ABSTRACT Phosphate deficiency is a stress factor often limiting crop growth and development. The aim of this study was to determine the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in response to long-term phosphate stress in red clover populations in field conditions. The sensitivity of six red clover populations to phosphate stress was determined in a three-year field experiment. The results revealed that the

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the effects of amylolytic enzymes on the nutritive value, fermentation losses, fermentation profile, and amylolytic activity of rehydrated corn that had been stored for 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, or 240 d. Corn kernels were harvested, ground in a knife mill using a 4-mm screen, rehydrated to 625 g/kg of dry matter (DM). These experimental silos were then randomly

ABSTRACT Farm planning processes have long been based on land evaluation, and although this analysis conceptually includes other biotic and abiotic factors beyond just land, they have typically focused on soils and land-use capability. The need to broaden this scope to more explicitly include biodiversity, ecosystem service provision, and sustainability considerations has been internationally recognised

(2021). Land use and water quality. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research: Vol. 64, Special issue: Land use and water quality. Guest Editor: Richard McDowell, pp. 269-270.

ABSTRACT Assessing the effectiveness of mitigation measures for reducing contaminant losses to water from pastoral farming systems is a challenging task. Two important factors that contribute to this challenge are (i) the considerable spatial variability in landscape vulnerabilities to contaminant loss and (ii) differing land use pressures created by contrasting land management practices that are employed

ABSTRACT This work measures the effectiveness of boundary delivery from a new computer-controlled aircraft bulk solid delivery system (Intellispread+). Computer controlled delivery of solid fertilisers by aircraft has been practised commercially in New Zealand since 2014. Aircraft position is determined in relation to a rate change polygon, aircraft ground speed, spread material characteristics, and

ABSTRACT Urine deposited onto grazed pastures is the main source of anthropogenic nitrous oxide (N2O) in New Zealand. Low soil pH (ca 5.0) has been linked to increases in the proportion of N2O to N2 emitted through soil denitrification. However, total denitrification rates and N2O emissions can increase with soil pH up to ca 7.0–8.0. We conducted an incubation experiment and a field study to examine

ABSTRACT Land fragmentation is a growing issue in New Zealand, however, no consistent or regular national monitoring has been established. A methodology for assessing land fragmentation was applied nationally for the first time, revealing that the greatest proportion of fragmentation occurred on land used for diffuse rural residence (>0.40 to ≤2.0 ha) and small parcels (>2.0 to ≤8.0 ha) with a 128%

ABSTRACT This study describes variation of nutritive value (NV), measured by proximal hyperspectral sensing (PHS), of herbage offered to cows on a pasture-based dairy farm. Metabolisable energy (ME), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and digestible organic matter digestibility (DOMD) were predicted from PHS of canopies during the 2016–17 and 2017–18 production

ABSTRACT Contaminant loss from grazed pasture can negatively affect freshwater quality. There is, however, little data on the impact of different levels of grazing/treading on contaminant loss measured under field conditions. This study quantified phosphorus (P), sediment and Escherichia coli (E. coli) loss in surface runoff from plots grazed by cattle for 0, 16 or 28 h to create different pasture/treading

ABSTRACT Soil Olsen phosphorus is used for regional and national environmental reporting, and for farm soil fertility assessment. In New Zealand, the laboratory measurement using sieved and air-dried soil is undertaken gravimetrically (by weight), or volumetrically, so can be reported on either basis. Olsen P ‘stocks’ can also be calculated using field bulk density. These methods have led to inconsistencies

ABSTRACT Analyses of New Zealand farm systems require estimates of herbage yield and quality. These are available for perennial ryegrass and white clover pastures but not for other common pasture species. We used five lucerne datasets to derive functional relationships between growth rate and temperature. This required three functions to account for partitioning in lucerne between spring and autumn

ABSTRACT Global Positioning System (GPS) technology was used to track movements of extensively farmed red deer hinds over the calving period on two New Zealand high-country farms, during the summers of 2006/07, 2007/08 (Haycocks Station) and 2008/09 (White Rock Station). The goal was to analyse positional data around the expected birthing period to define patterns of hind movement that are potentially

ABSTRACT In Canterbury, New Zealand, there has been a widespread conversion of dryland sheep grazing to more intensive irrigated dairying. We determined the effects of these land uses on soil physical properties, and water release characteristics, on adjacent sites: a centre-pivot sprinkler-irrigated dairy farm site, a dryland sheep site, and a non-grazed, non-irrigated control site. Despite the Pallic

ABSTRACT The objectives of this study were to identify the prevalence, incidence and range of udder defects in non-dairy breed ewes in New Zealand and to investigate the range of bacteria present in milk samples. The udders of 5700 mixed-age ewes on 11 sheep farms in the lower North Island of New Zealand were examined and scored at weaning. The majority were examined again 4–6 weeks later. Milk samples

ABSTRACT Extensive farming systems require beef cows to cope with varying environmental conditions while repeatedly producing calves. Cows use body energy reserves as a buffer in times of feed shortage and replenish reserves under a feed surplus. The aims of the research were to (1) quantify live weight (LW) and body condition score (BCS) fluctuations among farms, years and over the production cycle

ABSTRACT Understanding the relationship between time of feeding and subsequent nitrogen excretion may enable the development of better farm management strategies to reduce greenhouse gas output. This work examined the impact of time of feeding on urinary and faecal nitrogen losses. Sheep were fed either in the morning or the afternoon with annual ryegrass harvested at 0800 to ensure that feed quality

(2021). Correction. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research. Ahead of Print.

ABSTRACT The effects of water stress on fodder beet (Beta vulgaris L.) production in the field are confounded by the influences of variable inter- and intra-season rainfall. In this study, a rain shelter experiment investigated the effect of water and nitrogen (N) stress on dry matter (DM) production, DM allocation and N partitioning in fodder beet (‘Rivage’). Two water-management treatments, irrigated

ABSTRACT The objective was to determine the effect of grazing fodder beet versus ryegrass-dominant pasture from mid-to-late gestation on dam and offspring performance under practical farming conditions. Twin-bearing ewes were randomly allocated to grazing regimes of either fodder beet plus ad libitum ryegrass/clover hay (FB; n = 100) or ryegrass-dominant pasture plus ad libitum ryegrass/clover hay

ABSTRACT The effects of water stress on fodder beet (Beta vulgaris L.) production in the field are confounded by the influences of variable inter- and intra-season rainfall. In this study, a rain shelter experiment investigated the effect of water and nitrogen (N) stress on dry matter (DM) production, DM allocation and N partitioning in fodder beet (‘Rivage’). Two water-management treatments, irrigated

ABSTRACT The objective was to determine the effect of grazing fodder beet versus ryegrass-dominant pasture from mid-to-late gestation on dam and offspring performance under practical farming conditions. Twin-bearing ewes were randomly allocated to grazing regimes of either fodder beet plus ad libitum ryegrass/clover hay (FB; n = 100) or ryegrass-dominant pasture plus ad libitum ryegrass/clover hay

ABSTRACT Environmental farm planning in New Zealand dates to the 1950s when soil conversation plans were first undertaken. Since then the extent and complexity of whole farm sustainability along with regulatory drivers and environmental compliance targets has increased. The public, and consumers, both domestically and internationally, are placing ever increasing demands and expectations on farmers

ABSTRACT Environmental farm planning in New Zealand dates to the 1950s when soil conversation plans were first undertaken. Since then the extent and complexity of whole farm sustainability along with regulatory drivers and environmental compliance targets has increased. The public, and consumers, both domestically and internationally, are placing ever increasing demands and expectations on farmers

ABSTRACT In New Zealand the primary sector together with central and local government agencies have been promoting measures to mitigate the adverse effect of farming practices on water quality over the last few decades. We assessed the effectiveness of some key measures such as stock exclusion, riparian protection, and nutrient and effluent management on reducing losses of nitrogen (N), phosphorus

ABSTRACT Body weight measurement of animals is often labor-intensive for farmers and stressful for animals. To this end, several methods have been researched and implemented to automate this process. In this study, we performed a Systematic Literature Review to identify and synthesise the published studies on the body weight estimation approaches for livestock (i.e. cattle and pigs). Information about

(2021). Recent advances in grazed pasture-based dairy science. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research: Vol. 64, Special issue: Recent advances in grazed pasture based dairy science. Editor: Timothy Clough, pp. 1-2.

ABSTRACT The effect of defoliation frequency and severity on FA and nutrient composition of forage chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) before and after vernalisation were compared. Before vernalisation, the FA and nutrient components exhibited little variation with defoliation frequency and severity irrespective of the time of day. After vernalisation, total FA more than halved compared with pre vernalisation

ABSTRACT The annual regeneration from seeds of subterranean clover plants after initial sowing depends on the hardseededness (HSmax, %), its breakdown rate (HSbreak, %/ °C) and the germinability of the seeds over time. Hardseededness is a physical mechanism of dormancy that prevents germination of seeds and is ecologically important for the persistence of subterranean clover in a range of environments

ABSTRACT In New Zealand, a specific selection scheme for the dairy cattle population milked once-a-day (OAD) has not been implemented. This study aims to investigate estimated genetic progress for different selection objectives based on selection scheme designs using progeny testing (PT) and genomic selection (GS) in OAD herds. Under a PT-scheme, estimated genetic progress ranged from 7 to 45 kg/year

Multispecies grasslands can alter nitrogen (N) cycling processes. A mesocosm experiment was performed comparing bare soil, soil planted with perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), white clover (Trifo...

This study was designed to determine the effects of soybean silage (SS) in diets of dairy heifers on nutrient intake and digestibility, feeding behaviours, rumen fermentation, N utilisation, and mi...

ABSTRACT Ewe lamb live weight at first mating (7 months of age) is positively associated with reproductive performance and led to the recommendation of a minimum mating live weight of 40 kg. This experiment examined the effects of heavier mating live weight of ewe lambs on their live weight, fertility, lambing percentage and their progeny performance to weaning. Ewe lambs (n = 270) were randomly allocated

To meet the water quality outcomes sought by catchment communities and regulators, the losses of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and sediment from dairy and sheep/beef farms must be reduced across man...

ABSTRACT Leptin is a protein hormone secreted by white adipose tissue, and variation in leptin gene (LEP) has been described to affect milk production traits in different cattle breeds. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether nucleotide sequence variations identified in exon 3 of LEP were the same as those reported previously, and ascertain whether the variations detected affected milk

The dairy industry is a significant contributor to the New Zealand economy. Improving dairy productivity while meeting appropriate environmental standards is necessary if the New Zealand economy is to grow sustainably. In this paper, a two–stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique was employed to assess the combined environmental and economic performance of dairy farms (i.e., eco-efficiency)

ABSTRACT Combining several cultivars within species in seed mixtures is often advocated as a means for improving crop or pasture performance. Herbage accumulation (HA) of perennial ryegrass-white clover pastures sown with a single cultivar representing different functional types of perennial ryegrass was compared with the HA of cultivar mixtures over three years in two contrasting environments (Waikato

A lysimeter experiment was conducted to investigate the environmental effects of applying farm dairy effluent (FDE) treated with a chemical coagulant (polyferric sulphate) to land. The coagulant was administered as part of an effluent treatment system known as ClearTech. Two products are produced from the treatment process; treated effluent (TE) and clarified water (CW). Applications were applied in

ABSTRACT Future development pathways for irrigated dairy farms in Canterbury operating under stricter nitrogen (N) loss limits were compared in two farmlets over four years. One represented the traditional pathway of intensification via higher inputs of N fertiliser and supplementary feed (‘higher input-high efficiency’, HI-HE), while the other represented a lower input pathway using half the amount

A trial was conducted to investigate the response of mixed age ewes of different body condition scores (BCS) to a pre-mating treatment with long-acting anthelmintics. Three hundred Poll–Dorset Texe...

The extent of phosphorus (P) loss from soils under deep rooting crops such as lucerne is currently unknown. This study used large lysimeters (2.0 by 1.5 m) to quantify the amounts and forms of P in...

The drought tolerance trait osmotic adjustment has been widely studied in annual crops but has received little attention in perennial forages. White clover (Trifolium repens L.) is a forage legume ...

In identifying endophytes for use in pastures in New Zealand there have been two strategies used, either exclusion of ergopeptine and lolitrem alkaloids or, retaining some ergopeptine expression to...

Within this special issue of NZJA entitled ‘Advances in Plant Sciences’ we present a collection of papers which bring new science to the discipline of grassland plants. Of the 14 papers contained in this issue, 6 relate specifically to clovers and legumes, 3 to clovers and grasses, 3 to grasses and weeds and 2 to a forages. It is interesting and encouraging to note the dominance of grassland legume

Herbicide dose-responses of seedling progenies of Ranunculus acris populations varying in herbicide exposure history indicate that this weed has evolved multiple resistance to phenoxycarboxylic aci...

The production and pest susceptibility of eight clover cultivars were compared over two years in the pasture at two contrasting sites: a rain-fed Waikato cattle-grazed pasture and an irrigated Cant...

An integrated catchment management project was established at the Whatawhata Research Centre in the late 1990s to study the implications of land use and management change for a typical New Zealand ...

Reliable data on the rate of cadmium (Cd) accumulation in soils that receive phosphorus (P) fertiliser is vital to help manage the impact of Cd in agricultural systems in New Zealand. Studies of th...

High-quality RNA from soil is essential for investigating the functionality of soil microbial communities. The affordability the RNA-Seq method enables innovative studies of whole ecosystems but re...

ABSTRACT Subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) is an important legume in dryland hill pastures in New Zealand. In this environment plants adapt to low temperatures (<10°C) through a series of physiological mechanisms, such as the foliar biosynthesis of pigments, to protect vulnerable tissues. The biosynthesis of anthocyanins is one of the most important physiological responses for cold acclimation

ABSTRACT In New Zealand cows are usually milked twice a day (TAD), however milking cows once-a-day (OAD) for the entire lactation is steadily increasing. This study aimed to estimate genetic correlations (r g) for milk production traits across TAD and OAD milking frequency (MF) environments from first lactation cows. Lactation yields of milk (MY), fat (FY) and protein (PY), and somatic cell score (SCS)

The increased milk production of pastured-based mixed dairy systems has involved higher use of concentrates and inputs, which led to increased environmental impacts. Usually these impacts are expre...

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between plasma amino acid (AA) concentration and urinary nitrogen (N) concentration of dairy heifers offered cut plantain or perennial ryegrass-white clover pasture indoors. Twelve Jersey-Friesian heifers aged 9–10 months were equally assigned to two dietary treatments (plantain vs. perennial ryegrass-white clover pasture) in

Composite ewes (244 single, 258 twin and 255 triplet born) lambed first either as a one or two-year-old. One-year-old lambing resulted in lighter ewes at both 2nd and 3rd mating. Twin and triplet b...

This paper reviews the effects of irrigation on soil physical properties, particularly soil water movement and storage, under predominantly pastoral systems. Few studies address how irrigation impa...

Concentrations of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), selenium (Se) and iodine (I) were measured in chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) plants previously selected for either ...

ABSTRACT The objective of the study was to estimate genetic parameters of efficiency of crude protein utilisation (ECPU) and its genetic correlation (r G) with other production traits across lactation in grazing dairy cows. Data were originated from 467 (2016–17 season) and 460 cows (2017–18 season) representing Holstein-Friesian (F), Jersey (J) and their crosses (F×J), from two New Zealand farms.

ABSTRACT When pasture supply becomes limiting during the summer dry period in the southern North Island of New Zealand, dairy cows often receive silage and forage crop dietary supplements. The present study investigated the effect of dietary change in late summer-autumn on cow’s urinary N excretion. Fifty-four dairy cows balanced for milk production, age, liveweight, body condition score and days in

A hydrological framework encompassing nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and microbial (E. coli) transfer from land to water was developed to provide a consistent and rapid approach for assessing the pot...

Currently, comparisons of lamb output from either ewe lambs or mature ewes are confounded, as the age groups are bred to different sires, and lamb at different times. The aim of this experiment was...