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Mediterranean wood pastures are seminatural savannahlike agroecosystems that result from traditional silvopastoral practices, which shaped these systems into a mosaic of trees and open grassland. However, traditional silvo-pastoral uses are declining with the implications that this may have on the herbaceous layer, which is a very diverse and valuable resource. Here, we aim at assessing the influence of the tree – open grassland mosaic on the structure, diversity, and composition of the herbaceous layer. Specifically, assessing the canopy effect (a) under representative Iberian canopy types, considering traditional Quercus species stands and Pinus pinea plantations at different locations; and (b) along seasonality. For that purpose, we carried out vegetation surveys in Mediterranean wood pastures of the south SouthWest of the Iberian Peninsula. Our results show that the different components of the herbaceous layer performed differential responses to the presence/absence of tree canopies, as for instance shows the dominance of grasses under the canopy, while legumes and forbs were favoured in the open grassland. Also, the study plots differed in their composition of species and species richness, with a certain a reduction in the species richness in the plot dominated by P. pinea compared to plots dominated by Quercus species. The canopy effect was more pronounced at the more environmentally constrained location. Such canopy effects were generally more pronounced in spring than in autumn. In conclusion, it is highly advisable preserve the tree – open grassland mosaic and traditional Quercus species stands to maximize and preserve plant specific and functional diversity and ecosystem functionality.

Background: Mediterranean holm oak meadows are semi‑natural savannah‑like agroecosystems that result from traditional silvo‑pastoral practices, which shaped these systems into a mosaic of trees and open grassland. However, traditional silvo-pastoral uses are declining with the implications that this may have on the herbaceous layer, a very biodiverse and valuable resource of these systems. Here, we aim at assessing the influence of the tree – open grassland mosaic on the structure, diversity, and composition of the herbaceous layer. Specifically, assessing the canopy effect (a) under representative Iberian canopy types, considering traditional Quercus species stands and Pinus pinea plantations at different locations; and (b) along seasonality. Results: The different components of the herbaceous layer performed differential responses to the presence/absence of tree canopies, as for instance shows the dominance of grasses under the canopy, while legumes and forbs were favoured in the open grassland. Also, there was a certain a reduction in the species richness in P. pinea dominated plots compared to plots dominated by Quercus species. There was a reduction of the aboveground biomass under the canopy at the more environmentally constrained location. Such canopy effects were generally more pronounced in spring that in autumn.Conclusion: It is highly advisable preserve the tree – open grassland mosaic and traditional Quercus species stands to maximize and preserve plant specific and functional diversity. The the optimum tree coverage might be dependent, not only on the primary ecosystem service (i. e. forage provision), but also on local conditions.

© 2021 The Authors., Aims: Understanding fine-grain diversity patterns across large spatial extents is fundamental for macroecological research and biodiversity conservation. Using the GrassPlot database, we provide benchmarks of fine-grain richness values of Palaearctic open habitats for vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens and complete vegetation (i.e., the sum of the former three groups). Location: Palaearctic biogeographic realm. Methods: We used 126,524 plots of eight standard grain sizes from the GrassPlot database: 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, 100 and 1,000 m and calculated the mean richness and standard deviations, as well as maximum, minimum, median, and first and third quartiles for each combination of grain size, taxonomic group, biome, region, vegetation type and phytosociological class. Results: Patterns of plant diversity in vegetation types and biomes differ across grain sizes and taxonomic groups. Overall, secondary (mostly semi-natural) grasslands and natural grasslands are the richest vegetation type. The open-access file ”GrassPlot Diversity Benchmarks” and the web tool “GrassPlot Diversity Explorer” are now available online (https://edgg.org/databases/GrasslandDiversityExplorer) and provide more insights into species richness patterns in the Palaearctic open habitats. Conclusions: The GrassPlot Diversity Benchmarks provide high-quality data on species richness in open habitat types across the Palaearctic. These benchmark data can be used in vegetation ecology, macroecology, biodiversity conservation and data quality checking. While the amount of data in the underlying GrassPlot database and their spatial coverage are smaller than in other extensive vegetation-plot databases, species recordings in GrassPlot are on average more complete, making it a valuable complementary data source in macroecology., GrassPlot development has been supported by the Bavarian Research Alliance (BayIntAn_UBT_2017_58), the Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) and the International Association for Vegetation Science (IAVS); IB, CorM, JAC, IGM, DGM, MHe, DL and MTo were supported by the Basque Government (IT936‐16); CorM, IAx, MCh, JDa, PD, MHá, ZL, ZPr, EŠ and LT were supported by the Czech Science Foundation (19‐28491X); TR was supported by the Estonian Research Council (PUT1173); RJP was funded by the Strategic Research Programme of the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environmental Science and Analytical Services Division”; SBa was supported by the GINOP‐2.3.2‐15‐2016‐00019 project; GFi was partially supported by the MIUR initiative “Department of excellence” (Law 232/2016)"; BJA was funded by the Spanish Research Agency (grant AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033); AK, VB, IM, DS, IV and DV were supported by the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (2020.01/0140); MP and AH were supported by the Estonian Research Council (PRG874, PRG609), and the European Regional Development Fund (Centre of Excellence EcolChange); Data collection of HCP was funded by FORMAS (Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Science and Spatial Planning) and The Swedish Institute; JR was supported by the Czech Science Foundation (grant No. 20‐09895S) and the long‐term developmental project of the Czech Academy of Sciences (RVO 67985939); ATRA was funded by the Grant of Excellence Departments, MIUR‐Italy (ARTICOLO 1, COMMI 314 – 337 LEGGE 232/2016); JMA was supported by Carl Tryggers stiftelse för vetenskaplig forskning and Qatar Petroleum; AAli was supported by the Jiangsu Science and Technology Special Project (Grant No. BX2019084), and Metasequoia Faculty Research Startup Funding at Nanjing Forestry University (Grant No. 163010230), and he is currently supported by Hebei University through Faculty Research Startup Funding Program; ZB was supported by the NKFI K 124796 grant; The GLORIA‐ Aragón project of JLBA was funded by the Dirección General de Cambio Climático del Gobierno de Aragón (Spain); MCs and LDem were supported by DG Environment through the European Forum on Nature Conservation and Pastoralism and Barbara Knowles Fund, in collaboration with Pogány‐havas Association, Romania; JDa was partially supported by long‐term research development project no. RVO 67985939 of the Czech Academy of Sciences; BD and OV were supported by the NKFI KH 126476, NKFI KH 130338, NKFI FK 124404 and NKFI FK 135329 grants; BD, OV and AKe were supported by the Bolyai János Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; BE was funded by the Environmental Department of the Tyrolean Federal State Government, the MAB Programme of the Austrian Academy of Science, the Mountain Agriculture Research Unit and the Alpine Research Centre Obergurgl of Innsbruck University. The GLORIA projects of BE were funded by the EU project no. EVK2‐CT‐2000‐00056, the Earth System Sciences Program of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (project MEDIALPS), the Amt für Naturparke, Autonome Provinz Bozen‐Südtirol, the Südtiroler Wissenschaftsfonds and the Tiroler Wissenschaftsfonds; RGG was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Research to sample GLORIA sites in central Spain (CGL 2008‐00901/BOS) and present works by the Autonomous Region of Madrid (REMEDINAL TE‐CM, S2018/EMT‐4338); MJ was supporteLatviaed by Latvia Grant No. 194051; NP and SŠ were partly supported by the Slovenian Research Agency, core fundings P1‐0403 and J7‐1822.

Iberian holm oak meadows are savannah-like ecosystems that result from traditional silvo-pastoral practices. However, such traditional uses are declining, driving changes in the typical tree&mdash, open grassland structure of these systems. Yet, there are no studies integrating the whole ecosystem&mdash, including the arboreal and the herbaceous layer&mdash, as drivers of greenhouse gas (GHG: CO2, CH4 and N2O) dynamics. Here, we aimed at integrating the influence of tree canopies and interactions among plant functional types (PFT: grasses, forbs, and legumes) of the herbaceous layer as GHG exchange drivers. For that purpose, we performed chamber-based GHG surveys in plots dominated by representative canopy types of Iberian holm oak meadows, including Quercus species and Pinus pinea stands, the last a common tree plantation replacing traditional stands, and unraveled GHG drivers through a diversity-interaction model approach. Our results show the tree&ndash, open grassland structure, especially drove CO2 and N2O fluxes, with higher emissions under the canopy than in the open grassland. Emissions under P. pinea canopies are higher than those under Quercus species. In addition, the inclusion of diversity and compositional terms of the herbaceous layer improve the explained variability, with legumes enhancing CO2 uptake and N2O emissions. Changes in the tree cover and tree species composition, in combination with changes in the structure and composition of the herbaceous layer, will imply deep changes in the GHG exchange of Iberian holm oak meadows. These results may provide some guidelines to perform better management strategies of this vast but vulnerable ecosystem.

Iberian holm oak meadows are savannah-like ecosystems that result from traditional silvo pastoral practices. However, such traditional uses are declining, driving changes in the typical tree – open grassland structure of these systems. Yet, there are no studies integrating the whole ecosystem — including the arboreal and the herbaceous layer — as drivers of greenhouse gas (GHG: CO2, CH4 and N2O) dynamics. Here we aim at integrating the influence of tree canopies and interactions among plant functional types (PFT: grasses, forbs, and legumes) of the herbaceous layer as GHG exchange drivers. For that purpose, we performed chamber based GHG surveys in plots dominated by representative canopy types of Iberian holm oak meadows, including Quercus species and Pinus pinea stands, the last a common tree plantation replacing traditional stands; and unravelled GHG drivers through a diversity interaction model approach. Our results show that the tree – open grassland structure especially drove CO2 and N2O fluxes, with higher emissions under the canopy than in the open grassland. Emissions under P. pinea canopies being higher than those under Quercus species. In addition, the inclusion of diversity and compositional terms of the herbaceous layer improve the explained variability, legumes enhancing CO2 uptake and N2O emissions. Changes in the tree cover and tree species composition, in combination with changes in the structure and composition of the herbaceous layer, will imply deep changes in the GHG exchange of Iberian holm oak meadows. These results may provide some guidelines to perform better management strategies of this vast but vulnerable ecosystem.

Because of their easy implementation and low maintenance, extensive green roofs have become established during the last few decades as one of the best options for integrating vegetation on the built environment. The success of these systems involves having of a plant species palette well adapted to extreme conditions, especially in drought environments. Among the available ones, the Sedum genus has stood out due to its tolerance to climate extreme conditions and its use has been widespread throughout the world. In previous research, efforts have been mainly concentrated on selecting the most drought tolerant Sedum species, without considering other important parameters for the suitable provision of ecosystem services from the green roof, such as coverage capacity, shape and structure or growth strategy, among others. In this study, five species of Sedum (Sedum album, S. sediforme, S. sexangulare, Sedum spurium cf. öCoccineum’ (syn. Phedimus spurius cf. öCoccineum’) and Sedum spurium cf. öSummer Glory’ (syn. Phedimus spurius cf. öSummer Glory’) were tested in a dry continental Mediterranean climate with the aim of observing their patterns of growth and development. Results revealed that Sedum album, S. sediforme, S. sexangulare are recommended species for their use on extensive green roofs in this climate, whereas both varieties of S. spurium, particularly var. “Coccineum”, present some limitations for their use, basically due to their shape, plant structure, pigmentation and lack of adaptation to winter conditions. Shape Index could be an adequate tool for decision-making in the selection of plant species in the design of green roofs because it provides information not only about the shape and size but also related to the growth strategy of these plants.

GrassPlot is a collaborative vegetation-plot database organised by the Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) and listed in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD ID EU-00-003). GrassPlot collects plot records (relevés) from grasslands and other open habitats of the Palaearctic biogeographic realm. It focuses on precisely delimited plots of eight standard grain sizes (0.0001; 0.001; ... 1,000 m²) and on nested-plot series with at least four different grain sizes. The usage of GrassPlot is regulated through Bylaws that intend to balance the interests of data contributors and data users. The current version (v. 1.00) contains data for approximately 170,000 plots of different sizes and 2,800 nested-plot series. The key components are richness data and metadata. However, most included datasets also encompass compositional data. About 14,000 plots have near-complete records of terricolous bryophytes and lichens in addition to vascular plants. At present, GrassPlot contains data from 36 countries throughout the Palaearctic, spread across elevational gradients and major grassland types. GrassPlot with its multi-scale and multi-taxon focus complements the larger international vegetation-plot databases, such as the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and the global database “sPlot”. Its main aim is to facilitate studies on the scale- and taxon-dependency of biodiversity patterns and drivers along macroecological gradients. GrassPlot is a dynamic database and will expand through new data collection coordinated by the elected Governing Board. We invite researchers with suitable data to join GrassPlot. Researchers with project ideas addressable with GrassPlot data are welcome to submit proposals to the Governing Board. Abbreviations: EDGG = Eurasian Dry Grassland Group; EVA = European Vegetation Archive; GrassPlot = Database of Scale-Dependent Phytodiversity Patterns in Palaearctic Grasslands; SAR = species-area relationship.

We evaluated the effect of row spacing on seed and forage yields in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) using combined seed and forage production plots, in an irrigated Mediterranean agricultural environment. We compared three row distances (20, 40 and 60 cm) in two cultivars at a seed rate of 25 kg ha−1 over a period of 4 years. We measured the seed yield and yield components as well as forage production. The 4-year average revealed an overall clean seed yield of 367 kg ha−1 declining over time, without significant differences in row distances. The number of shoots per square metre differed significantly as a function of row spacing, with averages of 357, 226 and 172 shoots m−2 for row widths of 20, 40 and 60 cm respectively. The row spacing did not affect the number of racemes per shoot (23·1), the number of pods per raceme (7·2), the number of seeds per pod (6·5) or the thousand seed weight (1·667 g). The average forage production was 20·1, 18·5 and 17·9 Mg DM ha−1 for row distances of 20, 40 and 60 cm, respectively, with higher yields associated with smaller row distances. Our data demonstrate that row spacing >20 cm does not confer any advantage to the production of alfalfa seed under irrigated Mediterranean agricultural conditions and that close spacing can significantly increase forage yields in the same environment.

A 66-year-old man experienced a traumatic injury after a fall on top of a glass tea table, which caused some superficial lacerations all around the body. He was examined in the emergency room by a physician. The physician could not feel any foreign body upon wound exploration and sutured the laceration. Fourteen months after the injury, he developed progressive abdominal pain. On emergency room and abdominal x-ray showed a foreign body, which a CT scan revealed as an intraabdominal glass shard. The glass presumably impaled his abdominal wall as a result of his previous traumatic injury. The patient underwent laparotomy, which revealed a large glass (16x1cm) perforating the transverse colon. It was extracted and the perforation closed with a lineal stapler. There was no need of bowel resection and the patient was discharged home nine days after the intervention.Key words: Impalement, glass, delayed colonic perforation

The effects of one severe winter-grazing of lucerne were studied over 3 years in an experiment in the Ebro Valley, Spain. In this region the crop is harvested six to seven times per season and winter grazing is a traditional practice. On average, winter-grazing reduced the yield at the first harvest in spring by 200 kg dry matter (DM) ha-1. This limited yield reduction of 0·06 was accompanied by an increase in the proportion of lucerne in the herbage DM from 0·54 to 0·62, a reduction in the proportion of weeds from 0·39 to 0·36, and a reduction in the proportion of dead material from 0·06 to 0·02. The crude protein concentration and the in vitro DM digestibility increased by 20 g kg-1 DM and 0·03, respectively. The traditional practice, i.e. of grazing lucerne with sheep once in the winter season, results in only a limited reduction in yield in the spring. In addition, the spring crop has a higher nutritive value.

The soil seed bank of four mountain meadow communities subjected to different degrees of agricultural management intensities was studied in the Fragen area of the Central Spanish Pyrenees. The grass-producing communities originating from former cereal crops have remained rich in floristic terms to the present day. The effects of different agricultural techniques on the seed population were analysed via soil samples, from which seedlings were identified and counted. Buried seed numbers fluctuated between 6029 and 54,517 seeds m −2 depending on the type of agricultural management. The intensively farmed, old meadows had less seed and fewer species than the extensively managed, more recent meadows. Cutting and slurry application seemed the most influential factors in the reduction of seed reserves. Taxa such as Potentilla sp., Veronica sp., and Plantago sp., were more abundant in extensive plots, while Urtica dioica , Juncus inflexus and Lamium purpureum were associated with more intensive agricultural managements. Management intensification significantly favoured plant species of nutrient rich conditions, and decreased numbers of pioneer, and nutrient poor conditions species.

Isabel C. Barrio et al., [EN] The 11th Conference of the Spanish Association of Terrestrial Ecology, held in Pamplona, Spain, on 6–10 May 2013, included a symposium on alpine ecological research in the Iberian Peninsula. This session offered an excellent opportunity to assess the state and progress of alpine ecology in this region, identify knowledge gaps, and discuss further directions for research. Iberian alpine ecosystems are biodiversity hotspots and have traditionally contributed to sustaining rural livelihoods. Today, these ecosystems are subjected to large changes in land uses, including land abandonment, and are affected by climate change. This article reviews the current state of Iberian alpine ecology and proposes a research agenda. Alpine ecology in the Iberian Peninsula is a growing field of research. The need for larger spatial and temporal scales in research and monitoring, along with the integration of socioecological aspects, is a critical issue for understanding the major drivers of change in the alpine ecosystems of the Iberian Peninsula. The implementation of effective mitigation strategies aimed at reducing the impact of the pressing environmental and socioeconomic problems of Iberian mountain areas can only be accomplished through a multidisciplinary and integrative approach., This article builds on ideas discussed in the 11th AEET Conference; we are grateful to the conference organizers, and to all participants in the symposium—especially A. Escudero, T. Sebastià, and X. de Lamo—for interesting discussions. Special thanks are due to J.M. Iriondo for helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript.

This paper aims to analyse the present situation of silvopastoral systems in the Northeastern Iberian Peninsula and to foresee the role that silvopastoralism might play in the future. In the region, silvopasture form part of an extensive livestock farming system which integrates agriculture, livestock production and forestry, mostly in family-based farms. Forest grazing is the most important silvopastoral system in the study area where the mountainous topography and the dominant Mediterranean climate influence the grazing strategies. Despite the low contribution of silvopastoralism to the total Gross Domestic Product of the Catalan region, extensive livestock systems play an important social and economic role in the structure of rural areas. Moreover, this role is expected to increase in the future due to the implementation of new agrienvironment measures in the framework of the latest European financial program (2007–2013). The present paper discusses the role of silvopastoralism as an economically viable tool to prevent wildfires and conserve biodiversity in these systems.

10 páginas, 2 figuras, 1 tabla, 1 apéndice., Soil seed bank composition and vegetative spatial patterns were studied in four mountain meadow communities in the Broto Valley (N. Spain), in order to analyse the differences that might exists between the two life forms. Soil and vegetation samples were taken at 1 m intervals from 10 m × 10 m quadrats in each meadow in one-year study. The spatial distribution of species was analysed along with the calculation of an autocorrelation coefficient which takes account of the relative position of samples: (Moran’s I). The results indicate that the abundance of the majority of the species in the seed bank and in the vegetation are randomly distributed, the percentage of species with a clumped distribution only exceeds 35% in the vegetation of one meadow and none of the taxa identified showed a uniform spatial organisation. The species that were distributed in the seed bank in a clumped pattern in more than one meadow were those of the pioneer species (Anagallis arvensis, Centaurium erythraea, Lamium purpureum and Stellaria media). All of these formed long-term persistent seed banks but were absent in the established vegetation in these meadows. According to the results, there exist not only differences between the spatial distribution of the species present in the same community, but also, that some species change their pattern of distribution according to the life form and to the grassland type in which they are found., This work has been performed as part of project CE AIR-CT92 –0079.

Persistence is a critical component of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) crop yield. Our objective was to determine the effect of seeding rate on alfalfa persistence, yield, and yield components and how they evolved over time in irrigated areas with long growing seasons. Two alfalfa cultivars were seeded at four seeding rates (10, 20, 30, and 40 kg ha -1 ), in three consecutive experiments, and evaluated over a 3-yr period to provide total data for nine location years. Seed rates of 10 kg ha -1 [8.75 kg ha -1 of pure live seed (PLS)] produced total 3-yr dry matter (DM) yields of between 50.8 and 58.9 Mg ha -1 . Seed rates only affected total 3-yr DM yields in one of the three experiments. The mean number of shoots per m -2 was 488 and this was not affected by seed rates. The effect of seed density on mean shoot weight depended on the experiment. The annual average crude protein (CP) concentration varied from 159 g kg -1 to 224 g kg -1 while the leaf to stem ratio varied from 0.87 to 1.17. The results suggest that CP and leaf to stem ratios (LSR) were either little influenced or not influenced by seed density. The DM yields and yield components indicate that 8.75 kg ha -1 of PLS could be sufficient to ensure adequate DM production. Results also suggest that in a Mediterranean climate in which sprinkler irrigation is applied, there is little justification for high seeding rates under good establishment conditions.

8 páginas, 11 figuras., [EN]: In this article the authors briefly present their research into the interaction between pastures and herbivores in the Southern Pyrenees. Previous studies which have partly cleared up some particular aspects of the two elements in the system (pastures and consumers) have been mentioned, as well as methodology used., [FR]: Dans ce travail, les auteurs font une présentation des recherches en cours de réalisation sur le thème de l'interaction entre la pâture et les herbivores dans les Pyrénées espagnoles. Des études précédentes ayant permis dèclaireir divers aspects particuliers des deux éléments du système (pâturages et consommateurs) ainsi que la méthodologie utilisée sont tout dàbord présentées.

In the last few years an increasing attention has been paid to efficient energy construction systems in the building sector. Although in this contest extensive green roofs are reported to be very effective and sustainable systems, the fact that the main agents of this systems are living organisms have generated doubts, especially in locations where the development of plants and vegetation can be greatly affected by climate. This study aims to investigate the thermal performances of a 2000 m2 18 particular proprietary extensive green roof system, located on the city of Lleida (Spain), classified as Dry Mediterranean Continental climate. First, plant cover and floristic composition analysis were carried out to evaluate the dynamic of the plant layer over the surface. Then, according to the result of the botanic analysis, summer and winter study in terms of spatial and temporal factors were conducted focusing on the substrate layer, evapotranspiration effect and comparing the different behaviour of the system in low 10%) and high (80%) plant cover conditions. In this extensive green roof, the results showed temporal and spatial changes in floristic composition, with a stable cover of Sedum sp between 20 to 40 %, and a peak of colonizing species in spring and early summer. The increase in vegetation cover appears to have few effects on the above nearby roof environment because of the low moisture level in the substrate layer so that the cooling effect provided by the evapotranspiration does not take place. In addition, the increased presence of vegetation canopy may induce a limitation in substrate night cooling whereas serves as good shield for solar radiation during the day. Finally, the study also reveals the importance of the spatial factor in extensive green roofs, which can lead to not negligible variations on the thermal performance, as well as the floristic composition. The work was partially funded by the Spanish Government (ENE2011-28269-C03-02 and ENE2011-28269-C03-03), in collaboration with Gardeny Science and Technology Park in Lleida (Spain). The authors would like to thank the architect Josep Maria Puigdemasa his provision of information about the renovation project. On the other hand the authors would like to thank the Catalan Government for the quality accreditation given to their research group (2014 SGR 123). Julià Coma wants to thank the Departament d'Universitats, Recerca i Societat de la Informació de la Generalitat de Catalunya for his research fellowship. Furthermore the research was supported by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research MIUR.

The optimization of milk production includes a rational use of forages, respect for the environment and offers the best quality to consumers. Milk production based on grass and forages produces healthier milk and it is widely spread throughout the Atlantic arc to maximize milk yield per hectare. However, the mode of offering the grass can have a major influence on milk composition. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of grass supply mode (grazing, zero-grazing or ensiling) on dairy cows&rsquo, performance, with particular reference to fatty acids and fat-soluble antioxidants concentration. A three by three Latin square experiment was performed with 18 dairy cows. Experimental treatments consisted of exclusive feeding with grass silage and zero-grazing, both offered ad libitum indoors, or grazing for 24 h. The results showed that grazing cows had a higher dry matter intake and greater milk yield than cows feeding on grass silage and zero-grazing, as well as higher concentrations of protein, lactose, nonfat-solids and urea in milk than housed cows. Milk fat from grazing cows had a higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids than from cows feeding on grass silage and zero-grazing, with significant differences in the proportion of vaccenic and rumenic acids. The 18:1 trans-11 to 18:1 trans-10 ratio is proposed as biomarker to identify the milk produced from the management system of grazing cattle. Milk from grazing cows had a greater proportion of lutein than cows eating grass silage, with the zero-grazing system having intermediate values. In conclusion, the mode of grass supply affects fatty acid and antioxidant profiles of milk.

Potassium fertilization recommendations for alfalfa (Medicago sativaL.) vary depending on the area of production, soil levels, and crop management. The objectives of this study were to determine the impact of K fertilization on irrigated alfalfa yield, yield components, and soil exchangeable K (Ke) values in a Mediterranean climate. A field experiment was conducted during a period of 4 yr (2002–2006) in Spain, on a soil with moderate levels of Ke(161 mg K kg –1). The treatments applied were five annual rates of K (0, 100, 200, 300, and 400 kg K ha–1). Total 4-yr dry matter (DM) yields averaged 74.9 Mg ha–1 without differences between K fertilizer rates, although the unfertilized control produced the lowest DM yields. The 4-yr crop uptake of K reached 1738 kg ha–1 with the application of 400 kg K ha–1yr–1 , and 756 kg K ha–1for the 0 K fertilization. The removal was greater than the K applied. The results suggest that large amounts of K should not be applied to alfalfa because the crop uses excess K without increasing yield. Soil Ke concentrations decreased every year for all K rates except for the highest treatmentof 400 kg K ha–1yr–1. Lack of K fertilization did not affect stand density but the shoot weight was the yield component most closely related to K fertilization.