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Optimizing tillage practices to improve crop yield and crop water productivity (CWP) is essential for promoting sustainable dryland agriculture. This meta-analysis used the water supply during the growing season (WS, total soil water storage at sowing time, and growing-season precipitation) instead of mean annual precipitation (MAP), to assess the effects of different tillage practices on the yield and CWP of winter wheat and spring maize in northern China. The results showed that WS had a stronger correlation with crop yield than MAP, especially for winter wheat. Compared with conventional tillage, no-tillage combined with straw mulching (SM) increased winter yield by 36.56 % and CWP by 17.93 % when WS ≤ 650 mm, and subsoiling tillage increased winter wheat yield by 21.17 % and CWP by 9.29 % in winter wheat yield when WS > 650 mm. SM and subsoiling tillage performed better in regions with higher mean annual temperature (MAT) than that with lower MAT. For spring maize, no tillage, no-tillage combined with plastic film mulching (PM), subsoiling tillage and rotary tillage significantly increased yield and CWP under different WS conditions and the highest effect was showed in PM under higher WS condition; meanwhile, PM and subsoiling tillage performed good under various temperature conditions, while rotary tillage performed better in areas with lower temperature. Thus, the recommended tillage practice for spring maize is PM in northeast China, and subsoiling tillage in north-central and northwest China; for winter wheat, subsoiling tillage is recommended for north-central China, and SM is recommended for northwest China. Taken together, our results indicate that it is more accurate to use WS rather than the MAP to evaluate appropriate tillage practices in drylands. Furthermore, WS can also replace MAP for yield estimation and prediction. • There is a strong correlation between water supply and crop yield in northern China. • Water supply could consider the mismatch between the growing period and rainfall. • Optimizing tillage practices based on water supply is accurate in northern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Soaking of cereals in lactic acid efficiently reduced phytate-phosphorus. • Drying and storage improved available phosphorus in wheat and corn. • Lactic acid treatment increased resistant starch in wheat. • Lactic acid treatment decreased resistant starch in corn. • Leakage of nutrients into soaking solution depended on cereal source. The low availability of phytate phosphorus (Phy-P) from cereals for monogastric livestock can be enhanced using feed technological processes. The present objective was to investigate the effect of soaking of grains in lactic acid (LA) on the Phy-P disappearance and chemical composition in wheat and corn grains and whether changes in the nutrient profiles occurred when cereals were dried and stored for four weeks. Wheat, corn and a 50:50 mixture of both grains were soaked in 0, 10 and 25 g/kg LA (LA0, LA10, and LA25) for 0, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h. Thereafter, samples were either directly analyzed for their nutrient content or stored for 4 weeks at 21 °C until analyses. The effect of LA on the nutrient profiles in wheat, corn and, wheat-corn mixture was more evident with increasing LA concentration and soaking time, with the greatest effect with LA25 after 48 h of incubation. Soaking the cereals in LA25 for 48 h decreased (P < 0.05) the total phosphorus content by 9% across grains and decreased the Phy-P content by 24, 30 and 25% in corn, wheat and wheat-corn mix, respectively (P < 0.05), thereby correspondingly increasing the available phosphorus content. Phytase activity in corn grain represented one-tenth of the activity in wheat. End-product inhibition was indicated by the reduced phytase activity in wheat and wheat-corn mix after 48 h of soaking (P < 0.05). Moreover, crude ash and neutral detergent fiber decreased after soaking in LA, with the greatest change observed with LA25 and 48 h of treatment in LA. Although the LA treatment did not markedly affect the total starch content, soaking in LA25 increased the resistant starch content in wheat by 51%, whereas it decreased by 52 and 19% in corn and wheat-corn mixture, respectively (P < 0.05). Drying and storing the samples for four weeks increased the content of dry matter and crude ash, whereas neutral-detergent fiber, acid-detergent fiber, and non-resistant starch were reduced in the LA-treated grains after storage (P < 0.05). Storage also enhanced the Phy-P disappearance in LA-treated wheat and wheat-corn mix, thereby further increasing the available phosphorus fraction. In conclusion, soaking of grains in LA25 for 48 h demonstrated to be an effective strategy to improve the phytate-P availability in wheat and wheat-corn mix. Beneficial changes in the hemicellulose and resistant starch fractions caused by the LA treatment may have implications for the functional abilities of the LA-treated grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 42-day experiment was conducted to investigate the interactive effects of a stimbiotic (STB) and wheat bran (WB) in broiler chickens receiving diets (DT) based on corn or wheat. A total of 960 Cobb 500 male broiler chicks at zero-day old were allocated to 64 pens with 8 treatments, 8 replicates per treatment, and 15 birds per replicate. The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with 2 × 2 × 2 factorial, with the factors as diet (corn-soybean meal or wheat-soybean meal), STB (with or without), and WB (0 or 50 g/kg). Body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), and mortality-corrected FCR data were collected for the starter (d 0–10), grower (d 10–28), and finisher (d 28–42) phases. Ileal digesta and jejunal tissue were collected on d 18 and 42. Data were analyzed as a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial using a mixed model of JMP. There was no significant 3-way interaction for growth performance and expression of nutrient transporters. There was a significant SB × WB for FCR (P < 0.05) in the grower phase. Stimbiotic supplementation and WB inclusion individually improved (P < 0.05) FCR regardless of cereal type, but this effect was not observed when the two were combined. In the overall phase (d 0–42), birds receiving corn-based diets had higher (P < 0.05) FI and BWG than those receiving wheat-based diets. There was a significant 3-way interaction for ileal digestible energy (IDE) (P < 0.05) and N digestibility (ND) on d 18 and 42 (P < 0.05). There was no effect of STB or WB in corn-based diets, whereas WB inclusion decreased IDE in wheat-based diets, but STB supplementation increased IDE with or without WB. In corn-based diets, WB inclusion increased ND, whereas ND was decreased in wheat-based diets. Supplementation with STB had no effect on ND, but STB increased ND in wheat-based diets with and without WB. Ileal DE was greater (P < 0.05) for wheat- than corn-based diets on d 42. Wheat bran inclusion increased ND in corn-based diets whereas, with STB supplementation, there was no difference in ND with or without WB. There was no difference in ND with or without STB or WB in wheat-based diets. There was a significant STB × DT on the expression of GLUT-1 (P < 0.05). In corn-based diets, STB produced an upward expression of GLUT-1, whereas in wheat-based diets, STB supplementation had no effect. On d 42, stimbiotic supplementation produced upward (P < 0.05) expression of SGLT-1. In conclusion, STB supplementation in wheat- or corn-based diets and with WB inclusion improved energy digestibility. On the other hand, WB inclusion in wheat-based diets decreased nutrient digestibility especially on d 18, thus making room for a positive response to STB supplementation in wheat-based diets compared to the marginal response to STB supplementation observed in corn-based diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North China Plain (NCP) is a remarkable agricultural area with severe water scarcity and uneven precipitation, especially in wheat season. Optimizing irrigation strategies to increase water productivity (WP) and achieve higher yield in winter wheat-summer maize rotation is urgently needed and has been a persistent challenge. A four-year field experiment was conducted to explore the impact of irrigation on yield and WP of wheat and subsequent maize under different precipitation year types (dry and normal years, categorized based on the cumulative precipitation from sowing to jointing stage of wheat (P1)). Four irrigation strategies (W0, no irrigation; W1, pre-sowing irrigation; W2, pre-sowing + jointing irrigation; and W3, pre-sowing + jointing + anthesis irrigation) were adopted for wheat, and identical field operations were applied for maize. Results showed that wheat yield was affected by P1 rather than total precipitation. Irrigation improved wheat yield by enhancing evapotranspiration, spike number, grain number, and 1000-seed weight. The water-limited gap in yield and WP between W2 and W1 was significantly higher than those between W1 and W0, and between W3 and W2, implying that W2 was the suitable irrigation strategy in wheat production. Different irrigation in wheat season had no effect on subsequent maize in normal years, but W1 increased maize yield and WP by 13.2–29.3% and 16.1–41.8% compared with other treatments through decreasing soil water storage before maize sowing in dry years. Therefore, we recommended W2 to achieve higher annual yield, WP, and net income in normal years (37.6 mm < P1 < 79.9 mm); and W1 to lower irrigation water consumption and achieve higher WP and economic benefits in dry years (P1 < 37.6 mm), respectively. Overall, optimizing irrigation under different precipitation conditions is an effective strategy to cope with water resource shortages and increase crop yield and WP in the NCP. [Display omitted] • Optimal irrigation was explored in variable precipitation years in North China Plain. • Only cumulative precipitation before the jointing affected wheat yield. • Reduced irrigation sustained annual yield by increasing maize production in dry years. • Recommended pre-sowing + jointing irrigation in normal years, but pre-sowing irrigation in dry years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over-irrigation to ensure high crop yields in North China Plain (NCP) has led to a sharp groundwater table decline over the past decades. We conducted a scenario analysis from1980 to 2017 with 12 irrigation strategies from T1W0M0 to T12W3M2 (T is treatment and numbers of irrigation times in wheat (W) and maize (M) seasons, 75 mm each) for the dominant winter wheat-summer maize rotation using the soil-water-atmosphere-plant (SWAP) model in the NCP. After model calibration and validation with 4-year experimental data, we analyzed the long-term simulated annual crop yield, actual evapotranspiration (ET a), water productivity (WP), groundwater table change and economic benefit to the different irrigation practices. The optimized irrigation strategy is based on an integral analysis for different precipitation year-types. Results showed that annual yield and WP increased with increased irrigation until these reached a plateau. Treatment T4W2M1 was the turning point with an annual yield of 15335 kg·ha-1, significantly higher than T2W1M1 (26 %) and T1W0M0 (63 %), but not significantly different from 4 to 5 irrigations in wet and normal years. ET a increased with increased irrigation from 456 to 644 mm yr-1. The annual WP followed a similar trend as annual crop yield for all irrigation schedules. T4W2M1 had an annual WP of 2.47 kg cm-3, significantly higher by 15 % than T2W1M1 and 24 % higher than T1W0M0, with no significant difference seen with 4–5 irrigations. The rainfed treatment mitigated groundwater table decline the best, even reversing the trend during the past four decades to 0.11 m yr-1 rise. This was followed by two irrigation treatments (−0.30 m yr-1), three irrigations (−0.55 m yr-1), four irrigations (−0.72 m yr-1), and five irrigations (−0.86 m yr-1). The latter corresponds to typical farmer practice. Using the productivity indicators, including irrigation WP, marginal benefit and economic index, T4W2M1 showed the best performance. Therefore, we recommend T4W2M1 (two irrigations at pre-wintering and jointing stages for wheat and one irrigation at maize sowing stage) as the best irrigation strategy for the wheat-maize rotation to mitigate groundwater table decline, and sustain grain yields and water productivity in the NCP; another anthesis irrigation for winter wheat is recommended during extreme dry years to sustain grain yield. • Twelve irrigation strategies for wheat-maize from 1980 to 2017 were evaluated. • Three targeted irrigations per year mitigated the groundwater table decline by 40 %. • 225 mm total for three irrigations per year is best to increase water productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of these studies was to evaluate the impact of dietary muramidase (MUR) on endogenous amino acids (AA) losses and digestibility of nutrients in wheat and corn-based broiler diets. In experiment 1, the effect of dietary MUR on the flow of endogenous AA (EAA) at the jejunum and terminal ileum of broilers were assessed using either the nitrogen (N) free diet method (NFD) or the highly digestible protein diet method (HDP ; 100 g casein/kg diet). Sialic acid and muramic acid concentrations were measured in the jejunal content. In experiment 2, a 2x2x2 factorial arrangement of treatments with 2 base grains (wheat or corn), with low or high metabolizable energy (ME) levels, and without or with MUR supplementation was implemented. All diets contained phytase, xylanase, and cellulase. Apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of dry matter (DM), protein (CP), amino acids (AA), crude fat, and energy, as well as the apparent total tract metabolizability (ATTM) of DM, CP, and gross energy (GE) were determined. The standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of AA was obtained by correcting AID values for basal ileal EAA obtained from chicks fed with NFD or HDP in experiment 1, jejunal EAA flow of all AA was higher (P < 0.001) compared to the ileum, but this effect was method dependent. Jejunal, but not ileal, EAA flow measured with HDP was higher compared to NFD, as well as sialic acid (P < 0.001) and muramic acid (P < 0.004) concentrations. Muramidase inclusion had no effect on basal EAA flow, independently of the segment and the method used. In experiment 2, dietary MUR supplementation increased the AID of CP (P < 0.05), all AA, and tended (P = 0.07) to increase the AID of GE, independently of the cereal type used. However, ATTM of DM and GE, but not CP, increased with MUR inclusion compared with the control treatments, especially in wheat and low ME diets (P < 0.05). In conclusion, MUR supplementation improved AID of CP and AA without affecting EAA losses and increases energy utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of age and supplemental xylanase in corn- or wheat-based diets on cecal volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations of Ross × Ross 708 male broilers during weekly intervals from 14 to 42 d of age. Day-old chicks (1,500) were randomly distributed into 60 floor pens (25 chicks/pen; 0.078 m2/bird) and fed 1 of 4 dietary treatments (TRT) throughout the starter (1 to 14 d of age), grower (15 to 28 d of age), and finisher (29 to 42 d of age) phases with 15 replicates per TRT. Dietary TRT consisted of a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with 2 diet types (corn- or wheat-based) and 2 xylanase inclusions (0 or 16,000 BXU/kg) as the main factors. At 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 d of age, cecal contents were collected (4 birds/pen) for VFA analysis. Main effects of cereal grain source (P < 0.05) affected propionic, isobutyric, butyric, isovaleric, valeric, and isocaproic acid concentrations at 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 d of age. Broilers fed corn-based diets had higher (P < 0.05) propionic, isobutyric, isovaleric, valeric, and isocaproic concentrations than those fed wheat-based diets from 14 to 42 d of age. However, broilers fed wheat-based diets had higher (P < 0.05) butyric acid concentrations at 28, 35, and 42 d of age compared with those fed corn-based diets. Individual and total VFA concentrations increased (P < 0.05) linearly from 14 to 42 d of age. Age and cereal grain interacted (P < 0.05) to affect propionic, isobutyric, butyric, isovaleric, and valeric acid concentrations. These results indicate that broiler cecal VFA concentrations are influenced by cereal grain source and age. In contrast, supplemental xylanase inconsistently influenced broiler cecal VFA concentrations. Therefore, future research evaluating factors affecting supplemental xylanase and cecal VFA production in broilers is warranted. Additionally, research investigating cereal grain source effects on cecal microflora development and fermentative patterns may be beneficial for optimizing cecal VFA production in broilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil water deficits limit the photosynthetic productivity of crops, resulting in reduced yields. However, the effects of soil water stress on leaf gas exchange parameters, actual quantum efficiency (Φ PSII), photosynthetic capacity (maximum electron transfer rate ETRmax, maximum photosynthetic rate An max , maximum carboxylation rate Vc max25) and environmental parameters, such as photosynthetic active radiation (PAR), vapour pressure deficit (VPD), remains unclear. Especially, the dynamic responses of crops with different canopy structure types and phenological stages to water stress needs to be further clarified. In this study, we conducted a field experiment using wheat and maize under complete rainfall isolation to study the effects of coupled water stress and environmental factors on leaf gas exchange processes and photosynthetic capacity. Our results showed that the Φ PSII - PAR relationship in the wheat leaves(a C 3 plant) was more sensitive to water stress than was that in the maize leaves (a C 4 plant) and significantly differed with phenological stage. The coupling of water stress with VPD had a more pronounced effect on the gas exchange parameters (net photosynthetic rate (An), stomatal conductance (g sw), transpiration efficiency (TE), intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi)) than coupling with PAR, especially for wheat, where the coupling effect of soil water content (SWC) with VPD was more pronounced as the degree of water stress increased. The SWC status did not significantly alter the wheat An -PAR relationship, in contrast to that in maize, wherein a strong effect of SWC on the An -PAR relationship was observed. Water stress had a more pronounced limiting effect on ETR max in wheat than in maize. An max showed a weaker relationship with SWC in both wheat and maize, whereas Vc max25 exhibited a stronger relationship with SWC. Additionally, the physiological response process should take into account the differences between phenological periods. Our study can be used as a reference for precise field irrigation. ● The response mechanism of the Φ PSII -PAR relationship to soil water stress was established. ● The mechanism of coupling soil water stress and environmental parameters on leaf gas exchange was clarified. ● Contribution of soil moisture and photosynthetic pigment content to leaf photosynthetic capacity. ● The effect of potential phenological stages on physiological characteristics under soil water stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Appropriate tillage practices reduce a crop's carbon footprint (CF) and mitigate climate change. However, little is known about the CF of winter wheat and spring maize production under different tillage practices in the Loess Plateau of China. To quantify the tillage differences and crop type differences in CF, a field experiment was established in 2007 in which the following six tillage practices were evaluated: plow tillage (PT), no-tillage (NT), subsoil tillage (ST), PT/NT rotation, NT/ST rotation and ST/PT rotation. The results showed PT had the positive CF value (488 kg CO 2 -eq ha−1), indicating a carbon source. However, NT, ST, ST/PT, PT/NT and NT/ST significantly decreased the CF (−628, −1382, −2328, −3038 and −3545 kg CO 2 -eq ha−1), demonstrating these tillage practices served as carbon sinks. The functional unit-scaled CFs (yield-scaled CF, cost-scaled CF, production value-scaled CF and net income-scaled CF) were similar to the trend of CF, which exhibited the following order: NT/ST > PT/NT > ST/PT > ST > NT > PT. The CF and functional unit-scaled CFs of winter wheat production were significantly higher than those of spring maize production. The CF and functional unit-scaled CFs decreased as planting year increased. In addition, increasing SOC storage and grain yield were benefit for decreasing CF. The results of this study showed NT/ST rotation produced the highest grain yield and SOC storage with the lowest CF and functional unit-scaled CFs and was thus determined to be the best tillage practice for balancing sustainable production with the environment in the Loess Plateau. Image 1 • Tillage affected carbon footprint through soil organic carbon storage and crop yield. • No-till/Subsoil rotation had the lowest carbon footprint and highest carbon storage and yield. • Carbon footprint of winter wheat was higher than that of spring maize production. • Carbon footprint showed decreased tendency as planting year increased. • No-till/subsoil rotation was the most beneficial practice for cleaning production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract The cumulative N 2 O emissions of CK, C1, C2, and SR treatments during the maize/wheat growing seasons of 2013–2014 (a) and 2014–2015 (b). Highlights • Low doses of biochar addition increased N 2 O emission. • High doses of biochar addition reduced N 2 O emission. • Biochar increased soil pH and the abundances of ammonia oxidizers and denitrifying genes. • Straw return increased N 2 O emission. • Application of biochar, instead of straw return, is a more optimum agricultural strategy in the wheat-maize system. Abstract To evaluate long-term effects of biochar addition and straw return (SR) on N 2 O fluxes in wheat-maize rotation system, a 2-year field experiment following a 7-year biochar addition and SR was investigated in an intensively managed agricultural soil in the North China Plain (NCP). Four treatments were included: 1) no biochar addition (CK); 2) biochar treatment with 4.5 t ha−1 yr−1 (C1); 3) biochar treatment with 9.0 t ha−1 yr−1 (C2); and 4) all the wheat/maize straw return (SR). The results showed the annual cumulative N 2 O emissions from C1 treatment were increased by 15.9–16.5%, while C2 treatment suppressed the annual cumulative N 2 O emissions by 22.8–26.3%. In comparison, straw return suppressed N 2 O emissions by 13.4–43.6% in the wheat season but increased N 2 O emissions remarkably by 45.3–53.9% in the maize season. Biochar addition enhanced the copies of AOA, AOB, nirK , nirS , and nosZ genes, while straw return decreased the copies of AOB, nirK , nirS , and nosZ genes at the high N 2 O emission period in the maize season. The production of N 2 O in the maize season was mainly driven by the AOB and nosZ genes, and by AOB gene in the wheat season. These results suggest that application of 9.0 t ha−1 yr−1 biochar is a more optimum agricultural strategy for reducing N 2 O emission in the wheat-maize system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whole-crop wheat and corn silages in 1.5-L anaerobic jars were exposed to air for 0 up to 48 h during their anaerobic storage period to simulate relocation of silages. Ensiling treatments included control (no additives) and either Koffosil T (Koffolk Inc., Petah Tikva, Israel) comprising a mixture of organic acids or Lactobacillus plantarum MTD1 (Ecosyl Products Ltd., Stokesley, UK). In the first set of experiments, the duration of exposure to air had little effect on ensiling parameters or on the aerobic stability of the final silages. In the second set of experiments, both the inoculant and duration of exposure to air had an effect on various fermentation parameters and on the aerobic stability of the final silages. We concluded that if the silages are of good quality, the duration of the relocation process has little effect on silage quality or its aerobic stability. However, if the silage contains any factor that may affect its aerobic stability, it is more sensitive to the time it takes to re-ensile the forage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feed formulation using apparent metabolizable energy (AME) corrected to zero nitrogen retention (AMEn) is widely used by poultry nutritionists. Most available tabulated data are from experiments using adult cockerels or growing broilers. Specific values are rarely available for laying hens. A study was conducted to evaluate AME, AMEn, and AMEs (AME adjusted to 50% nitrogen retention) of corn, soybean meal (SBM) and wheat in laying hens using the reference diet substitution and regression methods. Forty eight 42-wk-old Hy-Line Brown hens were used, 2 birds per cage with six replicates per diet. Test diets contained 30% test ingredient (as is basis) and 65.7% reference diet (as is basis) with limestone, other minerals, vitamins, and amino acids held constant across the reference and test diets. Using the reference diet substitution method, AME values obtained for corn, SBM, and wheat were 3,791, 2,621, and 3,565 kcal/kg (DM), respectively. The corresponding AMEn values were 3,722, 2,496, and 3,479 kcal/kg (DM), and AMEs were 3,784, 2,835, and 3,562 kcal/kg (DM), respectively. Calculation of AME, AMEn, and AMEs of ingredients using regression based on the inclusion rate (DM) of dietary ingredients and reference diet gave identical values to those obtained by the reference diet substitution method. In addition, the measured AMEn values of ingredients using laying hens in this study were close to those calculated from proximate composition using the European Union prediction equation based on adult cockerels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insect growth regulator methoprene was evaluated for control of Liposcelis bostrychophila Badonnel, Liposcelis decolor (Pearman), Liposcelis entomophila (Enderlein), Liposcelis paeta Pearman (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae), and Lepinotus reticulatus Enderlein (Trogiidae) at application rates of 1, 5, and 10 ppm on maize, wheat, and rice. Methoprene did not completely suppress progeny production during the 40-day test period, but did cause a significant reduction in adult progeny in all psocid species at the application rates of 5 and 10 ppm. At 1 ppm, numbers of adults were reduced for all species on wheat and maize, but only for L. paeta on rice. Nevertheless, the numbers of nymphs present after 40 days generally were not reduced, relative to the controls. Methoprene applied at rates of 1 to 10 ppm to stored grain would not provide adequate control of psocids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing an alternative water-fertilizer-saving management practice for winter wheat-summer maize double cropping system in the North China Plain (NCP) is urgent to address severe water scarcity and adverse environmental impacts. A four-year field experiment in split plot design was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplemental drip irrigation on grain yield, water use efficiency (WUE), nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), nitrogen (N) loss and economic benefits, keeping three supplemental drip irrigation times (DI 0 , no irrigation after emergence; DI 3 , irrigation once at wheat jointing, once at maize seedling and once at maize jointing; DI 5 , irrigation once at wheat jointing, once at wheat anthesis, once at maize seedling, once at maize jointing and once at maize tasseling) in the main plots and three N fertilizer rates (N 0 , no N fertilizer; N 60% , 60% of the local recommended N fertilizer rate, 272 kg N ha−1 yr−1; N 100% , 100% of the local recommended N fertilizer rate, 453 kg N ha−1 yr−1) in the sub plots. The traditional surface irrigation regime was also conducted as control (CK) under local recommended N fertilizer at 453 kg N ha−1 yr−1. The results showed that DI 5 N 60% achieved the highest WUE in wheat (1.93 kg m−3) and maize (3.00 kg m−3) on average, which was 3.0% and 25.3% higher compared to CK, respectively. The highest partial factor productivity from applied N (PEP N) in wheat and maize were also observed in DI 5 N 60% (56.8 kg kg−1 and 56.3 kg kg−1, respectively) on average, which was 54.0% and 74.0% higher compared to CK, respectively. For winter wheat-summer maize double cropping system, DI 5 N 60% can generally achieve similar crop yield and net income but reduce irrigation and N fertilizer use and N loss compared to CK. Therefore, DI 5 N 60% was considered as an alternative water-fertilizer-saving management practice for winter wheat-summer maize double cropping system in the NCP. Moreover, the optimized combination of irrigation amount and N fertilizer rate corresponding simultaneously to higher crop yield, WUE and net income were determined by using the response surface methodology based on binary quadratic regression analysis, and the optimal irrigation amount were 165 mm and 90 mm, optimal N rates were 186 kg N ha−1 and 185 kg N ha−1 for winter wheat and summer maize, respectively. • Supplemental drip fertigation reduced irrigation use and N loss without yield reduction. • DI 5 N 60% was the best regime for balancing yield, irrigation and N use, N loss and profit. • The optimal of irrigation and N fertilizer inputs for wheat-maize rotation were suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to quantify statistical relations between the Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI), derived from NOAA/AVHRR multi-channel irradiance, and yield of wheat and maize commonly covering 23.5% of Hungary. The 14 years period, 1985–1998 is used, reserving the later vegetation seasons for independent validation, in the future. The yield reporting units are the 19 administrative counties, characterized by 50–90 km of linear measure and diverse vegetation. Cluster analysis of the yield series is performed to identify possible outliers, but there are no qualitatively separating outliers found among the 14 years and 19 counties for the investigated plants. The same procedure is performed for the average proportion of land-use types and for the NDVI series with the aim of finding coherent groups of counties to unify them into larger, cumulative samples. However, these analyses did not yield the necessary similarities, hence, no further spatial integration was performed. The applied NDVI series are filtered against possible remained atmospheric disturbances, whereas the yield data are standardized against the, actually decreasing, linear trends. The relationships between weekly composite NDVI data are residual yield percentages are rather different for maize and wheat: wheat yield is closely related to the early spring NDVI, whereas for maize yield only the much later, near-harvest periods exhibit some informative value. Since the obtained correlations are rather similar in the neighboring weeks and the weekly NDVI series are strongly auto-correlated, themselves, a four-weekly integration of NDVI is performed before the final estimation of the yield from the NDVI. This integration is performed in four different ways, recommended by literature sources, with no real differences of the results, that promises stability of the correlation, despite the short samples. This statistical predictability of wheat yield residuals with about three months time lead, can be interpreted as follows: Mixed vegetation of the counties indicate the spring restart of wheat development, which conditions determine a substantial part of yield variability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Estimation of evapotranspiration (ET) and yield over cropland is essential for water resources management and food security. Particularly the estimation at long-term and regional scales still needs to be investigated. In this study, a remotely sensed and water-carbon coupled model was combined with a process-based crop growth simulation method to simultaneously estimate ET and yield. The developed model was tested for two of the most important crops (wheat and maize) with years of observations. Leaf area index determined by various remote sensing indices and individually calibrated parameters for wheat and maize were considered to improve crop ET and gross primary production (GPP) estimates. The parameters well reflected different physiological properties that C4 maize has a smaller stomatal conductance coefficient and a larger sensitivity in response to initial light than C3 wheat. Comparing with 20 years of measurements, the root mean square error (RMSE) of ET and GPP for winter wheat was 0.57 mm d−1 and 1.65 g C m−2 d−1, and for maize were 0.80 mm d−1 and 2.92 g C m−2 d−1, respectively. Besides, crop growth simulation including biomass accumulation and allocation agreed well with the measurements. Coefficient of determination was mostly larger than 0.66, and RMSE of yield was 554.7 and 1346.6 kg hm−2 for wheat and maize, respectively. Finally, the spatiotemporal crop water productivity (WP) of winter wheat and summer maize in the North China Plain during 2001–2018 were quantified. The increased WP of winter wheat while the larger WP of maize than that of wheat were discovered. The developed model helps to examine regional crop ET and yield and provides critical information on agricultural water management. • Combining a remotely sensed and water-carbon coupled model with a crop growth simulation method. • Three modelling experiments were conducted to improve ET and GPP estimates. • Simultaneously estimated ET, GPP and yield were evaluated by years of observations. • ET and yield of wheat and maize over the NCP from 2001 to 2018 were examined. • Wheat water productivity with a significantly increased trend was generally lower than that of maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Feeding wheat with nitrate, fat or 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP) decreased methane production. • There was no interaction between grain and nitrate, fat or 3-NOP on methane production. • Feeding wheat with nitrate, fat or 3-NOP may be effective methane mitigation strategies. Enteric methane emitted by ruminants is a nutritional inefficiency that contributes to global warming. Feeding substantial quantities of wheat grain to dairy cows has been reported to decrease enteric methane emissions compared with other feeds. Feeding methane mitigating agents such as nitrate, fat and 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP) to ruminants have also been reported to decrease enteric methane emissions. This research involved three in vitro experiments that examined the combined effect of wheat grain with nitrate, fat or 3-NOP on in vitro methane mitigation. In each of the experiments, wheat grain or corn grain were incubated in combination with one of the three methane mitigating agents (nitrate, fat or 3-NOP). The fermentation of wheat grain produced 22% less methane than the fermentation of corn grain. All three methane mitigating agents decreased in vitro methane production and methane production expressed per gram of dry matter degraded. The addition of nitrate, fat and 3-NOP decreased in vitro methane production by 21, 19 and 44% respectively. The methane mitigating effect of wheat grain in combination with nitrate, fat or 3-NOP was greater than the individual effects of wheat grain, nitrate, fat or 3-NOP. The feeding of the combination of wheat grain with nitrate, fat or 3-NOP to ruminants may be effective strategies for decreasing their enteric methane emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Whether farmland serves as a carbon (C) source or sink depends on the balance of soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Tillage practices critically affect the SOC concentration, SOC sequestration rate and soil carbon storage (SCS). The objective of this paper is to assess the tillage effects on SOC sequestration, SCS and C footprint. Tillage experiments were established on a double cropping system of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and summer corn (Zea mays L.) in the North China Plain since 2001 with three treatments: no tillage (NT), rotary tillage (RT) and conventional tillage (CT). In order to assess SOC sequestration efficiency under different tillage systems, SCS, SOC sequestration rate, hidden carbon cost (HCC), indexes of sustainability (I s ) and C productivity (CP) were computed in this study. Results showed that the SCS increased with years of residue retention. The SCS attained the highest degree in 2007, which was about 25%–30% higher than that in 2004. The net SOC sequestration rate was the highest in NT and lowest in CT, while HCC was lowest under NT and highest under CT. The value of I s for CT, RT and NT treatments was 1.46, 1.79 and 1.88, respectively, and that of CP was 11.02, 12.79 and 10.57, respectively. Therefore, it can be concluded that NT provides a good option for increasing SOC sequestration for agriculture in the North China Plain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Short-term studies have shown that feeding dairy cows diets containing a high proportion (>40%) of wheat may result in reduced milk fat concentration and reduced CH4 emissions (g of CH4/cow per d), but no long-term studies have been done on these responses. This study compared the milk production and CH4 responses when 24 dairy cows were fed diets containing high proportions of either wheat or corn over 16 wk. Cows were assigned to 2 groups and offered a diet (CRN) containing 10.0 kg of dry matter/d of crushed corn grain, 1.8 kg of dry matter/d of canola meal, 0.2 kg of dry matter/d of minerals, and 11.0 kg of dry matter/d of chopped alfalfa hay or a similar diet (WHT) in which wheat replaced the corn. Dry matter intake and milk yields of individual cows were measured daily. Methane emissions from individual cows were measured using controlled climate respiration chambers over 2 consecutive days during each of wk 4, 10, and 16. Milk composition was measured on the 2 d when cows were in chambers during wk 4, 10, and 16. Over the 16-wk experimental period, total dry matter intake remained relatively constant and similar for the 2 dietary treatment groups. At wk 4, CH4 emission, CH4 yield (g of CH4/kg of dry matter intake), milk fat yield, and milk fat concentration were substantially less in cows fed the WHT diet compared with the same metrics in cows fed the CRN diet; but these differences were not apparent at wk 10 and 16. The responses over time in these metrics were not similar in all cows. In 4 cows fed the WHT diet, CH4 yield, milk fat concentration, and milk fat yield remained relatively constant from wk 4 to 16, whereas for 5 fed the WHT diet, their CH4 emissions, milk fat yields, and milk fat concentrations almost doubled between wk 4 and 16. In the short term (4 wk), the inclusion of approximately 45% wheat instead of corn in the diet of cows resulted in reductions of 39% in CH4 yield, 35% in milk fat concentration, and 40% in milk fat yield. However, these reductions did not persist to wk 10 or beyond. Our data indicate that cows do not all respond in the same way with some “adaptive” cows showing a marked increase in CH4 yield, milk fat concentration, and milk fat yield after wk 4, whereas in other “nonadaptive” cows, these metrics were persistently inhibited to 16 wk. This research shows that short-term studies on dietary interventions to mitigate enteric CH4 emissions may not always predict the long-term effects of such interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand for water, energy and food is increasing driven by a rising global population, changing diets, warming climate and economic growth. Wheat-maize double cropping system, as one of the best trials in ensuring sustainable food security, is experiencing various optimizing irrigation management and tillage practices in the North China Plain. However, previous studies mainly focused on their influences on crop yield and water use efficiency. Comprehensive analysis of water-energy-food for the practices was limited. Therefore, a life cycle assessments based water–energy–food (WEF) nexus analysis was conducted using data from a 7-year two-factor split-plot field experiments with four tillage (NT, no-tillage; RT, rotary tillage; PT, plow tillage; CT, local current tillage) and three irrigation managements (W1, pre-planting irrigation for wheat + pre-planting irrigation for maize; W2, pre-planting + jointing irrigation for wheat + pre-planting irrigation for maize; and W3, pre-planting + jointing + anthesis irrigation for wheat + pre-planting irrigation for maize; 75 mm each time). The results indicated that irrigation, fertilizer and diesels input were the top three items for water and energy consumption. Irrigation managements significantly altered wheat and annual yield but not for maize yield. Tillage practices primarily altered diesel input to affect energy mass and energy economic productivity. During wheat season, W3PT obtained the highest yield at 8.69 t ha−1 and highest net income at 8.27 ¥ ha−1. With the same tillage practice, W1 had the best performance in water and energy consumption and mass productivity, while W2 had the highest water and energy economic productivity. In terms of different tillage practices with the same irrigation amount, NT consumed lowest energy, but its lowest wheat yield offset its benefits as well. During maize season, the yields were insensitive for irrigation and tillage practices. NT and CT were substantially beneficial regarding energy input, which further resulted in good performance in terms of energy mass and economic productivity under the same irrigation treatment. Throughout the year, lower water and energy consumption and higher resource productivity offset the yield and income loss under W1CT to accomplish highest value of WEF nexus index. Thus it is the optimal tillage and irrigation management pattern in the wheat-maize double cropping system of the North China Plain achieving cleaner production. This study contributed a new case to using WEF nexus analysis and offered new reference data and effective suggestions for selecting proper filed management in the double cropping system to achieve sustainable development goals with carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. [Display omitted] • LCA based WEF nexus was used to optimize irrigation & tillage of wheat-maize rotation. • The local current tillage mode + irrigate pre-sowing only was the optimal pattern. • Lower water and energy input and higher resource productivity offset yield and income loss. • Irrigation, fertilizer and diesels were the top 3 items for water and energy consumption. • The influences of irrigation and tillage management were more remarkable for wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of experiments was designed and conducted to determine the apparent and standardized ileal phosphorus digestibility (i.e., AIDP and SIDP, respectively) of some grains and protein meals in Japanese quail at different age classes during the growing period from the hatch to 35 d of age. Experimental diets included a PFD, to measure basal endogenous P losses (EPL), corn, wheat, soybean meal (SBM), and corn gluten meal (CGM), so as to be each ingredient the sole source of P, were developed and fed to five experimental groups with 5 replicates of 30 chicks each. Titanium dioxide as an indigestible marker was added to the diets at the rate of 5 g/kg of diet. The EPL in birds fed on PFD was estimated at 201 mg/kg dry matter intake (DMI) and quail chicks fed on PFD exhibited the lowest performance compared to chicks received dietary P regardless of P sources (P = 0.001). The estimated coefficients of AIPD (P = 0.001) | SIDP (P = 0.004) for CGM, corn, SBM, and wheat were 49.2 | 51.9%, 38.8 | 44.9%, 41.4 | 45.9%, and 33.2 | 40.1%, respectively. The mean differences between AIPD and SIPD coefficients with each ingredients including CGM (P = 0.245), corn (P = 0.169), and SBM (P = 0.169) were not statistically significant, while the comparison of those estimations for wheat (P = 0.022) showed significant differences. The present work showed that the use of direct method could successfully estimate the coefficients of P digestibility in growing quail for both the cereals and protein meals that were studied. The high relative contribution of endogenous P in young quail fed on wheat during the first 2 wk posthatch makes it inevitable to correct AIDP for EPL and evoke the implementation of SIDP coefficients in the feed formulation matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Feeding low crude protein diets resulted in adequate performance in floor pens. • Reducing dietary crude protein resulted in changes in protein and energy digestion. • Changes in digestion likely attributed to increased feed-grade amino acid inclusion. Previous experimentation has indicated that wheat-based diets are a poor diet type to allow for optimal performance when dietary crude protein (CP) is reduced, while corn-based diets show promise. Potential mitigation of the negative effects associated with reduced CP wheat-based diets could include blending corn and wheat to be used as the cereal grain portion of broiler diets. Therefore, two studies were conducted in order to observe the effects of reduced dietary CP when broilers were fed diets containing a 1:1 blend of wheat and corn. For Experiment 1, 816 Cobb 500 broilers were placed in 24 floor pens to allow for the observation of live performance measurements from 1–41 days of age, and 108 Ross 308 broilers were placed into 18 battery cages for observation of protein and nutrient digestibility from 8–28 days of age in Experiment 2. In the floor pen study, High and Low diets were formulated to contain 235, 215, and 195 and 195, 175, and 155 g/kg CP in the starter, grower, and finisher diets, respectively. The High and Low diets were then blended to produce a Medium diet containing 215, 195, and 175 g/kg CP in the starter, grower, and finisher diets, respectively. Alternately, grower diets were offered to broiler chickens raised in battery cages from day 8–28 in Experiment 2. No effects of reduced CP were found on final body weight (BW), BW gain, or feed intake for any growout period in Experiment 1 but feed conversion ratio (FCR) was significantly increased for broilers fed the Low CP diet compared to broilers fed the High and Medium diets for the 1–27 and 1–41 day periods. In Experiment 2, broilers fed the Low diet achieved lower final BW, BW gain, and feed intake than those fed the High and Medium diets. Feed conversion ratio increased in a stepwise manner as CP was reduced. Nutrient digestibility assays found stepwise increases in nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolisable energy (AME N) as dietary CP level was reduced and increased nitrogen (N) digestibility for broilers fed the Medium and Low diets compared to those fed the High. These data indicated that including wheat and corn at a 1:1 ratio in reduced CP diets was able to adequately support final BW and BW gain in floor pens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two experiments were conducted to measure the apparent and standardized ileal digestibilities (AID and SID) of amino acid (AA) of corn, wheat, soybean meal (SBM), and corn gluten meal (CGM) in growing Japanese quail from 14 to 18 (Exp. 1) and 28 to 32 (Exp. 2) d of age. The basal endogenous losses of amino acids were measured by the use of N-free diet. The birds were fed on standard diet before the use of experimental diets. The experimental diets (four ingredients) and N-free diet were randomly assigned to 5 replicate pens (30 birds per pen) and fed for 5 consecutive days. The ileal digesta were collected on d 18 and 32 for the Exp. 1 and Exp. 2, respectively. AID of lysine (Lys) in corn (P = 0.047), SBM (P < 0.001), and CGM (P < 0.001); AID of threonine (Thr) in corn (P < 0.001), SBM (P < 0.001), and CGM (P = 0.075); and AID of isoleucine (Ile) in wheat (P < 0.001), SBM (P = 0.002), and CGM (P < 0.001) were increased as the birds aged. However, AID of methionine (Met) in corn (P < 0.001) and CGM (P < 0.001), AID of arginine (Arg; P < 0.001) and valine (Val; P < 0.001) in CGM were lower in younger quails. Among indispensable amino acids, the basal endogenous losses of Thr, Val, and Arg decreased by age (P < 0.001). The average of SID of Lys, Ile, Met, Val, Thr, Arg, leucine (Leu), and histidine (His) for corn, wheat, SBM, and CGM were estimated as 83, ND, 89.4, 89.4, 92.1, 90.2, 91.9, and 90.8%; 92.7, ND, 89.1, 93.9, 87.4, 90.2, 89.8, and 88.1%; 90.3, 91.8, 94.3, 90.4, 86.5, 94.0, 84.3, and 95.0%; 82.6, ND, 74.1, 79.6, 84.4, 90.6, 85.2, and 82.4%, respectively. Based on the present study, the AID and SID coefficients of indispensable AA should be adjusted for age classes in Japanese quail during the growing period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humic acid originating from lignite is a popular resource of organic fertilizer. The effects of humic acid application on crop biomass and soil CO 2 emission charged the regional agro-ecosystem carbon balance. Two kinds of humic acid, obtained from lignite via H 2 O 2 -oxidation (OHA) and KOH-activation (AHA), were applied in a wheat-maize rotation located field at three levels of 500 (OHA1; AHA1), 1000 (OHA2; AHA2), and 1500 kg hm−2 (OHA3; AHA3), only chemical fertilizer treatment (CF) as control to investigate the change of soil CO 2 emission, crop yield and ecosystem carbon balance in 2016–2019. During the four experimental years, the trend of cumulative efflux of soil CO 2 was increasing in medium and high dosage humic acid treatments. The grain yield of wheat and maize had the same trend as the cumulative efflux of soil CO 2 due to the increase of soil NO 3 −-N and soil available P directly affected by humic acid application. The main factor of cumulative soil CO 2 efflux improvement was soil NO 3 −-N and soil available P in 2016, while soil available potassium became key factor in 2019 with the step regression. Net ecosystem productivity (NEP) was used to assess ecosystem carbon balance, which was positive values showed atmospheric CO 2 sink under all the fertilization treatments and increased with the increase of humic acid use level. AHA2 and AHA3 treatments charged the higher NEP in 2019 than 2016. Meanwhile, AHA treatment presented a higher NEP average than OHA treatment with the same applied level. Crop yield and soil available P was the directly positive factor to NEP over four years under the fertilization by SEM analysis. It is recommended that AHA be applied at 1000 kg hm−2 together with chemical fertilizers to achieve the higher crop yield and a sink of the atmospheric CO 2 in agricultural fields in North China. [Display omitted] • Humic acid treatment promoted the rate and cumulative quantity of soil CO 2 emission. • Soil available nutrients induced soil CO 2 emission with humic acid fertilization. • Crop yield and soil available P directly had positive effect on NEP by SEM analysis. • Humic acid activated by KOH charged higher NEP than with H 2 O 2 -oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive N fertilization causes the deterioration of soil microbiome. It is therefore imperative to explore the response of the microbial community in excessively N-fertilized soil to reduce subsequent N supply (RCN) and organic fertilization (OF). Hence, this study used an excessively N-fertilized plot to conduct field experiment of wheat and maize rotation over four years to assess the effects of RCN and OF on soil physicochemical and biochemical properties and bacterial diversity and community structure. RCN significantly decreased soil nitrate (NO 3 −-N) concentration, potential nitrification rate and sucrase activity, and alleviated soil acidification. OF exerted a slight influence on soil physicochemical and biochemical properties tested here. Neither RCN nor OF affected bacterial diversity, whereas RCN changed community structure by enriching beneficial taxa (relying on the ratio of RCN), such as Actinobacteria (phylum level), and Streptomyces , Kribbella , Gaiella , Gemmatimonas (genus level), etc. The concentration of NO 3 −-N was the only soil variable significantly driving bacterial community structure. The complexity and connectivity of bacterial co-occurrence network were enhanced by RCN and only slightly affected by OF. Overall, by reversing soil N enrichment, RCN had a more positive impact on bacterial community relative to OF in the over-fertilized plot. By providing an insight into soil microbial ecology, our findings suggested that moderately reducing subsequent N supply should be a prior management option for soil amendment in high-input grain production system. Nevertheless, the long-term effects of RCN and OF on soil microbiome require further investigation. [Display omitted] • Effect of RCN and OF on bacterial community in an excessively N-fertilized soil was assessed. • RCN affected bacterial community structure strongly. • RCN improved bacterial community structure by reversing soil N enrichment. • RCN enhanced complexity and connectivity of bacterial co-occurrence network. • RCN should be as a prior soil management option in high N input agroecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A process-based ecosystem model (Vegetation–atmosphere Interface Processes (VIP) model) is expanded, and then validated against three years’ biometric, soil moisture and eddy-covariance fluxes data over a winter wheat–summer maize cropping system in the North China Plain (NCP). The results show that the model is capable of simulating satisfactorily the evolution of crop biomass, phenological development and soil moisture. The computed 30-min estimates of CO2, water and heat fluxes agree well with the eddy-covariance measurements. At daily scale, the root mean square errors (RMSEs) of net radiation, latent heat flux and net ecosystem productivity (NEP) are 1.0MJm−2 day−1, 1.8MJm−2 day−1 and 2.6gCm−2 day−1, respectively. However, systematic errors in sensible heat flux estimates are identified in times of season when daily sensible heat flux is negative due to the horizontal advection. Annually, about 55% of evapotranspiration (ET) is emanated from winter wheat and 45% from maize. The annual NEP varies noticeably, with relative biases of 18, 9 and −29% in each year from 2003 to 2005, respectively. Sensitivity analysis illustrates that ET is quite sensitive to soil resistance parameters contributing to soil evaporation, and NEP to quantum efficiency of photosynthesis. The uncertainties of annual ET and NEP are 16.5% and 35.6% respectively when the key parameters are randomly sampled in their uncertainty ranges. Errors on eddy-covariance measurements and uncertainty on the model parameters may partly explain the discrepancy between the simulations and the measurements. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Humans are naturally and frequently exposed to a multitude of mycotoxins, but health risk assessments are usually performed on individual mycotoxins, which may underestimate the total risks. In this study, we assessed for the first time the cumulative health risks of concomitant exposure via dietary intake (DI) to multiple mycotoxins, namely deoxynivalenol (DON) and its acetyl derivatives of 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-ADON) and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (15-ADON), based on the concentration addition (CA) concept. A cross-sectional study was conducted in seven districts in Shanghai, China with 1269 participants and 330 wheat and maize samples analyzed. After probabilistic analysis using Monte Carlo simulation, the results showed no health risks to the population in Shanghai considering individual mycotoxins. However, if the cumulative health risks were calculated based on the combined consideration of DON with either 3-ADON or 15-ADON or both, the DI values in 95th percentile were up to 1087 ng/kg body weight/day, exceeding the Provisional Maximum Tolerable Daily Intake (PMTDI) of 1000 ng/kg body weight/day and hence representing potential health risks to the population in Shanghai. The integrated study proposed here could be a model strategy for cumulative health risk assessment on the co-occurring hazards in the fields of food safety combined with environmental contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of particle size and grain type on the performance, AMER, and on gross morphological and histological parameters of the various segments of the digestive tract of broilers fed wheat- or corn-based diets was investigated. The experimental design was a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments evaluating 2 particle sizes (fine and coarse) and 2 grain types (wheat and corn). The 2 particle sizes were achieved by grinding the whole grains in a hammer mill to pass through 1-mm and 7-mm screen sizes. Broiler starter diets, based on wheat- or corn-soybean meal, were formulated, pelleted, and each diet was offered to 6 cages of 8 male broilers each from d 1 to 21 posthatching. The results showed that the differences in particle size distribution still existed between diets after pelleting especially in the proportion of coarse particles (1 mm and over). In corn-based diets, coarse grinding improved (P 0.06) weight gains compared with fine grinding, but this particle size effect was not observed in wheat-based diets. In both diets, coarse grinding lowered (P < 0.001) feed per gain of broilers compared with fine grinding. In wheat-based diets, coarse grinding improved (P = 0.06) AMER compared with fine grinding. Heavier (P < 0.05) gizzard weights were observed in birds fed the coarse corn-based diet, but particle size had no effect on the gizzard size in birds fed wheat-based diets. Villus height, crypt depth, and epithelial thickness in the duodenum were unaffected (P > 0.05) by particle size and grain type. Overall, the present results showed that the effect of feed particle size varies depending on grain type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) are mainly emitted from vegetation. However there is still little information on BVOC exchanges with crops. In this study we measured fluxes of BVOC from wheat, maize and rapeseed crops near Paris at the plant level during a full-week period for each species. We used dynamic automated chambers coupled to a Proton Transfer Reaction, Quadrupole ion guide, Time of Flight mass spectrometer (PTR-Qi-Tof-MS) instrument for online measurements of BVOC. Our results confirm the hypothesis that many unexplored compounds contribute to BVOC exchanges between crops and the atmosphere, although for all plant species methanol was dominating the emissions (55–85% of the sum of the BVOC exchanges fluxes on a mass basis) followed by acetone and acetaldehyde. The 10 most exchanged compounds, excluding methanol, contributed more than 50% of the summed fluxes and the 100 most exchanged contributed to more than 90%. The summed BVOC emission and deposition presented large interspecies variations, but limited intra-species variability, with a summed net flux of 0.11 ± 0.02 μgBVOC g DW −1 h−1 for maize, 1.5 ± 0.7 μgBVOC g DW −1 h−1 for wheat, and 9.1 ± 2.4 μgBVOC g DW −1 h−1 for rapeseed. The 10 most emitted compounds were mostly emitted during the day and were correlated with both photosynthetically active radiation and temperature and anti-correlated with relative humidity. This study provides the first evaluation so far of the biosphere-atmosphere fluxes for several BVOC. In particular we provide a first evaluation of standard emission factor for isoprene and monoterpene for wheat and rapeseed at their respective growth stages. This study is however limited to a week period at a given stage for each species and at the plant level. Image 1 • VOC fluxes from wheat, maize and rapeseed plants were measured during a week period. • Dynamic automated chambers coupled to a PTR-Qi-Tof-MS were used. • Methanol was the main emitted compound, followed by acetone and acetaldehyde. • The 10 most exchanged compounds, excluding methanol, contributed more than 50% of the summed fluxes. • The 100 most exchanged contributed to more than 90% of the summed fluxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a common mycotoxin contaminating corn and wheat and conjugated forms are also present. Recent studies have suggested that current analytical methods for DON analysis in feedstuffs do not detect conjugated forms in the absence of hydrolysis. The aim of the current study, therefore, was to determine the optimal conditions in which conjugated DON in corn and wheat can be hydrolyzed by trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TFMSA). The optimal hydrolysis procedure was determined based on reaction duration, reaction temperature and TFMSA concentration. Total DON concentrations were determined using ELISA with free DON concentrations determined by ELISA and GC–MS. The optimal hydrolysis conditions for determination of conjugated DON in corn were found to be 0.5M TFMSA incubated for 20min at 22°C. Optimal conditions for wheat samples were 0.5M TFMSA incubated for 40min at 40°C. Using these optimal hydrolysis conditions, 10 corn samples and 10 wheat samples were analyzed to determine the presence of conjugated DON. All samples contained conjugated DON with an increase of 8–70% for DON in corn following hydrolysis and an increase of 7–75% for DON in wheat. This hydrolysis procedure will aid in the accurate determination of total DON and conjugated DON in feedstuffs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of using corn silage (SILAGE) or wheat hay (HAY) as a source of forage on nursing performance of Awassi ewes. Forty ewes (body weight; BW=43.5±1.58kg) and their single lambs (BW=6.3±0.28kg) were randomly assigned to two diets; SILAGE vs. HAY (four pens/diet; five ewes/pen). Concentrate feeding was restricted to 1.1kg dry matter (DM)/ewe/d, whereas forage was offered ad libitum. The study lasted for 56d (7d of adaptation and 49d of data collection). Ewes and lambs were weighed after the adaptation period and at the end of the study. Milk yield and blood samples were collected on days 9, 16, 23, 30, 37, 44 and 51. Intakes of forage and total DM were greater (P<0.05) in SILAGE-fed ewes compared to those fed HAY. Additionally, intakes of crude protein, ether extract and net energy were also greater (P≤0.002) in the SILAGE group. However, neutral and acid detergent fiber intakes were greater (P=0.022) in the HAY than in the SILAGE group. Average daily gain was greater (P=0.032) in the SILAGE than the HAY group. Circulating glucose concentration was greater (P=0.023) in the SILAGE treatment compared to the HAY group, while serum urea nitrogen was similar (P=0.914) in both groups. Milk, total milk solids, protein and fat yields were greater (P<0.05) in the SILAGE than in the HAY group. Dietary replacement of wheat hay with corn silage to early lactating Awassi ewes improved feed intake, yields of milk and milk components, ewe body weight, and lamb average daily gain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This research investigated the N 2 O fluxes and community compositions of nitrifiers and denitrifiers in a winter wheat-summer maize rotation system on the North China Plain. The experiment included three treatments: 1) a control treatment (CK); 2) biochar at 10.0 t ha–1 yr−1 (C); and 3) organic fertilizer at 7.5 t ha−1 yr−1 (M). The application of biochar reduced the cumulative N 2 O emissions by 47.7% and 62.2% in the maize and wheat seasons, respectively, compared with those of the CK treatment. Organic fertilizer increased the cumulative N 2 O emissions by 311.1% in the maize season and had no significant effects on them in the wheat season. Organic fertilizer reduced the cumulative N 2 O emissions by 39.8% in the nonfertilizer period of the maize season. The cumulative N 2 O emissions in the maize season accounted for 75.2–90.0% of the annual emissions among all the treatments. Biochar and organic fertilizer affected soil N 2 O emissions mainly by changing soil denitrifiers. In the maize season, the lower abundances of Candidatus Nitrosoarchaeum (AOA- amoA), Nitrosomonas (AOB- amoA), Mesorhizobium (nirK), Magnetospirillum (nirS) and Halomonas (nirS) may result in lower N 2 O emissions in the biochar treatment, and organic fertilizer had a similar influencing mechanism on N 2 O emissions during the nonbasic fertilizer and nontopdressing periods of the maize season. In the wheat season, the dominant genus Alicycliphilus (nosZ) was the major contributor to decreasing N 2 O emissions in the biochar treatment, while there was no biomarker related to N 2 O emissions in the M treatment. The soil pH, NO 3 −-N content and water-filled pore space (WFPS) were the key factors shifting the community compositions of nitrifiers and denitrifiers in this study. The application of biochar could be a better practice to improve saline-alkali soil with lower N 2 O emissions. These findings will improve our understanding of the nitrifiers and denitrifiers response to biochar and organic fertilizer. [Display omitted] • Both biochar and organic fertilizer had potential to reduced N 2 O emissions. • The reduction of N 2 O was related to AOA, AOB, nirK / nirS and nosZ -type denitrifiers. • The two additives had similar mechanism on N 2 O in non-fertilization stage of maize. • Soil pH was the key factor affecting nitrifiers and denitrifiers communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive self-sufficient forage production is one of the dominant challenges for the boosting intensification of livestock production. However, there is limited information on the economic, energy and environmental consequences of converting conventional crop systems with intensive forage production systems. Based on 4-year field experiments, this work proposed a comprehensive assessment of the shift from maize-wheat (M-W) to forage production systems [silage maize-ryegrass (SM-R), sweet sorghum-ryegrass (SS-R), and sorghum-sudangrass hybrids-ryegrass (SH-R)] from economic, energy, and environmental perspectives in the northern part of the North China Plain (NCP). The results revealed that SH-R had the highest yields of dry shoot biomass and crude protein, followed by SS-R, SM-R, and M-W. Similar trends were also found for the net return, ratio of income to costs, net energy output, energy use efficiency, and energy productivity. Furthermore, the environmental assessment through a life cycle assessment suggested that compared with the M-W, the total potential environmental impacts for the product-based indicators were reduced by 50%, 55%, and 72% in SM-R, SS-R, and SH-R, respectively, even if crop protection was based on a prophylactic approach. Thus, shifting from maize-wheat to forage rotation systems, especially the sorghum-sudangrass hybrids-ryegrass system, may be promising for forage production in the northern part of the NCP. This work provides valuable insight into forage production system design and environmental change adaptation for improving food security and achieving green/circular economy. [Display omitted] • Shifting from maize-wheat to forage rotation facilitates sustainable livestock production. • The sorghum-sudangrass hybrids-ryegrass system (SH-R) supplied the largest livestock feeds. • The SH-R had the highest economic profits and energy efficiency for forage production. • The SH-R had the best environmental sustainability for forage production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of amino acids (AA) in 4 pea protein isolates [PPI; ex-periment (Exp.) 1], 5 wheat- and corn-derived distillers grains with solubles (wcDDGS; Exp. 2), and 5 short-season corn (Exp. 3) samples for broiler chickens were determined. In addition, a reference wheat sample was included in each experiment to measure the repeatabili-ty of the ileal digestibility assay used. Birds (n = 180 for Exp. 1 and n = 216 for Exp. 2 or 3) were fed test diets from d 15 to 21 of age. Reference wheat and PPI were included in test diets at 91.7 and 25%, respectively, as the sole source of AA, whereas wcDDGS and corn were combined with wheat in test diets at 47.7% test ingre-dient (wcDDGS or corn) and 51% wheat as the sources of AA. Chromic oxide at 0.3% was added in all diets as the indigestible marker. Each test diet was randomly assigned to 6 cages of 6 male birds each. On d 21, birds were killed and ileal digesta were collected to determine the AID of AA. The mean AID values for indispensable AA ranged from 86.0% (Thr) to 94.7% (Arg) for PPI, 50.7% (Lys) to 79.8% (Leu) for wcDDGS, and 73.9% (Thr) to 95.3% (Arg) for corn. Overall, the CV range for AID of A A was widest for wcDDGS (8.1% for Met to 29.4% for Lys) followed by corn (3.0% for Met to 10.7% for Thr) and then PPI (2.7% for Lys to 6.1% for Thr). For wcDDGS and corn, the within-sample varia-tion (assay condition) was more than between-sample variation (feed differences), whereas the reverse was true for PPI. No differences were detected in the AID of CP and AA for reference wheat among experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Diets with similar concentrations of equivalent forage neutral detergent fiber (FNDF) and nonfiber carbohydrates in corn-silage based diets could result in similar responses in ruminal function and animal performance. Four ruminally cannulated multiparous Holstein cows in late lactation were fed corn silage based total mixed rations with equivalent FNDF provided from alfalfa hay, grass hay, straw, or whole linted cottonseed (WCS). Formulated diets consisted of corn silage providing about 130g/kg FNDF with either alfalfa hay, grass hay or wheat straw that provided about 40g/kg FNDF. The fourth diet was formulated to consist of about 130g of FNDF/kg of dietary dry matter (DM) from corn silage and 52g of neutral detergent fiber (NDF)/kg of dietary DM from WCS, which is equivalent to 174g of FNDF/kg of DM in the diet if NDF from WCS is 0.84 as forage-like as alfalfa NDF. Treatment periods consisted of 21d. The FaNDF was about 20–30g/kg higher than anticipated at the onset of the study, primarily because the aNDF in corn silage was higher than expected. However, FaNDF was similar among the alfalfa hay, grass hay and straw diets, and about 40g/kg lower, as desired, for the cottonseed diet. The DM intake was similar among treatments, averaging 24.7kg/d. Milk yield was higher (P<0.05) for the cottonseed and grass hay diets than for the straw diet. However, because of numerical differences in milk fat and protein concentrations, milk energy output was similar among diets. Ruminal pH and total volatile fatty acid concentrations also were similar among diets. The WCS diet resulted in the lowest proportion of acetate and highest proportion of propionate, resulting in the lowest acetate:propionate ratio (P<0.05). Measures of ruminal mat consistency were similar among diets. Organic matter digestibilities among diets were similar, but the straw diet resulted in the highest (P<0.05) digestibility of aNDF and N. Feeding these diets to cows in late lactation provided evidence that alfalfa hay, grass hay, straw (low inclusion level) and WCS can be added on an equivalent FNDF basis to corn-silage based diets. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Excessive nitrogen (N) application results in substantial losses, as N fertilizers are wasted along with the loss of reactive N (Nr), thereby posing substantial threats to both human and ecosystem health. Nitrification inhibitors (NI) and urease inhibitors (UI) have the potential to reduce Nr loss as well as improve grain yields. However, comprehensive benefit assessments of these inhibitors from an environmental and economic perspective, including insights into the mechanisms of N fertilizer reduction, are lacking. Conducting a two-year study of a wheat-maize rotation system, urea (Ur), NI, UI, and joint inhibitors (UI + NI, UN) was established at three N rates (N1: suboptimal rate, N2: recommended rate, and N3: farmers' rate), including a N fertilizer-lacking site (N0) as a control. N fertilizer increment stimulated foreground Nr loss, and increased field Nr loss through NH 3 volatilization, N 2 O emissions, and NO 3 − leaching. There was seasonal variation in the Nr loss pathway between the maize and wheat seasons, and NO 3 − leaching only occurred during the maize season. Compared with farmers' N practice (N3Ur), N reduction and inhibitor application decreased field Nr losses by 10.9–85.2%. The efficiency of inhibitors also varied seasonally, and UI exhibited higher efficiency in the wheat season while UN in the maize season. N reduction and inhibitor application decreased the NDC by 18.4–83.1%, where N1UN and N1UI exhibited higher efficiency. Compared with N3Ur, N1Ur had a risk of yield reduction (7.6–13.9%), with N1UN and N1UI exhibiting no significant difference. The use of suitable inhibitors effectively compensated for the increase in NDC and reduction in yield under the N1 rate. Moreover, N1UN obtained the highest net economic benefits (NEB) in the maize season while N1UI in the wheat season. The combination of N1UN for maize season and N1UI for wheat season as optimizing N management, which improved the NEB by 24.7% on average compared with the farmers' N practice in the wheat-maize rotation. This optimizing N management for minimal environmental damage and maximum economic benefits could be conducive for sustainable, intensive wheat-maize cropping systems in the North China Plain. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three experiments were conducted with turkey poults to characterize the protein quality of a novel poultry by-product meal composed of aged fowl extruded with either corn (CHM) or wheat (WHM). In Experiment 1, a growth assay was conducted to determine a dietary protein response range for semipurified diets containing CHM or WHM as the sole sources of dietary protein. Diets contained 12, 15, and 18% CP, and there was a linear increase in BW with no significant differences between the 2 sources. The same dietary protein levels were used to determine the protein efficiency ratio (PER), net protein ratio (NPR), and apparent amino acid digestibility of CHM and WHM in Experiments 2 and 3. In Experiment 3, WHM and CHM were also compared with soybean meal (SBM) and meat and bone meal (MBM). In Experiment 2, there were no significant differences between CHM and WHM in PER or NPR, but the variability between levels of CP did account for a significant level of CP × source interaction (P < 0.05). In Experiment 3, there were no significant protein level effects on PER or NPR, but the values for MBM were consistently lower than those for CHM, WHM, and SBM. The apparent amino acid digestibility coefficients for MBM were also consistently lower than those for CHM and WHM. In conclusion, the extruded WHM and CHM products have acceptable protein quality and were better than MBM as single sources of dietary protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes were measured over a 3-year period (2004–2007) in a long-term experimental field. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the interannual variation of N2O emissions from a maize–wheat rotation, under different fertilizer regimes and to determine the key controlling factors. The study involved four treatments: compost (OM), half compost N plus half inorganic fertilizer-N (HOM), inorganic fertilizer-N (NPK), and control (CK) where no N application. The mean annual N2O emission over a 3-year period was 0.30 ± 0.11 kg N2O–N ha−1 in the CK treatment, but increased to 1.61 ± 0.10 kg N2O–N ha−1 in the HOM treatment, 2.13 ± 0.15 kg N2O–N ha−1 in the OM treatment, and 2.76 ± 0.19 kg N2O–N ha−1 in the NPK treatment. Differences were significant among treatments. The N2O emission factors of the applied OM, NPK and HOM were 0.61 ± 0.02, 0.82 ± 0.10 and 0.44 ± 0.04%, respectively, at a rate of 300 kg N ha−1 year−1, indicating that the combined application of compost with inorganic fertilizer significantly reduced N2O emission. Over a maize–wheat rotation year, more than 65% of the annual N2O emission occurred during the maize growing season. There was a large interannual variation in N2O emission in all treatments, albeit not significant either during the maize growing season or at an inter-year scale. This interannual variation was mainly attributable to differences in soil moisture after basal fertilizer application, and irrigation and/or heavy rainfall events immediately following basal fertilization could induce more N2O production than pre-irrigation before plowing. The HOM treatment had higher N fertilizer use efficiency and lowest yield-scaled N2O emissions compared with the OM and NPK treatments. We therefore argue that the combined application of half compost N plus half fertilizer-N will mitigate N2O emissions from soils in the North China plain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Phosphorus (P) fertilization rates have been dramatically increasing in intensive agro-ecosystems. However, the impact of such long-term P fertilization in intensive agro-ecosystems on the diversity, composition mycorrhizal traits of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) communities and the relationship between them remains poorly understood. By conducting a long-term field experiment (10 years) in north China in a typical calcareous soil with a wheat-maize rotation, we investigated the effects of six P fertilization rates on AMF community properties. We found that AMF alpha diversity (including OTU number and Shannon index) was positively correlated with both AMF root colonization of maize, hyphal density in soil and expression of the phosphate transporter gene ZmPht1;6 for maize. AMF community structure was significantly correlated with AMF colonization of maize roots, hyphal density and P concentrations in maize shoots. The relative abundance of the most dominant taxon Funneliformis caledonium OTU1 decreased while that of the second dominant taxon Claroideoglomus lamellosum OTU55 increased as the P fertilizer rate increased. AMF colonization of roots and hyphal density was positively correlated with the relative abundances of Glomus sp. (including OUT 29, OTU32, and OTU37) in soil but was negatively correlated with the relative abundances of Septoglomus viscosum OTU14. The relative abundances of Glomus sp. (OTU 5, OTU 25, OTU27, OTU23, and OTU29) were positively correlated with AMF colonization of roots, hyphal density and ZmPht1;6 expression under low rates of P fertilization (P0 and P12.5 treatments), while the relative abundance of Glomus sp. OTU20 was positively correlated with AMF colonization of roots, hyphal density and ZmPht1;6 expression under high rates of P fertilization (P100 and P200 treatments). Long-term P fertilization significantly altered the alpha diversity, structure, and composition of AM communities, which affected AMF colonization of maize roots and expression of a phosphate transporter gene. Our results indicate that different members of AMF communities differentially modulated their mycorrhizal traits with maize under different P fertilization rates. An improved understanding of how AMF taxa and functions are altered by P fertilization and the mycorrhizal traits impact on plant nutrition could help guide P fertilization practices in agro-ecosystems. • Long-term P fertilization significantly affected the alpha-diversity and community of AMF. • Alpha diversity of AMF positively correlated with both AMF colonization and hyphal density. • AMF community structure significantly correlated with the AMF colonization and hyphal density. • The dominant taxon Claroideoglomus lamellosum demonstrated its high adaptability to high P. • Shifts in AMF community composition coincided with expression of plant genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop rotation can increase crop productivity and suppress disease. However, current understanding of responses of soil functional microbial communities to agricultural management practices is limited. Here, we conducted a field experiment to investigate the impact of crop rotations, fertilization regimens, and wheat variety on rhizosphere functional communities involved in phosphorus (P) cycling. Rotation altered the composition of phoD -harboring bacteria in the wheat rhizosphere. The rare taxa of Roseivivax was enriched in the Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)-Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (SW) rotation, whereas Hydrogenophaga was enriched in the Maize (Zea mays L.) -Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (MW) rotation. However, fertilization regimens (high and low N, P and K fertilizers) in the soybean/maize season and wheat variety (Jimai 22 and Shannong 28) had no impact. SW rotation increased phoD gene abundance, and the latter was significantly negatively correlated to available phosphorus (AP) content. Hydrogenophaga was positively with wheat biomass (p < 0.05), whereas, Roseivivax was negatively with P uptake (p < 0.01). The rare genera may play important roles in soil organic P mineralization. Our findings highlight the importance of assessing phylogenetic responses to rotations and subsequent ecosystem services under long-term rotations, and then improve our understanding of the interaction among plant, soil, and microbiome. • phoD -harboring bacteria responded differently to rotation, fertilization and wheat variety. • Soybean-wheat rotation increased phoD gene abundance in wheat rhizosphere. • Roseivivax was positively related to wheat P uptake. • phoD gene number related negatively to available phosphorus (AP) and wheat P uptake. • Relative abundance of Streptomyces and Roseivivax was positively correlated with AP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pigs fed corn had lower faecal energy and nitrogen output than those fed sorghum. • Pigs fed corn had greater faecal energy and nitrogen output than those fed wheat. • Sorghum could substitute for corn in pig diets given the similar performance. • Wheat is preferable to sorghum for pigs considering the low faecal nutrient loss. Sorghum and wheat grains have been previously identified as potential substitutes for corn in diets for pigs based on the available energy. This experiment was conducted to compare growth performance and faecal energy and nitrogen output per weight gain in growing pigs fed on corn (CSBM), sorghum (SSBM) or wheat soybean meal based diets (WSBM). Sixty crossbred pigs (23.4 ± 1.6 kg of body weight) were allotted to 3 diets with 5 replicate pens per treatment according to sex and weight in a randomized complete block design. The CSBM included 703.4 g/kg of corn during day 1–35 (phase 1) and 736 g/kg during day 36–70 (phase 2). The corn content in CSBM was partially (500 g/kg; phase 1) or completely (phase 2) replaced by sorghum in SSBM or wheat in WSBM. No differences were detected in average daily gain (ADG) or average daily feed intake (ADFI) between CSBM and SSBM treatments. Pigs fed on WSBM had lower ADFI than those fed on CSBM or SSBM (P < 0.05). The ADG of pigs fed on WSBM tended to decrease during phase 1 (P = 0.09) and 2 (P = 0.06) and decreased overall (P < 0.05). Compared with SSBM, WSBM increased feed conversion efficiency and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dry matter and gross energy (P < 0.05). The ATTD of crude protein in CSBM was greater than that in SSBM and lower than that in WSBM (P < 0.05). Pigs fed on CSBM had lower faecal energy and nitrogen output per weight gain than those fed on SSBM and greater than those fed on WSBM (P < 0.05). Serum urea nitrogen concentration in WSBM was greater than that in CSBM and SSBM (P < 0.05). Collectively, sorghum could be used as an alternative energy source for corn in diets fed to growing pigs without negative effects on growth performance. However, given the feed conversion efficiency and manure emissions, wheat may be a superior energy ingredient in diets for growing pigs with the low nutrient loss and output in manure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Extrusion of corn, wheat, and sorghum increased ileal digestibility of starch. • Ileal digestibility of most amino acids in corn increased by extrusion. • Energy digestibility in corn and sorghum, but not in wheat, increased by extrusion. • Extrusion increased digestible and metabolizable energy in corn, but not in wheat. Two experiments were conducted to determine effects of extrusion on energy and nutrient digestibility in cereal grains fed to growing pigs. One source of yellow dent corn, one source of hard red winter wheat, and one source of sorghum were ground to approximately 300 microns and each source of grain was divided into 2 batches. One batch of each grain was extruded, whereas the other batch was used without further processing. In Exp. 1, 7 diets were formulated to determine ileal starch and amino acid (AA) digestibility in the grains. Three diets contained the non-extruded grains and 3 diets contained the extruded grains. The last diet was an N-free diet that was used to determine basal endogenous losses of AA from the pigs. Seven growing barrows (initial body weight = 14.2 ± 0.9 kg) had a T-cannula installed in the distal ileum and were allotted to a 7 × 7 Latin square. Each experimental period lasted 7 days with the initial 5 days being the adaptation period and ileal digesta were collected on days 6 and 7. Results indicated that extruded grains had greater (P < 0.001) apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of starch than non-extruded grains. Extrusion also increased standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of crude protein (CP) and all AA except Lys and Pro in corn, but the SID of CP and AA in wheat and sorghum was not affected by extrusion. In Exp. 2, 6 diets were used. Three diets contained the non-extruded corn, wheat, or sorghum, and 3 diets contained the extruded grains. Forty eight growing barrows (initial body weight = 15.1 ± 3.7 kg) were allotted to a randomized complete block design. Pigs were housed individually in metabolism crates and feces and urine were collected separately for 5 days after 5 days of adaptation. The apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of gross energy was increased by extrusion of corn or sorghum, but that was not the case for wheat (interaction, P < 0.001). The ATTD of neutral detergent fiber in wheat was reduced by extrusion, but not in corn and sorghum (interaction, P < 0.001). However, extrusion reduced (P < 0.05) the ATTD of acid detergent fiber in all grains. Extrusion increased the digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) in corn and sorghum (DM-basis) compared with non-extruded grains, but there was no increase in DE and ME (DM-basis) if wheat was extruded (interaction, P < 0.001). In conclusion, extrusion increased the AID of starch in all grains and the ATTD of energy and the DE and ME in corn and sorghum. The SID of most AA in corn was also increased by extrusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Large-scale food fortification (LSFF) of commonly consumed food vehicles is widely implemented in low- and middle-income countries. Many programs have monitoring information gaps and most countries fail to assess program coverage.Objective: The aim of this work was to present LSFF coverage survey findings (overall and in vulnerable populations) from 18 programs (7 wheat flour, 4 maize flour, and 7 edible oil programs) conducted in 8 countries between 2013 and 2015.Methods: A Fortification Assessment Coverage Toolkit (FACT) was developed to standardize the assessments. Three indicators were used to assess the relations between coverage and vulnerability: 1) poverty, 2) poor dietary diversity, and 3) rural residence. Three measures of coverage were assessed: 1) consumption of the vehicle, 2) consumption of a fortifiable vehicle, and 3) consumption of a fortified vehicle. Individual program performance was assessed based on the following: 1) achieving overall coverage ≥50%, 2) achieving coverage of ≥75% in ≥1 vulnerable group, and 3) achieving equity in coverage for ≥1 vulnerable group.Results: Coverage varied widely by food vehicle and country. Only 2 of the 18 LSFF programs assessed met all 3 program performance criteria. The 2 main program bottlenecks were a poor choice of vehicle and failure to fortify a fortifiable vehicle (i.e., absence of fortification).Conclusions: The results highlight the importance of sound program design and routine monitoring and evaluation. There is strong evidence of the impact and cost-effectiveness of LSFF; however, impact can only be achieved when the necessary activities and processes during program design and implementation are followed. The FACT approach fills an important gap in the availability of standardized tools. The LSFF programs assessed here need to be re-evaluated to determine whether to further invest in the programs, whether other vehicles are appropriate, and whether other approaches are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The concentration of vitamin varied significantly among different ingredients. • There was a significant difference in vitamin content of the same ingredient among different growing regions. • Corn and that of co-products were rich in β-carotene and vitamin E and oilseed co-products were rich in choline. Abstract The concentration of vitamins was determined in 143 samples of 13 feed ingredients commonly used in pig diets. The ingredients included corn and four corn co-products (corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), corn gluten meal, corn germ meal and corn gluten feed), wheat and two wheat co-products (wheat bran and wheat shorts), and five oilseed meals (soybean meal, rapeseed meal, peanut meal, sunflower seed meal and cottonseed meal). For corn and corn co-products, the content of β-carotene in corn gluten meal (11.10 mg/kg) was much greater than that in corn (1.62 mg/kg) and other corn products (2.16, 0.36 or 0.56 mg/kg, P < 0.01), whereas the content of choline was the least (80.04 mg/kg) in corn, and corn gluten feed had the greatest concentration of choline (1525.18 mg/kg). The greatest concentration of vitamin E was in corn DDGS (39.24 mg/kg). The concentration of niacin in corn was much lower than that in its co-products (3.68 vs. 23.23, 29.42, 36.46 and 52.65 mg/kg, P < 0.01). The contents of β-carotene were very low in wheat, wheat co-products and oilseed meals. The concentration of most of vitamins were greatest in wheat bran and least in wheat except that wheat shorts contained lower choline niacin (P < 0.01). For oilseed meal, the content of vitamin E was much greater (P < 0.01) in rapeseed meal (8.66 mg/kg) and cottonseed meal (10.57 mg/kg) than that in soybean meal (2.42 mg/kg), peanut meal (0.67 mg/kg) and sunflower seed meal (1.04 mg/kg). The concentration of niacin was low in cottonseed meal (9.15 mg/kg), and greatest in sunflower seed meal (183.91 mg/kg). The rapeseed meal (2276.32 mg/kg) had the greatest concentration of choline, while sunflower seed meal had the least choline (399.96 mg/kg, P < 0.01). Compared numerically, corn and its co-products were rich in β-carotene and vitamin E and oilseed co-products were rich in choline. These results indicate that the variability in concentration of vitamins among feed ingredients is very great. Therefore, careful attention must be paid to the balance of vitamins when these ingredients are used in pig diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 960 Lohmann Brown laying hens were used to study the effects of the main cereal of the diet and geometric mean diameter (GMD) of the cereal on productive performance and egg quality from 20 to 48 wk of age. The experiment was a completely randomized design with 6 treatments arranged factorially with 2 cereals (dent corn vs. durum wheat) and 3 GMD of the cereal (hammer-milled to pass through 6-, 8-, or 10-mm screens). Each treatment was replicated 8 times (20 hens per replicate). All diets were formulated to be isonutritive and contained 50% of either corn or wheat. Productive traits were recorded every 4 wk and egg quality was measured at 48 wk of age. The only significant effect detected was for feed intake (P < 0.05) that was greater for hens fed coarse-ground cereals (10-mm screen) than for hens fed medium and fine-ground cereals (8- or 6-mm screen). None of the egg quality parameters studied were influenced by dietary treatment. We conclude that neither type of cereal nor GMD affected productive performance or egg quality of young brown hens, except for feed intake that increased with the coarser particle size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grain mechanical harvesting can decrease the harvest cost and improve the efficiency of maize production. However, the optimization of the sowing date and irrigation schedule of maize in existing studies rarely considered the grain mechanical harvesting. Therefore, the sowing date and irrigation schedule of two maize cultivars in three cropping systems was optimized by considering yield, water use efficiency (WUE), and grain mechanical harvesting. The quality of grain mechanical harvesting is mainly influenced by grain moisture content. Thus, Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) was coupled with a grain dry down model to simulate maize production in the northern part of the North China Plain (NCP). The latest date for grain mechanical harvesting of maize was analyzed using the date when the grain moisture content decreased to 25% for the first time (DCM25). The DCM25, yield, WUE, and irrigation amount were used as constraints in the optimization. The results showed that, the optimal sowing dates under full irrigation of spring maize in SM (monocropping maize system), spring maize and summer maize in WMM (winter wheat-summer maize-spring maize system) for Huanong887 were from 6th May to 10th June, from 6th May to 16th May and 10th June, respectively. The optimal sowing dates of spring maize in SM were from 1st May to 5th June for Zhengdan958. The summer maize in DWM (winter wheat-summer maize double cropping system) could not achieve high-quality grain mechanical harvesting when using Huanong887 and Zhengdan958. In different hydrological year types, the optimal irrigation schedule with grain mechanical harvesting involved irrigation (80 mm each time) 1–3 times during sowing, jointing and flowering stages of spring maize in SM and summer maize in WMM. For spring maize in WMM, the optimal irrigation schedule involved irrigation 2–3 times during sowing, jointing, and flowering stages. The optimization method could provide a reference for other sites to promote high-efficient maize production. • The APSIM and a grain dry down model were coupled for optimizing sowing date and irrigation schedule. • The sowing dates of maize in different cropping systems for grain mechanical harvesting were optimized. • The irrigation schedule of maize in different cropping systems for grain mechanical harvesting were optimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explored how corn processing methods and weaning protocols interact and impact calf performance, digestibility, ruminal fermentation, and blood metabolites. Forty-eight 3-day-old Holstein calves (24 females and 24 males; body weight = 38.2 ± 1.56 kg) were allocated to one of the four treatment groups using a 2 × 2 factorial design. The physical form of corn grain [steam-flaked corn (SFC) or ground corn (GC)] and weaning protocol [abrupt weaning (AW) or gradual weaning (GW)] were the experimental factors and resulted in the following treatments: 1) a starter diet containing SFC + AW protocol (SFC/AW), 2) a starter diet containing SFC + GW protocol (SFC/GW), 3) a starter diet containing GC + AW protocol (GC/AW), and 4) a starter diet containing GC + GW protocol (GC/GW). The starter feeds had similar feed ingredients (50.4% corn grain, 35.1% soybean meal, plus 5% chopped wheat straw) and were different only in the physical form of corn grain (SFC vs. GC). In the AW protocol, calves were given 4 L of milk/d from days 3 to 15, then increased to 7 L/d from days 16 to 67. Weaning occurred abruptly from days 68 to 69 by decreasing milk to 3.5 L/day. In the GW protocol, calves received 4 L of milk/day from days 3 to 15, followed by 7 L/day from days 16 to 59. Weaning occurred gradually from days 60 to 69, with this reduction schedule: 6 L/d from days 60–61, 5 L/d from days 62–63, 4 L/d from days 64–65, 3 L/d from days 66–67, 2 L/d on day 68, and 1 L/d on day 69. Total starter intake (d 1 to 90) remained unaffected by the corn grain processing method, but weaning strategy and corn processing method interacted for starter feed intake, as the greatest intake was observed in calves assigned in SFC/GW treatment. Feeding a starter diet containing SFC rather than GC increased DM and NDF digestion. Calves that were fed an SFC-based starter diet grew faster than calves fed a GC-based starter diet. The average daily gain (from d 1 and 90) was greater in calves assigned to GW vs. AW protocol. Calves fed an SFC-based starter feed and assigned to AW protocol converted nutrients toward growth more efficiently throughout the experiment (d 1 to 90). Feeding a GC- vs. SFC-based starter feed resulted in greater rumen ammonia-N concentration. Ruminal pH on day 80 was greater in calves weaned gradually compared to those weaned abruptly. Calves fed GC- vs. SFC-based starter diet had higher blood urea-N and β -hydroxybutyrate concentrations on day 60. Overall, an SFC- vs. GC-based starter feed (containing 5% chopped wheat straw) promoted faster calf growth and improved nutrient utilization. Feeding an SFC-based starter diet in combination with GW protocol resulted in the greatest starter feed intake. • Feeding steam-flaked corn grain enhanced calf growth and nutrient utilization compared to ground corn. • Gradual weaning increased postweaning ADG of calves compared to abrupt weaning. • Gradual weaning resulted in higher rumen pH on day 80 compared to abrupt weaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of the main cereal and feed form of the rearing phase diets on growth performance, gastrointestinal tract characteristics, and body traits were studied in brown-egg pullets from hatch to 17 wk of age. Eight dietary treatments that were a combination of 2 main cereals (corn vs. wheat) and 4 feeding programs were used. The feeding program consisted in feeding crumbles from 0 to 5, 0 to 10, or 0 to 17 wk of age followed by mash until 17 wk, or feeding mash continuously from 0 to 17 wk. Each treatment was replicated 9 times. From hatch to 17 wk of age, pullets fed corn had similar ADG but poorer feed conversion ratio (FCR; P < 0.001) than pullets fed wheat. Also, pullets fed crumbles continuously (0 to 17 wk) had greater ADG (12.3 vs. 11.5 g; P < 0.001) and better FCR (4.21 vs. 4.36; P < 0.001) than pullets feed mash continuously, with pullets that were changed at any age of the rearing period from crumbles to mash feeding showing intermediate results. At 17 wk of age, the relative weights (% BW) of the gastrointestinal tract and gizzard were greater in pullets fed corn than in pullets fed wheat (P < 0.01) but the relative length (cm/kg full BW) of the small intestine, body, and tarsus was not affected. Pullets fed crumbles continuously had lighter gizzards (P < 0.001), higher gizzard pH (P < 0.001), and were shorter (P < 0.01) than pullets fed mash continuously, with pullets fed the other 2 treatments being intermediate. In summary, wheat can be used in substitution of corn in pullet diets without any adverse effect on growth performance. Feeding crumbles improves pullet performance but hinders gizzard and gastrointestinal tract development. Growth performance, gastrointestinal tract, and body traits of the pullets re-adapt quickly to changes in feed form of the rearing diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salinity has emerged as a major threat to food security and safety around the globe. The crop production on agricultural lands is squeezing due to aridity, climate change and low quality of irrigation water. The present study investigated the effect of biogenic silicon (Si) sources including wheat straw biochar (BC-ws), cotton stick biochar (BC-cs), rice husk feedstock (RH-fs), and sugarcane bagasse (SB), on the growth of two consecutive maize (Zea mays L.) crops in alkaline calcareous soil. The application of SB increased the photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and internal CO 2 concentration by 104, 100, 55, and 16% in maize 1 and 140, 136, 76, and 22% in maize 2 respectively. Maximum yield (g/pot) of cob, straw, and root were remained as 39.5, 110.7, and 23.6 while 39.4, 113.2, and 23.6 in maize 1 and 2 respectively with the application of SB. The concentration of phosphorus (P) in roots, shoots, and cobs was increased by 157, 173, and 78% for maize 1 while 96, 224, and 161% for maize 2 respectively over control by applying SB. The plant cationic ratios (Mg:Na, Ca:Na, K:Na) were maximum in the SB applied treatment in maize 1 and 2. The study concluded that the application of SB on the basis of soluble Si, as a biogenic source, remained the best in alleviating the salt stress and enhancing the growth of maize in rotation. The field trials will be more interesting to recommend the farmer scale. [Display omitted] • Different organic amendments enhanced the maize yield under salts stress • Presence of silicon (Si) in amendments improved the growth and yield of maize crops • Among biogenic Si sources, sugarcane bagasse (SB) efficiently reduced the toxic effects of salts • The SB increased the nutrient availability and maintained ionic homeostasis in plants [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corn processing methods including finely ground (FGC), dry rolled (DRC), and crumbled corn (CRC) were evaluated to determine their effects on average daily gain (ADG), structural growth, starch digestibility, feeding behavior, and blood metabolites of young dairy heifers. In this study, 36 Holstein heifers [91 ± 4 d of age, 105 ± 6.5 kg of body weight (BW); mean ± standard deviation] housed in 9 pens (4 heifers per pen) were fed diets (dry matter basis) containing 20% forage (wheat straw) and 80% corn-based concentrate for 60 d. Pens were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 dietary treatments based on the type of corn grain used for the diets: (1) ground corn (FGC; fine: 1.11 ± 0.52 mm); (2) dry-rolled corn (DRC; 2.30 ± 0.68 mm); and (3) crumbled corn (CRC; 2.54 ± 0.70 mm). Heifers had ad libitum access to diets and water throughout the experiment and the feed intake was measured daily. Animals were weighed at the beginning (91 d of age) and end (151 d of age) of the study. The ADG (kg of BW/d) was calculated at the end of experiment at an individual level. Feeding behavior was recorded based on direct observation by monitoring each heifer every 5 min during a 22-h period at 150 d of age. The CRC and DRC tended to increase feed intake compared with FGC, whereas heifers fed CRC tended to have a greater withers height compared with other treatments. Feed efficiency was not affected; however, ADG and final BW increased in heifers fed the CRC diet compared with other diets. Feeding CRC increased total-tract starch digestibility compared with FGC and DRC diets (97.8 vs. 93.1 and 89.5%, respectively). Compared with FGC diet, feeding DRC and CRC tended to increase rumination time. The molar proportion of propionate was greater, and the molar proportion of acetate and acetate-to-propionate ratio were lower in heifers fed CRC than in those fed DRC. The blood glucose and insulin-like growth factor concentrations increased in heifers fed CRC compared with feeding DRC; however, blood urea concentrations decreased by CRC feeding. In conclusion, thermal processing (CRC diet) improved total-tract starch digestibility, ADG, feed intake, and skeletal growth, but had no effect on feed efficiency during the experimental period. Our results indicated that the thermal processing of corn grain improved growth performance of weaned heifers; however, the performance of heifers over a 60-d period did not differ between mechanical processing methods (grinding and dry rolling). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]