Tropical pasture species are often established in phosphorus-deficient soils that receive little fertiliser input. Five grasses and seven legumes were grown to investigate differences in root morphology and phosphorus requirements. Shoot yield and phosphorus acquisition varied significantly among the species, generally because of differences in the development of root length. There were also differences in critical phosphorus requirements. Improvements in the productivity of low-input tropical pasture swards may be achieved by establishing species that have longer roots that confer better phosphorus acquisition.

This article belongs to the collection: Australian Grasslands Symposium 2025 ‘Seeds of Change’.

Toxic fungicides applied as seed dressings can be detrimental to rhizobial inoculants, whereas non-toxic fungicides could be beneficial to nodulation. We found that the toxic fungicide PPT reduced nodulation and nitrogen fixation in the field, but this was reduced when the inoculant was applied separately. Other fungicides promoted nodulation of chickpea and lentil. This work validates the effect of toxic fungicides on chickpea nodulation under commercial field conditions and demonstrates beneficial effects of fungicide application on pulse growth and nodulation.

For Ethiopia to successfully tackle current feed security, livestock production and climate-change challenges, high-quality, productive and adapted forage options hold the key. This study identified locally suited, high-yielding and quality forage species (that can improve animal productivity and simultaneously contribute to reducing methane emissions) for smallholder crop–livestock farmers in Ethiopia. The results of the study will support the growing national and global initiatives aimed at designing of context-specific livestock development options in the smallholder production systems.

Climate and rainfall changes are prompting wheat farmers to deep sow seeds for timely germination when topsoil is dry. Deep sowing reduces crop density because of short coleoptiles, a feature of modern wheat seedlings with reduced height genes. We found that alternative height genes and a novel coleoptile length (CL) allele increase CL and improve crop establishment. Integrating these genes into modern wheat could enhance establishment when deep-sown, adapting to a changing climate.