ABSTRACT.- Mediterranean ecosystems are predicted to undergo longer and more intense summer droughts. The mechanisms underlying the response of herbaceous communities to such drier environments should be investigated to identify the resilience thresholds of Mediterranean rangelands. A 5-year experiment was conducted in deep and shallow soil rangelands of southern France. A rainout shelter for 75 days in summer imposed drier and warmer conditions. Total soil water content was measured monthly to model available daily soil water.

ABSTRACT.- Ensuring food production while enhancing environmental sustainability is a critical challenge in the 21st century. Quantitative descriptions of environmental performance at the farm level are essential for evaluating agricultural production, aligning with climate and biodiversity goals, and facilitating sustainable transitions. However, many existing indicators and proxies rely on costly field-collected data with limited spatial generalization.

ABSTRACT.- A comprehensive understanding of how native grasslands (rangelands) respond to chronic nutrient addition requires considering interactions with climate variability, water availability in particular, and with stocking rate management. We assessed animal production responses to phosphorus plus nitrogen fertilization sustained over a decade on a highly diverse subtropical grassland.
©2024 The Society for Range Management. Published by Elsevier Inc.

ABSTRACT.- In the context of ever-growing demand for food and associated concerns regarding the environmental impacts of high-input agricultural systems, there is growing interest in mixed farm enterprises to deliver greater sustainability compared with mono-enterprise production systems. However, assessments of such systems are complex and require high-resolution data to determine the true value and interconnectivity across enterprises.

ABSTRACT.- Alligator weed, Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. (Amaranthaceae) is an aggressive invader in waterways and pastures throughout most of the southeastern U.S.A., and California. Three insect biological control agents have provided substantial control of aquatic A. philoxeroides in the warmer parts of its range in the U.S.A. However, these insects are less effective against A. philoxeroides in riparian-terrestrial habitats.

ABSTRACT.- The aim of this study was to evaluate two levels of forage allowance (FA) during the prepartum period on metabolic, hormonal, productive, and reproductive variables in primiparous (P) and multiparous (M) beef cows. Six weeks before calving, 40 P and 42 M cows were assigned to two FA (native pastures) treatments until calving (day 0):High (15 kg DM/100 BW; H) and Low (5 kg DM/100 BW; L). After calving all cows were managed together. High FA cows presented greater intake than L cows, while M tended to have greater intake than P cows.

ABSTRACT.- Two experiments evaluated the effect of different hormonal treatments to synchronize follicle wave emergence on follicle dynamics and pregnancies per AI (P/AI) in estradiol (E2)/progesterone (P4) timed-AI (TAI) protocols in lactating dairy cows. © 2024 Elsevier Inc.

ABSTRACT.- Microinjection of CRISPR/Cas9 requires the availability of zygotes that implies animal breeding, superovulation schemes, and embryo collection. Vitrification of zygotes may allow having ready-to-use embryos and to temporally dissociate the workload of embryo production from microinjection. In this study, fresh (F group) or vitrified (V group) zygotes were microinjected with CRISPR/Cas9 system to test the hypothesis that vitrified zygotes could be a suitable source of embryos for microinjection.

ABSTRACT.- The effects of finishing diet (pasture or grain) and meat preservation method on beef's physicochemical, micro- biological, and sensory attributes were evaluated. The preservation methods assessed were dry aging in bag (DAb) and wet aging (WA) for 40 d, and then frozen storage (Fr) ([DAb + Fr] and [WA + Fr]) for 180 d. Sixty striploins (Longissimus lumborum) from British breed steers (n = 15 from pasture and n = 15 from grain-based diet) were used. © 2024 Correa, et al.

ABSTRACT.- A Mimosa pudica var. unijuga-associated toxicity affecting horses occurred in Araguari, Triângulo Mineiro, Southeast Brazil. Affected horses had gradual hair loss of the mane and tail and endocrine dermatosis after grazing for three months during the dry season on a paddock invaded by the plant. The main histological lesions include compact ortho-keratotic hyperkeratosis and numerous flame follicles. Toxicological analysis by HPLC-UV demonstrated 0.8 mg/g of mimosine in the leaves. © 2024 Published by Elsevier Ltd.