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This study aimed to evaluate the quality of Tanzania grass (Panicum maximum) haylage with varying contents of dry matter (DM) and stored for 90 days. The quality of this grass was evaluated through the lens of a variety of physiochemical properties (e.g., chemical composition, aerobic stability, pH, microbial profile, etc.). A completely randomized design was used with four treatments (in natura, 400, 500, and 600 g kg-1 DM) and five replicates. Treatment with 600 g kg-1 DM yielded the highest DM haylage (p < 0.01) and soluble carbohydrate content (p < 0.01). Treatment in natura resulted in the highest O2 concentration inside the bales (p < 0.01), whereas treatments with 500 and 600 g kg-1 DM resulted in the highest CO2 values. The highest acetic acid concentrations of 36.4 ± 1.6, 38.2±1.6, and 48.9 ± 1.6 g kg-1 DM (p < 0.01) were observed post the in natura, 500 g kg-1 DM, and 600 g kg-1 DM treatments, respectively. Treatment with 600 g kg-1 DM yielded the highest pH value at hour zero (p < 0.01). Tanzania grass with 500 and 600 g kg-1 DM produced the highest quality haylage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To quantitatively analyze the response of distributions and hydrogen isotopic compositions (δD) of plant leaf wax to moisture, and to better understand their implications for paleoclimatic reconstruction, we measured average chain length (ACL) and δD values of n-alkanes and n-fatty acids ( n-FAs) from Orinus kokonorica, a typical and representative plant in Lake Qinghai area, along a distance transect extending from lakeshore to wetland to dryland in the arid ecosystem. The results showed that the ACL values of n-alkanes and n-FAs were negatively correlated with soil water content (SWC) with R=0.593 and R=0.924, respectively. This is as a result of plant's response to water loss with more abundance in long-chain n-alkyl lipids under increasing aridity by analyzing relationships between the molecular ratios of long-chain n-alkyl lipids ( n-alkanes and n-FAs) from O. kokonorica and SWC. The δD values of C n-alkane and C n-FA were also negatively correlated with SWC with R=0.778 and R=0.760, respectively, which may due to enhanced D-enrichment in leaf water by evapotranspiration (soil water evaporation and leaf water transpiration) with increasing aridity. Our results demonstrated that moisture exerts a significant control on the ACL and δD values from O. kokonorica in an arid ecosystem. This preliminary study on a modern single plant ( O. kokonorica) sets a foundation for comprehending these values as quantitative proxies for paleo-humidity reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]