Quantification of soil carbon (C) cycling as influenced by management practices is needed for C sequestration and soil quality improvement. We evaluated the 10-yr effects of tillage, cropping system, and N source on crop residue and soil C fractions at 0- to 20-cm depth in Decatur silt loam (clayey, kaolinitic, thermic, Typic Paleudults) in northern Alabama, USA. Treatments were incomplete fact...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of three levels of supplement on forage intake and animal performance of early weaned calves grazing rye-ryegrass pastures from January to May. Treatments were three levels of concentrate (1, 1.5, and 2% of body weight [BW]), and animals were 90-d-old Angus-crossbred early weaned calves. Calf ADG increased from 1.6 to 1.9 lb/d as supplement...

The adoption rate of winter cover crops (WCCs) as an effective conservation management practice to help reduce agricultural nutrient loads in the Chesapeake Bay (CB) is increasing. However, the WCC potential for water quality improvement has not been fully realized at the watershed scale. This study was conducted to evaluate the long-term impact of WCCs on hydrology and NO3-N loads in two adjac...

Antifreeze proteins are found in a wide range of overwintering plants where they inhibit the growth and recrystallization of ice that forms in intercellular spaces. Unlike antifreeze proteins found in fish and insects, plant antifreeze proteins have multiple, hydrophilic ice-binding domains. Surprisingly, antifreeze proteins from plants are homologous to pathogenesis-related proteins and also p...

Meiotic pairing preferences between identical and homologous but not identical chromosomes were analyzed in spontaneous tetraploid/diploid chimeras of three male grasshoppers (Eyprepocnemis plorans) whose chromosome pair 11 were heterozygous for C-banding pattern and in four induced tetraploid/diploid chimaeral rye plants (Secale cereale) heterozygous for telomeric heterochromatin C-bands in ch...

Stale seedbeds are used by organic growers to reduce weed populations prior to crop planting. Ryemulches, derived from mechanically killed (rolled and crimped) winter rye cover crops, can serve the same purpose for spring-planted organic crops. Both methods can also be employed by conventional growers who face looming problems with herbicide resistant weeds. The objective of this research was t...

The metabolic diversity of soil microbiota embodies diverse functional capabilities that support ecosystem resilience, driving essential biogeochemical processes and facilitating the optimization sustainable agricultural systems. Integrating cover crops into systems cultivates a array activities among microbes, synergistically enhancing services bolstering health for productive farming practice...

To process silage, rye is usually removed before the heading stage but the rye biomass increased up to 30% after the heading stage. However, after the heading stage, lignification rapidly accelerated and it resulted in a poor NDF digestibility problem. This has led to a demand for a strong fibrinolytic enzyme-producing probiotic for rye silage. The Gram-positive Leuconostoc holzapfelii 5H4 was ...