Malt bagasse is the primary solid waste product from the brewing process, with notable environmental implications. Due to its nutritional value, it has potential as animal feed, primarily through ensilage. Alfalfa pellets can enhance this silage by adding digestible nitrogen and fibre. However, the high moisture content favours microbial contamination, particularly by fungi like Fusarium, which produces harmful mycotoxins. This study evaluated the impact of winter silage on fungal diversity, Fusarium presence, and mycotoxin contamination in malt bagasse, comparing the pre- and post-silage stages with the addition of alfalfa pellets. Results showed a diverse range of fungi, including Mucor, Cladosporium, Fusarium, and Penicillium, as well as yeasts. Fungal contamination was higher before silage, although the addition of alfalfa increased it after silage was produced. Fusarium verticillioides was the most common Fusarium species. Mycotoxin analysis detected DON (1.4 ppb) in only one sample. A two-month winter silage process under cold-temperate conditions appears to reduce fungal contamination and preserve feed quality. These findings support silage as a circular strategy to manage brewery waste safely, but further research and policy measures are needed to minimise biological risks in the brewing and livestock sectors amid climate change.

Hypomagnesaemia (grass tetany) is a metabolic disorder of ruminants due to a reduced dietary intake of magnesium (primary deficiency), incorrect digestibility or associated metabolic factors reducing Mg intake (secondary deficiency). Grass tetany is a production disease responsible for important economic losses in beef herds from Argentina. Several factors influence the development of grass tetany in cattle, including physiological status, weather, soil and forage. This research described a retrospective analysis over the past 20 years, revising the cases of beef cattle clinical hypomagnesaemia registered at the Veterinary Diagnostic Service in INTA Balcarce, Argentina.

Stenocarpella maydis and S. macrospora are pathogenic fungi that cause Diplodia stalk rot and ear rot in maize. In Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, and Australia, S. maydis in feed causes neuromycotoxicosis in cattle and sheep. In Argentina, we analyzed corn samples from cattle feed without visible fungus and from corn fields in which animals had clinical signs of diplodiosis. Stenocarpella spp. were identified and characterized with conventional PCR. We did not detect S. macrospora in 6 samples; results in another sample were inconclusive. We identified S. maydis in the 5 corn samples consumed by animals that developed diplodiosis, suggesting that S. maydis may cause the disease in Argentina. Direct PCR testing of corn is an efficient method for the identification of S. maydis in feed. This testing could enable rapid decision-making in the field by predicting the onset of diplodiosis, thereby helping to prevent this mycotoxicosis.

Vacuoleless Gametophytes (VLG) is a DC1 domain-containing protein initially characterized as essential for the development of both female and male gametophytes in Arabidopsis thaliana. In addition, VLG regulates stamen development through the involvement in lignin and jasmonic acid biosynthesis pathways. In this work, we report that VLG is also involved in salt stress tolerance in A. thaliana. Under salt stress, VLG-knock-down plants exhibited reduced germination, root elongation, biomass accumulation, photosynthetic pigment content, along with diminished expression of key salt-responsive genes. Conversely, these plants accumulated higher anthocyanins, and reactive oxygen species (H₂O₂ and O₂⁻) compared to wilt type, indicating impaired oxidative stress control. In contrast, VLG-overexpressing plants showed a salt stress resistant phenotype with enhanced biomass and increased expression of salt-responsive genes under saline conditions. Together, these findings uncover an unexpected role for VLG as a positive regulator of salt tolerance, expanding the functional scope of DC1 domain proteins beyond reproductive development and providing new insights into plant mechanisms of abiotic stress resilience. .