To evaluate the differences in salt tolerance among new lines of bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon), identify key indicators for salt tolerance assessment, and thereby facilitate the breeding of new salt-tolerant cultivars, this study used 'Xinnong No. 1' bermudagrass as the control. Three new lines (C_138, C₂₂, C₆₃) were subjected to NaCl stress at concentrations of 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%, and 2.5% during both seed germination and seedling stages. Germination, growth, and physiological parameters were measured. A comprehensive evaluation of salt tolerance was conducted by integrating the entropy-weighted TOPSIS method, membership function analysis, and the Comprehensive Salt Tolerance Index (CSI). The results indicated that salt stress significantly inhibited seed germination and seedling growth of bermudagrass, with clear differential tolerance observed among the lines. C₁₃₈ demonstrated the best performance across both stages, maintaining relatively high levels of germination rate, vigor index, aboveground biomass, and leaf relative water content under salt stress. C₆₃ performed well under low to moderate salinity (≤1.0%). The entropy-weighted TOPSIS analysis revealed that germination potential and vigor index were major contributing factors during the germination stage, whereas aboveground and belowground biomass were key during the seedling stage. Based on the combined analysis of the membership function and CSI, the salt tolerance of the four bermudagrass materials was consistently ranked (from strongest to weakest) as follows: C₁₃₈, C₆₃, 'Xinnong No. 1' bermudagrass, and C_22. In summary, C₁₃₈ exhibits strong comprehensive salt tolerance and shows promise as an excellent material for saline-alkali land improvement, while C₆₃ is suitable for mildly saline environments. These findings provide a basis for the breeding and promotion of salt-tolerant bermudagrass varieties.

This research evaluated 18 accessions of Echinochloa frumentacea (Roxb.) Link germplasm in a pot experiment under 150 mmol / L NaCl stress at the seedling stage to screen for salt tolerance and establish a corresponding evaluation system. Twenty-four phenotypic traits, encompassing biomass, antioxidant enzyme activity, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and photosynthetic indices, were measured. The comprehensive salt tolerance index (D-value) of each accession was subsequently calculated. Principal component analysis (PCA), correlation analysis, membership function analysis, cluster analysis, and a comprehensive evaluation were then undertaken to systematically assess and classify the salt tolerance of the accessions. A predictive regression model for salt tolerance was developed using stepwise regression analysis. The results revealed significant differences between the salt-treated and control groups for all traits, with varying degrees of correlation among the 24 indicators. Based on the D-value-based hierarchical cluster analysis, the 18 accessions were classified into four groups: two highly salt-tolerant accessions, ten salt-tolerant accessions, five moderately salt-tolerant accessions, and one salt-sensitive accession. Among the highly salt-tolerant group, accession CF033297 exhibited superior salt tolerance and was identified as an elite germplasm resources for breeding salt-tolerant Echinochloa frumentacea Stepwise regression analysis further identified q_P, K⁺, Pn, F_v/F_m, Proline content, O₂^-, aboveground biomass, and root length as reliable indicators for evaluating seedling-stage salt tolerance in Echinochloa frumentacea.

This study investigated the effects of exogenous hormones on seed germination and seedling growth of Bromus inermis X12 under drought stress. PEG-6000 was used to simulate drought conditions, and a gradient test determined that 25% PEG represented the semi-lethal concentration. On this basis, the alleviating effects of melatonin (MT), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), and gibberellin (GA₃) were comparatively evaluated. The results showed that all three exogenous hormones could effectively alleviate the inhibitory effects of drought on seed germination and seedling growth. As hormone concentration increased, the germination percentage, germination potential, germination index, and vigor index first increased and then decreased, whereas leaf length and root volume continued to increase. After treatment with the highest concentration of MT and GA₃, the activities of antioxidant enzymes in leaves and roots reached their peak, and MDA content decreased to the lowest level. As MeJA concentration increased, the activity of antioxidant enzymes initially increased and then decreased. The comprehensive evaluation based on the membership function approach showed that GA₃ had the best promotion effect during the germination stage at 288.70 μmol/L and 144.35 μmol/L. The optimal concentrations at the seedling stage were 200 μmol/L for MT, 0.05 μmol/L for MeJA, and 577.41 μmol/L for GA₃.

high temperature stress is a key factor limiting the popularization and application of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), an important cool-season turfgrass, in southern China and transition zones. This study evaluated 7 wild tall fescue germplasm accessions and 1 commercial cultivar Barlexas Ⅱ (as the control)subjected to a day/night temperature of 40/30 ℃ to identify heat-tolerant germplasm resources. Morphology, physiology, photosynthesis, and antioxidant enzyme activities of tall fescue accessions were measured and the heat-tolerance was comprehensively evaluated by the membership function method. The results showed that there were significant differences in heat tolerance among the tested germplasm accessions. Among them, CF025472 had the highest comprehensive evaluation value, followed by CF017329; both were higher compared with Barlexas Ⅱ and exhibited stronger overall heat tolerance. In contrast, CF021913 and CF001317 had the lowest comprehensive evaluation values and were more sensitive to high temperature. The heat-tolerant accessions showed better water retention capacity, membrane stability, photosynthetic performance, and antioxidant regulation during heat stress. The elite heat-tolerant germplasm identified in this study can provide a material basis for heat-tolerance breeding in tall fescue.

To investigate the effects of priming with exogenous ascorbic acid (AsA) on the antioxidant performance of oat (Avena sativa) seedlings under different degrees of salt stress, oat seeds were primed with AsA solutions at concentrations of 0 (CK), 1, 2, and 4 mmol/L for 24 h. Standard germination test was conducted subsequently under NaCl stress (0, 75, and 150 mmol/L), and on the 10th day of germination, the activities of antioxidant enzymes and the levels of lipid peroxidation in the seedlings were measured. The results showed that germination percentage, germination index, and seedling vigor index of oat seeds were inhibited under 75 and 150 mmol/L NaCl stress, while mean germination time was prolonged, and H₂O₂ and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents increased significantly. The effect of exogenous AsA priming was concentration dependent. Treatment with 1 mmol/L AsA effectively promoted germination of oat seeds and enhanced antioxidant capacity of the seedlings under NaCl stress, whereas the 4 mmol/L treatment had the opposite effect. Compared with CK, priming with 1 mmol/L AsA significantly increased the germination percentage and germination index of oat seeds under 75 mmol/L NaCl stress. Meanwhile, the activities of antioxidant enzymes in the seedlings were significantly enhanced, and H₂O₂ and MDA content were significantly reduced. Therefore, priming with 1 mmol/L exogenous AsA can be used as an effective approach to improve the germination of oat seeds and the antioxidant performance of the seedlings under 75 mmol/L NaCl stress.

JUNGBRUNNEN1 (JUB1), a member of the NAC transcription factor family, plays a key role in delaying senescence and mediating responses to stress. However, the function in Medicago sativa remains largely unclear. In this study, the MsJUB1 gene was successfully cloned from the alfalfa cultivar GIB. The open reading frame was 936 bp in length and encoded 311 amino acids. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that the protein was a stable hydrophilic protein lacking both a signal peptide and a transmembrane domain. Analysis of cis acting elements showed that the promotor region of MsJUB1 contained multiple stress and hormone responsive elements, including those associated with defense and stress response, abscisic acid, methyl jasmonate, and gibberellin. Subcellular localization analysis demonstrated that MsJUB1 was localized in the nucleus, and yeast two-hybrid assays confirmed that it possessed transcriptional autoactivation activity. RT-qPCR analysis further showed that under NaCl treatment, MsJUB1 expression in the roots, stems and leaves of salt tolerant cultivar GIB initially decreased and then increased significantly with prolonged stress exposure. In contrast, expression in the roots and stems of the salt sensitive cultivar LS first increased and then declined, whereas expression in the leaves of LS decreased continuously over time. These expression patterns suggested that MsJUB1 was involved in salt stress response in M. sativa.

Alternate partial root-zone irrigation (APRI) is a water saving irrigation strategy that can enhance alfalfa yield but may compromise forage quality. However, it remains unclear whether fixed partial root-zone irrigation (FPRI) can improve biomass allocation and forage quality compared with APRI. A two-year pot experiment was conducted with six treatments: full irrigation (FI), deficit irrigation (DI), FPRI, APRI, alternate partial root-zone irrigation with low water (APRIL), and fixed root-zone irrigation with low water (FPRIL). Biomass allocation and forage quality of alfalfa were evaluated under each irrigation regime. The results showed that compared with FI, FPRI increased crude protein (CP) content of alfafa in the year of planting and two-year-old alfafa by 6.88 g/kg and 3.94 g/kg, reduced neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents of two-year-old alfafa by 46.01 g/kg and 30.10 g/kg, respectively, and increased the root shoot ratio of two-year-old alfafa by 32.76%. Compared with APRI, FPRI increased CP yield of alfafa in the year of planting and two-year-old alfafa by 1.07 g/pot and 0.38 g/pot, reduced ADF yield by 4.70 g/pot and 0.08 g/pot, increased aboveground biomass by 4.75% and 10.96%, increased underground biomass by 3.21% and 18.96%, increased root shoot ratio by 9.12% and 16.89%, respectively. Under further water deficit conditions, FPRIL reduced NDF and ADF yields of alfafa in the year of planting by 0.64 g/plot and 7.07 g/pot, respectively, and increased the root shoot ratio by 62.07%, compared with DI. Overall, fixed partial root-zone irrigation improved forage quality and optimized biomass allocation more effectively than alternate partial root-zone irrigation. These findings provide a theoretical basis for enhancing alfalfa quality and biomass allocation under water limited conditions.

This study investigated the effects of rhizobial inoculation on the growth and physiological characteristics of forage soybean (Glycine soja Sieb.et Zucc ‘Hybrid F S006’, hereafter referred to as S006) under different phosphorus (P) levels. A pot experiment was conducted using vermiculite as the growth medium, with five P application rates: P0 (0 g/kg), P1 (0.36 g/kg), P2 (0.54 g/kg), P3 (0.71 g/kg), and P4 (1.07 g/kg). At each P level, inoculated and non-inoculated (control, CK) treatments were established, and plant growth and physiological traits were measured 30 days after inoculation. The results showed that plant height, leaf length, leaf width, nodule number, nodule fresh weight, and catalase (CAT) activity, soluble sugar content all exhibited a unimodal response to increasing P supply, with peak values observed at the P2 level. This pattern indicated that low P supply promoted growth, whereas excessive P exerted an inhibitory effect. Rhizobial inoculation significantly improved plant growth and stress resistance across all P levels. Compared with the CK treatment, inoculation increased plant height by 50.44%-76.47%, enhanced CAT activity by 52.39%-111.50%, and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content by 16.38%-23.59%, thereby alleviating oxidative damage to cell membranes. In conclusion, the combination of rhizobial inoculation and the P2 level was most effective in promoting growth and improving physiological resistance in S006. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the coordinated application of phosphorus fertilizer and rhizobial inoculants in the efficient cultivation of forage soybean.

To examine the effects of photovoltaic panel shading on the quantitative characteristics of different plant communities and soil physicochemical properties in the grassland region of the Songnen Plain, a meadow steppe located at the National Photovoltaic Energy Storage Experimental Station in Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, was selected as the study site. Three plant communities dominated by Leymus chinensis, Puccinellia tenuiflora and Phragmites australis were investigated in the areas beneath photovoltaic panels and in adjacent inter panel space. Community characteristics, soil physicochemical properties, and their relationships were compared between these two habitats. The results showed that, among the three communities, the L. chinensis community beneath the panels had fewer species than that in the inter panel areas, and all α-diversity indices were significantly lower (P<0.05). However, its coverage, plant height, and aboveground biomass were significantly greater beneath the panels, increasing by 12.60%, 14.70% and 58.30%, respectively (P<0.05). In the P. australis community, coverage beneath the panels was significantly lower, whereas plant height was significantly greater than in the inter panel areas (P<0.05). In the P. tenuiflora community, coverage beneath the panels was significantly lower, aboveground biomass was significantly lower, with a decrease of 89.47% (P<0.05). For all three communities, soil moisture content beneath the panels was significantly higher than in the inter panel areas, while electrical conductivity was significantly lower (P<0.05). In the P. australis community, soil total nitrogen, available nitrogen, available potassium, and organic matter contents beneath the panels were significantly lower than those in the inter panel areas (P<0.05). In the P. tenuiflora community, soil total nitrogen and organic matter contents beneath the panels were significantly lower, whereas available phosphorus content was significantly higher (P<0.05). In the L. chinensis community, no significant differences were detected in soil properties other than moisture content and electrical conductivity. Correlation analysis revealed that soil moisture content was mostly significantly positively correlated with community coverage and aboveground biomass in both habitats, indicating that soil moisture content was a key soil factor regulating grassland productivity. In conclusion, photovoltaic panel shading increased soil moisture content and thereby promoted aboveground biomass accumulation in L. chinensis and P. tenuiflora communities.

Forage serves as the primary component of ruminant diets, and its digestibility directly determines the level of nutritional intake and production performance of animals, there by influencing the economic efficiency of livestock operations and the efficiency of resource utilization. To evaluate the relative importance of nutrients affecting forage digestibility, this study focused on eight typical grass species from the Hulunbuir Grassland in Inner Mongolia. A combination of statistical methods, including stepwise regression analysis, variance decomposition, principal component analysis, and dominance analysis, was employed to systematically compares the relative importance of macronutrients such as phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and sodium (Na), as well as micronutrients including iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), iodine (I), and selenium (Se) in influencing the digestibility of grass forage. The results showed that the variance contributions of macronutrients, micronutrients, and their interactions to the variation in gramineous forage digestibility were 36.61%, 22.38%, and 39.62%, respectively, indicating that both nutrient categories and their interactive effects significantly influence digestibility, with macronutrients contributing slightly more than micronutrients. Among macronutrients, the relative importance of individual elements on forage digestibility ranked as Ca>C>K>N>Na>P, with Ca and C playing particularly prominent roles. Among micronutrients, the relative importance followed the order of Mn>I>Se>Fe, with Mn exhibiting the strongest explanatory power.

As a pillar industry in the pastoral and agro pastoral regions of China, animal husbandry plays an essential role in ensuring national food security, ecological security, and income growth for herding households. With the rapid expansion of large-scale livestock production in pastoral areas, tensions between scale enlargement and production efficiency, as well as conflicts between grassland carrying capacity and livestock development, have become increasingly pronounced. Balancing production improvement with ecological protection has therefore become an urgent demand for the sustainable development of the pastoral sector. Based on survey data from 1 374 herding households, this study used a stochastic frontier production function (SFA) to estimate production technical efficiency and combined Tobit regression with a mediation effect model to examine the effects of operation scale and forage and livestock coupling on production efficiency. Robustness and heterogeneity tests were further conducted to verify the reliability of the results. The results showed that the average technical efficiency of the sampled households was 0.58, indicating a moderate to low level with substantial room for improvement. Technical efficiency was higher in the Gannan agro pastoral ecotone than in the pastoral areas of Hexi and Qinghai. Operation scale had a significant inverted U-shaped effect on technical efficiency. Moderate expansion of production scale improved efficiency by optimizing factor allocation, whereas excessive expansion reduced efficiency because of rising management costs and resource misallocation. Forage and livestock coupling also played a significant mediating role, not only directly enhancing production technical efficiency but also alleviating tensions between forage resources and livestock production. These findings suggest that promoting appropriately scaled operations, strengthening forage and livestock coupling, enhancing technical service support, and implementing region specific policies are essential for achieving coordinated improvements in production efficiency and ecological sustainability in pastoral animal husbandry.

With the continued development of the livestock industry and the growing imbalance between feed supply and demand, the utilization of crop straw as feed has become an important strategy for ensuring feed security and promoting sustainable agriculture. However, the inherent characteristics of crop straw, including high fiber content, low protein level, and structural recalcitrance, severely restrict its efficient utilization as animal feed. Microbial fermentation technologies, mainly silage fermentation and microbial pretreatment, can effectively degrade fiber, improve nutritional composition, and enhance palatability and digestibility through microbial metabolic activities, and have therefore become key biological approaches for promoting the feed utilization of crop straw. This review systematically summarized recent research progress and practical applications of microbial fermentation in the feed conversion of major crop straws, including maize, rice, wheat, soybean, peanut, sweet potato, and sunflower. Particular attention was given to differences in physicochemical properties among straw types and to corresponding fermentation strategies, including single material silage, mixed silage, and combined microbial and enzyme treatments. In addition, the review discussed the regulation of key fermentation parameters, the mechanisms underlying improvements in nutritional quality, and the effects of fermented straw feed on ruminant production performance and economic benefits. Current challenges in practical application were also highlighted, including limited adaptability of microbial inoculants, low process standardization, instability in large scale production, and insufficient monitoring methods. Future research should focus on developing highly efficient microbial agents tailored to specific straw types, clarifying the synergistic mechanisms between microorganisms and enzymes, advancing intelligent and standardized fermentation technologies, and establishing integrated industrial chain models. These efforts will provide systematic support for technological innovation and large scale application in straw feed utilization, and will contribute to the development of grain saving livestock production systems and a circular agricultural economy.

In the alpine pastoral regions of Xizang, sustainable livestock development is severely constrained by the shortage of forage during winter and spring-a shortage resulting from the frigid climate, shallow fertile soil layers, and fragile ecosystems. This study aimed to identify the optimal mixed sowing ratios of rye (Secale cereale L. 'Ganyin No. 1') and common cetch (Vicia sativa L. 'Lanjian No. 3'), along with optimal nitrogen (N) fertilization and irrigation regimes, to provide a scientific basis for high-yield and high-quality cultivated forage production in Naqu, Xizang. A completely randomized design with three factors at three levels was employed, comprising N fertilizer rates (0, 120, and 240 kg/hm²), irrigation levels (0, 10, and 20 mm), and mixed sowing ratios (rye monoculture, and rye-to- common vetch ratios of 1∶1 and 1∶2), resulting in 27 treatment combinations with three replicates each. The results indicated that the mixed sowing ratio significantly influenced both the production performance and nutritional quality of the forage. The treatment combination of a 1∶1 mixed sowing ratio, 20 mm irrigation, and 120 kg/hm² N fertilization achieved the highest hay yield (6 203.60 kg/hm²) and crude protein yield (1 498.73 kg/hm²). Under this optimal treatment, crude protein and ether extract contents significantly increased to 24.13% and 2.37%, respectively. Furthermore, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber recorded their lowest values (38.81% and 28.41%, respectively), yielding a high Relative Feed Value of 175.72. Therefore, for cultivated forage establishment in the alpine pastoral region of Naqu, Xizang, a 1:1 mixed sowing ratio of rye and common vetch, combined with 20 mm of irrigation and 120 kg/hm² of nitrogen fertilizer, is recommended to achieve high yield and quality.