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The article discusses recent publications in the journal Grass & Forage Science, which include review papers and articles based on presentations at conferences and symposia. The current issue features a book review and two papers from the European Grassland Federation symposium, as well as two papers from the International Grassland Congress. The journal also covers topics such as green biorefinery, drought impacts on grasslands, plant diversity in grasslands, forage quality, agrivoltaic production systems, tropical grasslands, and plant-soil relationships. The article concludes by acknowledging the organizers of the symposiums and the efforts of the associate editors and referees. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses a special issue of Grass and Forage Science focused on grassland, forage, and turfgrass science in China. The issue highlights the developments in these areas in China and includes papers on topics such as genetics and grass breeding, forage production and utilization, grassland degradation, and turfgrasses. The article emphasizes the breadth of Chinese grassland science and notes an increase in the number of papers published from China in recent years. The authors express their gratitude to those who contributed to the special issue and anticipate continued growth in research from China in the future. [Extracted from the article]

Carotenoids are isoprenoids widely distributed in foods that have been always part of the diet of humans. Unlike the other so-called food bioactives, some carotenoids can be converted into retinoids exhibiting vitamin A activity, which is essential for humans. Furthermore, they are much more versatile as they are relevant in foods not only as sources of vitamin A, but also as natural pigments, antioxidants, and health-promoting compounds. Lately, they are also attracting interest in the context of nutricosmetics, as they have been shown to provide cosmetic benefits when ingested in appropriate amounts. In this work, resulting from the collaborative work of participants of the COST Action European network to advance carotenoid research and applications in agro-food and health (EUROCAROTEN, , ) research on carotenoids in foods and feeds is thoroughly reviewed covering aspects such as analysis, carotenoid food sources, carotenoid databases, effect of processing and storage conditions, new trends in carotenoid extraction, daily intakes, use as human, and feed additives are addressed. Furthermore, classical and recent patents regarding the obtaining and formulation of carotenoids for several purposes are pinpointed and briefly discussed. Lastly, emerging research lines as well as research needs are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The year 2020 marks the 75th edition of Grass and Forage Science. From its beginnings as the Journal of the British Grassland Society, the journal has grown to be the major international journal with a primary emphasis on grasslands society. In this paper, to mark this anniversary we note the contributions of the editorial team, past and present, and the legacy of the journal by noting some of the highly cited papers published over the years and discuss the changing trends in science published in recent years. This includes an emphasis on the changing role of grasslands across the globe and the challenges that changing climate and altered production systems place on grazing agriculture. It is through the adoption of science that is being published now that the industries that we serve will be able to respond to these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensively managed sown temperate grasslands are generally of low species diversity, although swards based on grass-legume mixtures may have superior productivity and herbage quality than grass-only swards. We conducted a cutting experiment over two years to test the effect of species composition and diversity on herbage yield, contents of N, neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD). Perennial ryegrass (PR, Lolium perenne ) was sown alone and with each of four forage legumes: red clover (RC, Trifolium pratense ), lucerne (LU, Medicago sativa ), birdsfoot trefoil (BT, Lotus corniculatus ) and white clover (WC, Trifolium repens ); WC was also sown with hybrid ryegrass (HR, Lolium × boucheanum ), meadow fescue (MF, Festuca pratensis ) and timothy (TI, Phleum pratense ). Herbage productivity was lowest in pure PR followed by PR/BT, and highest in PR/RC; this mixture had the highest legume proportion, N content and N yield. There was less WC in swards with HR and MF than with PR and TI. These differences were reflected in N contents of herbage of the mixtures. Legumes had higher N and lignin and lower NDF contents and IVOMD than grasses. Among legumes, NDF content was highest and IVOMD lowest in LU, followed by BT and the clovers. The highest N content was in WC. Among grasses, PR and HR had lower NDF contents and a higher IVOMD than MF; the highest N content was in PR. The grass component of mixtures had less effect than the legume component on herbage yield and quality. Results are discussed in terms of their potential to contribute to forage resources in farming practice and enhance resource use efficiency and ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grazing animals walk outdoors and harvest fresh herbage from a three-dimensional canopy. Botanical composition and grassland management in various farming systems affect herbage intake and milk fatty acid (FA) composition. Grazing animals encounter a vertical gradient while grazing down a sward; responses in milk FA composition are discussed. Grazing animals have diets rich in poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), particularly α-linolenic acid (C18:3n-3). Concentrates and starch-rich fodders affect rumen retention time of the feed, increase linoleic acid (C18:2n-6) intake, and alter biohydrogenation pathways toward less n-3 PUFA and less rumenic acid (conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomer C18:2 c9 t11), leading to lower contents of these compounds in the milk. Milk from grazing-based production systems including organic systems, therefore, has less saturated and more n-3PUFA and CLA c9 t11 which is considered beneficial for health. The occurrence of natural trans FA ( t11) in milk predominates with grazing whereas intensive feeding practices enhance t10-FA, with possible negative health effects. FA intake - output relations can differ among plant species due to rapid rumen passage rate or compounds protecting PUFA, resulting in more PUFA in milk. Methodological constraints for FA measurement in herbages are discussed. Trends in grazing and dairy farming systems and implications for milk FA composition are addressed. Practical applications: Grazing is important for fresh forage intake, animal health and natural behaviour, landscape values and grassland biodiversity. Grazing is a political, societal and marketing issue in The Netherlands where retailers since 2011 sell dairy products labelled as 'pasture-milk' and dairies pay a premium to farmers whose cows get access to pasture. Grazing affects green leaf intake because animals can select. Pasture allowance enhances α-linolenic acid and CLA c9 t11 (rumenic acid) concentrations in milk fat. FA need to be designated by unique names; CLA is a generic term and isomers give rise to different biological responses. As some forbs reduce biohydrogenation, grassland species diversity may improve PUFA transfer efficiency from feed to milk. Trends in animal genetics and increased herd size, TMR feeding and automated milking systems cause reduction of grazing in Europe, which can increase saturated and trans-10 milk FA concentrations and reduce naturally occurring fat-soluble vitamins and antioxidants in dairy products. Grazing (pasture-feeding versus indoor with conserved forage and concentrates) increases n-3 PUFA and trans-11 over trans-10 FA in cow milk when cows can select, as leaves have high n-3 PUFA concentrations; biodiverse grasslands enhance this effect as some forbs show less PUFA rumen biohydrogenation than grasses, thus increasing efficiency of PUFA transfer from forage to milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Editorial: Sustainability of grasslands and grass-based ruminant production - Topics from the 28th General Meeting of the European Grassland Federation I Grass and Forage Science i (GFS) has a history of incidentally publishing articles based on presentations at conferences and symposia of the European Grassland Federation (EGF) (Table 1). This points out the important link between grasslands and ruminant production, although the importance of ecosystem services that grasslands provide has also recently been recognized (D'Ottavio et al., 2018) as well as novel uses of grass biomass such as green biorefineries (Franco et al., 2019). [Extracted from the article]

Abstract: Bovine milk samples were collected from 30 Dutch farms and analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for phytanic acid (PHY), pristanic acid (PA) and SRR/RRR-diastereomers ratio of PHY. The samples differed in the percentage of fresh grass in the cows' daily ration (0–94%) fed either indoors or via grazing (daytime grazing or continuous grazing). Six samples were from organic/biodynamic farms. PHY and PA concentrations were not significantly higher in organic/biodynamic compared with conventional milk, nor were they correlated with the amount of fresh grass in the diet. The SRR/RRR-diastereomers ratio was correlated with the percentage of fresh grass in the diet and was lower in organic milk than in conventional milk, although the difference was not significant (p = 0.057). These results indicate that PHY and PA contents are not suitable indicators of pasture grazing or organic/biodynamic farming, whereas the SRR/RRR-diastereomers ratio may be useful for indicating fresh grass feeding and organic farming. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

I Grass and Forage Science i has a strong history of publishing science related to the role of legumes in grassland farming systems. Pasture legumes are uniquely placed to provide high-quality forage and biologically fixed nitrogen despite the challenges associated with the incorporation of legumes into grazing systems. A special theme issue on forage legumes in grassland systems appeared in June 2014 with an emphasis on European farming systems, e.g., Lüscher et al. (2014), although papers on evaluation and management of annual legumes were included (Ates et al., 2014). [Extracted from the article]

Greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine the effects of Rhizobium inoculation and addition of phosphorus to soil on the productivity and quality of the Texas range legumes Desmanthus illinoiensis (Michx.) MacMill. ex B.L. Rob. & Fernald, Desmanthus velutinus Scheele, Desmanthus virgatus (L.) Willd., and Neptunia lutea (Leavenw.) Benth. Phosphorus (P) fertilization was applied at 0, 40, 80, and 120 kg P ha-1 in Experiment 1 with half the pots also receiving D522-1/2 (a Desmanthus isolate). Experiment 2 consisted only the Desmanthus species and tested four different inoculant treatments (uninoculated control, inoculated with commercial cowpea Rhizobia, D522-1/2 from Desmanthus isolates, and L1145, a Leucaena isolate). Two soil treatments were used in Experiment 2, gamma radiation sterilized and unsterilized soil, to determine whether introduced Rhizobia were as effective as native populations. Shoot dry matter (DM) yield, root DM weight, and shoot nitrogen (N) and P concentration increased with increasing P application levels up to 80 kg P ha-1. Rhizobium strain D522-1/2 was an effective inoculant for all legumes when applied in combination with P fertilizer (Experiment 1). In sterilized P-deficient soil (Experiment 2), inoculation improved the parameters measured. In unsterilized soil, however, only D522-1/2 and L1145 improved shoot nitrogen concentration while the cowpea Rhizobium strain was detrimental in the case of D. velutinus. The low concentration of available soil P and the scarcity of active Rhizobium in the soil might be the cause of the slow establishment of native legume species in disturbed soils without native Rhizobia populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the use of fatty acid (FA) profiling in combination with chemometric modelling to verify claims for cow milk in terms of fresh grass feeding, pasture grazing and organic/biodynamic farming. The FA profile was determined for 113 tank milk samples collected in the Netherlands from 30 farms over four different months, and used to develop classification models based on the PLS-DA algorithm. Milk from cows with daily rations of fresh grass could be successfully distinguished from milk from cows with no fresh grass in their diet. Milk from cows at pasture could easily be distinguished from milk from stabled cows without fresh grass in the diet, but the correct prediction of milk from stabled cows fed fresh grass indoors proved difficult. The FA profile of organic/biodynamic milk was different compared to conventional milk but an unequivocal discrimination was not possible either in summer or in winter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]