Crude protein (CP) of forages can be separated into fractions of differentiated abilities to provide available amino acids in the lower gut of ruminants. This knowledge is critical to develop feeding systems and to predict animal responses. We have measured during two growing seasons (1996 to 1997 and 1997 to 1998) the CP fractions of common vetch fresh forage with the objective being to assess...

To investigate similarities between symbiotic interactions of broad bean (Vicia faba) with rhizobia and mycorrhizal fungi, plant gene expression induced by both microsymbionts was compared. We demonstrated the exclusive expression of 19 broad bean genes, including VfENOD2, VfENOD5, VfENOD12 and three different leghemoglobin genes, in root nodules. In contrast, the leghemoglobin gene VfLb29 was ...

Grassland for livestock production is a major form of land use throughout Europe and its intensive management threatens biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in agricultural landscapes. Modest increases to conventional grassland biodiversity could have considerable positive impacts on the provision of ecosystem services, such as pollination, to surrounding habitats.Using a field-scale experime...

Thermal imaging is a potential tool for estimating plant temperature, which can be used as an indicator of stomatal closure and water deficit stress. In this study, a new method for processing and analysing thermal images was developed. By using remote sensing software, the information from thermal and visible images was combined, the images were classified to identify leaf area and sunlit and ...

Electron probe microanalysis for K and Cl and enzymic determination of malate were performed on epidermal strips of Vicia faba L. which had been incubated with 0.1 equivalent of K(+) per liter in the absence or presence of Cl(-). In the absence of Cl(-), iminodiacetate, a presumed impermeant zwitterion, served as anion. With no Cl(-) in the medium, 91% of the K(+) imported into the guard cells ...

In two experiments we evaluated the effect of water and acetic acid soaking on ME, apparent amino acid (AA) availability, and true AA availability of vetch (V) and ervil (E) seeds. In Experiment 1, the feedstuffs were untreated (U) V or coarsely ground V soaked in water (1:10, wt/vol) at 40 C for 72 h with a water change every 12 h (40WV), vetch soaked in 1% acetic acid for 24 h at 40 C (40AAV)...

Populations of Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar viciae were sampled from two bulk soils, rhizosphere, and nodules of host legumes, fava bean (Vicia faba) and pea (Pisum sativum) grown in the same soils. Additional populations nodulating peas, fava beans, and vetches (Vicia sativa) grown in other soils and fava bean-nodulating strains from various geographic sites were also analyzed. The rhizobia ...