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Özkan, Ş., Hill, J., & Cullen, B. (2014). Effect of climate variability on pasture-based dairy feeding systems in south-east Australia. Animal Production Science, 55(9), 1106–1116.
Abstract: The Australian dairy industry relies primarily on pasture for its feed supply. However, the variability in climate affects plant growth, leading to uncertainty in dryland pasture supply. This paper models the impact of climate variability on pasture production and examines the potential of two pasture-based dairy feeding systems: (1) to experience winter deficits; (2) to carry forward the conserved pasture surpluses as silage for future use; and (3) to conserve pasture surpluses as hay. The two dairy feeding systems examined were a traditional perennial ryegrass-based feeding system (ryegrass max. – RM) and a system that incorporated double cropping into the perennial ryegrass pasture base (complementary forage – CF). The conditional probability of the RM and CF systems to generate pasture deficits in winter were 94% and 96%, respectively. Both systems could carry forward the surplus silage into the following lactation almost once in every 4-5 years with the RM system performing slightly better than the CF system. The proportions of the grain-based concentrates fed in the two systems were 25% and 27% for the RM and CF systems, respectively. This study suggests that double-cropping systems have the potential to provide high-quality feed to support the feed gaps when pasture is not available due to increased variability in climatic conditions.
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Krzyszczak, J. R., Baranowski, P., & Sławiński, C. (2014). CO2 flux measurements in the vegetation period of winter wheat in Lubelskie province. FACCE MACSUR Mid-term Scientific Conference, 3(S) Sassari, Italy.
Abstract: The assessment of net ecosystem exchange and respiration of ecosystem of terrestrial ecosystems is necessary to improve our knowledge about carbon cycle in nature. Here we present measurements of CO2 fluxes for a winter wheat temperate climate ecosystem (buckwheat in the previous years) located in the Lubelskie province (eastern Poland) using a closed dynamic chamber system over a 2013 vegetation season. Measurements of carbon dioxide emission from soils and its assimilation by plants were carried out on a typical for Lubelskie highland arable land located in the Stany Nowe (N50o49’17.0555”, E22o16’28.51”, height 243m above sea level) using the set of two chambers (transparent and dark). Carbon dioxide fluxes have been measured by EGM-4 PP Systems sensor during fixed stages of the plant growing season. During the experiment carbon emission from soil ranged from 151 to 764 mg C·m-2·h-1 and its assimilation by plants ranged from -148 (emission) to 1585 mg C·m-2·h-1. We found substantial differences in emission and assimilation of carbon in the winter wheat ecosystem. This, along with other measurements (meteorological factors and soil and plant parameters) carried out in the Stany Nowe can be used as a high quality data to verify various models of emission of greenhouse gases. The chamber technique occurs to be a useful tool for determining carbon dioxide exchange between ecosystem surface and the atmosphere.
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Saetnan, E. R., & Veneman, J. B. (2014). MitiGate: an On-line Meta-Analysis Database of Mitigation Strategies for Enteric Methane Emissions. FACCE MACSUR Mid-term Scientific Conference, 3(S) Sassari, Italy.
Abstract: The animal science sector has seen a proliferation of potential mitigation strategies, aimed at tackling emissions from enteric fermentation in ruminant livestock production. By bringing together data from studies on the many mitigation options available through a structured meta-analytical approach, it is possible to evaluate the overall mitigation potential for these broad strategies as well as exploring the many factors influencing the potential of CH4 mitigation strategies. Such quantification of the different mitigation strategies will allow for better estimation of mitigation potential on different levels (animal, farm and sector scale) in modelling efforts. Also quantification is important to determine the strategies that show the best potential in lowering methane emissions and hence can be instrumental in policy recommendations. A database has been established through an initial extensive structured search of published literature on the topic. For each relevant paper identified, a range of meta-data have been extracted including information on the study design, mitigation strategy, animal husbandry, diet and methane emissions. By creating a database with multiple levels of moderator coding, we have provided a flexible platform for future meta-analyses at many levels of aggregation. Studies can then in future be aggregated at the level most appropriate for specific modelling or policy recommendations. This comprehensive database is being made available on-line through a user-friendly web interface. The web-site provides a facility for open access to the database, as well as future updates of the database as more research is published on the topic.
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Hutchings, N., & Kipling, R. (2014). Inventory of farm-scale models within LiveM (Vol. 3).
Abstract: The aim of WP3 is to improve the assessment of the impact of climate change on livestock and grassland systems at the farm-scale. The first step in this process is to understand the current state of the art in farm-scale modelling, and the resources available within the MACSUR knowledge hub. Here, an inventory of the farm-scale models available within LiveM is presented, along with a summary of the types of model represented. Thirteen farm-scale models were identified, three of which focus on environmental aspects of farm systems (GHG emissions etc.) and ten of which focus on management strategies (productivity, economics etc.).
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Pohanková, E., Hlavinka, P., Kersebaum, K. C., Dubrovský, M., Fischer, M., Balek, J., et al. (2015). Pilot study: Field crop rotations modeling under present and future conditions in the Czech Republic using HERMES model (Vol. 5).
Abstract: The aim of this study is to compare the water and organic material balance, yields and other aspects estimated within crop rotations by the Hermes crop model for present and future climatic conditions in the Czech Republic. Moreover, this is a pilot study for the complex and continuous crop rotations modeling (using both single crop models and ensembles) in connection with transient climate change scenarios. For this purpose, three locations representing important agricultural regions of the Czech Republic (with different climatic conditions) were selected. The crop rotation (including spring barley, silage maize, winter wheat, winter rape, and winter wheat in the listed order) was simulated from 1981-2080. The period 1981-2010 was covered by measured meteorological data, and the period 2011-2080 was represented by a transient synthetic weather series from the weather generator M&Rfi. The generated data was based on five circulation models representing an ensemble of 18 CMIP3 global circulation models to preserve to a large degree the uncertainty of the original ensemble. Two types of crop management were compared, and the influences of soil quality, increasing atmospheric CO2 and magnitude of adaptation measure (in the form of sowing date changes) were also considered. According to the results, if a “dry” scenario (such as GFCM21) would occur, then all the C3 crops produced in drier regions would be devastated in a significant number of seasons; for example, by the 2070s, up to 19.5%, 21.5% and 47.0% of seasons with winter rape, spring barley and winter wheat, respectively, would have a yield level below 50% of the present yield. Negative impacts are likely even on premium-quality soils regardless of the use of a flexible sowing date and accounting for increasing CO2 concentrations. Moreover, in some cases, the use of catch crops can have negative impacts, exacerbating the soil water deficit for the subsequent crops. This study (submitted to Climate Research journal) will be used as a pilot for subsequent activities. In this area, following calculations (the same set of stations and updated climate scenarios) using growth models ensemble (currently includes 12 modeling approaches) started to estimate uncertainty aspects. Consequently, the analysis within wider range of conditions (across continents) and farming methods will be conducted. No Label
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