Mixed-species grazing offers a means to diversify livestock production systems for cool-temperate regions typified by the Appalachian plateau of the USA. Our objective was to determine how mixed grazing influenced herbage and animal production, and sward botanical composition of three grazing systems including cattle and sheep. Three replicated systems were as follows: (A) cattle only with winter grazing; (B) cattle and sheep with winter grazing; and (C) cattle and sheep without winter grazing. Herbage mass and growth rate differed by grazing period; system C had the lowest growth rate and showed an interaction of system and grazing period. The proportion of grass in the sward differed by period, and the legume component was influenced by an interaction of system and period. Forbs and dead were influenced by period and sampling location. Herbage crude protein was not influenced by treatment. Herbage fiber components and lignin were consistently higher during the second grazing period. Steers performed similarly in all systems, but total gains varied with year. Lambs in the system without a winter grazing component were heavier than lambs in the system with a winter grazing component. Live weight gains were modest. Lamb fecal egg count was higher in the system with a winter grazing component; however, the fecal egg count per gram was relatively low throughout the experiment. Animal productivity differed with year and tended to be slightly greater for the system without a winter grazing component. Our findings suggest that livestock production systems that included mixed-species grazing and extended-season grazing practices contributed to desirable changes in botanical composition and improved herbage productivity patterns, especially in years with ample precipitation. The practices could be used to drive pasture composition by modifying relative abundance of various plant functional groups.

Parasitic gastro-intestinal nematodes (GIN) are a serious challenge to sustainable small ruminant health and performance on pasture. Management practices including protein supplementation can help mitigate the deleterious effects of GIN and sustain livestock performance. We postulated that a combination of protein supplementation and grazing management would suppress GIN infection and contribute to marketable lamb gain in organic and conventional production systems. Objectives were to determine if performance and GIN infection of weaned lambs on pasture were influenced by 1) protein supplementation; 2) protein supplement source that included rumen undegradable protein (RUP) with the addition of a fish oil treatment to address energy concentration in the feed supplement; and 3) protein supplementation with RUP based on body mass and grazing interval duration. We found that lambs supplemented with RUP had increased BW and PCV, and reduced FEC and FAMACHA (c) scores. Body weight gains increased as the corn-fishmeal supplement was increased from 1 % to 2 % BW. Parasitized lambs may have increased dietary protein requirements that can be met in part by provision of RUP in the form of fish meal. Our work demonstrates the practical success of improved animal performance with protein supplementation based on body weight, and the importance of protein supplement source. The RUP supplement, such as fish meal, appears to have significant bearing on immunological responses as inferred from observed changes in FEC associated with the target GIN, H. contortus.

Forbs and browse species acquire and use nutrients at different times and from different resource sites compared with co-occurring grasses and legumes in complex pasture communities. Turnip is a cool-season biennial that produces roots and foliage, both of which can be grazed by livestock. Forage rape is a biennial that produces a more fibrous and deeper root system than turnip, without the fleshy tub. Silvopasture is an integrated agro-ecosystem that involves the managed interaction of trees, forages, and livestock grown on the same site. It is a common land management practice used throughout the world that offers a means to diversify production and enhance income-generating possibilities on a limited land area. Woody and herbaceous plants, other than traditional forages, can be considered browse and managed as companion or cover crops in silvopasture. Browse species have greater amounts and a greater variety of plant secondary metabolites than do grasses.

This research aided in determining the impacts on rumen microbial ecology when supplemental forages and feedstuffs were added for 48 h after an initial 24-h in vitro rumen fermentation of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) hay. Short-term shifts in bovine rumen community structure (bacteria, archea, protozoa, and fungi) resulting from each separate forage and feedstuff addition were measured using unique operational taxonomic units (OTU)s contained in terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) profiles. The Tukey Vacuum Cleaner Analysis (TVCA) model of bacteria accounted for 66.3% of the treatment variance and OTUs clustered into 3 distinct groupings. The model developed for TVCA analysis of archaea accounted for 76.6% of the treatment variance and OTUs clustered into 2 distinct groupings. The TVCA treatment variance of protozoa accounted for 75.8% and OTUs clustered into 3 distinct groupings. Additions of various forages and feedstuffs did not result in shifts in fungal community structure in the short-term experiment. Our results demonstrate that the rumen ecology using initial T-RFLP profiles in vitro of bacteria, archaea, and protozoa and a TVCA analysis can identify pattern groupings of forages and feedstuffs. Groupings of forages and feedstuffs can help refine supplementation for improved nutritional management of ruminants.

excess N deposited on the ground via urine or feces and not captured within the soil and plant complex, negatively impacts producer income, and increases the potential for N compounds to enter the atmosphere and water resources [3,4].In 2001, van Aardenne, et al. [5] indicated that 70% of NH 3 and 30% of N 2 O released into the environment is livestock related.Since the use of N fertilizer improves plant and system productivity, an accurate and affordable way to estimate grazer N use efficiency would be highly beneficial for improving pasture systems.Increasingly, models are being developed and utilized for predicting farm nutrient flow and use efficiency [6,7].Although models can be useful tools, it is extremely vital that they are capable of providing realistic information, especially when research conclusions, and management and political decisions are based on their outputs.Nevertheless, assessment of the efficacy of these models is only possible if measured data is available in different regions of the world.Animal nutrient usage models are primarily developed from confined animal studies where nutrient intake and dry matter intake (DMI), and excretion rates are easily accounted for.In grazing studies

Pastures in the Appalachian region of the United States comprise a mix of grasses, legumes and forbs that tend to differ in productivity within and among years. A high degree of spatial variability in hill-land pasture creates microsite conditions that influence botanical composition of pasture. The variation in sward composition presents logistical challenges to livestock producers who rely on a dependable supply of herbage mass and nutritive value to meet production goals. Our objective was to determine if forage communities sown for specific functions, for example, superior dry matter productivity, resource patch exploitation or targeted seasonal production, adapted to changing growing conditions within and among years. Productivity of communities differed among years reflecting the cumulative influences of time, ontogenetic and environmental variations. Maximum productivity was influenced by the specific forage community and less so by simple clipping and fertiliser management. Naturalised swards clipped to emulate hay management tended to have sustained herbage productivity but lower nutritive value when compared to sown communities. Rankings of dry matter productivity of communities were similar for each year where bioactive composition, high productivity and warm season tended to produce the most, and stoloniferous-rhizomatous and naturalised pasture the least. Regardless of initial sward composition, effective number of species as an index of diversity increased when frequently clipped swards were not fertilised, and when infrequently clipped swards were fertilised. Dry matter production patterns were not influenced by the effective number of species in any forage community suggesting that key species sustained productivity with volunteer species making lesser contribution to total productivity. The species composition of forage plant communities appears to be more important than clipping or fertiliser management practices as a means to sustain forage productivity.

Many cool-season grass species have evolved with asexual, nonsymptomatic fungal endophytes of the genus Epichloë (formerly Neotyphodium) of the family Clavicipitaceae. These associations range from parasitic to mutualistic and have dramatic effects on grass host chemistry, increasing resistance to abiotic (drought, soil mineral imbalance) and biotic (vertebrate and invertebrate herbivory, nematodes, plant pathogens, plant competition) stresses. Native endophyte strains produce a range of bioprotective alkaloid and other nonalkaloid secondary compounds, several of them known to have detrimental effects on grazing animals. In the past two decades, epichloid endophyte strains have been selected with marginal or no capacity of producing ergot and/or lolitrem alkaloids. These novel endophyte strains have been introduced to several grass cultivars with the idea to increase grass host resistance to abiotic stresses without hindering grazing livestock, and abiotic stresses to ensure high competitive ability of symbiotic grass cultivars. In this presentation, we discuss mechanisms underlying the competitiveness of epichloid endophyte/grass associations and consequences of endophyte infection for grassland ecosystem functions.

High-tannin forages can be used to help mitigate the serious limitations associated with gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections on efficient small ruminant production. The objective of this experiment was to determine how grazing a GIN-free, established stand of a high-tannin cultivar of birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) influenced the prevention or treatment of Haemonchus contortus (Hc) infection in lambs. A birdsfoot trefoil-enriched pasture was established on an area that was previously row cropped and not grazed for at least 15 yr. Treatments included preventative (PREV) with parasite-naïve lambs transitioned onto pasture 1 wk prior to receiving an infection of 10,000 Hc larvae, therapy (THER) with parasite-naïve lambs infected with 10,000 Hc larvae 4 wk prior to the start of grazing, and control (CONT) with naïve, uninfected lambs to verify that natural infection did not occur on pasture. Each treatment group of 12 Suffolk crossbred lambs was divided into 3 replicates per treatment, and all were supplemented with a grain mix to provide 16% CP. Fecal egg count (FEC, eggs/g wet feces) in THER lambs peaked 1 wk after the start of grazing (9,404) and after 4 wk fell to 1,068, equivalent to a FEC reduction of 88.6%. Lambs in PREV had a peak FEC of 4872 at 4 wk after infection where peak FEC was 48% less in PREV than THER lambs. Lambs in CONT did not have measurable FEC for the duration of this study. Packed cell volume (PCV, %) reflected infection status of the lambs in each group, where CONT (32%) had the highest (P < 0.05) PCV followed by THER (29%) and PREV (26%). Total weight gained in CONT lambs was greatest at 5.51 kg (P < 0.01), whereas THER and PREV (2.68 and 2.97 kg, respectively) did not differ. Grazing birdsfoot trefoil-enriched pasture can have both therapeutic and preventative effects on Hc infection in lambs and can be used in a systems approach to control GIN parasites in grazing sheep.

High yielding perennial grasses could integrate bioenergy-livestock operations, thereby, offsetting diversions of cropland to lignocellulosic crops, but research is needed to determine chemical composition and digestibility of leaf and stem fractions that might affect downstream reside uses. The objective of this study was to compare feedstock quality of leaf and stem tissues of dedicated bioenergy feedstocks: giant miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus), giant reed (Arundo donax), and miscane (Saccharum hybrid × Miscanthus spp.) when grown with or without supplemental irrigation on an upland site. Three species were space-planted on a silt loam soil in March 2007 and harvested prior to the first freeze in plant-cane, first ratoon, and second-ratoon crops for three years. Giant miscanthus leaf tissue had greatest acid detergent lignin and cellulose, and lowest concentrations of nitrogen (N) and total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC) in ratoon crops. Giant reed leaf tissue had greatest concentrations of in vitro digestible dry matter (IVDMD), TNC, and N (P ≤ 0.05). Conversely, miscane stem tissue had greatest concentrations of IVDMD, TNC, hemicellulose, and low dry matter and combustible energy (P ≤ 0.05). Results suggest all species’ residue has positive feedstock attributes for thermochemical bioenergy conversion, and albeit giant miscanthus has very little potential value as fodder. Miscane stem and giant reed leaf tissue have potential value as livestock feed, although giant reed is not currently recommended for planting. Further research is needed on dietary composition, acceptability, voluntary intake, and live weight gain before any of these species are recommended as livestock feed sources.

Use of perennial bioenergy grasses would be enhanced if they produced sustainable ratoon crops across a wide geographic region. Our objective was to compare ratoon cold tolerance (defined as shoot emergence during the first-ratoon crop), and plant cane dry mass yield and feedstock quality [acid detergent lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC), and combustible energy] of elephantgrass (Pennisetum purpureum), Old World Erianthus (Saccharum arundinaceum, formerly E. arundinaceus, subsequently referred to as Erianthus), and sugarcane (Saccharum sp. hybrids). The experiment (Test 1) was conducted near Booneville, Arkansas (35.08°N latitude) and consisted of three varieties of elephantgrass and Erianthus, and six of sugarcane, evaluated in plant cane (first year growth, 2008) and first-ratoon (second year growth, 2009). The experiment was repeated in 2009–2010 (Test 2). Absolute minimum air temperatures were −12.7 and −17.3°C in Test 1 and 2, respectively. Second-year emergence in Test 1 was in the order sugarcane=Erianthus (92%)>elephantgrass (25%). In Test 2, sugarcane and Erianthus had 63 and 3% second-year emergence, respectively, whereas elephantgrass shoots did not emerge. Elephantgrass had twice the plant cane yield of the other species. Feedstock quality was generally similar among species, although sugarcane had greater TNC (220gkg−1) than other species (≤131gkg−1). Poor ratooning of all 12 varieties would limit their use as perennial bioenergy feedstocks in similar environments, however, breeders using germplasm selected under these conditions could ultimately enhance ratoon cold tolerance of commercial sugarcane varieties for more southerly latitudes.

Silvopastoral management strategies seek to expand spatial and temporal boundaries of forage production and promote ecosystem integrity through a combination of tree thinning and understory pastures. We determined the effects of water extracts of leaf litter from three species of overstory hardwood trees, yellow poplar, red maple, and white oak, on germination of common forage species: alfalfa, red and white clover, crabgrass, orchardgrass, and tall fescue without and with endophytes to increase understanding about potential interactions between silvopastures and overstory deciduous trees. Litter extracts reduced germination in red and white clover in a concentration dependent manner with greatest effects observed for poplar > maple > oak extracts. These reductions were linearly related to increasing osmolality and electrical conductivity of the leaf extracts. Modified Gompertz growth curve models, fit to data, further indicated treatment with litter extracts, especially poplar, delayed and slowed germination. Similarly, cumulative germination of a variety of grasses was inhibited by filtered 6 % (w/v) litter extracts with the effects of poplar > maple > oak. However, germination of all forages resumed after rinsing extract-treated seeds with water indicating inhibition could be due, in part, to osmotic effects of extracts or water-soluble allelopathic compounds. Final germination varied with forage species and extract type, but in most instances, did not reach the level of the control further suggesting specific ion toxicities as well. Management practices that account for the interactions between trees and forages are needed to ensure successful establishment and persistence of mixed species swards in silvopastoral systems.

Demand for livestock food products is projected to increase dramatically through to 2050. Increased livestock production capacity on marginal lands will be critical to meeting this demand. A 5-year research effort was undertaken to evaluate lamb and sward productivity within open and hardwood silvopasture (SP) systems in Appalachia, USA. Grazing began in mid to late April each year, with the grazing season averaging 141d. Grazing system treatments during 2002 and 2003 grazing seasons were as follows: 100% open pasture (OP), 67% OP and 33% SP, and 67% OP and 33% SP with delayed SP grazing initiation (OSD). In 2004, a 100% SP (SP) system was added. Animals were rotationally stocked through either 6 (2002-2004) or 7 (2005-2006) paddocks. Open pasture produced greater (P<0001) grazing season herbage yield, while all systems generated similar animal performance. Based on summer solstice, herbage production in spring was greater (P<0001) than summer, except in 2003. Total non-structural carbohydrate (TNC) content was greater (P<005) in spring than in summer, except in 2004. Animal performance was superior in spring versus summer (P<0001). Animal plasma urea nitrogen (PUN) was lower (P<005) for OP in 2003. When PUN was correlated with nutritive value indicators, the ratio of TNC to crude protein (CP) had the strongest correlation. The strong correlation indicates the need for synchronized ruminal energy and CP availability. Development of silvopasture from existing woodlots has potential to improve whole farm productivity on marginal lands.

Winter grazing can help reduce the need for purchased feeds in livestock production systems, when finishing cattle on pasture. Our objective was to evaluate the influence of stocking density and grazing stockpiled forage on performance of yearling steers during winter. Three grasslands were winter grazed for two years: I, naturalized pastureland, and II and III, sown and managed for hay production during the growing season but grazed in winter. Two stocking densities were used: low 7.41 and high 12.35 steers ha −1 . Herbage mass was estimated before and after each grazing event, and disappearance (consumption, weathering, and trampling) was the difference between both. Forage mass and residual differed by stocking density (SD), year (YR), and grazing interval (GI), and disappearance differed by YR and GI. Grass and dead constituents of botanical composition differed by YR and GI. No differences were found for legumes and forbs. CP differed by YR and GI, and NDF and ADF differed only by YR. Steer average daily gain was 0.15 kg d −1 in 2011 and 0.68 kg d −1 in 2012 and varied by YR and GI. Acceptable gains in 2012 may be a product of environmental conditions that influenced herbage mass and nutritive value during stockpile and animal behavior during winter.

Previous studies indicated that lambs supplemented with fish meal when rotationally grazed (using 3-d rotation) had less gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) fecal egg counts (FEC) but failed to gain at an acceptable rate. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine effect of increasing grazing time (GR) and supplementation rate (SR) on parasitism and performance of grazing lambs. Forty-eight Suffolk × Dorset crossbred lambs were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups (n = 12/group), which included group A (1% SR and 3 d GR) group B (1% SR, 12 d GR), group C (2% SR, 3 d GR), and group D (2% SR, 12 d GR). Pasture-raised lambs were weaned and then moved to an elevated floor barn and treated with levamisole (8 mg/kg). Two weeks later, FEC was determined to be < 50 eggs/g; all lambs were then administered 10,000 Haemonchus contortus larvae. Simultaneously, lambs were transitioned to a supplement composed of corn, soybean meal, and fish meal, (19% CP) when housed in barn. Lambs were grazed for 10 wk and fecal, blood and BW data were collected at 2 wk intervals. All FEC data were log transformed using the formula log (FEC + 25) for analysis. Analysis of PCV revealed no differences between groups, which supports previous data that indicated supplementation with greater CP compensated for N loss due to blood feeding by H. contortus. No SR×GL interaction was observed for analysis of gain, however, SR significantly affected gain. Lambs receiving SR at 2% gained 9.38 ± 0.73 kg whereas lambs receiving SR at 1% gained 3.94 ± 0.71 kg (P < 0.001). Taken over 70 d, lambs receiving 2% SR had an ADG of 0.17 ± 0.015 kg/d vs. 0.06 ± 0.015 kg/d for lambs receiving 1% SR. A similar effect was observed for FEC as no SR × GL interaction was observed, yet lambs receiving 1% SR had a greater FEC (1158 ± 147 eggs/g) than 2% SR (467 ± 153; P < 0.001). Data demonstrated that lambs supplemented at a rate of 2% BW with a 19% CP ration had less FEC and greater ADG while grazing. Results provide additional means whereby producers can mitigate effects of GIN parasitism on grazing lamb growth.

This study evaluated performance and health parameters associated with gastrointestinal parasite control when lambs and meat-goat kids were finished on a mixed sward of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), and white clover (Trifolium repens L.) with and without supplemental whole cottonseed (Gossypium hirsutum; WCS). Overall average daily gain (ADG) for this 90-d period was increased by supplementation with WCS in Suffolk lambs (P < 0.003), Katahdin lambs (P < 0.17) and goat kids (P < 0.10). Fecal egg count (FEC) was variable over the grazing season each year, but was not impacted by supplementation of WCS at 0.5 percent body weight (BW). Katahdin lambs had lower FEC than Suffolk lambs and typically goat kids. Goat kids and Suffolk lambs had lower (P < 0.001) blood albumin and higher (P < 0.001) globulin concentrations than Katahdin lambs. Supplementation with WCS did not improve FAMACHA© scores, but Katahdin lambs consistently had lower (P < 0.001) FAMACHA© scores than Suffolk lambs and goat kids. Goat kids had the highest FAMACHA© scores. Using FAMACHA© as a means to identify Haemonchus contortus-induced anemia resulted in a mean 56-percent reduction in doses of dewormer administered compared to a theoretical monthly dosing of each animal. After the initial administration of dewormer, days to next dosing of dewormer were fewest for goat kids (33 d), followed by Suffolk lambs (67 d), and greatest for Katahdin lambs (77 d). By considering the use of breed groups resistant to or having high resilience to internal parasites and coupling with the use of the FAMACHA© system to determine the need to deworm individual animals, producers can improve livestock performance and reduce overall cost of production.

In Appalachian USA, silvopasture offers promise of increased farm productivity. A synchronized, temporal understanding of open pasture (OP) and silvopasture (SP) nutritive characteristics is essential for grazing system development. We examined pasture-type nutritive-value relationships when herbage was harvested based on morphological maturity rather than calendar date. Neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre (ADF and NDF) content were greater in silvopasture, while organic matter (OM) was lower (P < 0·05). Digestibility of SP herbage dry matter (DM) and OM tended (P = 0·10) to be lower (418 vs. 471 and 437 vs. 491 g kg−1 respectively). Neutral detergent fibre digestibility was greater (P < 0·05) for OP than SP forage (538 vs. 480 g kg−1), and ADF tended to be greater (P = 0·10; 551 vs. 501). Open-pasture forage fermentation effluent exhibited slightly higher microbial richness and Shannon diversity than SP. However, overall community composition of both bacteria and archaea did not differ between pasture types or sampling times. Pasture types show proximate analyses differences generally favourable to OP, although both have similar overall nutritive value. In addition, the SP sward exhibited a 4- to 6-days delay in reaching equivalent maturity. Conversion of farm woodlots to SP would increase overall herbage production and improve pasture management flexibility.

Grasslands, including managed grazinglands, represent one of the largest ecosystems on the planet. Managed grazinglands in particular tend to occupy marginal climatic and edaphic resource zones, thus exacerbating responses in net primary productivity relative to changes in system resources, including anthropogenic factors. Climate dynamism, as evident from the fossil record, appears to be a putative feature of our planet. Recent global trends in temperature and precipitation patterns seem to differ from long-term patterns and have been associated with human activities linked with increased greenhouse gas emissions; specifically CO2. Thus grasslands, with their diverse floristic components, and interaction with and dependence upon herbivores, have a remarkable ability to persist and sustain productivity in response to changing resource conditions. This resistance and resilience to change, including uncertain long-term weather conditions, establishes managed grasslands as an important means of protecting food security. We review responses of grassland communities across regions of the USA and consider the responses in productivity and system function with respect to climatic variation. Research is needed to identify plant resources and management technologies that strengthen our ability to capitalize upon physiological and anatomical features prevalent in grassland communities associated with varying growing conditions.

Tall fescue is an important forage grass which can host systemic fungal endophytes. The association of host grass and endophyte is known to influence herbivore behavior and host plant competition for resources. Establishing legumes into existing tall fescue sods is a desirable means to acquire nitrogen and enhance the nutritive value of forage for livestock production. Competition from existing tall fescue typically must be controlled to ensure interseeding success. We used a soil-on-agar method to determine if soil from intact, living (L), or an herbicide killed (K) tall fescue sward influenced germination and seedling growth of three cultivars of tall fescue (E+, MaxQ, and E−) or legumes (alfalfa, red clover, and white clover). After 30 days, seedlings were larger and present in greater numbers when grown in L soil rather than K soil. Root growth of legumes (especially white clover) and tall fescue (especially MaxQ) were not as vigorous in K soil as L soil. While shoot biomass was similar for all cultivars of tall fescue in L soil, MaxQ produced less herbage when grown in K soil. Our data suggest establishing legumes or fescue cultivars may not be improved by first killing the existing fescue sod and seedling performance can exhibit significant interseasonal variation, related only to soil conditions.

Abiotic stresses consist of nonorganismal, nonpathogenic factors that inhibit plant function. Tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh.] is widely symbiotic with a naturally occurring endophytic fungus [Neotyphodium coenophialum (Morgan-Jones and Gams) Glenn, Bacon, and Hanlin], which confers many benefits to its host that favor its ecological fitness for growth, persistence, and reproduction. Tolerance or resistance to water deficit (drought) and soil chemical stresses, such as low pH and low mineral availabilities, comprise the two principal categories of abiotic stresses. Enhanced tolerances of tall fescue to such stresses due to endophyte symbiosis are not universally expressed, and the mechanisms by which the symbiosis imparts such benefits are not well understood. Plant responses to endophytes involve a complex of physiological, biochemical, and morphologic adjustments that are conditioned by host genotype, endophyte genotype, environment, and their interactions. Endophyte strains that lack ergot-alkaloid production capability have been discovered recently, culminating the 30-yr search for ways to combat the deleterious effects of wild endophytes in Lolium species. When some of these novel endophytes are transferred into elite tall fescue germplasm, host plant persistence and vigor are enhanced. These innovations will allow grassland managers to exploit the agronomic benefits, while avoiding the detrimental aspects of the tall fescue–endophyte symbiosis, for profitable livestock production.

Reclamation, renovation, and revegetation of land areas often demands plant materials that are easy to establish, grow rapidly, and persist in challenging edaphic and climatic situations. Revegetation practices provide a diverse plant population that can contribute to long-term site stability and productivity. Widespread use of Lotus sp. in reclamation–restoration seed mixtures can be attributed, in part, to experience and success in practical or applied situations. While species like L. corniculatus are often included in surveys of reclamation practices, yet Lotus sp. success in challenging environments remains to be explained. Lotus sp. possess a range of morphological and physiological attributes that makes the genus well suited for use in the restoration of disturbed or marginal land areas. Natural populations of Lotus sp. can occur as a result of fire, while introduced representatives of the species are regularly used in pasture renovation and mined or disturbed land revegetation.