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A Sheep And Catlle Diet Selection Study On A Fertilized Native Sward In Uruguay, Fabio Montossi, E. J. Berretta, G. Pigurina, I. Santamarina

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This study was undertaken during winter, spring and summer 1997, located in the basaltic region of Uruguay to evaluate the effects of stocking rate (SR) and N and P fertilizer application on sward characteristics and on sheep and cattle diet selection and grazing behaviour. The treatments applied were: a) control (C; without fertilizer application using a SR of 0.9 stock units (SU)/ha), b) T1 (with N and P fertilizer application using a SR of 0.9 SU/ha), c) T2 (with N and P fertilizer application using a SR of 1.2 SU/ha) and d) T3 (with N and P fertilizer application using …

Droughtscape, Fall 2021, National Drought Mitigation Center

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

DroughtScape, Fall 2021

Land, Racial Formations, And Power: Exploring The Network Of Power Relationships During Climate Change Planning In Coastal South Carolina, Teresa Norman

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change projections for the coastline of South Carolina predict that by mid-century there will be around 1.2 feet of sea level rise, and potentially up to 4 feet of rise by 2100. Additionally, climate change is linked to intensified hurricanes, a hazard for the South Carolina coastline every year. Both of these scenarios result in increases in the regularity and severity of coastal flooding, making the threat of permanent or temporary displacement (relocation) from coastal lands a reality. This is a particularly pressing matter for African American communities already made vulnerable by the long history of racial discrimination in …

Holly Creek Formation Of The Trinity Group, Southwest Arkansas, Usa, Celina A. Suarez, Joseph Frederickson, Richard L. Cifelli, Jeffrey G. Pittman, Randall L. Nydam, Rebecca K. Hunt-Foster, Kirsty Morgan

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present a previously discovered but undescribed late Early Cretaceous vertebrate fauna from the Holly Creek Formation of the Trinity Group in Arkansas. The site from the ancient Gulf Coast is dominated by semi-aquatic forms and preserves a diverse aquatic, semi-aquatic, and terrestrial fauna. Fishes include fresh- to brackish-water chondrichthyans and a variety of actinopterygians, including semionotids, an amiid, and a new pycnodontiform, Anomoeodus caddoi sp. nov. Semi-aquatic taxa include lissamphibians, the solemydid turtle Naomichelys, a trionychid turtle, and coelognathosuchian crocodyliforms. Among terrestrial forms are several members of Dinosauria and one or more squamates, one of which, Sciroseps pawhuskai …

Spatial And Time Distribution Of Dairy Cattle Manure In An Intensive Pasture System, S. L. White, S. P. Washburn, L. D. King, R. E. Sheffield, J. T. Green Jr.

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This study determined distribution of feces and urine from dairy cattle managed in a rotationally grazed pasture. Lactating Holsteins (n=18) and Jerseys (n=18) were grazed on a .74 ha endophyte-free fescue (Festuca arundinacea)/white clover (Trifolium repens) pasture. All cows were constantly observed for 24 h 6 times over 12 mo. Cows had access to about 54% of the paddock during the first grazing period (12 h) and had access to the entire paddock during the second grazing period (8 h). Data included: (1) all feces and urine events from eight cows, observed while in the pasture, …

Effects Of Herbage Allowance Upon Animal Performance And Grazing Behavior Of Strip-Grazed Heifers, Claudio F. Machado, F. Di Croce, F. Gonzalez, H. Zeballos, N. J. Auza, M. H. Wade, S. T. Morris, J. Hodgson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A trial was designed to test the effect of herbage allowance (HA) on live-weight gain (LWG) and grazing behavior of heifers during spring as part of a combined field-modeling research programme. Low HA (L) and high HA (H) of 2.5 and 5.0 kg DM herbage mass 100 kg animal LW^-1day^-1 were fed respectively. H animals grazed longer and achieved a higher LWG than L (P < 0.05). H animals left a higher residual pasture (P < 0.051) with a significantly (P < 0.05) higher content of green, clover, non-lamina and petiole of a higher digestibility and NSC, with a lower NDF content. The significance of some factors involved in these results on intake and diet selection are discussed in relation to the predictability of animal performance.

Factors Influencing The Yield Proportions Of Plantago Lanceolata L. And Taraxacum Officinale Web. In Lolium Perenne L. Swards, Harald Laser

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Diaspores of Plantago lanceolata and Taraxacum officinale respectively were sown in established Lolium perenne swards to determine the dynamics of their yield proportions during five years. The experimental factors were forb species, variety of the grass species (= early or late flowering), N-fertilization, and sward density. The amount of nitrogen fertilizer had the most important effect on yield proportions of the forb species and also on the total dry-matter (= DM) yield. The single creation of gaps in grass swards before sowing forbs had a lasting positive effect on the Plantago lanceolata and Taraxacum officinale proportions. Peak proportions of Taraxacum …

Mountain Pastures Structure And Its Relationship With Grazing, I. Albizu, S. Mendarte, G. Besga, I. Amezaga, M. Onaindia

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The present work aims toward an approach to mountain pastures as a system of relationships in which it is needed to point out those environmental factors that reflect more clearly their structure and potential productivity. This initial step of pasture tipification is important as a previous activity before the planning and management of protected areas because these areas support an intensive pastoral activity. In order to achieve this objective a field study was conducted in two areas in the Gorbeia Natural Park (Bizkaia): Arraba and Aldamiñape, located at 900-1100 masl. In each pasture four plots were selected according to orientation …

Short-Term Study On 13Carbon Discrimination On Irrigated Tropical Pasture, G. B. Martha Jr., M. Corsi, P. C. O. Trivelin, F. Queiroz-Neto

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A better understanding of pasture ecosystem can be obtained through the use of ¹³C discrimination technique. In this context, an experiment, assigned in a randomized complete block design with four replicates, was conducted to evaluate the Δ ¹³C (‰) discrimination, nitrogen (N) yield (kg N ha-¹), total nitrogen content (g kg dry matter (DM)-¹) and dry matter yield (kg DM ha-¹) on an irrigated Tanzania grass pasture (Panicum maximum, Jacq.) receiving increasing rates (0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 kg N ha-¹ cut-¹) of N fertilizer during the summer. Dry matter yield, N yield and nitrogen …

Evaluation Of “Feeding Intelligence” In Murrah Water Buffaloes Grazing Three Different Tropical Grasses, P. B. Alcântara

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Acceptability and palatability are two terms of large utilization that help to understand animal selection for feed. “Feeding intelligence” is a new theory recently introduced to replace those terms mentioned before. According to most recent research works, the feeding intelligence is acquired and remains for a long period of time in the memory of some animals. The present experiment had the purpose of showing its occurence in water buffaloes aiming, at the same time, to better understand their feeding behaviour. Three tropical grasses were tested: Brachiaria brizantha cv Marandu, Panicum maximum cv Tanzania and Setaria sphacelata var. sericeae cv Kazungula. …

Foraging Strategies On Rangeland: Effects On Intake And Animal Performance, Peter O’Reagain

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rangelands exhibit extreme spatial and temporal variability in forage quality and availability. The animals that utilise these rangelands have consequently evolved a range of foraging strategies in an attempt to cope with this variability and maintain nutrient intake. In general, animals respond to and exploit spatial variability at all scales by selecting those items or units which optimise the intake of digestible nutrients and hence animal production. Animals similarly employ a variety of strategies to cope with temporal variability on rangelands. These strategies may include adjusting foraging behaviour and/or exploiting critical resources or resource areas to buffer temporal variability in …

On The Scale Dependence Of Foraging In Terrestrial Herbivores, John M. Fryxell, C. B. D. Fortin, J. Wilmshurst

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Meaningful modeling of the spatial and trophic dynamics of terrestrial herbivores demands understanding of the constraints and fitness objectives that presumably underlie behavior. This is complex in terrestrial herbivores, because of scale-dependent constraints on nutrient or energy gain. Mechanistic processes of forage cropping, forage mastication, movements between feeding stations, and forage digestion each have unique constraints that apply on different time, size, and spatial scales. Moreover, competing activities are rarely taken into account. Experimental testing of foraging objectives is therefore clouded by uncertainty regarding which time scale is most relevant from the animal’s perspective, leading to confusion and misrepresentation in …

Safflower (Carthamus Tintorius): A Promising Forage Crop For Semi-Arid Regions, Y. Leshem, I. Bruckental, S. Y. Landau, G. Ashbell, Z. Weinberg

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The yield, quality, preservation and intake of safflower hay were determined in two successive years - 1998 and 1999. Field experiments carried out at the Bet Dagan experimental station on the coastal plain of Israel under rain-fed conditions. A spineless variety was tested under three sowing dates. Yield decreased and quality improved as the sowing date receded from November 12 to February 3. Respective yields, IVDMD and CP content were: 22 and 8 ton DM/ha, 48.9% and 65.5% , 10.0% and 14.6%. Safflower at 290, 410 and 770 g/kg DM was ensiled in 1.5-l anaerobic glass jars with or without …

Effects Of Different Levels Of Energy On Growth Of Grazing And Drylot Fed Holstein Heifers, L. P. Novaes, C. E. Polan

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Growth of Holstein heifers were studied to evaluate the combination of a drylot phase followed by feeding energy for pasture supplementation during the grazing season of 1988. Heifers grazed a grass-legume mixture in six paddocks of 1.5 ha each. After drylot, animals were equally allotted to pasture and none or 2.0 kg/d of corn were fed in addition to grazing in a changeover design with repeated measurements. Heifers were fed a high (HE) or low energy (LE) diets in confinement and daily gains were 1190 (HE) and 990 g/day (LE) which were different. On pasture, corn supplementation did not enhance …

Nitrogen Fertilization In Paspalum Dilatatum, Poir: Herbage Production, Nutritive Value And Structural Characteristics, G. Acosta, V. A. Deregibus

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

It was studied the effect of nitrogen application on structural changes and quantity and quality characteristics of a Paspalum dilatatum Poir sward, under field conditions during two growing seasons. The nitrogen (N) rates were 0 and 440 kg ha^-1 applied during the first year in split applications. The nitrogen fertilization increased leaf, stem and cumulative total dry matter yield, plant height, tiller density, cover ground and leaf crude protein yield.

Growth Responses Of Acacia Angustissima To Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Inoculation, N. Lucena Costa, Valdinei T. Paulino, T. S. Paulino

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The response of Acacia angustissima to VAM species (Acaulospora laevis, A. muricata, Entrophosphora colombiana, Glomus mosseae, G. fasciculatum, G. macrocarpum, G. etunicatum, Gigaspora margarita, G. gigantea and Scutellospora heterogama) was evaluated under greenhouse conditions, in a P-deficient clayey Oxisol of pH 5.5. The soil was sterilized at 110^oC for one hour each day for three days and reinoculated with a soil microbial suspension free of mycorrhizal fungi spores. The several VAM fungi were effective in increasing DM yield, nodulation, and N and P uptake of A. angustissima plants. The most efficient species were E. colombiana, A. …

Impact Of Overseeding Cool-Season Annual Forages On Spring Regrowth Of Tifton 85 Bermudagrass, Ricardo A. Reis, Lynn E. Sollenberger, D. Urbano

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Field observations have shown stand reduction and slow spring regrowth of Tifton 85 bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) pastures overseeded with temperate forages for grazing during the cool season. This experiment compared the effect of cool-season management programs, including overseeding and use of different grazing treatments, on productivity of Tifton 85 the following warm season. There were seven treatments: four were bermudagrass overseeded with a cool-season annual forage mixture (two grasses and two legumes) and grazed differentially, and three were bermudagrass controls with differences in amount of residual stubble remaining at beginning of autumn. There was only a slight delay in …

Influence Of Grazing Frequency On Biomass Production Using Several Selected Tropical Grasses, P. Mislevy, F. G. Martin, F. M. Pate, N. F. G. Rethman

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

To provide commercial growers with forage grasses that produce well throughout the year, there is a constant need for screening and testing new germplasm. Two rhodesgrasses (Chloris gayana cv. Rhods and Callide), four stargrasses (Cynodon nlemfuensis Vanderyst var. nlemfuensis cv. Florona, Zimbabwe, Okeechobee, and Rhodesian No. 2), one bermudagrass (C. dactylon var. dactylon cv. Jiggs), and one creeping signalgrass (Brachiaria humidicola CIAT 6369) were tested under a mob-grazing system. Dry biomass yield increased linearly as grazing frequency (GF) was delayed from 2 to 7 weeks. The cultivars, Florona, Zimbabwe and Okeechobee stargrasses and Jiggs bermudagrass, yielded …

Nutritive Value Of Double Cropped Corn For Ruminant Production, D. Vaz Martins, A. Fassio

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The viability of double cropping corn (Zea mays L.) in Uruguay, germplasm combination, dry matter yield and nutritive value were evaluated. An early (E) maturing hybrid, an early to medium (E-M) one and an E-M variety were planted as spring crops. One E-M hybrid, one medium to late (M-L) hybrid and a late (L) variety were planted as a second crop. PVC laboratory scale silo of the spring crop and the whole plant of the summer crop were chemically analyzed. The nutritive value of the silages were related to plant maturity stage. No differences were detected in nutritive value among …

Adapting Tropical Forages To Low-Fertility Soils, Idupulapati M. Rao

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Tropical forages growing in low-fertility acid soils usually increase the amount of dry matter partitioned to roots at the expense of shoot growth, but substantially different adaptive attributes to such soils have been found, both between and within species. By possessing the C₄ pathway of photosynthesis, grasses are more efficient than legumes in using N, Ca, and P, whereas legume roots are more efficient in extracting nutrients from low-fertility soils. Phosphorus uptake efficiency (mg of P uptake in shoot biomass per unit root length) of the legume Arachis pintoi is several times higher than that of the grass Brachiaria …

Adaptation Of Forage Species To Drought, D. J. Barker, J. R. Caradus

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Variability in rainfall is the single greatest cause of variation in forage production for a given site. Current climate scenarios predict future annual rainfall to decrease at some geographic regions. The intensity of future rainfall is also predicted to increase at other regions, with the expectation of greater variability in soil moisture. The adaptation of forage species to drought is an issue that is likely to remain with us into the future.

Precise definitions are critical to water relations work, and imprecise use of terms has complicated comparisons of some studies on plant response to drought. Drought is a purely …

Grassland Plant Diseases: Management And Control, S. Chakraborty

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasslands cover 40% of the earth’s surface and support animal-based industries; maintain soil cover, watersheds and biodiversity; sequester atmospheric carbon for storage in the soil; and provide tourism and leisure income. Diseases continue to decrease herbage and seed yield and reduce nutritive value and palatability of grasslands to impact on animal health and productivity but realistic data on loss are hard to find. Although principles of disease management remain the same, strategies used in crop protection can not be directly applied to grasslands due to differences in heterogeneity, population size, density and spatial distribution and population continuity. Low per hectare …

Micronutrients In Grassland Production, U. C. Gupta, F. A. Monteiro, J. C. Werner

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Micronutrients, also known as trace minerals, which chiefly include boron (B), molybdenum (Mo), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe), are required in extremely small quantities by crops and livestock. Their name, however, is not meant to imply their role is minor. Their lack, e.g., can cause serious crop production problems in forages and health disorders in livestock. This presentation includes the response of forage legumes and grasses to micronutrients, their deficiency and sufficiency levels in forages and their sufficiency levels in livestock. Forage legumes are more responsive to micronutrients, particularly B and Mo, than grasses. There are …

Novel Grasses And Legumes Germplam: Advances And Perspectives For Tropical Zones, E. A. Pizarro

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

It has been the aim, in the present article, to bring together as much as possible scientific evidence and experience in new available germplasm for tropical zones.

The economic importance of the Brachiaria, Paspalum and Pennisetum grasses is well established. New germplasm has become available since 1980. This paper reviews evaluations of Brachiaria accessions in humid lowlands and savannas of tropical America. The selection criteria need to be revised. Also, it is necessary to expose the new material as early as possible to farmers in order to select new germplasm with high chances of adoption.

Within the genus Paspalum …

Temperate Forage Grass-Legume Mixtures: Advances And Perspectives, A. S. Laidlaw, N. Teuber

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The paper summarises some of the advances which have been made a) in increasing understanding of the grass-legume association, especially grass-white clover, so that the association can be more predictably exploited and b) in overcoming limitations in the use of such mixtures. The contribution which forage legumes make to the N economy of mixtures is reviewed with estimates approaching 400 kg N ha^-1 for some. Uptake by grass of legume- derived N (N transfer) reduces soil mineral N levels and increases the proportion of fixed N in the total legume N relative to legume monoculture. Although N transfer also …

Assessing The Effect Of N And P Supply On Dry Matter Yield Of Three Tropical Grasses, O. Topall, C. Jouany, M. Duru, P. Cruz

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The objectives are to study the effects of N and P supply and their interaction, on herbage dry matter yield and nutrient status of three tropical grasses. In order to estimate direct and indirect effects of P supply we express above-ground dry matter production as a function of the herbage nutrient status obtained from plant analysis. Results show that in absence of N, the significant increase in P nutrition status has only moderate consequences on herbage production and suggest that both N and P are limitant for herbage growth. P fertilization results in significant increase in dry matter yield only …

Sources And Rates Of Phosphorus In Improving Degraded Pasture In Brazilian West Amazon, Valdinei T. Paulino, N. L. Costa, C. R. Townsend, J. A. Magalhães, R. G. A. Periera

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The effects of phosphorus sources (triple superphosphate – TSP, single superphosphate – SSP and partially acidulated rock phosphate – PARP) and rates (0, 50 and 100 kg/ha of P₂O₅ on dry matter (DM) yields and chemical composition of a degraded Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu pasture were evaluated in a cutting trial. Phosphorus fertilization, irrespective of sources and rates, showed an effective agronomic technique for pasture recuperation. The grass DM yields and potassium contents were significantly improved by phosphorus application, while weed DM yields were depressed. Irrespective of sources and rates, crude protein, phosphorus, and calcium contents were …

Understanding Shoot And Root Development, C. Matthew, E. N. Van Loo, E. R. Thom, L. A. Dawson, D. A. Care

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Shoot and root development of the grass tiller is presented as a series of events on the tiller axis. Leaf, tiller bud, true stem, and root development are successive events in the life cycle of a single phytomer and the tiller is a co-ordinated series of phytomers, successive phytomers being progressively more advanced than the previous phytomer. In reviewing the individual growth processes of leaf, tiller, true stem, and root formation, fundamental determinants of light and nutrient capture are examined and examples presented to illustrate the link between component processes, plant morphogenesis, and plant performance. An example of the application …

Ecophysiology Of Grasslands: Dynamic Aspects Of Forage Plant Populations In Grazed Swards, G. Lemaire

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The aim of this paper is to review knowledge of the ecophysiological mechanisms influencing the dynamics of plant populations in grazed swards. Such an objective requires some definitions. Firstly, it is necessary to define “ecophysiology” as the study of the interactions between biological individuals (plants) with their own environment: how individuals perceive and react to any constraint and change of their environment, and how the functioning of plants as a population can modify their own environment. Such a definition implies a dynamic approach to pant population functioning as resulting from constant plant-plant interactions mediated by micro-environment modifications. In a grazed …

Bite Depth Penetration Patterns Of Dairy Cows Foraging On Complex Swards, W. M. Griffiths, J. Hodgson, G. C. Arnold

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Sward height was the dominant cue used by dairy cattle to determine the depth of penetration on young vegetative swards. On more complex swards, bite depth penetration was controlled by variations in the depth of regrowth. Evidence showed that cattle grazed to the pseudostem:lamina interface, but sward height exerted a stronger effect on bite depth than pseudostem height. Modelling efforts to predict how the herbivore places bites in space in the vertical dimension across sward states are currently being restricted by the absence of detailed canopy structure descriptions. We argue that the contrast between strata is an important determinant of …