Winter rapeseed was introduced into Greece a decade ago to provide oil for biodiesel. To identify agronomic traits affecting yield and quality, three hybrids and an inbred line were tested over two seasons (2005–2006 and 2006–2007) and four locations, in central and northern Greece, varying in pedo-climatic conditions. The large variations in seed yield, quality and agronomic traits were largely ascribed to location; in contrast, cultivar accounted for ⩽0·010 of the variation for many traits. Below 40°N, rapeseed is a risky crop; short season, high temperatures and low rainfall during reproductive growth diminished seed yield and oil content, increased oleic and erucic acid and minimized linolenic acid. A hybrid, Exact, with tall stature and large seeds was adaptive to such conditions. The most productive location had dense stands with tall plants bearing numerous pods on the main raceme. At the site with the coldest winter, plant density (PD) was lowest (ca. 30 plants/m2) but rapeseed compensated by producing large seeds, with high oil content and harvest index (HI). A biplot revealed that the hybrid Excalibur, outperforming the other cultivars for oil content in six out of eight trials, produced the highest and most stable oil yield. Combined data showed that seed yield and oil yield were positively correlated with PD, seed size and HI and negatively to the number of pods on branches and per plant. Large seeds had high seed oil content. Oleic acid was negatively correlated to linolenic acid concentration. High temperatures and low rainfall favoured oleic acid, which was positively associated with seed number per pod.

As demand for animal products, such as meat and milk, increases, and concern over environmental impact grows, mechanistic models can be useful tools to better represent and understand ruminant systems and evaluate mitigation options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without compromising productivity. The objectives of the present study were to describe the representation of processes for growth and enteric methane (CH4) production in AusBeef, a whole-animal, dynamic, mechanistic model for beef production; evaluate AusBeef for its ability to predict daily methane production (DMP, g/day), gross energy intake (GEI, MJ/day) and methane yield (MJ CH4/MJ GEI) using an independent data set; and to compare AusBeef estimates to those from the empirical equations featured in the current National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM, 2016) beef cattle requirements for growth and the Ruminant Nutrition System (RNS), a dynamic, mechanistic model of Tedeschi & Fox, 2016. AusBeef incorporates a unique fermentation stoichiometry that represents four microbial groups: protozoa, amylolytic bacteria, cellulolytic bacteria and lactate-utilizing bacteria. AusBeef also accounts for the effects of ruminal pH on microbial degradation of feed particles. Methane emissions are calculated from net ruminal hydrogen balance, which is defined as the difference between inputs from fermentation and outputs due to microbial use and biohydrogenation. AusBeef performed similarly to the NASEM empirical model in terms of prediction accuracy and error decomposition, and with less root mean square predicted error (RMSPE) than the RNS mechanistic model when expressed as a percentage of the observed mean (RMSPE, %), and the majority of error was non-systematic. For DMP, RMSPE for AusBeef, NASEM and RNS were 24·0, 19·8 and 50·0 g/day for the full data set (n = 35); 25·6, 18·2 and 56·2 g/day for forage diets (n = 19); and 21·8, 21·5 and 41·5 g/day for mixed diets (n = 16), respectively. Concordance correlation coefficients (CCC) were highest for GEI, with all models having CCC > 0·66, and higher CCC for forage diets than mixed, while CCC were lowest for MY, particularly forage diets. Systematic error increased for all models on forage diets, largely due to an increase in error due to mean bias, and while all models performed well for mixed diets, further refinements are required to improve the prediction of CH4 on forage diets.

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.) is a naturally stress-tolerant plant, a major reserve crop and a model for panicoid grasses. The recent completion of the S. italica genome facilitates identification and characterization of WRKY transcription factor family proteins that are important regulators of major plant processes, including growth, development and stress response. The present study identified 103 WRKY transcription factor-encoding genes in the S. italica genome. The genes were named SiWRKY1–SiWRKY103 according to their order on the chromosomes. A comprehensive expression analysis of SiWRKY genes among four different tissues was performed using publicly available RNA sequencing data. Eighty-four SiWRKY genes were more highly expressed in root tissue than in other tissues and nine genes were only expressed in roots. Additionally, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to comprehensively analyse the expression of all SiWRKY genes in response to dehydration. Results indicated that most SiWRKY genes (over 0.8) were up-regulated by drought stress. In conclusion, genome-wide identification and expression profiling of SiWRKY genes provided a set of candidates for cloning and functional analyses in plants’ response to drought stress.

The adequate management of soil acidity has long been a challenge in no-till (NT) cropping systems. Some studies conducted in sub-tropical conditions have demonstrated the feasibility of surface liming. However, for tropical regions with dry winters, little long-term information about adequate rates and frequencies of application is available. A 12-year field trial was performed under a tropical no-tillage system with an annual crop rotation scheme. The treatments were composed of four lime rates (0, 1000, 2000 and 4000 kg/ha), estimated via the base saturation (BS) method. Surface application of lime was found to be an effective method for improving the soil fertility profile under this long-term NT cropping system. All three acidity components (pH, hydrogen + aluminium (H + Al), exchangeable Al) and some fertility attributes (phosphorus, exchangeable calcium and magnesium, and BS) were adjusted to a linear function, and better soil chemical conditions were obtained in the 4000 kg/ha treatment, even 4 years after the final application. Due to soil chemical changes, the root length density of wheat and common bean was greater at depths <0·20 m, which led to a higher grain yield, even under unfavourable weather conditions. The results indicate that the application of lime at higher rates can be an acceptable criterion for a tropical Oxisol under a no-tillage system, reducing the frequency of lime application.

Association mapping based on linkage disequilibrium is an effective approach for dissecting the inheritance of complex multi-gene traits. In the present study, association mapping was performed for yield traits based on 172 popular Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars in China and 331 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The gene diversity index of 331 markers ranged from 0·0387 to 0·7799 with an average of 0·4002, and the polymorphism information content ranged from 0·0379 to 0·7473 with an average of 0·3375. A total of 93 significantly associated markers for seven yield traits were identified across more than one environment, among which 11 were for seed cotton yield, 12 for lint yield, 11 for boll number per plant, 13 for boll weight, 21 for lint percentage, 14 for lint index and 11 for seed index. The corresponding ranges in phenotypic variation explained by markers across four environments for these seven traits were 1·75–10·49, 1·75–9·34, 2·84–11·80, 2·59–9·89, 2·38–13·97, 2·73–14·82 and 2·50–11·88%, respectively. Some of the yield-associated markers detected were found to be linked to or associated with the same traits identified in previous studies. Furthermore, elite alleles for yield traits were also mined. The present study can provide useful information for further understanding the genetic basis of yield traits, and facilitate high-yield breeding by molecular design in Upland cotton.

Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production on the Loess Plateau in China has been threatened by water scarcity and climate change during the last decade. Sustainable crop production in this region requires managerial practices that can provide high yield and high water productivity (WP). A 7-year (2001–2008) study at the Loess Plateau Research Station of Lanzhou University investigated the effects of various conservation tillage practices on grain yield, soil water content (SWC), WP and economic return of winter wheat production. Tillage treatments included: conventional tillage (T), conventional tillage followed by stubble retention (TS), no-till (NT) and no-till followed by stubble retention (NTS). Over the entire experimental period, grain yield and WP of winter wheat ranged from 1279 to 4894 kg/ha and 0·32 to 2·41 kg/m3, respectively. Both were significantly affected by tillage treatment and year, while SWC was only affected by year. Grain yield and WP in TS was increased by 4·9, 12·1, 0·9% and 13·7, 20·4 and 3·9% compared with NTS, NT and T, respectively, over seven growing seasons. Additionally, a multiple linear regression analysis indicated that grain yield is mainly limited by SWC during planting. Despite its lower grain yield, the NTS treatment increased economic benefit by US$ 328, US$ 23 and US$ 87/ha compared with TS, NT and T, respectively. Therefore, it is suggested that increasing soil water storage at wheat sowing time and encouraging the use of NTS could improve economic returns in this region.

Analysing the stability and adaptation of cultivars to different environments is always necessary before recommending them for planting on large areas. Additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) models have been used to analyse genotype-by-environment interactions (G × E). AMMI models require data with homogeneous variance, normal errors and additive effects. However, agronomic data do not always conform to these statistical assumptions. The objective of the present study was to analyse G × E interactions for severity and incidence of grey leaf spot, a foliar disease in maize caused by Cercospora zeae-maydis, using a generalized AMMI model. Data were collected and evaluated for 36 maize cultivars from experiments carried out in nine Brazilian regions in 2010/11 by the Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA – Milho e Sorgo). Only two of three stable genotypes defined by a quasi-likelihood model with a logistic link function could be recommended for their desirable agronomic characteristics. Four growing locations in which the genotypes were stable were identified, but in only one of these was stability associated with very severe grey leaf spot disease. Cultivars adapted to specific locations with low percentage disease severity were also identified.

The effects of simulated additional rain (ear wetting, 25 mm) or of rain shelter imposed at different periods after anthesis on grain quality at maturity and the dynamics of grain filling and desiccation were investigated in UK field-grown crops of wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cvar Tybalt) in 2011 and in 2012 when June–August rainfall was 255·0 and 214·6 mm, respectively, and above the decadal mean (157·4 mm). Grain filling and desiccation were quantified well by broken-stick regressions and Gompertz curves, respectively. Rain shelter for 56 (2011) or 70 days (2012) after anthesis, and to a lesser extent during late maturation only, resulted in more rapid desiccation and hence progress to harvest maturity whereas ear wetting had negligible effects, even when applied four times. Grain-filling duration was also affected as above in 2011, but with no significant effect in 2012. In both years, there were strong positive associations between final grain dry weight and duration of filling. The treatments affected all grain quality traits in 2011: nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S) concentrations, N : S ratio, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) sedimentation volume, Hagberg Falling Number (HFN), and the incidence of blackpoint. Only N concentration and blackpoint were affected significantly by treatments in 2012. Rain shelter throughout grain filling reduced N concentration, whereas rain shelter reduced the incidence of blackpoint and ear wetting increased it. In 2011, rain shelter throughout reduced S concentration, increased N : S ratio and reduced SDS. Treatment effects on HFN were not consistent within or between years. Nevertheless, a comparison between the extreme treatment means in 2012 indicated damage from late rain combined with ear wetting resulted in a reduction of c. 0·7 s in HFN/mm August rainfall, while that between samples taken immediately after ear wetting at harvest maturity or 7 days later suggested recovery from damage to HFN upon re-drying in planta. Hence, the incidence of blackpoint was the only grain quality trait affected consistently by the diverse treatments. The remaining aspects of grain quality were comparatively resilient to rain incident upon developing and maturing ears of cvar Tybalt. No consistent temporal patterns of sensitivity to shelter or ear wetting were detected for any aspect of grain quality.

The current study focuses on the dissipation pattern of imazamox (2-[(RS)-4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl]-5-methoxymethylnicotinic acid) in a soil–water environment under the two most adopted rice management systems in Europe, conventional water seeding and dry-seeding. Changes in imazamox concentrations were studied over time in topsoil, field water, irrigation water, outlet water and ground water. The study was performed from 2010 to 2011 in one of the most important rice growing areas of Europe (Vercelli, Northwest Italy). Imazamox dissipated rapidly in both the water and soil environments. In soil, imazamox half-life ranged from 2·2 to 3·3 days in 2010 and from 2·2 to 3·1 days in 2011. In paddy water, imazamox dissipated rapidly and no important differences among the management systems were found. In addition, the study showed that despite the short half-life of imazamox, the herbicide might be transported from treated fields in outlet waters by means of floodgates. The highest concentrations in outlet waters were found in the conventional water-seeded system, at the sampling site close to herbicide spraying. Imazamox residues were even found in inlet waters, suggesting discharge of the herbicide from paddies located upstream or drift during spraying. Imazamox residues in ground waters were always below the quantification limit. Overall, the low imazamox persistence observed during the 2-year study did not allow important differences between the two systems to be revealed. To reduce imazamox discharge from treated fields in the first days after spraying, a useful practice might be to keep water inside the fields for at least a week after spraying.

The current study investigated use of a controlled misting environment to simulate field conditions that have been implicated in high levels of the malting barley defect, grain skinning. More than 200 spring barley varieties were assessed to identify those varieties that were particularly resistant or susceptible to the defect. Relationships between skinning severity and the traits ear length, floret number, grain number and grain weight were examined among the varieties. In a panel of seven varieties chosen as treatment controls, misting was found to significantly increase skinning severity. The misting treatment had no effect on measured ear traits of these varieties. Among the 200 varieties grown under the misting treatment, there was a continuous spectrum of skinning severities, which were not correlated with ear length, floret number, grain number or grain weight. Using the misting treatment, differences in susceptibility to grain skinning could be determined among varieties. As the misting treatment did not affect measured ear traits, and no correlation was found between ear traits and skinning severity among varieties, the effect of misting on skinning severity must be mediated through other physiological characteristics.

The Eastern Gangetic Plain is among the world's most intensively farmed regions, where rainfed and irrigated agriculture coexist. While the region and especially Bangladesh is a major producer of rice (Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica), there is potential to further develop sustainable rice production systems. Specifically, there is scope to include a replacement crop for the short fallow between rice crops in the dominant cropping pattern of rainfed monsoon rice harvest followed by irrigated spring rice. The aim of the current research was to identify a suitable cool-season legume crop – pea (Pisum sativum L.) or lentil (Lens culinaris Medik. ssp. culinaris) – that could be grown in the brief period between rice crops. The study comprised four crop sequence experiments comparing legume cultivars differing in maturity grown in between both long and short duration rice cultivars. These experiments were done at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute regional station at Rajshahi over three cropping cycles. This was followed by an evaluation of pea vs. fallow between rice crops on three farmers’ fields in one cropping cycle. Here it is demonstrated that green pod vegetable pea is one of the best options to intensify the rainfed monsoon rice–fallow–spring irrigated rice cropping system, notwithstanding other remunerative rabi cropping options that could displace boro rice. The inclusion of an extra crop, pea as green pod vegetable, increased farm productivity by 1·4-fold over the dominant cropping sequence (rice–fallow–rice) and farm net income by fourfold. The study highlighted the advantages in total system productivity and monetary return of crop intensification with the inclusion of a pea crop between successive rice crops instead of a fallow period.

Recently, organic farming systems have attracted the attention of consumers because of their low environmental impact. Organic agriculture is a valid alternative to conventional farming and ancient wheat, such as KAMUT® khorasan wheat (T. turgidum ssp. turanicum), has emerged as an industry leader for its nutritional and functional properties (anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and prebiotic).

The aim of the present study was to evaluate environmental effects on the quality of KAMUT® khorasan grains harvested in the last two decades (1989–2012) on one farm in Montana (USA), through the evaluation of phytochemical accumulation. Results revealed high variability in the amounts of macronutrients and nutraceuticals. In particular, from 1989 to 2012, there was a decreasing trend in starch content (ranging from 70·87 to 50·54/100 g) and amylose (from 41·48 to 31·46% of total starch) with a slight increase of insoluble dietary fibre (from 12·14 to 17·75/100 g). The soluble dietary fibre content varied among the years of cultivation even if the general trend remained constant (4·57–2·82/100 g). High variability of total polyphenols content was observed with the free soluble fraction present at lower levels than bound polyphenols (BP). Moreover, an inverse correlation between free and BP was observed. The results obtained in the present study show that the influence of environmental conditions plays a fundamental role in the accumulation of primary and secondary metabolites in wheat kernels and strongly modulate the nutritional and nutraceutical value of flour.

Knowledge of genetic diversity of confectionary sunflower can have a large impact on its use in breeding programmes. However, levels and distribution of genetic variation within the confectionary sunflower gene pool are still not adequately explored. The aim of the present paper was to describe the diversity of 68 confectionary sunflower genotypes: open-pollinated varieties, lines and hybrids. A total of 32 morphological traits were used for characterization. The Shannon & Weaver diversity index (H) was estimated as a measure of morphological diversity. The mean value of the Shannon index was 0·71, which indicates a high morphological diversity. The lowest diversity was found for leaf descriptors, moderately high to high for seed traits, while the highest values were found for disc flowers and ray florets. The highest individual descriptor diversity was found for: head attitude, the angle of leaf lateral nerves and ray floret disposition. The homogeneity analysis (HOMALS) multivariate reduction technique for nominal categorical data proved to be an efficient method for a comprehensive overview of genotype diversity and group homogeneity. Besides diversity, the number of categories and uniformity of genotype distribution determines discriminative power of descriptors. Traits that contributed the most to the distinction of genotypes were identified, enabling differentiation of genotypes with similar phenotypic attributes. The highest discriminative power was observed in traits such as anthocyanin colouration of stigma (DFIA), seed colour of stripes and seed main colour. The genotypes tested formed two distinctive major groups of varieties and hybrids with inbred lines widely dispersed along both axes. A separate grouping was obtained per the most discriminative traits based on HOMALS analysis, while the best separation was obtained using DFIA. Isolated genotypes that may not be representative by yield or seed-specific traits can be useful sources of traits for breeding. Morphological characterization can be used to improve description and classification of confectionary sunflower germplasm when evaluating diversity.

The present study evaluated the behaviour of the AusBeef model for beef production as part of a 2 × 2 study simulating performance on forage-based and concentrate-based diets from Oceania and North America for four methane (CH4)-relevant outputs of interest. Three sensitivity analysis methods, one local and two global, were conducted. Different patterns of sensitivity were observed between forage-based and concentrate-based diets, but patterns were consistent within diet types. For the local analysis, 36, 196, 47 and 8 out of 305 model parameters had normalized sensitivities of 0, >0, >0·01 and >0·1 across all diets and outputs, respectively. No parameters had a normalized local sensitivity >1 across all diets and outputs. However, daily CH4 production had the greatest number of parameters with normalized local sensitivities >1 for each individual diet. Parameters that were highly sensitive for global and local analyses across the range of diets and outputs examined included terms involved in microbial growth, volatile fatty acid (VFA) yields, maximum absorption rates and their inhibition due to pH effects and particle exit rates. Global sensitivity analysis I showed the high sensitivity of forage-based diets to lipid entering the rumen, which may be a result of the use of a feedlot-optimized model to represent high-forage diets and warrants further investigation. Global sensitivity analysis II showed that when all parameter values were simultaneously varied within ±10% of initial value, >96% of output values were within ±20% of the baseline, which decreased to >50% when parameter value boundaries were expanded to ±25% of their original values, giving a range for robustness of model outputs with regards to potential different ‘true’ parameter values. There were output-specific differences in sensitivity, where outputs that had greater maximum local sensitivities displayed greater degrees of non-linear interaction in global sensitivity analysis I and less variance in output values for global sensitivity analysis II. For outputs with less interaction, such as the acetate : propionate ratio and microbial protein production, the single most sensitive term in global sensitivity analysis I contributed more to the overall total-order sensitivity than for outputs with more interaction, with an average of 49, 33, 15 and 14% of total-order sensitivity for microbial protein production, acetate : propionate ratio, CH4 production and energy from absorbed VFAs, respectively. Future studies should include data collection for highly sensitive parameters reported in the present study to improve overall model accuracy.

Drought and salinity are two major environmental factors limiting faba bean growth, leading to considerable reduction in their productivity. The WRKY gene family act as major transcription factors that might play an important role in abiotic stress tolerance. In the present study, two partial sequences sharing significant homology with known WRKY genes were isolated from faba bean by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification using degenerate primers targeting the well-conserved WRKY domain. The isolated WRKY gene fragments were designated as VfWRKY1 and VfWRKY2 showing 62% similarity between them. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses revealed that VfWRKY1 and VfWRKY2 belong to WRKY group I and could be grouped with their orthologues from other plant species. The gene expression profile of VfWRKY1 and VfWRKY2 in faba bean showed that they are significantly accumulated in various plant organs. Further, quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that both transcripts were responsive to drought and salt stress, and also they are genotype dependent, meaning that different faba bean cultivars respond in a different way to drought and salt challenge. The expression patterns obtained suggest the important roles of VfWRKY1 and VfWRKY2 in drought and salt stress response and tolerance. This knowledge might be helpful in the identification of drought-tolerant cultivars and provide potential candidate markers for faba bean breeding in order to develop osmotic-stress-tolerant cultivars.

The low genetic diversity of cacao germplasm collections in West Africa is often cited as a limitation to further yield improvement of the crop in its major production countries. Twelve clones obtained from first cycle selection for yield and clones available in international genebanks were tested for their combining ability for key agronomic traits by using these as males in crosses with five female clones available in the Seed Gardens in Ghana. Progenies obtained from a North Carolina II (NC II) mating design and standard varieties were planted at two sites that contrast in terms of soil fertility, rainfall total and distribution. Fifty-eight progenies obtained from the 5 × 12 incomplete NC II mating design and six other progenies, of which two were standard varieties, were evaluated at the more favourable location. At the less favourable location, 44 progenies of the NC II mating design and 20 other progenies, including the two standard varieties, were planted. A randomized complete block design with four replications was used at both locations. Progenies with PA 7 as female parent had better seedling survival at the location with poorer production conditions. Low levels of genetic diversity among female clones at 86 single nucleotide polymorphism loci was reflected in larger standard errors for the additive variance due to female parents relative to that due to male parents. Non-additive genetic effects were much larger than the corresponding additive variance components for all traits at each of the two locations. Average yields over the fourth and fifth years after planting ranged from 0·23 to 1·29 t/ha/year. The standard varieties were not among the best progenies for seedling vigour, yield or yield efficiency (yield per unit trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA) per year). Narrow-sense heritability estimates were higher for three estimates of tree vigour (estimated as increase in TCSA) than for yield traits. Heritability for yield efficiency was a moderate of h2 = 0·5 ± 0·23. The study indicates that further yield increments are attainable by selecting and crossing among the early cacao introductions into West Africa.

Cowpea genotypes that efficiently utilize phosphorus (P) with high potential for biological nitrogen (N) fixation (BNF) are vital to sustainable cropping systems in West Africa. A total of 175 early maturing cowpea genotypes were evaluated in 2010 and 2011 for P use efficiency (PUE) and BNF with an indigenous rhizobial population at Shika in the Northern Guinea savanna of Nigeria. There were significant genotypic variations for all 11 variables measured. The P utilization index, percentage N derived from the atmosphere and total N fixed ranged between 2·10–4·67, 31·3–61·86% and 11·86–50 kg/ha, respectively. The 175 early maturing cowpea genotypes were divided into five categories using principal component analysis (PCA), whereby total N fixed was associated with N and P uptake and plant biomass yield. Complete linkage cluster analysis revealed a total of three distinctive clusters having remarkable correspondence with the PCA. Some genotypes were identified as potential candidates for further breeding programmes using high PUE genotypes with relatively high capacity for BNF and indigenous rhizobial populations.

Drought is a major constraint to maize production in West and Central Africa (WCA). Assessment of genetic gain from S1 recurrent selection under drought is crucial for the development of drought tolerance breeding strategies. In an early white population, 60 S1 families each derived from the base population and three cycles of selection were evaluated under drought and well-watered conditions at two locations in Nigeria for 2 years to determine genetic variability, gains from selection and predict response to selection for grain yield and other traits. Genetic variances generally decreased for yield and other traits in advanced cycles under drought and well-watered conditions except yield and ear height under well-watered conditions. Similarly, heritabilities for yield and other traits decreased in advanced cycles under drought but increased in advanced cycles under well-watered conditions. Realized gain for yield was 0·291 t/ha, corresponding to 30·5% per cycle under drought and 0·352 kg/ha with a corresponding gain of 16·7% per cycle under well-watered conditions. Predicted gain based on C3 was 0·282 and 0·583 t/ha under drought and well-watered conditions. Low genetic variances, heritabilities and predicted gain for yield and other traits suggested a need to introgress drought tolerance genes into the population.

Managed grasslands are characterized by rotations of leys and arable crops. The regime of water flow evolves during the leys because of earthworm and root activity, climate and agricultural practices (fertilizer, cutting and cattle trampling). The effects of duration of the leys, cattle trampling and fertilizer practice on the movement of water through sandy loam soil profiles were investigated in managed grassland of a dairy operation. Experiments using tracer chemicals were performed, with or without cattle slurry application, with cutting or grazing, in the 1st and the 3rd year of ley, and in winter rye. Each plot was irrigated for an hour with 18·5 mm of water containing a conservative tracer, potassium bromide; 24 h after irrigation, macropores >1 mm were recorded visually on a horizontal plan of 0·7 m2 at five depths (10, 30, 40, 70 and 100 cm). The bromide (Br−) concentration in soil was also analysed at these depths and the density of the different earthworm species were recorded. The density of macropores was not directly influenced by the factors investigated. The abundance of anecic earthworms was larger after 3 years of ley and was not affected by grazing (trampling or dung pat deposits) or fertilizer practice. The water infiltration estimated from the Br− concentration was not influenced by fertilizer practice and was reduced after 3 years of ley due to settlement, but was greater than that for the arable phase of the rotation. As shown by Br− concentration, preferential flow was induced by the grazing regime. Infiltrating water may bypass the soil matrix under similar or more extreme conditions than in the current experiment. Such hydraulic functioning in the grazing regime is expected to reduce the risk of leaching of nitrate contained in soil water.