, which had been converted from semi-natural rough grazing (dominated by Molinia caerulea, Nardus stricta or Calluna vulgaris) by surface-sowing in the period 1965–75, were examined in 1982, 1984 and 1996/97, using a point quadrat technique, in order to record the extent to which the sown species had persisted and the ingress of unsown species.

Lolium perenne had persisted to 1996/97 to the extent of being 20% of the sward on sites c. 300 m above sea level and 3% on sites at c. 500 m. Trifolium repens had persisted to c. 7% of the sward at both elevations. Festuca rubra was 6% of the sward on the higher sites and close to zero on the lower ones. The other main sown species, Phleum pratense, was present in only trace amounts on all sites in 1982, 1984 and 1996/97. The failure of T. repens to persist in larger amounts was attributed in part to below optimum soil pH and K and to the annual application of fertilizer N. The decline in L. perenne was attributed in part to severe winters on the higher sites and to below optimum soil K and pH. Agrostis spp. were the most prominent of the unsown species. Poa spp. appeared to stabilize at 8–15% of the sward. Stellaria media and Holcus lanatus became fairly prominent on the lower sites and Anthoxanthum odoratum on the higher sites. A supplementary study of the lower sites showed that the lime had been effective to at least the 20–25 cm layer of soil, that the distribution of plant roots in the soil was not abnormal, that T. repens plants had a satisfactory number of root nodules and that the soil contained a satisfactory number of earthworms.

Performance of female Holstein calves (n = 60) were evaluated in three step-down milk feeding programmes: step-down 1 (STP1: 7.5 litres/day milk from days 1 to 21, 6 litres/day milk from days 22 to 42, 4 litres/day milk from days 43 to 63 and 2 litres/day milk from days 64 to 84 of the study); step-down 2 (STP2; 7.5 litres/day milk from days 1 to 21, 6 litres/day milk from days 22 to 42 and 2 litres/day milk from days 43 to 63 of the study); and step-down 3 (STP3; 7.5 litres/day milk from days 1 to 21, 4 litres/day milk from days 22 to 42 and 2 litres/day milk from days 43 to 63 of the study). Intakes of starter were monitored daily and body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG) and wither height (WH) were measured monthly. Calves in STP3 had lower dry matter intake between 22 and 42 days than STP2 animals, but starter intake was greater in STP2 and STP3 calves than those in the STP1 treatment between 43–63 and 64–84 days. Total ADG was greater in STP2 and STP3 animals than in STP1 calves. No effect of treatment was observed on breeding age, BW, WH or service per conception. In addition, conception rate at first breeding was not influenced by treatment. It was concluded that the STP2 and STP3 milk feeding regimes improved performance in calves and there was no benefit in feeding milk for longer than 63 days in terms of breeding outcomes.

The aim of the current study was to determine how cooling and supplemental recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) affect body function with respect to digestion kinetics, digestibility and other variables relevant to milk production in cross-bred Holstein cattle. Ten primiparous cross-bred dairy cattle (0·875 Holstein Friesian×0·125 Red Shindi) were used and divided into two groups of five animals each that were housed in a normal shaded barn (NS barn; non-cooled cows) and in a shaded barn with mist-fan cooling (MF; cooled cows). The cows in each group were supplemented with rbST in early, mid and late stages of lactation with three consecutive subcutaneous injections of 500 mg rbST every 14 days. All cows were fed the same total mixed ration twice daily at approximately 1·1 of assumed ad libitum intake and water was offered ad libitum. During the experimental periods, values of ambient temperatures and temperature humidity index (THI) in the NS barn were significantly higher than in the MF barn, whereas the relative humidity in the MF barn was significantly higher than in the NS barn (P<0·01). The respiration rate and rectal temperature were significantly higher for non-cooled cows than for cooled cows during the daytime whether there was or was not rbST supplementation. Supplementation of rbST for either cooled or non-cooled cows significantly increased dry matter intake (DMI), the efficiency of feed utilization and milk yields (P<0·05). Digesta kinetics using chromic oxide as an external marker showed a high digesta passage rate constant and low mean retention time of digesta in cows either by cooling or supplementation of rbST, whereas no changes were seen for the digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF). The half-time of Cr2O3 in the whole digestive tract of cooled cows was lower than those of non-cooled cows and significantly decreased (P<0·05) during rbST supplementation in both groups in all stages of lactation. The magnitude of responses for the digesta passage rate and efficiency of feed utilization were larger in animals supplemented with rbST than in animals under MF cooling only.

The main effect of cooling and supplemental rbST was to improve digestion by an increase in the rate of passage of digesta and in turn an increase in feed intake. Digestibility was not influenced by changes in passage rate of digesta either by cooling or rbST supplementation. Milk production in response to rbST supplementation is probably enhanced with cooling. The increased milk production induced by rbST supplementation was mediated by increased efficiency of feed utilization without changes in diet digestibility.

The effects of three seeding rates (250, 350 and 450 seeds/m2), six applied N rates (40, 70, 100, 130, 160 and 190 kg N/ha) and the application of plant growth regulator on the grain quality of two spring oat cultivars (Husky and Keely) were evaluated at four spring-sown sites over a 3-year period (2016–2018). The same cultivars, seeding rates and five applied N rates (80, 110, 140, 170 and 200 kg N/ha) were evaluated at three winter-sown sites, in 2017–2019. Keely had a significantly higher kernel content (KC) in spring (0.7%) and winter-sown (0.6%) oats. Specific weight (SW) decreased as N rate increased in spring-sown crops (1 kg/hl) with no effect observed in winter-sown oats. Hullability (HB) increased (0.92%) in spring-sown crops as N rate increased with a reduction (0.9%) observed when winter-sown. Increases in grain protein percentage (GPP) were observed in spring (1.8%) and winter (1.2%) sowings in response to N rate. The application of plant growth regulator reduced SW (0.4 kg/hl), GPP (0.3%), KC (0.6%) with no effect on HB. Kernel size was highly responsive too applied N rate, with reductions in grains >2.5 mm and increases in grains of smaller size observed as N rate increased. HB had a marked relationship to kernel size with GP inconsistently linked to SW. The results of this study suggest that cultivar, N rate and PGR application are of importance to milling quality and that changes in grain size in response to agronomic practices contribute to changes in specific weight and hullability.

This group, which is concerned with the applications of mathematics to agricultural science, was formed in 1970 and has since met at approximately yearly intervals in London for one-day meetings. The forty-first meeting of the group, chaired by Dr Derek Rose of the School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, was held in the Kohn Centre at the Royal Society, 6–9 Carlton House Terrace, London, on Friday, 3 April 2009 when the following papers were read.

The objective of this project is to integrate a domestic photocatalytic desulphurization facility with a biogas upgrading module and try to develop a system for biogas desulphurization and upgrading under ambient conditions. Four photocatalytic desulphurization reactors (PDRs) and one activated carbon reactor (ACR) were applied for biogas desulphurization and filtration under ambient conditions. Moreover, a hollow fibre carbon dioxide (CO2) adsorption module was applied for biogas upgrading. The operation pressure of the PDR and ACR was under ambient pressure. Results showed that hydrogen sulphide removal efficiency of the photocatalytic desulphurizer was about 0.99–1.00 (v/v) under the inlet biogas flow less than 5 litres/min and the concentration of inlet hydrogen sulphide was lower than 5600 mg/m3. For desulphurized biogas upgrading, the removal efficiency of CO2 was higher than 0.90 (v/v) under the outlet biogas flow was 1 litre/min (i.e. inlet biogas flow was about 2 litres/min). However, the ratio of methane in the upgrading biogas was lower than 0.90 (v/v). Thus, nitrogen gas removal cartridges will be integrated with the biogas upgrading module to promote methane concentration in the upgraded biogas.

Fonio is an identity and orphan cereal of Africa whose production system has remained traditional. This work assessed the responses of selected genotypes of fonio to different sowing methods in Benin from 2018 to 2019. Split plot design with three replicates was used. Four genotypes from mass selection and two control varieties were randomly arranged in four planting modalities (ordinary broadcast sowing, continuous row sowing at inter-rows 20 cm (SLC20) and 25 cm (SLC25) and in seed hole sowing (SP25 × 20)). Agro-morphological data were collected and subjected to variance and multivariate analyses. On all traits, interaction (variety × sowing × year) was not significant. Other interactions (variety × sowing, variety × year, sowing × year) were significant on some morpho-phenological traits. Genotypes AS19-1-1, AS1 and ‘Yoro’ were the earliest, especially AS19-1-1 presenting sowing–heading cycle less of 65 days. Improved genotypes were the most grain yielding mainly AS15-1-1 (1056.5 kg/ha) showing an excess of 405.9 kg/ha compared to control ‘Yoro’ (650.9 kg/ha), the least performing. However, control ‘Iporawan’ was the most yielding in dry matter (>8000 kg/ha). Based on sowing methods, plant density was negatively correlated with tiller number. The best growth and grain yield performances were obtained in broadcast sowing and especially in SLC25 (911.4 kg/ha). Cropping systems in which the new genotypes (AS1, AS13-1, AS15-1-1, 19-6-1-1) sown in continuous rows at 20–25 cm apart, or by broadcasting, were better in terms of grain yield (971.7 kg/ha). These systems constitute cultivation innovation which will enable to optimize fonio production and bring added value.

In pasture-based grazing systems, farm roadways are a pivotal link to connect paddocks on the grazing platform to the milking parlour. However, their effectiveness in the efficient movement of the dairy herd between the grazing paddocks and the milking parlour has yet to be fully quantified. A validation experiment was conducted on a research farm to analyse characteristics on farm roadways that may affect cow throughput, which was observed as the number of cows per minute (CPM) passing a specified location. Roadway width (R2 = 0.96) and surface condition score (SC) (R2 = 0.78, respectively) were both positively associated with CPM. Public road crossings imposed a 32.7% reduction in CPM in this study. CPM increased from 12.4 CPM on a one-metre-wide roadway with a SC of Index 1 to 107.6 CPM on a five-metre roadway with a SC of Index 5. This exercise allowed for CPM on commercial farms to be predicted. Farm roadways were examined across 55 Irish dairy farms. Greater roadway width, reduced verge width and greater water run-off were each associated with higher SC on commercial farms. Larger herd sizes had a lower CPM relative to herd size in contrast to smaller herd sizes, resulting in a significantly longer total time to move the dairy herd through any specific point on the farm roadway network. The findings from this study have quantified the parameters which affect both CPM on commercial farm roadways and parameters which may be associated with SC on commercial farm roadways.

In view of the celebration of the ‘International Year of Millets,’ millets are popularizing sustainable agricultural output amid challenging climates and nourishing adequately as food and feed. The extent of scientific intervention is the foundation for designing, promoting and popularizing neglected crops on social platforms. Planning future directions and adaptive strategies largely require regular evaluation of research efforts to identify hotspots and research gaps, as identified in the present study by creating a robust text-mining approach that integrates scientometrics using PubMed citation data. Keyword mining reveals that India and China are the leading publication centres on millets, possibly due to their large proportion of cultivation and indigenous nature. It further reveals that the pearl millet is the predominant one, followed by foxtail and finger millet, suggesting that most research is confined to them only; however, other millets, still have a research gap in comparison. The word abiotic stress is associated with high frequency in millet research due to its adaptive nature amid climate change. Thematic representation explored the novel concept of millet's utility as a probiotic and millet bran to ensure nutrient–cereal properties based on the persistency of keywords throughput research progression; however, incurious consumption is associated with harmful ochratoxin. Bio-concept mining and knowledge graph generation divided the millet research output into four large domains, which provides a largely covered bio-concepts for millet research and co-concurrence of emerging bio-concepts to intense progress and finds an adequate literature gap to improve millet research for sustained growth and equilibrate biodiversity.

The present study found that a protein lysis buffer, used for the extraction of proteins from cells, showed efficacy in reducing the disease severity of cucumber anthracnose, which is caused by the anthracnose fungus. The lysis buffer and its individual components were examined for their function in reducing disease development of cucumber anthracnose on cucumber plants. Nonidet P-40, a nonionic detergent commonly used to isolate cell membrane complexes, was the most effective component of the lysis buffer for disease control. The treatment of cucumber plants with Nonidet P-40 at a concentration of 50 μl/l suppressed development of cucumber anthracnose, but it did not inhibit spore germination of the fungus. Cucumber plants were inoculated with the pathogen 30 min after treatment with Nonidet P-40, and a reduction in disease severity was observed. Expression of genes related to disease resistance (acidic class III chitinase, phenylalanine ammonialyase 1, peroxidase and pathogenesis-related protein 1-1a) were also examined after plants were treated with Nonidet P-40 and inoculated with the pathogen. The results indicate that Nonidet P-40 functions as a trigger for a stereotypic defence response in cucumber plants, including an increase in the expression levels of genes related to disease resistance.

It was aimed to simultaneously study standardized ileal digestible (SID) tryptophan (Trp) and lysine (Lys) for gilts. A digestibility assay was previously conducted to determine the SID amino acid in the basal diet (low levels of SID Trp and Lys). Sixty-four gilts (15.04 ± 1.44 kg) were allotted to 16 diets in a 4 × 4 factorial arrangement (1.55, 1.85, 2.15 and 2.45 g/kg SID Trp and 9.72, 11.12, 12.52 and 13.92 g/kg SID Lys) with four replicates per treatment. Performance, longissimus muscle (LM), backfat thickness (BF) and blood variables were evaluated. An interaction was observed for G:F, and by response surface model, the optimum Trp level was achieved at 2.15 g/kg (0.159 g/MJ of ME). A quadratic effect of Trp was observed on body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG); the daily feed intake increased linearly as Trp increased. The optimum Trp levels of 2.25 and 2.24 g/kg were estimated for BW and ADG, respectively. The BF increased with increasing levels of Trp. There was a quadratic and linear effect of Trp and Lys, respectively, on the LM, in which the optimum Trp level was determined as 2.05 g/kg in the diet. Plasma urea nitrogen decreased as Trp and Lys levels increased. Using estimates provided by response surface, maximized G:F ratio was obtained at 2.15 g SID Trp/kg of diet and at least 13.92 g SID Lys/kg of diet is necessary to optimize the G:F for 15–30 kg gilts, providing a Trp:Lys ratio of 15.4:100.

Estimates of dry matter intake reported by Barlow el al. in this journal in 1988 appeared low for grazing beef cows during early lactation. Further estimates for 144 crossbred and Hereford cows at Grafton, NSW, support the contention that the previous estimates for early lactation were biased downward. This appears to have been simply a scale effect as rankings of pastures and cow genotypes remained unchanged, although the magnitude of differences did alter.

It was observed in a recently concluded study (O. O. BalogunandB. L. Fetuga, unpublished data) that methionine and palm-oil supplementation to a cassava flour-soya-bean meal diet encouraged satisfactory growth, efficiency of live-weight gain, nitrogen retention and carcass quality of weanling pigs. Our earlier reports (Balogun & Fetuga, 1981; Balogun, Fetuga & Oyenuga, 1982) also indicated that the muscles of pigs responded differently to dietary methionine and lysine and that the quantitative requirements of these amino acids for maximum development of the muscles were at variance with the methionine or lysine requirements for maximum growth performance and nitrogen retention.