In order to explore the effects of different silage inoculants on the silage quality of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), this study utilized six groups of experimental treatments and five kinds of additive treatments: Xinlaiwang I straw silage (group A), Xinlaiwang I alfalfa silage (group B), Zhuanglemei silage starter culture (group C), Baoshiqing (group D), Kangfuqing S lactic acid bacteria silage (group E), and another blank control group (CK group, distilled water). The effect of silage on fermentation characteristics and nutritional value of Adina alfalfa silage was studied by membership function analysis. The main study variable was inoculant strains. Alfalfa silage was packed into polyethylene plastic vacuum bags in the laboratory and sealed for 60 days. The silage was divided into six treatment groups with three replicates per group. The fermentation performance and nutrient composition of the silage were determined. The results showed that compared with the control group, adding Xinlaiwang I alfalfa silage (group B) could significantly increase the contents of crude protein (CP) and lactic acid (LA) in alfalfa silage (p < 0.05), decrease the contents of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF), and decrease the pH and ammoniacal nitrogen/total nitrogen (AN/TN). The results showed that different inoculants could improve the silage quality of alfalfa to different extent, and Xinlaiwang I alfalfa silage had the best effect.

In order to explore the effect of different silage microbial inoculants on the silage quality of WL358HQ Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), the test consists of the following six treatments: Xinlaiwang I—straw silage inoculant (A), Xinlaiwang I—alfalfa silage inoculant (B), Zhuang Le Mei silage inoculant (C), Baoshiqing (D), KOFASIL S lactic acid bacteria silage inoculant (E) and distilled water (F). Nutritional and fermentation indexes were determined after 60 days of natural fermentation at room temperature. The results showed that the contents of crude protein (CP) and water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) of the B treatment were higher than other treatments. The Relative Feed Value (RFV) of the B treatment was high, the lactic acid (LA) content of the B treatment was significantly increased (p < 0.05) and the contents of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), pH and ammoniacal nitrogen/total nitrogen (AN/TN) of the B treatment were low. The results showed that treatment B has the best ensilage effect and the highest ensilage membership function, which can effectively improve the quality of WL358 alfalfa silage.

(1) Background: The most important management measure and utilization method for grassland is grazing. The suitable beginning period of spring rest grazing in the alpine meadow was selected to provide a theoretical basis for more scientific management and sustainable utilization. The experimental site is located in the cold-season pasture of an alpine meadow, which is located in the eastern part of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. (2) Methods: We set up five treatments with the critical soil thawing period, the late soil thawing period, the grass reviving early period, the grass reviving late period with local traditional rest grazing period as the start time of rest grazing, and the grass withering period as the end time of rest grazing, recorded as P1, P2, P3, P4, and P5 (CK, control check). We studied the reproductive characteristics of the dominant plant, Polygonum viviparum, during different rest grazing periods. (3) Results: The results showed that, in general, P. viviparum was mainly involved in asexual reproduction and tended to have sexual reproduction with the rest of the grazing in advance. The biomass proportion of sexual reproduction organs and asexual reproduction organs in P1 were higher than those of other treatments, which were 704% and 20% higher than P5 (CK), respectively. The seed yields of P1 were 135%, 535%, 690%, and 1269% higher than P2–P5, respectively. The indices of P. viviparum seed quality in P5 were lower than those of the other treatments. The seed length, seed size, seed setting rate, and satiety grain weight ratio of P1 were higher than those of other treatments. We use the TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution) analysis method to comprehensively evaluate the indicators of the five plots. (4) Conclusions: It was concluded that the rest of the grazing from the critical period of soil thawing was conducive to the growth and sexual (seed) reproduction of P. viviparum. Therefore, the resting grazing period of alpine meadows in spring should start with the critical period of soil thawing.

Introduction: Grassland degradation is often accompanied by changes in the structure and function of soil microbial communities. However, the mechanisms by which the assembly of microbial functional communities is associated with alterations in soil carbon and nitrogen pools remain unclear. Methods: This study was conducted along a degradation gradient in a typical steppe of Inner Mongolia. Metagenomics, community null models, and structural equation modeling were used to examine microbial functional gene assembly, carbon and nitrogen cycling genes, and their associations with soil carbon and nitrogen pools. Results: The assembly of microbial functions shifted from being predominantly influenced by stochastic processes to deterministic processes, with the strongest deterministic filtering observed during the moderate degradation stage. The abundance of the aerobic oxidation gene porA decreased with increasing degradation, whereas fermentation genes, including ldh and atoB, increased significantly during moderate degradation. Denitrification genes, including narG, nirK, norB, and nosZ, reached their highest abundance during the heavy degradation stage. Mineral-associated organic carbon exhibited a nonlinear pattern characterized by an initial increase followed by a decrease. Structural equation modeling revealed that microbial biomass carbon was the central variable linking microbial functional differentiation with changes in soil carbon and nitrogen pools. During the heavy degradation stage, soil ammonium nitrogen showed a numerical increase, suggesting that nitrogen released from mineral-associated organic carbon decomposition may be predominantly converted into inorganic forms. Discussion: These findings indicate that the threshold-like decline of microbial biomass carbon, rather than specific restructuring of functional gene profiles, was closely associated with the collapse of stable carbon-nitrogen pool stability during grassland degradation. Changes in functional genes may therefore represent responsive signals accompanying microbial biomass carbon attenuation. The continuous decrease in microbial biomass carbon and associated shifts in functional gene ratios may serve as potential indicators of declining carbon-nitrogen stability in grassland soils.

Arundo donax L. is a significant energy crop and perennial grass, with its efficient conversion holding substantial implications for the utilization of agricultural biomass resources. However, the distinct effects of acid and alkali pretreatments on its lignocellulose degradation patterns and structural modifications remain inadequately characterized. This study utilized Arundo donax L. as raw material to compare the effects of dilute sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide pretreatments on its component degradation and structural modifications. Single-factor experiments were conducted, and the mechanisms were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses. The results indicated that dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment primarily degraded hemicellulose (up to 85.8%) with limited lignin removal (<13%), whereas sodium hydroxide pretreatment effectively removed lignin (66.8%). XRD analysis revealed that crystallinity after dilute acid treatment was significantly higher than that of untreated samples (p < 0.05). Sodium hydroxide treatment induced a concentration-dependent non-monotonic change in crystallinity: the crystallinity index (CrI) peaked at a 1% concentration, was significantly lower at 3% and 4%, and showed intermediate values at 2% and 5%. The apparent crystallite size remained at 3.0–3.3 nm, suggesting that both pretreatments primarily targeted amorphous regions. FTIR analysis confirmed that alkali treatment more thoroughly disrupted ester bonds and lignin. SEM images revealed that alkali-treated fiber bundles were more loosely packed with relatively smoother surfaces. In acid treatment, 100 °C was identified as the critical temperature for a significant increase in crystallinity, whereas in alkali treatment, temperature had no significant effect on crystallinity.

To promote the utilization of sunflower straw resources, we conducted composting experiments in winter and summer with microbial inoculants to explore the effects of season and inoculant addition on physicochemical properties and microbial diversity during composting.The results indicated that both season and microbial agents significantly influenced the physicochemical characteristics of the compost, as well as the diversity and abundance of bacteria and fungi. On day 15 of composting, the application of the FAB (Commercial composite microbial inoculant+Candida utilis+Bacillus licheniformis) inoculant in the summer effectively promoted the humification of organic matter and enhanced nitrification. Furthermore, a distinct seasonal difference in its effect on phosphorus transformation was observed earlier, on day 5. While the FAB inoculant promoted phosphorus transformation in winter, it inhibited the process in summer. In the winter treatments, the relative abundance of Firmicutes ranged from 24.58 % to 30.70 %, which was higher than that in the summer treatments (12.49 %-28.16 %). In summer, the abundance of Proteobacteria followed the order FBX (Commercial composite microbial inoculant+Bacillus licheniformis) > FABX (Commercial composite microbial inoculant+Candida utilis+Bacillus licheniformis) > BX (Bacillus licheniformis) > ABX (Candida utilis+Bacillus licheniformis), with the relative abundance of Proteobacteria in the CKX group being 16.52 %. In contrast, all groups in winter exhibited the opposite trend, with the CK group showing the highest abundance. Certain fungal phyla exhibited contrasting seasonal distribution patterns: Basidiomycota was significantly enriched during winter, with its relative abundance reaching 27.36 % in the FB group, while Fungi_phy_Incertae_sedis predominated in summer, with a relative abundance of 19.38 % in the BX group. Correlation analysis further revealed that total potassium (TK), organic matter (OM), and nitrate nitrogen (NO₃^--N) were significantly correlated with bacterial community composition. The fungal community composition, on the other hand, was correlated with factors such as total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), TK, ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N), OM, the C/N ratio (C/N), and NO₃^--N.