Bitter vetch and sorghum grains are alternative local feed resources that are underutilized in the southern Mediterranean area. This study aimed to assess the effects of incorporating these grains into the diet of local goat breeds on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality. Twenty-four goat kids were divided into three groups. The control group received a conventional diet consisting of oat hay, barley, and fava beans. In the first group, fava beans were replaced with bitter vetch, and in the second group, barley was replaced with sorghum. At the end of the trial, the animals were slaughtered and carcass characteristics and meat fatty acid profiles of the longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle were determined. Alternative grain incorporation had no significant effect on the growth parameters. Still, it significantly affected carcass characteristics, especially in the sorghum group compared to the control group, where mesenteric fat was lower (266 vs. 437 g). The back color was lighter ($L^{*}=\mathrm{55.1}$ vs. 59.1) and less yellow ($a^{*}=-\mathrm{1.29}$ vs. 2.22). The diet also influenced the meat's chemical composition, with less protein and ash in the chevrons of animals receiving bitter vetch and sorghum grains, respectively. Regarding the fatty acid (FA) profile, sorghum grains had decreased C18:2 n-6 and polyunsaturated FA (PUFA), whereas bitter vetch grains had increased C18:3 n-3, elongase activity, and nutritive value index (NVI). The control group exhibited intermediate results for C15:0, C16:0, C16:1, C20:3 n-3, n-3, health promoting index (HPI), and thrombogenic index (TI). No significant effects were reported for saturated FA (SFA) and monounsaturated FA (MUFA). Bitter vetch and sorghum grains can be safely incorporated into fattening diets of goat kids.

Bitter vetch (Vicia ervilia (L.) Willd) is a promising legume, drought tolerant, mainly used in the Mediterranean area for its grains as a source of proteins in animal feed. However, it is an underused crop cultivated in marginal soils. Ecological, agro-morphological, and bromatological diversity evaluations were conducted to study its reintroduction potential. Seeds of seventeen ecotypes were collected in seventeen farms located in Northern Morocco in 2018. The cultivation was realised during the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons using a randomised complete block design with three replicates. Agro-morphological data were collected at the start of flowering, full flowering, and pod setting phenological stages. Yield component assessment and grain and straw bromatological characterisation were performed at maturity. The results indicated significant variations between ecotypes for almost all parameters and interesting results about yield (1 t ha^–1) but lower protein content (22.9% of dry matter) compared to other ecotypes of the Mediterranean region. The estimated genetic parameters could emphasise the possibility of selecting highly productive and nutritive cultivars. However, interannual variations were also detected, making the selection of the ecotypes harder. No significant correlations were observed between agro-morphological and bromatological traits of grains and geographical distances. Multivariate analyses (principal component analysis and heatmap) clustered ecotypes into five groups, where the ecotypes included in the second cluster were the most interesting candidates for developing high-yielding and nutritive varieties. That is why this plant could be considered of interest, especially in these times of climate change.

The root system is responsible for soil resources acquisition. Hence, optimizing crop root characteristics has considerable implications for agricultural production. This study evaluated a panel of twenty-eight European modern cultivars of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) cultivated in laboratory and field environments. Root morphology was screened using a high-throughput hydroponic growth system with two divergent nitrogen supplies. The panel showed an important diversity for biomass production and root morphological traits. Differences in root and shoot dry biomasses and lateral root length were mainly explained by the genotype, and differences in primary root length by nitrogen nutrition. The cultivars were tested in a pluriannual field trial. The field variation for yield and seed quality traits attributed to the genotype was more important than the year or the genotype × year interaction effects. The total root length measured at the seedling stage could predict the proportion of nitrogen taken up from the field and reallocated to seed organs, a component of the nitrogen use efficiency. The genetic interrelationship between cultivars, established with simple sequence repeat markers, indicated a very narrow genetic base. Positive correlations were found between the genetic distance measures, root morphological traits during nitrogen depletion and yield components. This study illustrates a root phenotyping screen in the laboratory with a proof of concept evaluation in the field. The results could assist future genetic improvements in oilseed rape for desirable root characteristics to reduce nutrient losses in the environment.

Field trials were conducted with two nitrogen applications (0 or 240 kg N ha⁻¹) and three modern cultivars of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) previously selected from a root morphology screen at a young developmental stage. The purpose is to examine the relationship between root morphology and Nitrogen Uptake Efficiency (NUpE) and to test the predictiveness of some canopy optical indices for seed quality and yield. A tube-rhizotron system was used to incorporate below-ground root growth information. Practically, clear tubes of one meter in length were installed in soil at an angle of 45°. The root development was followed with a camera at key growth stages in autumn (leaf development) and spring (stem elongation and flowering). Autumn was a critical time window to observe the root development, and exploration in deeper horizons (36–48 cm) was faster without any fertilization treatment. Analysis of the rhizotron images was challenging and it was not possible to clearly discriminate between cultivars. Canopy reflectance and leaf optical indices were measured with proximal sensors. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was a positive indicator of biomass and seed yield while the Nitrogen Balance Index (NBI) was a positive indicator of above-ground biomass N concentration at flowering and seed N concentration at harvest.