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Effect Of Planting Methods And Forage Crop Combinations On Fodder Productivity Through Moisture Conservation, Kauthale Vitthal Keshav, P. S. Takawale, S. D. Patil

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Out of 140.02 million ha cultivated area of the country, 76.76 million ha (54.82 %) is rainfed having soils with poor fertility and numerous physiochemical constraints. The productivity of animals is very low because of shortage of green fodder during most of the years. The poor feed quality and dry season feed shortage are the serious limitations for livestock production in rainfed areas & farmers maintain a large herd of animals to compensate for the low productivity of the livestock, which adds to the pressure on land and fodder resources (Pathak, 2005).

Western Maharashtra region suffers from very low rainfall …

Relationship Between Rainfall And Annual Forage Biomass To Build A Forage-Balance Guarantee System In Brazilian Semiarid, Ana Clara Rodrigues Cavalcante, Rodrigo Gregório Da Silva, Magno José Duarte Cândido, Jay Peter Angerer

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Semiarid regions around the world are characterized by elevated annual evapotranspiration and irregular rainfalls (Creswell and Martin, 1998), resulting in a negative water balance in most part of the year. The high rainfall variability associated to a high pressure on natural resources generated a scenario of degradation, which is worrying for the future of many rangelands. In this sense, it is urgent to understand the processes involved in the sustainability of vulnerable ecosystems to keep them productive and profitable. Among the rural activities in the semiarid regions, the raising of livestock has been contributed to become the farms viable. To …

Tillage And Mulching Effects On Crop Productivity And Moisture Dynamics In Fodder Sorghum Based Cropping Systems Under Rainfed Condition, Kiran Kumar, T. Palsaniya, A. K. Dixit, G. Prabhu, Manoj Chaudhary

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Indian farmers generally take more than one crop in a year to maximize their total production and profits. In this process fodder sorghum followed by crops like chickpea, wheat, oat, barley and mustard are common in Bundelkhand region of central India. The soils of Budelkhand region of India are medium to low in fertility with low organic matter content and poor water holding capacity that limits the fodder and food productivity. Therefore, adoption of resource conserving technologies in fodder sorghum based cropping systems under rainfed conditions is one of the potential areas, where increase in green fodder and food production …

Effects Of Alternate Furrow Irrigation On The Forage Quality Of Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa), Xiao Yu, Zhengang Guo, Tingting Jia, Yuying Shen

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is widely used to establish pasture to sustain animal production because of its high nutritional quality for livestock (Bouton, 2012). Therefore improving quality of alfalfa pasture is the main goal for establishing pasture throughout the world. Irrigation is an important approach for achieving high qualities of alfalfa pasture, however, the scarcity of water threatens the sustainability of world alfalfa production, requiring us to force on using water more efficiently (Liu and Guo, 2013). Alternate furrow irrigation has been proved as a water-saving technique to promote fruit quality of tomatoes and grapevines and the seed quality …

The Role Of Floating Gardens To Alter The Water Quality Of The Chicago River: Chicago, Il, Emmett Andrew Spooner

Theses and Dissertations

The pollution of heavy metals within surface water is a rising global concern. As heavy metals are transported through rivers, they can bioaccumulate through the food web, leading to harmful concentrations within waterways. In urban areas such as the city of Chicago, Illinois, the use of road salts is a concern as elevated concentrations of chloride (Cl–) can reduce surface water quality. Since surface waters can carry heavy metals and Cl– salts over a large distance, methods of in-situ phytoremediation are of growing importance. Through a pilot project, a floating garden system has been installed along a portion of the …

Nitrogen Use Efficiency And Root Dry Matter Partitioning In Four Perennial Temperate Forage Grass Species, Luis Inostroza, Joel Ibañez, Fernando Ortega, Hernán Acuña, Pablo Undurraga

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Chile, the livestock systems based on perennial swards (grasses/white clover) have intensified its production because of the indiscriminated increases in nitrogen fertilization (Vistoso et al., 2012). Currently, new agronomic practices are demanded to allow the increase of the Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) of perennial swards. In livestock systems, NUE can be studied and improved at animal, soil and plant level. In Chile, the two first levels have been broadly studied (Vistoso et al., 2012) but the plant contribution has been ignored. Today, a lot of cultivars from temperate grass species originated from different part of the world …

Tall Fescue (Festuca Arundinacea) Stockpiling Response To N Fertilizer In Southern Virginia As Affected By Biological Soil Quality, Christopher D. Teutsch, Robert Shoemaker, Alan J. Franzluebbers

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cattlemen in the eastern USA profitably utilize endophyte-infected tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) for fall-stockpiled winter grazing. Ergot alkaloid concentration in fescue tends to decline in winter. This improves the quality of fescue for grazing when the supply of other forage becomes limited on most farms. Tall fescue dry matter yields generally respond favorably to nitrogen (N) inputs, but response can be limited with summer application due to accumulation of biologically available N in soil. Research is needed to characterize a diversity of pastures for response to N fertilizer during fall stockpiling.

Biological soil quality can be estimated with …

Declining Water Resources And Environmental Degradation: A Case Of The Thulokhola Watershed In The Nuwakot District Of Nepal, Durga D. Poudel, Timothy W. Duex

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Climate change alters the hydrology of a watershed through changes on precipitation patterns, extreme rain events, increase on temperatures, degradation of forest and soil resources and drought conditions. Drought conditions create stress on agricultural crops, forests, drinking water supply for human and wildlife as well as water supply for industrial uses. Flooding destroys crops, infrastructures, private properties, and results in loss of life. Climate change impacts both the availability as well as the quality of water resources as extreme rain events tend to alter water infrastructures and pollute water sources.

In Nepal, climate change impacts include degradation of resource and …

Relationship Between Live Weight Gain Of Tibetan Sheep And Available Pasture In Qinhai-Tibetan Plateau, Y. Sun, Y. Liu, Y. Zhang, S. H. Chang, Z. F. Wang, X. J. Chen, Fujiang Hou

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Overgrazing is a universal phenomenon on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, which results in 90% of the alpine meadow grassland being degraded (Gao and Hou 2011). As well, animal productivity of the grassland is becoming lower because of the yearly continuous grazing. Improved grazing management will play a key role in the sustainable use of alpine meadow grasslands.

The Impact Of Surface Coal Mining On The Pre- And Post-Mining Agricultural Potential Of The Grassland Biome Of Southern Africa, Wayne F. Truter, T. Bredell, J. Olivier, D. Van Heerden, P. Mosebi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Surface mining of coal is widespread in the grassland areas of the Mpumalanga Province in South Africa, and is the main cause of many environmental impacts in this agriculturally important region. To ensure healthy and productive vegetation after the reclamation process, disturbed soils need to be ameliorated and re-vegetated with locally adapted grass species to protect, preserve and improve soils for future agricultural use. To date, soil compaction is regarded as one of the main factors that cause severe restrictions in the effective rooting depth of plants, and the level of compaction is strongly influenced by altered soil water contents, …

Salt-Tolerant Forages For Irrigated Saline Land In Central Iraq, Iman S. Salman, Edward G. Barrett-Lennard, Kareem Kadhim, Shoaib Ismail, Hayley C. Norman

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Salinity is a major problem in the irrigated zones of central and southern Iraq. We investigated biomass production from five salt-tolerant forage species, represented by 15 introduced accessions and 3 local accessions, during two successive summer growing seasons. Species included pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), sorghum (Sorghum bicolour), guar (Cluster bean; Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and sesbania (Sesbania aculeata and S. sesban). The research site was located in the Al-Dujaila irrigation project area in Wasit. The soil had a silty clay texture with moderate salinity (ECe 10-20 dS/m). The site was …

Improving Grassland Quality In Communal Arable Lands In The Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, Theunis L. Morgenthal, Pieter W. Conradie, Gideon Jordaan, Unathi Gulwa, Neil Ballard, John Howieson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Overgrazing and shifting cultivation practise have severely degraded communal lands in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Methods need to be developed to improve forage quality of grazing land, especially previously cultivated lands. The aim of the study was to investigate legume species to rehabilitate arable lands abandoned from cropping, to enhance their forage quality, productivity and ecological integrity. The study was conducted in seven communities within the Eastern Cape Province. This study showed that within the communal lands studied extensive areas have been cultivated and the majority of this land is now poorly utilised. Natural grasslands ploughed for cropping …

Identifying And Addressing Sustainable Pasture And Grazing Management Options For A Major Economic Sector–The North Australian Beef Industry, Neil D. Macleod, Joe C. Scanlan, Lester I. Pahl, Giselle L. Whish, Robyn A. Crowley

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Sustainable use of the northern grazing lands is a long-standing issue for management and policy, heightened by projections of increased climatic variability, uncertainty on forage supplies, vegetation complexes, and weeds and diseases. Meat and Livestock Australia has supported a large study to explore sustainable grazing management strategies and increase the capacity of the sector to address climate change. Potential options were explored by bio-economic modeling of ‘representative’ beef enterprises defined by pastoralists and supported by regional research and extension specialists. Typical options include diversification, infrastructure, flexible stocking rates, wet season resting, and prescribed fire. Concurrent activities by another team included …

Grassland Rehabilitation Through Re-Designing Livestock Management Systems, Guodong Han, Zhongwu Wang, Zhiguo Li, Mengli Zhao, David R. Kemp, David L. Michalk, Kris M. Havstad

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasslands are one of the most important land types supplying critical ecosystem services including feed for livestock grazing. They occupy ~54% of the world’s ice-free land surface. China contains the third largest area of grassland in the world, ~400 M ha, ~40% of China’s land surface. Chinese grasslands are severely degraded primarily due to overgrazing, which contributes to local poverty because of poor livestock production. To both recover the degraded grassland and to enhance the local herders’ income, a large farm-scale experiment was conducted in a desert steppe of Inner Mongolia, China from 2007 to 2012. We used a baseline …

Incidence And Control Of Worm Burdens In Bali Bulls Fed Forage Tree Legumes In West Nusa Tenggara, Luh Gde Sri Astiti, Baiq Tutik Yuliana, Muhammad Fauzan, Tanda Panjaitan

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Bali cattle are the predominant domestic cattle raised in smallholder systems in eastern Indonesia. They are characterised by low growth rates partly due to genetic factors but largely due to insufficient and/or poor quality feed and management. Internal parasites can have severe impacts on animal production and are a common problem in eastern Indonesia due to poor hygiene and management practices. Prevalence, or the ratio of number of worm infestation occurrences, in the cattle population is high in West Nusa Tenggara. Astiti et al. (2011) reported prevalence levels of 81% in some area of Sumbawa Island and Astiti and …

Environment Impact Of Moxidectin In Sheep Faeces Upon Dung Diptera In South Of Brazil, Alda L. G. Monteiro, Susana Gilaverte, Maria Angela M. Fernandes, Alessandre P. Colavite, Paulo Guimarães, Mylena T. P. Peres, Cláudio J. A. Da Silva

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Dung Diptera can be beneficial to the environment because the adults feed on, deposit eggs in, and the larval nutrition depends on the feaces of animals which significantly im-proves nutrient cycling. However, anthelmintics which are used to control internal parasites have long persistence with a long half-life in faeces. This is harmful to the coprofauna and may adversely affect the diversity of this environmen-tal system. In this study we evaluated the toxicity of moxidectin anthelmintic on the dung Diptera population in pastures of South of Brazil.

An Ecological Monitoring Of The Plateau Pika And Its Impact On Grassland–An Experiment In The Yushu District, Qinghai Province Of China, Masahiro Tasumi, Nobumi Hasegawa, Akira Fukuda, Rende Song, Guomei Li, Jiahua Yang, Manabu Tobisa, Sachiko Idota

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae; see Fig.1 for photo) is a small mammal that lives in the alpine grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau. There are several uncertainties existing in the ecological behavior of the plateau pika and its impact on the alpine grasslands, and this impact has long been a subject under discussion. The mammal will have created both positive and negative impacts to the plateau environment and the alpine ecology. In China the plateau pika is regarded as a pest and has been a target of control or extermination because it is a competitor with livestock for …

Soil Fertility Under Grassland Compared To Other Land Uses In Acid Soil Of Himachal Pradesh, India, Sharmistha Pal, Pankaj Panwar, D. R. Bhardwaj

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In the last decades severe changes in land use occurred in tropical countries, due to increasing population and their demand for food resources. Forest land is rapidly converted into agriculture or pastureland which may cause significant changes in soil fertility. Land-use exerts significant effect on nutrient availability and may also influence secondary succession and biomass production (Lu et al., 2002). Nutrient cycling in agroforestry is in between natural forest ecosystems of the tropics and most of the agricultural systems with are ‘‘leaky’’ having higher nutrient losses. Research indicated that decline of soil organic matter may occur due to conversion …

Mix Cropping Of Smooth Vetch And Barley Under Cold Rainfed Conditions, Mahmoud Pouryousef, Khoshnood Alizadeh

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Drylands are mainly used for wheat and food legumes production and there is increasing demand to forage crops in these areas. About 2-3 million hectares of arable lands across Iran are left as fallow every year (Alizadeh, 2010) which could be used to suitable forage crops. Considerable variation has been reported in herbage and grain yields of improved vetches (Vicia spp.) under Iranian rainfed conditions. Introduction of annual feed legumes in dryland cropping systems that are dominated by cereals would reduce pest and disease risk and increase sustainable productivity. However, vetch species as monocultures produce low forage yield under …

Nitrate Accumulation And Utilization In Fodder Oats Varieties As Affected By Different Nitrogen Levels, Gurjeet Kaur, Meenakshi Goyal, Pritpal Singh

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Importance of fodder crops in agriculture needs no emphasis because of the fact that regular fodder availability is basic requirement for livestock production. The area under fodder in Punjab is 2.03 million hectares with total production of 45 million tons, which is not sufficient to meet the maintenance requirements of livestock. To improve the quality of milk production it is important that animals are fed with good quality of fodder. Nitrogen is an essential primary nutrient for plant growth and plays an important role in productivity of forage crops. The application of N at various growth stages is one of …

Quality Of Grass Fodder Cowpea Mixtures As Influenced By Row Ratio, S. Lakshmi, M. R. Anita

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A serious drawback of sustainable livestock production system in Kerala is the inadequate seasonal distribution of fodder production. The quantity and quality of herbage available in the lean dry months from January to May is very low. Therefore it is imperative to develop a fodder production system that increases the availability and improves the quality of herbage in the dry summer months. Intensive fodder production systems based on grasses are increasingly becoming important to the dairy farmers of Kerala. Development of compatible persistent grass legume mixtures could alleviate acute seasonal livestock feed deficiency in dry seasons (Njarui et al., 2004). …

Ethical Use Of Cereal Legume Intercrop Forages For Feeding Of Sheep And Pasture Development, S. B. Maity, K. K. Singh, G. Prabhu, N. Das

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cereal forages are important in the feeding of livestock for their high energy and dry matter content. However, they are low in protein content and inferior in other nutritional quality than the legume forages. Ruminants required protein as well as energy to maintain their production. Supplementation of protein through concentrates is cost effective in livestock production. Besides, ruminant is unique in having the potential for cycling forage materials, poor quality protein and non protein nitrogen sources into human food supply as meat and milk (Eskandary et al., 2009). Thus, management of forages for livestock feeding either in feedlot or in …

Forage Legumes Intercropping And Nitrogen Management Effects On Performance Of Guinea Grass (Panicum Maximum) Varieties In Bundelkhand Region Of India, Mukesh Choudhary, G. Prabhu

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq.) is one of the important forage grass of the tropics with good yield potential, palatability, persistence and quality fodder (Sukhchain, 2010). The low crude protein productivity of guinea grass can be enhanced through its intercropping with forage legumes to sustain ruminant animals throughout the year. The intercropping of legumes with guinea grass will also optimize forage production per unit area, especially during rabi season. Further, its productivity can also be increased through N management as it is heavy feeder due to perennial and multi-cut nature.

Estimating Δ15n And Δ13c In Barley And Pea Mixtures Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy With Genetic Algorithm Based Partial Least Squares Regression, Hyo-Won Lee, Hyo-Jin Lee, Han-Jong Ko, Chang Yoon

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Stable isotope measurements have been increasingly used as a method to obtain information on relationships between plants and their environment (Dawson et al., 2002). Stable isotopes are seen as a powerful tool for advancing our knowledge on stock cycling and, nitrogen and carbon isotopic compositions have provided key insights into biogeochemical interactions between plants, soils and the atmosphere (Robinson, 2001). For the stable isotope measurements, the δ¹³C isotopic signature has been used successfully to disentangle physiological, ecological and biogeochemical processes and, δ¹⁵N studies have significantly improved our knowledge on nitrogen cycling pathways and nitrogen acquisition by …

Nitrogen Use Efficiency Of Late Fall-Applied Urea And Pig Slurry For Regrowth Of Perennial Ryegrass Sward, Sang-Hyun Park, Tae-Hwan Kim, Bok-Rye Lee, Se-Jong Oh

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Pig slurry is the most important organic resource in Korea, as estimated to be more than 15% of recycled animal manure. The use of pig slurry as an alternative organic fertilizer is the most viable recycling option as it is produced in large amount on pig farms that has usually less or not surface for cultivation of forage crops in Korea. Perennial grasses in grassland system regrow successively after harvests by cutting or grazing. The regrowth yield at each harvest would be a crucial determinant for the productivity of sward. During vegetative regrowth, soil mineral N and N reserves meet …

Productivity Of White Clover-Grass Mixed Swards, Aleksandrs Adamovics, Olga Adamovica

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Dairy farming is a major branch of agriculture in Latvia. Therefore, providing livestock with high quality grass forage over the whole grazing season is of great importance. However, the cost of obtaining high quality grass forage should not be too high. Perennial forage legume-grass stands meets the required demands best of all. Inclusion of white clover in legume-grass stands contributes to the production of high quality herbage swards (Frame and Newbould, 1986; Laidlaw et al., 1995; Orr et al., 1990; Van Bockstaele, 1985). The nutritive value of white clover depends on the favorable leaf: stem ratio in total …

Cenchrus Ciliaris And Stylosanthes Seabrana For Grassland Development In Semi-Arid Areas Of Maharashtra, Nandini Nimbkar, B. V. Nimbkar

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A high proportion of grazing lands on the semi-arid Deccan plateau of Maharashtra, India are severely degraded and have experienced considerable loss of perennial vegetation and soil due to erosion. Consequently, these grazing lands have very low levels of pasture and animal productivity, water use efficiency is low and in combination these factors are threatening grazing systems of the local shepherd community. In Maharashtra 42% of the land is either covered with forest or scrub vegetation or left as culturable wasteland. Much of the efforts in land management have been directed towards forestry land with little attention given to private …

Yield And N Recovery By Grass Species In Response To Long Term Applications Of Manure And Mineral Fertilizer In A Cool Maritime Climate, Shabtai Bittman, Derek Hunt

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Liquid manure is an important source of nutrients on many modern dairy farms. Nitrogen (N) use efficiency of slurry is usually less than chemical fertilizer, but the difference is less when tested in trials lasting at least 7 years than in short term trials (Schröder et al., 2007). The efficiency of slurry manure N can be improved by minimizing loss of ammonia after application using low emission applicators. In grass stands where injection is impractical, mitigation methods often involve spreading the slurry in narrow bands directly on the soil surface. Losses of N as ammonia, nitrous oxide and leaching have …

Herbaceous Perennial Legumes: New Options For Pasture In Dryland Livestock Systems In Sub-Humid Mediterranean Chile, Carlos Ovalle, Soledad Espinoza, Viviana Barahona, Macarena Gerding, Alan Humpries, Alejandro Del Pozo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In a climate with winter-dominant rainfall and long dry summers, like in Central Chile, the introduction and use of annual legumes and grasses, to improve productivity of livestock farming systems and to the rehabilitation of degraded agroecosystems have been the main strategies in the last twenty years. Unfortunately, the growth rate of annual legumes is low during autumn and winter, and also plant senescence starts by the end of October due to low soil water availability. As a consequence, the distribution of biomass production is mainly concentrated in spring when temperatures are moderate and soil water is available. In other …

Traditional Wisdom For Sustainable Agri And Livestock Production: An Opportunity For Better Animal, Human And Environment Health, M. J. Saxena, Anup Kalra

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Animal production is poised to make a generous leap in the years to come because of the multiplicity of the related events that are taking place around the globe. Increased demand of the livestock products, ease of market accessibility, and opportunity of global trade, increased cash flow in urban and rural societies, application of science and application of new technologies in production, feeding & processing may be some of the key factors responsible for the anticipated increase in livestock production. However, at the same time it is high time that we address some areas of quality assurance of feed & …