Digital Commons Network^™

Activity Of Japanese Society Of Grassland Science, K. Sugawara, S. Saiga, K. Tateno, Y. Cai, N. Yoshida, T. Takamizo, M. Goto

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Japanese Society of Grassland Science (JSGS) was founded in 1954 for the purposes of progressing grassland and forage crop sciences and fostering grassland agriculture and better management of grassland for animal production in Japan. From the first, the members of JSGS have included interdisciplinary scientists from forage crop science, forestry, animal science, agribusiness and many related fields. In the 50 years since its foundation, JSGS has made large contributions to the progress of both science and industry in Japan. The number of JSGS members is now declining slightly, but there are still about 950 including 800 individual members and …

Comments On The Present Activity Of Czech Specialists In Grassland Cultivation, B. Cagaš

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Unlike some other countries, there is no officially established forage crop or grassland society in the Czech Republic. This, however, does not mean that activity in this field is lacking. Several institutions are involved in the development of grassland research. These are predominantly: Grassland Commission of the Section of Plant Production of the Czech Academy of Agricultural Science, Forage Crop Commission of the Bohemian-Moravian Union of Plant Breeders, Bohemian-Moravian Association of Plant Breeding and Seed Production and Association of Grass and Clover Seed Growers. Members of these institutions are researchers and breeders of grasses and legumes, university lecturers from departments …

The Role Of Grassland Societies In The West Of Scotland, G. E. D. Tiley

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Local grassland societies were first established in the United Kingdom in the 1950s, under the guiding hand of the national, British Grassland Society, itself founded in 1946. In the west of Scotland two local societies were formed: 1) the South West Scotland Grassland Society in 1962, covering the former counties of Ayrshire, Dumfries, Kirkcudbright and Wigtown; and 2) the Central Scotland Grassland Society for Lanark, Stirling, Renfrew, Dumbarton and Clackmannan. The declared aim of these two societies was to promote good grassland farming in all its aspects amongst members and to identify opportunities for improved grassland management, all to the …

The Leucaena Network: A Grazier Advocacy Organisation Ensuring The Future Of A Valuable Forage Resource For Northern Australia, K. Mclaughlin, B. F. Mullen, H. M. Shelton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Leucaena leucocephala is a productive and sustainable forage tree legume for beef cattle production in northern Australia. Following a protracted period of research and development to overcome agronomic and social constraints, substantial adoption by graziers is now occurring (Mullen, these proceedings). However, a recent challenge has threatened future development, viz. the perception by some environmentalists that leucaena is an environmental weed. In addition, production-oriented support from public research and development organisations has diminished significantly over the past 20 years. The Leucaena Network (TLN) was formed in July 2000, primarily to counter the anti-leucaena movement, but has since developed as an …

Role Of Biotechnology In Creating Sustainable Agriculture, Saurav Das, Manjit Kumar Ray, Dinesh Panday, Piyush Kumar Mishra

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

This narrative review paper discusses the role of biotechnology in the development of sustainable agriculture. The paper begins by defning sustanability and highlights the importance of biotechnology in establishing sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture is an approach that prioritizes meeting current food and fiber production needs while conserving and enhancing natural resources for future generations. To achieve agricultural sustainability, it is necessary to strike a balance between economic viability, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility. This can be difficult, especially in the face of biotic and abiotic stresses such as pests, diseases, climate change, soil degradation, and water depletion. The prevalence of …

Protecting Wa Crops Issue 31 - July 2023, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Protecting WA Crops

Protecting WA Crops Issue 31 - July 2023 contents:

• New project to reduce Rhizoctonia impact in low and medium rainfall zones
• Meet Crop Protection team member – Dr Ahmed Saad

Sheep Worms – Sustainable Summer-Autumn Worm Control, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

A summer drenching program for sheep worm control is now recognised as a key cause of drench resistance in Western Australia. However, some small changes can increase the sustainability of pre-emptive control programs. Drenches in summer should always be given to younger, growing sheep (current and previous year’s age groups), whereas adult sheep should be drenched in autumn, or if drenched in summer, some should be left untreated (if drenching at all). Research shows that this reduces the chance of developing drench resistance but still provides effective worm control.

Pestfacts Wa Issue 09 - July 2023, Alan Lord, Christiaan Valentine, Kithsiri W. Jayasena, Andrea Hills, Geoff J. Thomas, Ciara Beard, Cindy L. Webster

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 9 - July 2023 contents:

• Native budworm are active early
• Powdery mildew
• Slime mould

Tillage, Green Manuring And Crop Residue Management Impacts On Crop Productivity, Potassium Use Efficiency And Potassium Fractions Under Rice-Wheat System, Sandeep Sharma, Pritpal Singh, Hayssam M. Ali, Manzer Hussain Siddiqui, Javed Iqbal

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The conventional crop production practices including intensive tillage and open field crop residue burning in world’ largest rice-wheat system (RWS) are adversely affecting crop productivity besides deteriorating natural resources and ecosystems’ sustainability. In order to improve system productivity, potassium (K) use efficiency and apparent K balance, adoption of conservation tillage in a RWS with residue management is considered highly effective. We therefore, studied the effect of wheat straw retention and green manure (GM) in rice (main plot treatment), and tillage and rice residue management in subsequent wheat (sub-plot treatments) on crop productivity, K use efficiency and its transformation amongst different …

Lactating Ewes Were Strongly Attracted To Salt When Spread On Sodium-Deficient Undergrazed Hill Pastures, N. Mandaluniz, J. C. Ruiz, R. J. Lucas

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

New Zealand hill and high country pastures for sheep and cattle cover very variable topography. Shady south face hill country pastures on steeper slopes are grazed inefficiently because of their mature state and low nutritive value. Flatter more fertile areas reflect more frequent defoliation and stock camping behaviour. These inland pastures are deficient in sodium (Na) (Aspinall et al., 2004) because they are distant from coastal sea spray. Management alternatives are sought to improve pasture quality on steep, shady aspects. The provision of different nutrients such as Na or nitrogen (N), which are deficient in these under-grazed areas of …

Intake By Lactating Goats Browsing On Mediterranean Shrubland, M. Decandia, G. Pinna, A. Cabiddu, G. Molle

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Mediterranean regions goat feeding systems are mainly based on shrubland that contain a wide variety of species. There are only a few equations for predicting feed intake of stall-fed goats (Luo et al., 2004). The objective of this study was to develop a model for predicting the intake of lactating goats browsing on Mediterranean shrubland.

The Effect Of Stocking Rate And Lamb Grazing System On Sward Performance Of Trifolium Repens And Lotus Corniculatus In Uruguay, F. Montossi, R. San Julián, M. Nolla, M. Camesasca, F. Preve

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Lambs have a great potential to diversify and stimulate meat and wool production and economical returns within the industry. The main objective of this study was to evaluate different feeding and management alternatives for the production of high quality wool and meat as well as their effects on sward characteristics in the Basaltic region of Uruguay.

Effect Of Forage Legume Species And Stocking Rate Of Lambs On Sward Characteristics In Uruguay, F. Montossi, D. F. Risso, R. San Julián, M. Iglesias, N. Ramos, I. De Barbieri, R. Cuadro, A. Zarza

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The sheep industry is a mayor component of the pastoral industries, given its importance for the Uruguayan economy. In the last decade, sheep farmers have been more interested in low cost technologies to enhance productivity and profit. The objective of this study, conducted in the Basaltic region of Uruguay, was to evaluate the effect of legume species and stocking rate of lambs on sward structure, production, composition and nutritive value.

Effect Of Stocking Rate And Grazing System On Fine And Superfine Merino Wool Production And Quality On Native Swards Of Uruguay, I. De Barbieri, Fabio Montossi, E. J. Berretta, A. Dighiero, A. Mederos

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Modern textile tendencies show that consumers prefer light, soft, resistant, natural, and comfortable clothes, for which fine and superfine wools are in great demand, particularly at the high value markets (Whiteley, 2003). The main objective of the present study was to define sustainable stocking rates and grazing systems on native swards for fine and superfine wool production in the Basaltic region of Uruguay.

Productivity And Grazing Capacity Of Five Typical Natural Rangelands For Yaks In The Alpine Region Of China, Xuebing Yan, Yuxia Guo, Z. He, W. Kun

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Qinghai-Tibet plateau has greatly aroused the interest of scientists as an uncommon rangeland resource of great agro-ecological importance. Yak (Bos grunniens) is a unique, vulnerable ungulate. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the productivity and feed value of five natural rangelands.

Metabolic Profiling Of Heathland Plants In The Diet Of Sheep, Gordon G. Allison, Mariecia D. Fraser, J. M. Moorby, J. Kopka, A. Erban, Vince J. Theobald

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Little is known about how plant biochemistry influences the grazing behaviour of animals grazing heterogeneous vegetation communities. Furthermore, most biochemical profiles of grassland species are restricted to major nutritional characteristics. Recent developments in analytical techniques have made possible the detailed analysis of minor components, which can potentially affect animal feeding preferences, performance and health. Gas chromatography/time of flight mass spectroscopy (GC/TOF-MS) coupled with automated library annotation is ideally suited to the acquisition of detailed metabolite profiles of plant extracts (Wagner et al., 2003) and can be applied to other matrices such as blood and faeces. In this study GC/TOF-MS …

Grazing Behaviour And Selection Of Browse Species By Cattle, Sheep And Goats On Natural Pasture In The Sahelian Zone Of Burkina Faso, H. O. Sanon, C. Zoungrana-Kabore, I. Ledin

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Pastures in semi-arid countries, are subject to seasonal variability. Browse species that are less dependent on rainfall, are highly valued. Goats are browsers, while cattle and sheep are grazers. However, faced with a scarcity of feed resources, especially in the late dry season, all animal species fall back on browse species. The objective of this study was to estimate feeding behaviour and browse species utilisation by cattle, sheep and goats on natural pasture in different seasons, and concurrently appreciate the indigenous knowledge on browse species in the study area.

Grazing Preference, Herbage Production And Quality Of Diploid And Tetraploid Lolium Perenne Cultivars In Southern Chile, Oscar A. Balocchi, Ignacio F. López

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Lolium perenne is the most important plant species used in sown pasture in Southern Chile. Cultivars used are mainly diploid. However, in recent years some tetraploid cultivars have been introduced into the country. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of the ploidy of the cultivars on herbage production, nutritive value, grazing preference and utilisation of the herbage.

Effect Of Dairy Effluent On Turnip Nutritive Characteristics, Joe L. Jacobs, G. N. Ward, Frank R. Mckenzie

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In southern Victoria, high summer temperatures and low rainfall lead to low pasture growth and a decline in nutritional value until rainfall commences in autumn. Annual forage crops such as turnips often are used to fill the summer feed gap. Jacobs & Ward (2003) observed that dairy effluent applied at low rates could improve turnip DM yields and crude protein content. Results from the first two years of a 3-year study comparing a range of effluent application rates on turnip leaf and root nutritive characteristics are reported.

Estilosantes Campo Grande In Brazil: A Tropical Forage Legume Success Story, Celso D. Fernandes, Bela Grof, S. Chakraborty, Jaqueline R. Verzignassi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Estilosantes Campo Grande (ECG) is a mixture (80/20 by weight) of Stylosanthes capitata and S. macrocephala, derived through genetic combination of selected accessions by open crossing over 6 generations (Grof et al., 2001). The cultivar is the result of >10 years of research on a collection of >1000 ecotypes of Stylosanthes species collected and maintained by Embrapa. The main use of ECG in Brazil is to improve grass-dominant pastures. It has good persistence with Brachiaria spp., Panicum maximum (Tanzania-1 and Mombaça) and Andropogon gayanus. It has excellent adaptation to low fertility sandy soils and is persistent under …

Rumen Degradation Characteristics Of Four Species Of Native Pastures From Central Mexico In Three Growing Periods, A. A. Rayas, A. M. J. Espinoza‐Ortega, J. G. Estrada‐Flores, C. Arriagal, F. Mould, O. A. Castelán-Ortega

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The smallholder cattle systems of the Toluca valley in central Mexico are based on the use of maize and native grasses. Research has been devoted to nutritional characterisation of improved pastures, but native species of grasses have not been studied, despite their importance. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the in vitro rumen degradation kinetics of four species of native pastures.

The Impact Of Continuous Grazing By Free Ranging Sheep On The Structure And Botanical Composition Of Grassland As Determined By Multivariate Analysis, G. A. Heshmati

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grazing shapes the botanical composition of vegetation at the landscape level (Oksanen et al., 1995). Sheep seek spatially scattered plants of nearly constant and high nutritional value. There is strong interaction between the grazing behaviour of the sheep and the structure of the plant community that it grazes (Squires, 1981). This paper examines the situation in a grassland vegetation grazed by free-ranging sheep in a semi arid region of North Eastern Iran.

Effects Of Vegetation Structure And Plant Height When Grazed On Persistency Of Meadow Fescue Pasture, K. Sudo, Y. Ogawa, K. Umemura

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

An intensive grazing technique using meadow fescue (Mf) pasture has been developed in northern Japan, where soil freezes in winter. It has been shown that the appropriate plant height of Mf pasture when grazed for persistency is about 27 cm. When Mf and perennial ryegrass (Pr) pastures were grazed at the same plant height of 20 cm, vegetation of Mf pasture declined and plant length of Mf pasture was longer than that of Pr pasture (Sudo et al., 2002). These phenomena might be due to the effects of differences in grass species and plant height when grazed on vegetation …

Intake, Digestibility And Rate Of Passage Of Grass In Grazing By Light Breed Horses On Different Pastures, Masahito Kawai, N. Yabu, T. Asa, K. Deguchi, S. Matsuoka

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In a previous study, grazing light breed horses could ingest CP and DE requirements for maintenance without supplements. However, their grazing behaviour, such as biting and chewing efficiency, which related to the passage rate of forage in the digestive tract and fibre digestibility, was affected by the pasture conditions (Kawai et al., 2004). In this study, the DM intake, digestibility and mean retention time (MRT) of grass in light breed horses were determined and compared in spring, summer and autumn on an improved pasture.

Herbage Intake And Animal Performance Of Cattle Grazing Brachiaria Brizantha Cv. Marandu Under Continuous Stocking, S. C. Da Silva, P. Sarmento, L. K. Molan, F. M. E. Andrade, André F. Sbrissia, A. V. Lupinacci, A. C. Gonçalves, D. E. Oliveira

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grazing management affects sward structure, which in turn influences plant and animal responses. With the objective of understanding causal relationship between sward structure and animal responses, the present experiment evaluated the daily herbage intake and live weight gain of growing cattle on Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu pasture during summer (Dec. 2001 to Mar. 2002).

Effect Of Red And White Clover Added To A Rye Grass-Based Diet On Intake, Fibre Digestion And Methane Release Of Dairy Cows, Anette H. Van Dorland, Michael Kreuzer, M. Leuenberger, H. R. Wettstein

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage legumes like white and red clover are widely grown in association with grass, with the intention to improve the quality of grass-based diets. However little is known about the effect of either white or red clover added to a grass-based diet on methane release, and existing studies are not conclusive. The objective of this study, applying the respiratory chamber technique, was to determine the effect of red and white clover added to a rye grass-based diet on intake, fibre digestion and methane release of dairy cows.

Proanthocyanidins From Hedysarum, Lotus And Onobrychis Spp. Growing In Sardinia And Sicily And Their Antioxidant Activity, A. Tava, M. G. De Benedetto, D. Tedesco, G. Di Miceli, G. Piluzza

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Proanthocyanidins (PA), or condensed tannins, are a class of natural polyphenolic compounds, occurring in numerous plant species, including a number of economically significant forage legumes. These compounds are polymers of flavan-3-ols, and typically contain from 2 to 20 units. Their biological significance is still being debated and, in recent years, a great deal of attention has been focused on their role in ruminant nutrition. Evidence has indicated that PA, in a moderate concentration (0.5-5% DM), may have considerable importance in protecting dietary proteins against microbial degradation in the rumen, and in preventing bloat. The antioxidant activity (AA) is also an …

Diet Selection In A Pasture Of Panicum Maximum Cv. Mombaça With Different Sward Heights, Teresa C. M. Genro, Ê. R. Prates, F. F. Cardoso, L. R. L. San'thiago

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The n-alkane method allows to measure dry matter (DM) intake and to determine the proportion of grass and legume ingested by ruminants grazing mixed pastures. Dove & Mayes (1996) pointed out that using this method, beyond estimating intake of individual plant species, it may also be possible to determine intake of anatomical components of the plant. The aim of this work was to use the non-negative least squares procedure to estimate diet selection based on plant alkanes and animal faeces.

Theoretical Considerations On A One-Parameter Approach To Compare Actual And Estimated Compositions Of Multi-Component Diets, C. Elwert, M. Rodehutscord

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The composition of ingested herbage mixtures can be estimated using the alkane technique (Dove & Moore, 1995), with the accuracy of the estimate assessed by linear regression of estimated and actual proportions of the dietary components (Dove, 1992). However, although the linear regression might not differ from the line of equality, large discrepancies may occur within individual components (Hoebee et al., 1998). This paper presents an approach to compare actual and estimated diet compositions using only one parameter.

An Evaluation Of The N-Alkane Technique For Determining Diet Composition In Animals Grazing Complex Swards, M. D. Fraser, J. M. Moorby, V. J. Theobald, R. Jones

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The n-alkane profiles of epicuticular waxes derived from different plant species are sufficiently distinct to allow assessment of the proportions of different herbages in two-component mixtures including perennial ryegrass/white clover, heather/hill grass and rush/perennial ryegrass (Dove & Mayes, 1996). Evidence suggests the reliability of such estimates declines as the number of different dietary components increases. However, recent studies have shown analysis of additional compounds, including long-chain fatty alcohols, may improve discrimination between different dietary components. The aim of this experiment was to quantify the accuracy of such methods for determining the diet composition of animals grazing complex swards.