Teff is the only cultivated cereal crop from the genus Eragrostis and it is the major staple food of Ethiopians. In Ethiopia, the quality of teff and its market price are primarily determined by its grain color. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of soil physicochemical characteristics across multiple locations in the two main teff growing regions of Amhara and Oromia states in Ethiopia on teff grain color and nutritional quality of a single variety. Grain and soil samples were collected from 24 field sites cultivated with the popular teff variety ‘Quncho’ (DZ-Cr-387/RIL-355). The teff grain samples collected from the 24 locations were evaluated for grain color, proximate composition, amino acid composition, and grain mineral concentration and the soil samples were analyzed for their physicochemical properties. Sample location means were considered different p < 0.05. Teff grain color indices of hue (H), saturation (S), and brightness (V), grain proximate composition, amino acid composition, and mineral concentration differed among locations (p < 0.05). There were significant negative correlations between grain S color value and soil pH, SOC, Ca, Mg, S, and Na. Soils with greater pH, SOC, Ca, Mg, and S generally had lower S values and thus, whiter color teff grains. There were considerable variations in the measured parameters for soil and teff grain physicochemical properties. The results indicated an opportunity for management interventions necessary to obtain uniformity in grain color and chemical composition for the same variety of teff grown in the two major regions in Ethiopia.

A 2-yr grazing study quantified pasture and animal responses of four forage systems (FS) grazed at two stocking rates (SR; 3 or 6 animals ha -1 ). Using "Marshall"annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and "Durana" white clover (Trifolium repens

Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz. is an annual oilseed crop within the Brassicaceae family. C. sativa has been grown since as early as 4000 BCE. In recent years, C. sativa received increased attention as a climate-resilient oilseed, seed meal, and biofuel (biodiesel and renewable or green diesel) crop. This renewed interest is reflected in the rapid rise in the number of peer-reviewed publications (>2300) containing “camelina” from 1997 to 2021. An overview of the origins of this ancient crop and its genetic diversity and its yield potential under hot and dry growing conditions is provided. The major biotic barriers that limit C. sativa production are summarized, including weed control, insect pests, and fungal, bacterial, and viral pathogens. Ecosystem services provided by C. sativa are also discussed. The profiles of seed oil and fatty acid composition and the many uses of seed meal and oil are discussed, including food, fodder, fuel, industrial, and medical benefits. Lastly, we outline strategies for improving this important and versatile crop to enhance its production globally in the face of a rapidly changing climate using molecular breeding, rhizosphere microbiota, genetic engineering, and genome editing approaches.

Dwindling supplies of fossil fuels and their deleterious impacts on human health and the global environment have intensified the search for substitute energy sources. Biodiesel has been identified as a promising renewable energy substitute for diesel fuel due to several comparable and sustainable properties. However, approximately 95% of biodiesel is derived from edible oil crops, threatening the current food supplies. Therefore, the biodiesel production potential from inexpensive, non-edible, and non-conventional bioenergy crops, such as Jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.), has attracted the attention of many researchers, policymakers, and industries globally. Jatropha is considered to be the second-generation biofuel feedstocks for biodiesel production. However, sustainable biodiesel generation from J. curcas oil has not yet been attained, owing to different socio-economic, ecological, and technical factors. This study aimed to synthesize the information from the existing literature on the present status and to identify the knowledge gaps for future research on Jatropha by providing comprehensive information regarding its origin and distribution, morphology, phenology, and reproduction, genetic diversity, its productivity, oil content, and fatty acid composition, the methodology used for extracting biodiesel, and agronomic, economic, and environmental aspects of biodiesel production. The germplasm screening of J. curcas and the exploration of its adaptability and agronomic potential across diverse climates are highly desired to promote this crop as an alternative biofuel crop, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. Moreover, future research should focus on developing, optimizing, and modernizing the technologies involving seed collection, the processing of seeds, oil extraction, and the production of biodiesel.

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Leaf stage-dependent defoliation is linked to the plant's physiological status and may be a more suitable criterion than time-based intervals for harvesting forage grasses, but no reports of research with annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.var. westerwoldicum) were found. To address this, a 2-year field study was carried out at Raymond, MS, on a Loring silt loam soil (fine-silty, mixed, thermic Typic Fragiudalfs). Forage production, morphological characteristics and nutritive value responses to defoliation based on leaf stage (2, 3 and 4 leaves per tiller) and two residual stubble heights (RSH; 5 and 10 cm) of a tetraploid ("Maximus") vs. a diploid ("Marshall") cultivar of annual ryegrass were quantified. Forage harvested, in 2011, increased linearly as leaf stage increased from 7.3 to 8.8 Mg/ha, but during 2012 was least (7.0 Mg/ha) at 3-leaf stage and similar at the other two leaf stages (7.6 Mg/ha). Tiller density was less for Maximus (1,191

Sowing date and sowing method can have a profound influence on the productivity of alternative crops like camelina in semiarid agroecosystems. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of sowing date, sowing method, and cultivar on morphology, phenology, grain yield, oil concentration, oil, and biodiesel production of camelina. A 2‐year study was carried out at the University of Nevada, Reno Main Station Field Laboratory, during the spring to early summer of 2016 and 2017. Treatments were two sowing dates (SD) of 18 March 2016 (early SD) and 17 April 2016 (late SD) in Year 1 and 11 April 2017 (early SD) and 11 May 2017 (late SD) in Year 2. The change in SD in the second year was due to the excessively wet field condition preventing land preparation and sowing. There were two sowing methods (SM) imposed (broadcast and drill) and three cultivars of camelina (Blaine Creek, Columbia, and Pronghorn) arranged in a 3 × 2 × 2 factorial in a randomized complete block design experiment with four replications. Responses were considered different if p < 0.05. Grain yield of camelina was influenced by SD in Year 1 and SD × SM interaction in Year 2. In Year 1, grain yield was greater for early (921 kg/ha) compared to late SD (503 kg/ha, SE = 101). In Year 2, for early SD grain yield was not different between SM (average = 594 kg/ha), but for late, it was greater for drill (676 kg/ha) than broadcast (130 kg/ha, SE = 75). For broadcast SM, grain yield was greater for early (587 kg/ha) compared to late SD (130 kg/ha, SE = 75), but for drill SM, grain yield was not different between SD (average = 639 kg/ha). Oil concentration was affected by SD in both years, and in Year 1, for example, it was greater for early (295 g/kg) versus late SD (284 g/kg SE = 2.7). Both oil and biodiesel production followed a similar pattern to grain yield in this study. Based on the magnitude of differences observed in both years of this study, late SD and broadcast sowing are not viable options for farmers who want to venture into camelina production in Nevada.

The objective of this two-year study (2016-2017 spring) carried out at the University of Nevada, Reno Main Station Field Laboratory, Reno, NV, was to evaluate the effects of nitrogen source, rate, and camelina cultivar on grain yield and potential biodiesel production irrigated with reclaimed water. Treatments were two sources of urea fertilizer [conventional urea (CU) and polymer-coated urea (PCU)], four N rates (0, 40, 80, and 120 kg N ha -1 ), and two cultivars of camelina ("Blaine Creek" and "Pronghorn") arranged in a 4 × 2 × 2 factorial combinations with four replications each in a RCBD experiment. Plot size was 7.6 m long × 1.8 m wide, and camelina was seeded at a rate of 5 kg PLS seed ha -1 .The quantity of light intercepted increased linearly from 44.9% to 65.9% as N application rate increased from 0 to 120 kg N ha -1 , and it was greater for CU (59.6%) compared to PCU (54.0%) fertilized plots. There was a linear increased in grain yield ranging from 534 to 1,010 kg/ha as N application rate increased from 0 to 120 kg N ha -1 . In Year 2, grain yield of Blaine Creek (898 kg/ha) was greater than that of Pronghorn (464 kg/ha). Also, there was a linear increase in estimated biodiesel from 51.2 to 94.2 L/ha as N application rate increased. For both grain and biodiesel production, there was no advantage of using controlledrelease PCU fertilizer and 80 to 120 kg N ha -1 is sufficient for the cultivation of camelina in this environment. Based on the range of grain yield obtained in this study, camelina can be a potential alternative crop to integrate into the annual crop production cycle in water-limited environments like Nevada.