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Comparison Of Laboratory Methods For Estimating Herbage Digestibility, Francoise Riviere, P Maupetit, G Blanchard

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forages are an important source of nutrients for ruminants and recently interest has been shown in using forages for a greater proportion of the nutrients in ruminant production. The feeding value of forages mainly depends on their digestible organic matter contents. Feeding of forages to animals is the most accurate method of evaluation but such trials are expens­ive and very slow. Many laboratory procedures have been developped for esti­mating forage nutritive value. Recently, near infrared reflec­tance has been developped to provide a fast and reliable alter­native method. The aim of the study is to compare laboratory methods of forage evaluation …

Determination Of Forage In Vivo Digestibility By Nirs, R Biston, P Dardenne, C Demarquilly

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The forage energetic value determination has always been and remains a important issue. It consists in predicting the Organic Matter Digestibility (OMD). Measuring In Vivo OMD on animals is time and money consuming. To predict OMD in laboratory, different chemical, microbiological and enzymatic methods are used. The articles published on the use of Near InfraRed Spec­trometry (NIRS) indicate that this method can improve OMD determination efficiently (Norris, 1983; Shenk, 1977; Biston, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1988). The research work carried out in the Station de Haute Belgique in collaboration with INRA in Theix, has defined the efficiency of these technics for …

Enzymatic Solubility And Other Analytic Parameters Predicting Digestibility In Grasses Of Middling Food Value, J Silva Colomer, M Zarate, J C. Guevara, C Fransinelli

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

For a long time, laboratories techniques have been applied to predict "in vivo" digestibility. Among the biological methods, those basing on rumen fluid are the most used in the nutrition laboratories (Osbourn and Siddons, 1980). These techniques, however, present difficulties as the necessity of maintaining rumen-fistulated donor animals, variations in ruminal activity and high cost. For these reasons, the capacity of enzymatic solubility to predict digestibility has been studied in the last few years in different forages : hays, cereal straws, silages and pellets (Aerts et al., 1977 ; Rivero Yeas, 1985), agri­cultural byproducts (Aerts, 1977; Aguilera and Molina, 1986) …

Use Of Near Infrared Spectroscopy To Assess Nutritional Status Of Cattle Diets On Rangelands, J W. Stuth, E D. Kapes, R K. Lyons

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

There are two principal means for assessing the quality of grazing ruminant diets, analysis of extrusa from esophageally fistulated animals or indirect estimates from fecal analysis. Wet chemistry methods are well documented for the former but have proven to be of limited value regarding the latter. It is the purpose of this research to determine the suitability of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for estimating diet crude protein (%) and organic matter digestibility (%) directly from extrusa and indirectly from feces.

Monitoring The Nutrition Of Grazing Cattle With Near-Infrared Analysis Of Feces, S W. Coleman, J W. Stuth, J W. Holloway

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The nutrition of grazing animals is difficult to assess because of the difficulty in determining the amount and quality of the ingested forage. Although many techniques have been proposed for sampling the grazed forage, none offer quantitat­ive estimates of diet quality and intake for individual animals in large numbers. The feces excreted by animals contain undigested residues of the diet consumed along with products of animal and microbiological origin. The objective was to determine if near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) could be used to developed spectral indices from feces which describe the quantitative and qualitative attributes of the diet over a range …

Predicting Organic Matter Digestibility Of Forage By Two Pepsin-Cellulase Methods, Jocelyne Aufrere, C Demarquilly

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In vivo organic matter digestibility (OMd) of forage is very variable. That of standing forage varies, depending on species, growth cycle number and more especially stage of development or forage age, between 49 and 86 p. 100 according to the 1 719 samples of grasses, legumes and permanent pastures studied on sheep in our Laboratory (Demarquilly and Andrieu, 1987). Variation may also be caused by conservation method, particu­larly hay-making. Since net energy value depends closely on OMd, a good knowledge of the latter is indispensable in the preparation of animal diets. It is also important in the choice of crop …

Evaluation Of King Grass Clones (Pennisetum Purpureum) Obtained By Tissue Culture. Iii. Quality Of The Mutants, R S. Herrera, J Lauzan, R O. Martinez, M Monzote, R Cruz

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Two ofthe main aspects of the forages used in bovine cattle nutrition are yield and its quality. More recently, Martinez et al. (1986) observed the possibility of modifying some indices by the in vitro tissue culture. Thus, the objective of the present work was to evaluate some quality indice of Pennisetum clones obtained by tissues culture.

The Effect Of Plant Population Density And Fertilizer Nitrogen On The Performance And Quality Of Maize For Silage, E O. Asare, A.A K. Adjepong-Yamoah

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Ghanaian soils are inherently low in Nitrogen (N) content especially in grassland areas and where the forest has been cleared for cultivation. The diet of Ghanaians is very low in protein, and more meat protein is needed. Livestock pro­duction is empeded when during the long dry season livestock lose weight, get diseased or die because of insufficient forage. This limits animal protein available for Ghanaians. Forage conservation in the rainy season for use during the drought period is suggested, and for this, silage preparation has been found most practicable .. Means of improving the yield and quality of forages in …

Le Lupin (Lupinus Sp.) Dans L'Alimentation Animale: Note Preliminaire Sur La Composition Chimique Et La Valeur Energetique De Cultivars Pauvres En Alcaloides, Angelina Cavaliere, Andrea M.R Lanza, L Postiglione, F Intreieri

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Le Lupin est une plante qui contient un taux eleve d'alca­loi:des. Ceux-ci ont constitue jusqu'a present la plus importante limite a l'emploi des graines de cette espece dans l'alimentation du betail. Ces dernieres annees, des recherches ont ete effectuees qui tendent a la selection de varietes de lupin doux, parmi les­quelles se distinguent celles obtenues par Postiglione et al. Les resultats du present travail portent sur la composition chimique et sur la valeur energetique de ces lignees et varietes.

Inhibitory Effect Of Penicillin Like Metabolites Of Paecilomyces Carneus On In Vitro Dry Matter Digestibility Of Grasses, T Eiriksson, O Gudmundsson, S Olafsson, A Taylor

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Insufficient growth of lambs grazed on lowland mires in Ice­land is well documented but not clearly understood (Gudmundsson, 1988). It is also well established world wide that toxic substances which occur on grassland pastures can cause ruminal disorder and retard animal growth (Culvenor, 1987). Such toxins may be inorganic in nature, but more fre­quently, they are organic metabolites, for example fungal toxins either on the topsoil either on or within the plant. In Nova Scotia, Canada, where ill-thrift is common, researches have confirmed an interaction between fungal flora of soils and metabolism of rumen bacteria (Brewer et al., 1979; Liss …

Evaluation Of New Varieties Of Fodder Beet (Majoral And Poly Productiva) As New Summer Forages In Egypt, M S. Nowar, S M. Abd El-Baki, I F. Marie, A A. Zaki

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Interest in fodder beet has increased dramatically in many parts of the world. Owing to its yield during summer season in Egypt, time during which shortage of green and succulent for­age occurs, interest in its cultivation started early (Ghoneim, 1967 and Abou El-Hassan et al., 1971). Fodder beet has improved cows condition and milk yield and quality (Kocisova, 1976; Burckhardt, 1979; De Brabander et al., 1981 and Pearce, 1983). Fodder beet can considerably increase the farm total energy production. However, to grow it successfully the farmer must have an « arable» mentality (Pearce, 1983). The present research was conducted to …

Nutritive Value Of Some Grass Species In Hungary, J Varhegyi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Demarquilly and Weiss (1970), Becker and Nehring (1969), Aman and Lindgren (1983) etc. reported data for the digesti­bility and nutritive value of different grass species. The present paper reports the chemical composition and the digestibility of the following species grown in Hungary: smooth brome-grass (Bromus inermis), meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis), orchard­grass (Dactylis glomerata), reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundin­acea), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) and crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum). The data were obtained during long term investigation from 1975 to 1983, but crested wheatgrass from 1980-83.

Millet Based Cropping Systems With Forage Legumes For Improving Nutritive Values Of Crop Residues In The Sahelian Zone, C Renard, M Garba

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The crop residues from sorghum and pearl millet represent an important potential feed resource. In 1981, 55.2 and 51.4 million tons of crop residues were produced from sorghum and pearl millet respectively (Kossila, 1985). Pearl millet is the most prevalent cereal in the Sahel and farmers usually leave millet stover in the field after grain harvest. Grazing livestock then walk through the fields and eat first the leaves and later the stalks. Farmers also use millet stalks as fuel, and for con­struction. During the long Sahelian dry season, cattle rely mos­tly on crop residues for their subsistence and in dry …

Utilization Of Lignin According To Christian As An Internal Marker For Assessing Digestibility Of Temperate Grasses With Or Without Supplementation In Adult Rams, A Thewis, F Rodriguez, E Francois, N Bartiaux-Thill

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Use of indigestible plant constituents as internal markers as opposed to fecal index methods and in vitro techniques, has the distinct advantage of measuring digestibility directly in vivo and in the pasture. Lignin and acid insoluble ash are the most fre­quently employed markers. Grass contaminated by soil renders the method using insoluble ash rather unreliable, while lignin as reported by Fahey and Jung (1983) also presents problems it is either partially digested or gives positive fecal recovery by binding of endogenous constituents of indeterminate nature. It would seem however that results obtained are directly related to analytical method used (Rodriguez, …

The Effect Of Supplementation Of Setaria Grass With Cassava Or Gliricidia Leaves On Growing Sheep, S S. Sitorus

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In tropical areas, grasses are the main forage offered to rumi­nant, eventhough they have low quality such as native grass crude protein of about 7-12 %, and napier grass about 9-14 %. Recently in Indonesia, plantation of setaria grass was introduced especially in transmigration and watershed areas, regardless its nutritive value, and its influence on animal performances. Similar with other grasses, setaria grass has a low nutritive value and when fed alone can not meet the pro­duction requirements. More over, Jones et al. (1970) reported that cattle with setaria in a grazing system can lead to the death due to …

Nutritive Value And Production Of Cool-Season Under Two Harvest Regimes, T Kunelius

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Atlantic Canada, Phleum pratense L. is the predominant grass species grown for conserved feed and pasture. Although P. pratense is a persistent grass species under 2 cut systems (Kunelius and McRae, 1986) it does not perform adequately under intensive management. Secondary grasses for the Atlan­tic region include Dactylis glomerata L., Festuca pratensis L., Bromus inermis Leyss., and Lolium-Festuca hybrids. There is considerable interest in the performance and quality of second­ary grasses and those of Lolium-Festuca hybrids in particular, under various management regimes. In this experiment the growth and quality of several cool season grasses were deter­mined under four and …

Change In Composition And Quality Of A Temperate Species Mixed Pasture Grazed Over Three Years At Two Stocking Rates With And Without Nitrogen Fertilizer, K Betteridge, D A. Haynes, J R. Sedcole

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Animal production is not only affected by pasture mass and its seasonal distribution but also by the composition and qual­ity of the consumed pasture (Rattray and Clark, 1984). Legumes have a higher nutritive value than grasses, but may be suppressed by application of artificial nitrogen (N) when soil N status is low (Ball and Field, 1982). Nutritive value of pasture falls as it matures due to a rise in fibrous tissue and a decline in digestibility, and mineral and protein content (Ulyatt, 1978). However, vegetative growth can be prolonged and quality maintained by greater utilisation of pasture in late spring …

Evaluating Forage Quality As Animal Production Per Unit Of Forage And Land Area, D A. Rohweder, L Miller

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The need to more adequately express feed value in forages and, that will communicate this value among agricultural scien­tists, agri-business clientele and producers has long been recognized world wide. Modern dairy, beef and sheep producers are becoming increasingly concerned about forage quality ; its translation into animal products per unit land area ; and its effect along with forage yield on enterprise profits. The Hay Marketing Task Force-Forage Analysis Subcom­mittee organized by the American Forage and Grassland Council in 1975 proposed hay standards based on in vivo digestible dry matter or energy availability (DDM) and dry matter intake (DMI) predicated …

Animal Performance As Effected By Herbage Availability And Quality In Semi-Arid Southern African Grassland, J E. Danckwerts

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rotational grazing with beef cattle is widely advocated and practised under commercial pastoralism in semi-arid grassland in southern Africa. Since animal performance is largely a func­tion of the quality and quantity of forage ingested, changes in herbage quality and availability in these situations are likely to have an important influence on animal production. The objective of this paper is therefore to quantify changes in the quality of herbage ingested by beef cattle at different times of the year and as grazing pressure increases within periods of occupation on rotationally grazed semi-arid grass­land in southern Africa. The effect of these changes …

The Intake And Digestibility Of Dry Mature Subterranean Clovers, G B. Taylor, R C. Rossiter, D B. Purser, W J. Collins

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Although sheep grazing dry subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) pasture may maintain body weight for the early part of summer, they usually lose weight during late summer and autumn, with consequent adverse effects on pro­ductivity (Purser, 1980). A decline in the digestibility of clover during plant senescence (Hume and Purser, 1975) is believed to be an important component of the reduced nutritive value of this dry feed. In a survey of dry mature stem material from a range of early flowering subterranean clover genotypes, Taylor et al. (1987a) found that in vitro digestibility ranged between 41 and 62 % …

Forage Production And Nutritive Value Of Cynodon Spp. Under Grazing In Puerto Rico, L E. Tergas, Y Q. Cabrera, A Sotomayor Rios

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Livestock production in the tropics is highly dependent on forages to meet the nutritional requirements of grazing cattle. However, seasonal fluctuations on dry matter production and nutritive value are limiting factors affecting animal perform­ance and production. Stargrass Cynodon nlemfuensis var. nlemfuensis is a highly productive grass recommended for intensive management in the humid tropics of Puerto Rico (Vicente-Chandler et al., 1974). Bermuda Cynodon dactylon and Stargrass produced high yields of quality forage and persisted under intensive grazing in the humid northern coastal plains of Puerto Rico; however, the average production of both grasses was related to rainfall distribution, decreasing during …

Electronic Measurement Of Grazing Time And Intake In Free Roaming Livestock, J R. Forwood, M M. Hulse

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Herbage intake is one of the critical factors in understanding why livestock perform at various levels on different forages, however acceptable methods of measuring voluntary intake of free-roaming livestock are still lacking. Commonly used indirect measurement methods estimate pasture herbage loss or animal gain, fecal output and digestibility equations, grazing behavior calculations or indicators (Greenlaugh, 1982). More direct attempts of measuring intake include the Animal Weight Telemetry System (AWATS) of Horn and Miller (1979), multiple impedance plethysmography (Stuth et al., 1981) and the conductivity transducing cannula (CTC: Forwood et al., 1985). With new technology becoming avail­able in smaller, more affordable …

La Consommation De Matiere Sche De Fourrages Disponibles En Zone Tropicale, D Richard, H Guerin, G Roberge, D Friot

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Un certain nombre de publications fournissent des donnees sur les consommations de matiere seche (MS) des fourrages dans les regions intertropicales sans qu'il soit toujours possible de differencier les variations liees a la capacite d'ingestion de !'animal ou a l'ingestibilite du fourrage, facteurs conditionnant les quantites de matiere seche volontairement ingerees (MSVI). Par ailleurs, les donnees publiees pour un meme fourrage sont souvent tres variables ; par exemple, les quantites de MSVI de Digitaria decumbens extraites de 5 publications varient de plus de 40 p. 100 pour des repousses de meme age (Richard, 1987) sans qu'il soit possible d'identifier les …

Factor Affecting The Eating Rate Of Forage Feeds, G Moseley, A Antuna Manendez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The total amount of a forage feed eaten by an animal may be regarded as the product of rate of eating and time spent eating. Balch and Campling (1962) suggested that it is controlled largely by the rate at which the forage can be broken down phy­sically and passed through the foregut. Differences in voluntary

intake between forage feeds may, however, be due to the effects of extrinsic factors such as environment, animal condition and feed presentation, or to inherent feed characteristics which con­trol the rate and extent of breakdown and digestion. The degree to which physical plant characteristics may …

Influence Of The Nature Of Hay On Its Ingestibility And The Kinetics Of Intake During Large Meals In Sheep And Cows, R Baumont, J P. Brun, J P. Dulphy

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Ingestibility is the quantity of a forage that can be eaten by a standard animal when it is fed ad libitum as the sole feed (INRA, 1978). The eating pattern of ruminants reflects the way in which intake is controlled. The animal eats a large meal when a new batch of forage is distributed ; meals thereafter are small until the next distribution (Dulphy & Faverdin, 1987). To make a closer study of forage ingestibility, it seemed interesting to record the daily pattern of intake and to analyse in detail the large meals, which are 60 to 90 % of …

Relationship Between The Mineral Content In Pastures And The Content Of These Elements In Blood Serum In Dairy Cows, A Lachowski, I Kuczynska, W Wojciechowski

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grass tetany, a conditioned Mg deficiency of improper K: (Ca + Mg) ratio is a nutritional problem in various parts of Poland. The aim of the investigations was to determine to what degree the mineral content of grasses in the pastures influenced the mineral content in blood serum in dairy cows. This is very important when the animals are grazing and when cattle slurry is used on grasslands. In the literature we can find opinion con­sidering hypomagnaesemia as a metabolic disorder of rumin­ants typified by low blood serum Mg and generally accompanied by hypocalcemia. It has been related to low …

Characterization Of Biological Properties Of Fodder Value Of Dandelion, Taraxacum Officinale Web., M Falkowski, I Kukulka, S Kozlowski

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In recent years the quantities of dandelion appearing on newly established grasslands has increased quite significantly. In such conditions it can no longer be treated as a meadow herb whose fodder value, according to European literature, equals half of that of valuable fodder plants. Becoming a weed, dan­delion has been the object of investigations on ways of elimina­ting it from the sward by means of herbicides (Schlotter et al., 1988). At the same time, experiments are under way on biologi­cal properties of dandelion with the aim to explain the causes of its expansion. It was found that there is an …

Effect Of Fertilizers On Cutting On Time On Chemical Composition Of Sward From Permanent Meadow, A Golob, Zdenka Berloznik, M Leskosek, Vekoslava Stibilj

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Ecological problems and surpluses of milk and meat have given rise to less intensive systems of grassland utilisation. One of such system is utilisation of air nitrogen via legume sym­biosis with nitrogen fixing bacteria. In Slovenia, where conditions for legume growth are more favourable than in NW Europe, natural meadows fertilized with P and K only give reasonable yields - on average around 7 t DM per ha (Leskosek, 1981). Most legumes suffer after fre­quent defoliation so such meadows should be defoliated only 2- 3 times during the growing season. Under less frequent cutting regime nutritive value of forage is …

Screening Sericea Lespedeza Germplasm For Tannin Concentration In The Leaves And Herbage Palatability, J C. Petersen, J A. Mosjidis, N S. Hill

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Several million hectares in the subtropical world are currently used as grazing land for beef and dairy cattle, how­ever, in many cases animal production is very low. To improve animal nutrition, cultivated legume species can be introduced. Sericea lespedeza has potential and could be utilized in the acid soils of the· subtropics. Generally, sericea is low in palatability and nutritive value because its leaves contain tannins, which have long been associ­ated with low intake and reduced digestibility. Tannins are responsible for an astringent or bitter taste caused by the pre­cipitation of salivary glycoprotein (Goldstein and Swain, 1963). Chopping or macerating …

Natural And Artificial Drying Effects On Condensed Tannins Of Sericea Lespedeza, T H. University Of Georgia, W R. Windham, J J. Evans, C S. Hoveland

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Sericea lespedeza [Lespedeza cuneata (Dumont-Cours.) G. Don.] is well adapted to acid soils and low fertility but has generally been considered a low-quality forage due to high levels of tannin and indigestible fiber. Tannin levels increase during midsummer (Windham et al. 1988). The most com­monly used assay for tannin in sericea is the vanillin-HCl pro­cedure (Burns, 1963) on oven-dried samples. Oven-drying has been reported to cause increased polymerization or oxidative changes in tannins (Goldstein and Swain, 1963). Fresh-frozen sericea contained higher amounts of extract­able tannin than field-dried forage and fiber digestibility of high-tannin sericea by sheep was much lower …