Livestock grazing is a primary land use in drylands, where its exclusion is often implemented for ecosystem restoration. This approach assumes that removing livestock pressure facilitates passive recovery. We challenge this assumption by investigating the long-term effects of continuous grazing versus exclusion in an area fenced since 2001 on hillslope geomorphology, hydrology, and functional resilience in a temperate steppe on the Loess Plateau, Northwest China. Through field surveys and statistical modeling, we found that grazing and its exclusion create two distinct alternative ecosystem states. Long-term grazing can engineer a relatively stable and organized landscape of interconnected trails and vegetated patches. This biotic-geomorphic coupling enhances soil moisture by creating an efficient water-harvesting network. Conversely, grazing exclusion initiates a geomorphic regime shift: trails decay, the hydrological network collapses, and the landscape becomes dominated by disorganized rill erosion. Although exclusion increased above-ground biomass, this apparent recovery masked a state of geomorphic and hydrological degradation. The ungrazed system exhibited generally lower soil moisture and a reduced level of functional resilience, evidenced by lower temporal stability of belowground biomass and heightened sensitivity to precipitation. Our findings demonstrate that long-term grazing can maintain a hydrologically superior and more resilient ecosystem state. The uniform application of grazing exclusion may inadvertently dismantle critical landscape infrastructure, leading to a functionally degraded and less resilient ecosystem.
Abstract Calcic Chernozem and Light Calcic Calcisol are important agricultural soils of Kazakhstan’s steppe and arid zones. This study evaluated the relationships between humus quantity, humus fractional composition, and macro- and micronutrient availability in four contrasting agricultural soil profiles. Total humus content, humic- and fulvic-acid fractions, exchangeable cations, available macronutrients, DTPA-extractable Cu, Mn, Fe, Mo, and Co, and hot-water-extractable B were determined. The Calcic Chernozem profiles had higher total humus contents, reaching 3.81% in the surface horizon, and a greater relative contribution of humic-acid fractions, with Cₕₐ/C𝒻ₐ ratios of 1.2–2.0. In the Light Calcic Calcisol, surface-horizon humus contents ranged from 1.05 to 1.45%, while fulvic-acid fractions predominated, with ΣFA reaching 73.2% and CHA/CFA ratios of 0.1–0.2. Macro- and micronutrient concentrations varied markedly among profiles and horizons. Particularly low concentrations of hot-water-extractable B and DTPA-extractable Fe were observed in the Light Calcic Calcisol. Exploratory correlation analysis and PCA identified associations among humus fractions, soil chemical properties, and nutrient distribution. The first two principal components explained 82.5% of the total variance in the Calcic Chernozem and 84.5% in the Light Calcic Calcisol. Because each soil–management combination was represented by one field profile and the sites differed in climate, crop rotation, irrigation, fertilizer management, land-use history, and sampling date, the observed patterns should be interpreted cautiously. The findings support soil-specific fertility management focused on maintaining soil organic matter and assessing potential B and Fe deficiencies in low-humus calcareous soils.
The seasonal forage-livestock imbalance poses a critical challenge to sustainable pastoralism on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), where excessive livestock numbers and widespread grassland degradation have led to systemic energy deficits and diminished ecosystem functionality. This imbalance exacerbates forage shortages, particularly in winter, threatening both herder livelihoods and ecological stability. To meet rising livestock demands while ensuring long-term pasture resilience, it is essential to replenish forage resource deficits and strengthen coordination mechanisms that enhance system coupling across multiple dimensions. This study developed an integrated multidimensional framework to address these challenges through three key strategies: (1) type coupling, achieved by combination of annual and perennial legumes with grasses to maximize their yield (1D); (2) temporal coupling, optimizing forage availability by combining mowing of cultivated pastures with rotational grazing in natural pastures to ensure sufficient winter supplementary feed (2D); and (3) spatial coupling, improving regional forage distribution by strategically locating production zones and minimizing transport distances across the vast QTP (3D). We identified that the combination of annual/perennial and legume/grass forages in cultivated pastures enhanced type coupling (the degree of coordinated coupling can reach as high as 69.56, 56.85, and 49.66 between the first, second, and third harvests), with optimal configurations maximizing the benefits of winter supplementary feeding (compared to the summer season, its degree of coordinated coupling was approximately 4 points higher). We proposed a feasible strategy for maximizing inter-regional forage coupling by considering the forage deficit on the QTP and the supply resilience of adjacent regions. By synthesizing these approaches into a cross-scale model, this research provided a comprehensive conceptual framework, empirical data, and theoretical foundations for mitigating forage-livestock imbalances and promoting sustainable pastoral systems on the QTP.
This article discusses various methods of extracting valuable components from grape pomace, a byproduct of winemaking. Special attention is given to the effectiveness of traditional and innovative extraction methods, including solvent extraction, as well as new technologies such as solid-liquid extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, accelerated solvent extraction, and pressurized liquid extraction. For example, supercritical fluid extraction is a relatively new technique for extracting target analytes from solid matrices. Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction is based on the phenomenon of cavitation, where pressure ultrasound waves propagate, and the transfer of extractants is enhanced by high shear forces. Pressurized Liquid Extraction involves using 100% water as the solvent. The research results confirm the high potential of using grape pomace as a raw material for obtaining functional products with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The process of extracting bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, proteins, lignin, pectins, and oils, from food waste and by-products of winemaking is becoming an important alternative strategy. The most promising, efficient, sustainable, and environmentally friendly methods are supercritical extraction and ultrasound-assisted extraction.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:Understanding the genetic basis of growth and fat deposition is crucial for improving beef productivity in Kalmyk cattle, a breed well adapted to the extreme climatic conditions of Kazakhstan. The present study aimed to determine the effects of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CRTC2 and ELOVL6 genes on intramuscular fat content and to evaluate their associations with growth and meat quality traits in 18-month-old Kalmyk heifers raised under different environmental conditions. METHODS:A total of 400 clinically healthy Kalmyk heifers (200 from LLP "Qazaq Asyldary" and 200 from LLP "Agrofirma Turikpen") were examined. All animals originated from closed breeding herds, and only unrelated individuals without common ancestors to the third generation were included. Zootechnical measurements- live weight, withers height, chest depth, chest girth, and body length-were performed twice by a trained specialist. Backfat thickness and musculus longissimus dorsi depth were measured postmortem. Blood samples were collected for genomic DNA extraction using the GeneJET purification kit, and DNA quality was assessed by Nanodrop, Qubit, and agarose gel electrophoresis. Target fragments of CRTC2 and ELOVL6 were amplified (150-200 bp) and sequenced on an ABI 3500 system. SNP identification, allele frequencies, and genotyping were performed by alignment to the Bos taurus ARS-UCD1.2 reference genome. Statistical analyses were conducted in RStudio using linear and mixed models with "farm" as a random effect. RESULTS:Only one informative polymorphism, g.133528A>G in ELOVL6, was detected. Three genotypes (AA, AG, GG) were observed, with the heterozygous AG genotype showing significantly higher live weight, greater body length, and improved linear measurements compared to AA and GG. No significant associations were detected with backfat thickness or muscle depth. The g.133528A>G polymorphism in ELOVL6 positively influences growth traits without increasing fatness, aligning with the naturally lean phenotype of Kalmyk cattle. CONCLUSIONS:The AG genotype may serve as a promising marker for selecting faster-growing animals in marker-assisted breeding programs.
