As a preliminary experiment to measuring milksolids (fat plus protein) production of dairy cattle grazing swards containing different levels of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) nine Jersey and nine Friesian cattle housed indoors during late lactation and fed diets containing either 20, 50 or 80% white clover with the balance perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). During the first 10 day meas...

Partially purified ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.39) was isolated from diploid and tetraploid cultivars of ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) using two separate methods. The apparent K(m) (CO(2)) values for the enzymes prepared by either method did not differ significantly between diploid and tetraploid when assayed by two separate techniques. The unpurified enzymes from freshly lys...

Effective population size (N(e)) is the key parameter for predicting genetic drift associated with germplasm regeneration. A major factor reducing N(e) below the census population size (N(c)) is variation in seed production among plants in a given population. The objectives of this study were to estimate N(e)/N(c) associated with variation in seed production in three model wind pollinated, pere...

Punctodera punctata completed its life cycle on Poa annua (annual bluegrass), P. pratensis (Merion Kentucky bluegrass), Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass), and Festuca rubra rubra (spreading fescue). Minimum time for completion of a life cycle from second-stage juvenile to mature brown cyst was 40 days at 22-28 C. Inoculation by single juveniles indicated that reproduction was most likely by a...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Current agricultural practices are based on growing monocultures or binary mixtures over large areas, with a resultant impoverishing effect on biodiversity at several trophic levels. The effects of increasing the biodiversity of a sward mixture on dry matter yield and unsown species invasion were studied. METHODS A field experiment involving four grassland species [two gra...

The effects of nitrate (NO3-) supply on shoot morphology, vertical distribution of shoot and root biomass and total nitrogen (N) acquisition by two perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) cultivars (AberElan and Preference) and two white clover (Trifolium repens L.) cultivars (Grasslands Huia and AberHerald) were studied in flowing nutrient culture. Cultivars were grown from seed as monocultures...

A grazing study was undertaken to examine the effect of maintaining three levels of pre-grazing herbage mass (HM) on dairy cow performance, grass dry matter (DM) production and output from perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) pastures. Cows were randomly assigned to one of three pre-grazing HM treatments: 1150 - Low HM (L), 1400 - Medium HM (M) or 2000 kg DM/ha - High HM (H). Herbage accumula...

The aim of this study was the isolation of Pseudomonas sp. and Bacillus sp. strains from rhizospheric soil and monitoring the impact of two isolates denoted as P12 (Pseudomonas sp.) and B1 (Bacillus sp.) on the parameters of English ryegrass (Lolium perenne) yield and activity of the soil microbial communities. During 2012-2014, a plot experiment was set up following the randomized block system...

Application of strategies inducing a heavy metal tolerant turfgrass is necessary for cultivation management. Water and soil contamination with heavy metals is an increasing concern for the human and environment health. This study was conducted to evaluate the mitigation of environmental Cd toxicity through landscape turfgrasses as affected by two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) species and t...

SCANTURF is a joint Nordic programme for turfgrass variety testing, set up in 2005 and funded by entrance fees only. It replaced simplified the former government-funded national evaluation programmes Finland, Sweden, Denmark Norway. The includes testing of all cool-season grasses on lawn/fairways at 15–20 mm mowing height (“lawn trials”) optional Poa pratensis L. Lolium perenne simulated footba...