Digital Commons Network^™

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.

Using The N-Alkane Technique To Estimate The Herbage Intake And Diet Composition Of Cattle Grazing A Miscanthus Sinensis Grassland, Y. J. Zhang, Y. Togamura, K. Otsuki

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Plant wax alkanes are now widely used as marker substances (Dove & Mayes 1991) for the estimation of forage intake and diet composition of grazing herbivores. The objective of this study was to evaluate this method with cattle grazing a M. sinensis grassland in Japan.

First Things First: Widespread Nutrient Deficiencies Limit Yields In Smallholder Oil Palm Fields, Hendra Sugianto, Juan Pablo Monzon, Iput Pradiko, Fatima A. Tenorio, Ya Li Lim, Christopher R. Donough, Sunawan, Suroso Rahutomo, Fahmuddin Agus, James Cock, Joni Amsar, Rana Farrasati, Ridho Iskandar, Juan I. Rattalino Edreira, Shofia Saleh, Heri Santoso, Antonius P. Tito, Nadib Ulfaria, Maja A. Slingerland, Patricio Grassini

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

CONTEXT: Indonesia is the most important oil palm producing country. Nearly 40% of planted area is managed by smallholders, with yields well below the potential. Efforts to increase productivity have focused on the source of planting material, with little attention paid to plant nutrition.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the degree to which current productivity in smallholder oil palm fields is limited by nutrients in scenarios with distinct sources of planting material.

METHODS: We collected detailed data on leaf nutrient concentration from 30 fields to derive minimum sampling size needed to diagnose nutrient status. Subsequently, we collected data on …

A New System For The Evaluation Of The Fermentation Quality Of Silages, E. Kaiser, K. Weiß

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Depending on the content of nitrate in green forage, the pattern of fermentation products in silages differ significantly (Weiß & Kaiser, 2001). The systems, which are now common in practice for evaluating the quality of silage fermentation, characterise fermentation quality incorrectly because the evaluation is influenced by the chemical composition of green forage. The aim of this work was to derive an evaluation system for fermentation quality, which is independent from the chemical composition of green forage.

Nutrient Composition Of Napier Grass (Pennisetum Purpureum) And Napier Grass Silages Made With Different Additives, A. A. Aganga, U. J. Omphile, J. C. Baitshotlhi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage contributes about 73% and 95% of the diets of ruminants fattened on grain supplements and on natural ranges respectively (Sarwar & Nisa, 1998). Napier grass is one of the highest yielding tropical forage grasses and was shown to provide a good quality silage when it was supplemented with molasses, as the fermentation quality was not affected by the high storage temperature (40^oC). The objectives of this study were to determine the chemical composition of silages when ensiled alone or mixed with additives.

An Evaluation Of Grazing Value Of Maize And Companion Crops For Wintering Lactating Ewes, E. A. Van Zyl, C. S. Dannhauser

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Northwestern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), in South Africa, is well known for its sheep production from natural rangeland in summer (October to May). During winter, however, the nutritional value of the rangeland cannot maintain young growing sheep or pregnant and lactating ewes. With this in mind, Lyle (1991) suggested the use of planted pastures for the winter. Crichton et al (1998) and Esterhuizen & Niemand (1989) suggested the use of maize crop residues for both cattle and sheep during winter, whereas Moore (1997) evaluated grazing (not harvested) maize for this purpose. He found that the crude protein content of the crop was …

An Agronomic Evaluation Of Grazing Maize Combined With Companion Crops For Sheep In Northwestern Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, C. S. Dannhauser, E. A. Van Zyl

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Northwestern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), in South Africa, is well known for its sheep production from natural rangeland in summer (October to May). During winter however, the nutritional value of the rangeland cannot maintain young growing sheep or pregnant and lactating ewes. With this in mind Lyle (1991) suggested the use of planted pastures for the winter. Crichton, Gertenbach & Henning (1998) and Esterhuizen & Niemand (1989) suggested maize crop residues for both cattle and sheep during winter, whereas Moore (1997) evaluated grazing maize (not harvested) for this purpose. He found that the protein content of the crop was inadequate and for …

Study On Re-Growth And Nutritional Potentials Of Eleusine Indica L In Chitwan, Nepal, P. R. Regmi, Naba R. Devkota, M. Sapkota, M. P. Sharma

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The efforts to use exotic fodder species to solve the problem of green roughage scarcity in Nepal, have had only limited success because the species are not persistent. Use of local forage species, such as Eleusine indica, which is widely adapted and tolerant of repeated cutting (Lowry et al., 1992), could be possible solution to the problem. The objective of this study was to understand the re-growth potential of E. indica with respect to nitrogen fertiliser application and cutting management and to determine its feeding value in the dry season.

Tissue Damage And Nutritive Value Of Warm-Season Grasses Following A Freeze, S. W. Coleman, J. Breman, A. S. Blount, K. H. Quesenberry

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge) is a major forage for livestock in the subtropics of the U.S.A. However, it is subject to freeze damage with minimal winter regrowth, and is generally considered a poor grass for stockpiling due to poor quality of the residue. Bahiagrass genotypes have been found showing a range of leaf freezing tolerance in the in the field (-3⁰ C) (Blount et al., 2001). Other C4 grasses have been reported to have genotype-specific tolerances to below-freezing temperatures ranging from -3 to -100 C (Sakai & Larcher, 1987). This research was begun to try to understand the …

Forage Production And Nitrogen Status In Mixed Fodder Crops, G. Convertini, M. Maiorana, D. Ferri

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Southern Italy, the lack of rain during the summer period is one of the main factors limiting fodder crop production. Another very important parameter, linked to drought, is N fertilisation. In these conditions, it is necessary to find mixtures of legumes and grasses able to ensure good production and quality in the driest months, and to rationalise N fertilisation through control of the nutritional status of the crops at the beginning of spring. By this approach, it is possible to adjust N application during the cropping cycle. The aim of this research was to evaluate in a hilly area …

Dry Matter Production And Nutritive Quality Of Wild Guinea Grass (Panicum Maximum) Grown Along Roadsides In Sri Lanka, Sujatha Premaratne, G. G. C. Premalal

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Wild Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) was introduced into Sri Lanka in the 1820s for forage purposes and has now naturalised in most ecological zones, ecosystems and habitats including roadsides with the exception of hilly and semi-arid parts of the country. The enormous distribution of the grass throughout the country has contributed much to supplying livestock feeds, soil erosion control, and improvement of soil fertility. The objective of this study was to investigate the growth, dry matter (DM) production and nutritive quality of wild Guinea grass along roadsides in different ecological zones.