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Evolution And Ageing Of Brachiaria Brizantha Pasture Component In A Silvopastoral System, M. Rakocevic, F. C. De Oliveira, J. Ribaski, O. J. Lavoranti

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The main causes of the decline of Brachiaria pasture in the tropics are lack of maintenance, fertilisation and excessively high animal stocking rates (Boddey et al., 2004). Brachiaria brizantha has two predominant morphological forms: 1) relatively high stems with grouped tillers at a high position constructed from short leaves (bunch type); 2) low stems with long leaves, which in time evolve into the first type (Kanno et al., 1999). The concept of Brachiaria management involves animals entering to commence grazing when the pasture is 50-60cm high and being removed at 25-30cm, leaving a regrowth period of at least …

The Influence Of Tree Thinning And Tree Species On The Dry Matter Yield Of Grasses Of A Bush Encroached Semi-Arid Savanna In South Africa, G. N. Smit

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Acacia erubescens-Combetum apiculatum dominated savanna of South Africa is water-limited and an increase in woody plant abundance suppresses the grasses. This is the major reason why thinning or total clearing of all woody plants is often considered by landowners. The objectives of this study were to investigate the influence of intensity of tree thinning and tree species on grass yields in a semi-arid South African savanna.

Productivity Of A Leucaena Leucocephala-Cynodon Nlemfuensis Silvopastoral System With Sheep In Yucatan, Mexico, J. G. Escobedo-Mex, L. Ramirez-Aviles

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Animal production in the tropics of Mexico is based on grazed grasslands of low productivity; this type of production system has reduced the areas of natural vegetation and damaged the ecology (erosion of flora, fauna and soil). Silvopastoral technologies may improve the welfare and economic conditions of the rural population and, consequently, preserve their natural resources. The current work was designed to assess the introduction of Leucaena leucocephala in a silvopastoral system with Cynodon nlemfuensis (star grass) grazed by sheep.

Agroforestry Systems In Cuba: Some Aspects Of Animal Production, J. Iglesias, L. Simón, L. Lamela, I. Hernández, M. Milera, T. Sánchez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The silvopastoral systems, that nowadays constitute scientific achievements of the Grasses and Forages Research Station "Indio Hatuey ", have been developed from the results of investigations that were carried out since the 1980s, to improve the productivity of natural pastures through the introduction of valuable herbaceous species and tree legumes. Those investigations also determined the essential elements of pasture management such as the optimal stocking rates for low input systems and suitable methods of grazing to obtain sustainability of grasslands.

Optimising Forage Production On Degraded Lands In The Dry Tropics Through Silvopastoral Systems, P. S. Pathak

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In India, 187 M ha out of a total area of 328 M ha face the problem of land degradation, mostly due to water and wind erosion. The problems are aggravated by poor land cover and increasing pressure of human and livestock populations. There is over-exploitation of the scarce resources of forage and firewood. Several techniques, including watershed based silvopastoral land use have been proposed (Patil & Pathak, 1977). Tree, grass and legume based systems have been tried after land treatment to reduce runoff and soil loss while meeting the forage needs of the livestock and firewood for cooking in …

The Valuation Of Service Of Recreation Function Of Dalinor National Natural Reserve, G. Qiao, H. Wang, G. Han, M. Zhao

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Dalinor National Natural Reserve is located in the west of Keshketeng Banner of Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR). It covers a total area of 119,413.35 ha, and is in drought or semi-drought continental climatic zone. DNNR is a comprehensive natural reserve made up of different ecosystems including lakes, prairies, wetlands, and forests. Dalinor Lake in DNNR is regarded as the paradise of birds, covering an area of 238 km² between sandy lands and grasslands. DNNR was established in 1987 as a provincial natural reserve and was upgraded to a National Natural Reserve by the State Council of …

Examining The Restoration Potential Of Prescribed Fire And Tree Girdling Treatments On A Fire Dependent Ecosystem: Ecosystem Responses And Management Implications, Rebecca Daigle

Masters Theses

Oak savannas have greatly declined since the 1800s and management is needed to maintain these rare community types. A combination of prescribed burns and mechanical thinning are a common practice to increase forb abundance and biodiversity. This study examines the viability of another technique to thin the canopy called girdling, which was used in conjunction with low-intensity prescribed burns. Early summer prescribed burns were conducted in 2017, 2019, and 2021, while girdling treatments were implemented in 2017 and 2019. The study was conducted in Kent County, Michigan at two degraded former oak savanna communities. In 2022, we collected data to …

Impact Of Soil Moisture Stress At Different Phases Of Corn Growth And Development, Ranadheer Reddy Vennam

Theses and Dissertations

Suboptimal soil moisture during the growing season often limits growth and yield potential of corn. This study aimed to assess the impact of varying soil moisture regimes on corn growth at different growth phases involving vegetative, flowering, and grain-filling stages. Exposure to moisture stress (80% of the control) during the vegetative stage resulted in a 65% reduction in stomatal conductance and increased the canopy temperature by 5 ^oC, which led to a substantial decrease in total dry matter (56%). Moisture stress-induced reductions in silk length (19%) and fresh weight (34%), negatively affected kernel number (53%), and weight (54%). Unlike …

Screening And Selection For Resistance To Gray Leaf Spot (Pyricularia Oryzae) In Early Planted Annual Ryegrass, Calyn M. Adams

Theses and Dissertations

Cattlemen in the southeastern United States widely plant annual ryegrass [Lolium perenne L. spp. multiflorum (Lam.) Husnot] (ARG). It is often planted earlier than the recommended window. This exposes juvenile stands to increased pressure from gray leaf spot (Pyricularia oryzae Cavara) (GLS), causing stand loss. This study was designed to screen for resistance to P. oryzae in two ARG genotypes, Vertyl and a heat-tolerant germplasm (HTARG5) with the objective of developing a crossbred population to be improved using restricted, recurrent phenotypic selection. Experiments were conducted from 2021 – 2022. Disease severity (DS) was assessed 3wk after inoculation with …

Isolation And Culture Of Epichloё For Reinfection Of Endophyte-Free Southeastern Wildrye (Elymus Glabriflorus), Bryna Joann Haile

Theses and Dissertations

Mutualistic relationships between endophytic fungi and grasses have shown to improve the hardiness of the host. This relationship is common in grasses, including North American native grasses that are important in both forage and grassland ecosystems. Elymus species, such as Canada wildrye (CWR), commonly host the endophytic fungi, Epichloё, while southeastern wildrye (SEWR) may not. In this study, seed of CWR and seed and leaves from local SEWR were assessed for endophyte infection. Infection status was confirmed via histological analysis of seed squashes and leaf peels. Presence/absence of endophyte was determined by scanning for mycelia within seed and between leaf …

Timing Is Everything: Impacts Of Firing Technique And Season On Plant Communities In The Southeastern United States, Luke Michael Resop

Theses and Dissertations

Prescribed fire is a common land management tool in the southeastern United States. Historical fires occurred primarily in the growing season, but modern day prescribed fire is commonly restricted to the dormant season. Plant community responses to various fire regimes are relatively unknown, and managers require information on how fire regimes impact plant communities. To address these limitations, I studied the impacts of March and June fire on plant communities. Results indicated various woody midstory species respond differently to fire season and community response is driven by species composition. In another study, I examined impacts of February, May-June, and September-October …

Soil Health As Influenced By The Integration Of Cover Crops And Poultry Litter In North-Central Mississippi, Nikitha Reddy Kovvuri

Theses and Dissertations

Soil health-based agricultural management practices are widely promoted to improve soil structure, infiltration and reduce erosion. This study was conducted at two locations in North-Central Mississippi to evaluate the influence of different cover crop species and poultry litter on soil health that can impact crop production, climate change, and resilience. The results indicated that the cover crops showed a little effect on some soil health indicators compared to control treatment. However, in one location, rye, and a mixture of cover crops decreased bulk density and increased available water content and organic matter. The poultry litter had a positive effect on …

The Role Of The Phare Programme And The Danish-Lithuanian Project On The Development Of The Grassland Production And Of Dairy-Beef Cattle Husbandry, V. Vrotniakiene, Jonas Jatkauskas

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Animal production is one of the priorities for economic development in Lithuania. Dairy-beef cattle husbandry has remained an important branch of animal production under the conditions of agricultural reform. Favorable agroclimatic conditions for grass cultivation, old traditions of agricultural production and the ability to train farmers in new techniques creates good conditions for the development of dairy-beef cattle husbandry. It is most appropriate to use cattle types suitable for grass feeding with low inputs of concentrates. This paper reports on two development projects that sought to increase animal production through grassland improvement and the production of high-quality silage.

Farmer Field Schools In Expanding Cultivation To Newly Reclaimed Land In Ismailia In Egypt, Oiva Niemeläinen, M. Komulainen, Y. Ahmed, M. El-Sayes, A. El-Adwy

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The use of irrigation systems is expanding in Egypt to facilitate cultivation on sandy areas that were previously desert. Many of the farmers starting on the new areas are undergraduates and others with no background in farming. Much support is required when they start farming. In addition, farmers moving to the new lands from the Nile Delta meet completely new challenges because the poor and infertile sandy soils require different management from the clay soils at the Delta. Ismailia Agricultural Research Station (IARS) of the Agricultural Research Center of Egypt focuses on research on how to cultivate the newly reclaimed …

Rotational Grazing Demonstration With Beef Cattle On Conservation Reserve Land In Adams County, Iowa, Usa, S. K. Barnhart, B. Peterson, C. O. Nelson, R. Bredahl, J. Klein, R. Sprague

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The United States Dept. of Agriculture's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a voluntary program available to agricultural producers who will enroll erosive, marginally productive cropland for a 10 to 15 year period. In return, participants are provided annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish and maintain long- term, resource-conserving vegetative cover to improve the quality of water, control soil erosion, and enhance wildlife habitat. Since the inception of the CRP, policymakers, conservationists, farmers, and rural residents have been concerned about the likely fate of program land after the contracts expire. Most of the existing research, whether it relies on …

Utilisation Of Whole-Crop Rice Silage As A Feed For Ruminants, N. Yoshida, M. Ogawa, Y. Cai, H. Nemoto, M. Ishida

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A national project on the utilisation of whole-plant rice (Oryza sativa L.) as a feed has developed in Japan since 2000. The use of a home-produced forage may be useful to reassure consumers concerned with risks of BSE and foot and mouth disease. Furthermore, Japanese farmers have been obliged to convert one million ha of paddy field from rice to other crops.

Development Of A Grazing Land Management Education Program For Northern Australia’S Grasslands And Grassy Woodlands, Chris R. Chilcott, M. F. Quirk, C. J. Paton, B. S. Nelson, T. Oxley

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Recognition of the potential to enhance grazing land management to meet the goal of sustainable beef production has been increasing over the past decade. Recognition of the relationship between poor land management and negative off-site environmental impacts, such as soil erosion and a decline in the condition of rivers and adjacent near shore coastal areas from sediment transport, has increased also. This concern has matured somewhat to include the critical link between land condition and production, and the threat to sustainable carrying capacity that comes from declining land condition. Concurrently, interest has increased in optimising the use of pasture, e.g. …

Forage-Animal Production Research Unit (Fapru): Establishment Of A New Usda-Ars Research Location, J. R. Strickland, Glen E. Aiken, Isabelle Kagan, R. D. Dinkins

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forages are vital to the success of grazing livestock production systems. Forages provide a low cost source of nutrients for animal production (Barnes & Nelson 2003; Ball et al., 1996). Limited fundamental (i.e., genomic, proteomic, metabolomic) research on the effects of environment and management on plant quality and production and the effects of plant metabolites (i.e., nutrients, anti-quality factors, nutraceuticals) on animal performance has hindered our ability to improve the productivity of forage-based enterprises. There is insufficient information for reliable prediction of animal performance in response to plant metabolites. To address these issues, USDA-ARS established FAPRU (Forage-Animal Production Research …

A Systems Approach To Assessing The Viability Of Grazing Legume Systems Across Europe, C. F. E. Topp, C. J. Smith, L. Wu, G. Molle

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage legumes are important in grassland farming throughout much of the world because of their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, and hence they are expected to play an increasingly prominent role in low- input grazing farming systems in Europe. Nevertheless, the socio-economic impact of the adoption of the "new" legume based grazing technologies have been poorly researched (Rochon et al., 2004). Thus a methodology has been developed to:

* Assess the on-farm costs and benefits of including different legume crops for animal production;
* Determine the types of management systems and environmental conditions under which forage legumes may play …

Land Stewardship For The 21St Century: Pasture And Livestock Management Workshop For Novices, L. A. Redmon, G. M. Clary, J. J. Cleere, G. W. Evers, V. A. Haby, C. R. Long, L. R. Nelson, F. M. Rouquette Jr., G. R. Smith

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Land ownership patterns in Texas and the southern USA are changing. Since 1994 (Wilkins et al., 2000) consumers interested primarily in recreational purposes have become the predominant owners of rural land. This land ownership change has created potential land stewardship problems associated with natural resource management. Few, if any, new landowners have any training related to the soil-plant-animal interface. New land owners need linkage with subject matter experts from land grant universities in a relaxed instructional setting while providing the opportunity for question and answer sessions. Thus, a programme was developed by a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency team at the Texas …

New Zealand Pastoral Systems: A Current Perspective, F. R. Duder, R. B. Green, W. D. Catto, D. R. Woodfield, B. R. Guy

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

New Zealand's diverse grassland resource of 13.5 M ha of permanent pasture, tussock or alpine grasslands underpin an intensive pastoral industry worth NZ$13 billion in 2004. The pastoral industry involves 37,000 farmers and a service industry of about 215,000 persons. It produces 27 M prime export lambs and 180,000 t of predominantly crossbred wool from 40 M ewes; 13 B litres of milk from 5.2 M dairy cattle; 800,000 t of beef from 4.7 M beef cattle and 33,000 t of venison from 2 M deer. Pastures and forage crops, mostly non- irrigated, are grazed 'in situ' by animals through …

A University Course On Management Intensive Grazing, D. L. Zartman

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Education of new talent in good grassland management is important. Farmer-oriented extension- and outreach- programs do this, but USA university curricula rarely include it. Some livestock production courses contain a segment on grazing management, but there seem to be no credit-bearing, formal courses in USA universities except in the Ohio State University (OSU). Our course teaches management of intensive grazing (MIG) for three credit hours in a quarter system. It has been a popular elective course for the past 6 years. Every year that they have entered, OSU students have won all prizes in the 18-22 age division in the …

Spatio-Temporal Scales Of Animal Grazing In Herding Systems, Hossein Barani

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A holistic approach is needed for natural resources management and this demands understanding of the role of all the components in a system. Animal grazing is one of the most important processes in rangeland ecosystems. In rangeland utilisation in Iran, the human herder is crucial in achieving sound management. This study focused on the role of the human as a grazier (herder).

Potential And Constraints For Animal Feed As An Objective Of Poor Farmers In Participatory Research With Multipurpose Forage Crops In Central-America, R. Van Der Hoek, M. Peters, V. Hoffmann

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Multipurpose forage crops can play an important role in improving the environmental and socio- economic sustainability of smallholder production systems in fragile environments. However, since the forage technology development framework has not been sufficiently applicable for poor farmers, adoption of especially legumes has been generally low (Peters et al., 2001). In a participatory research effort with smallholder farmers in Honduras focused at forage based technologies, food security turned out to be the main selection criterion whereas animal feed was secondary. Since animal feed related activities (farmer-led forage seed systems, production of dry season feed) have been identified as promising …

Priority Tree Fodder Species In The Maasai Silvopastoral System Of Kajiado District, Kenya, Evelyne Kiptot

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In an effort to improve pastoral land management systems, donor agencies have spent millions of dollars over the last two decades on research and development programmes. However, most of these programmes have been unsuccessful. The reasons for the failure are increasingly clear. Current thinking argues that more attention needs to be given to local knowledge systems and rural people's participation in development planning and implementation. The involvement of local communities in the research process is critical and has been shown by Ego (2001) to lead to the design of appropriate interventions. The main objective of this study was to elicit …

Statistical Precision Of A Replicated Farm Grazing Trial Versus Replicated Paddock Trials, K. P. Vogel, L. E. Moser, D. E. Bauer

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The experimental unit for animal average daily gain (ADG) and gain/ha in grazing trials is the paddock. Grazing trials on research stations often are conducted using small paddocks because animal and land costs restrict the number of treatments, replicates, and animals per paddock. Land and animal restrictions can be reduced by conducting trials on farms using animals provided by cooperating farmers. Farmers typically want only a single replicate on their farms and as result, virtually all on-farm trials in the USA and elsewhere have been un-replicated demonstration trials from which estimates of experimental error cannot be obtained. Farms can be …

Evaluation Of Narrow-Row Forage Maize In Field-Scale Studies, W. J. Cox, J. H. Cherney, D. J. R. Cherney

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Some dairy producers in the northeastern USA adopted narrow row (0.38 m) maize forage production in the mid-1990s because of its 5% dry matter (DM) yield advantage (Cox & Cherney, 1998). These dairy producers, however, continued to plant forage maize at high plant densities (125,000 plants/ha) under high N fertility (225 kg N/ha), despite research that indicated that forage maize had optimum DM yields and forage quality when planted at the recommended 100,000 plants/ha under 175 kg/ha of N fertility (Cox & Cherney, 2001). We evaluated forage maize at 0.38 and 0.76 m (conventional) row spacing under recommended vs. high …

Assessment And Improvement Of The Efficiency Of Nitrogen Use On Commercial Dairy Farms, D. J. Roberts, K. A. Leach, J. Goldie

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Dairy farming systems have a low efficiency of converting nitrogen (N) into milk protein, due to the many transfers which occur in the production process. Losses of N from the system can be detrimental to the environment and represent wasted inputs. At SAC, in a systems research project, management changes achieved increases in nitrogen efficiency (milk N output/ N inputs) (NE) from 23 to 34% in a grass-clover based system (GC), and 13 to 21% in a purchased fertiliser based system (GN) (Leach & Roberts, 2002). Nitrogen surplus (NS = N inputs - N output in sold produce) was reduced …

On-Farm Participatory Research Is An Essential Step Towards Achieving Successful Adoption Of Innovation: ‘Lifetime Wool’ A Case Study, Chris Oldham, P. Barber, M. Curnow, S. Giles, D. Gordon, A. Thompson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

'Lifetime Wool' project (LTW) is a national project that is developing new nutritional guidelines for the management of ewe flocks across Australia funded by farmers through Australian Wool Innovation (AWI EC298; 2001-2008). A large replicated plot-scale experiment was used to define the dose-response of current production (wool and reproduction from the ewe) and future production (survival, growth and wool from progeny over their lifetime) to a range of levels of ewe nutrition (Thompson & Oldham, 2004). However, farmers and research workers have long realised that the difference between the results obtained on experimental plots and those obtained by farmers is …

Management Of Gastro-Intestinal Parasite Pressure, Under Grazing In Organic Farms: Development Of A Decision Support System Through The Mobilisation Of A Participative Research Process, D. Jamar, Virginie Decruyenaere, Y. Seutin, D. Stilmant, L. Perriaux, P. Stassart

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Under grazing, gastro-intestinal parasite management remains a major problem in ruminant production systems, more especially in systems respecting organic farming rules following their obligations (1) to perform grazing as soon as pedo-climatic conditions are adapted and (2) to use anti-parasitic products only in a curative way. Surprisingly, this problem has not been highlighted by the different stakeholders in the food chain from cattle meat production to consumption. This could arise from the lack of a clear and pertinent norm or infestation threshold that would allow differentiation between preventive and curative treatments. Such a norm would indicate to the breeder whether …