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Constraints On Dairy Cattle Production From Locally Available Forages In Bangladesh, M. A. S. Khan

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The productivity of milk producing animals in Bangladesh is low because of low individual yield and poor fertility. The reasons for the low productivity are complex but, in order of priority, appear to be (a) the imbalanced nature of the nutrients that arise from the digestion of the forage resources, (b) the incidence of disease/parasitism, and (c) the often harsh climatic circumstances. Thus, the purpose of this study was to find out the practical constraints on dairy cattle production from locally available forages under small holding village conditions of Bangladesh.

Effects Of Supplementary Concentrate Level And Separate Or Mixed Feeding Of Grass Silage And Concentrates On Rumen Fluid Composition In Steers, J. Caplis, M. G. Keane, F. P. O'Mara

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The effects of dietary concentrate level and method of feeding (separate or mixed) on performance and carcass traits of steers may be mediated through changes in rumen fluid composition. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects on rumen fluid composition of (1) supplementary concentrate level with grass silage, and (2) separate or mixed feeding of silage and concentrates,

Body Temperature In Free-Roaming Beef Cattle, T. L. Mader, S. L. Colgan

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Body temperature (BT) measurements are traditionally used in diagnosing sick animals, but may also be used as an indicator of stress or activity. Based on results of metabolism studies, Mader et al. (1999) reported that BT can vary as much as 0.9^oC and can depend on metabolisable energy (ME) of the diet consumed. Acceptable measures of BT can be obtained from the rectum, vagina, or ear canal. Technologies are also being developed for continuously monitoring BT via radio-telemetry. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of high concentrate (low fibre) versus high fibre diets on …

Development And Evaluation Of Pennisetum Purpureum Mutants Through Irradiation With 60Co, R. S. Herrera, M. García, R. Tuero, A. M. Cruz, A. Romero, N. Fraga

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The development of plant mutants is a commonly used procedure nowadays. One way of obtaining mutant plants has been seed irradiation with gamma rays. As these studies are not common in tropical pasture species (Micke et al., 1993, Herrera, 2001), the objective of this study was the development and evaluation of Pennisetum purpureum mutants through irradiation with ⁶⁰Co.

Agronomic Characteristics Of Novi Sad Winter Vetch Cultivars, V. Mihailović, A. Mikić, B. Ćupina, S. Vasiljević, D. Milić

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Genus Vicia. contains important annual food and forage species such as field bean, V. faba., narbon vetch, V. narbonensis, and common vetch, V. sativa (Maxted, 1995), while Hungarian V. pannonica Crantz and hairy vetch V. villosa also play an important role in the Balkans. Winter vetches are excellent forage catch crops useful for sustainable agriculture and organic farming (Ċupina et al., 2004). Our study was aimed at determining the agronomic characteristics of the winter vetch cultivars developed in Novi Sad, assessing thus their ability for successful growing in the prevailing conditions of Serbia and Montenegro.

New Pigeon Pea (Cajanus Cajan) Hybrids With Desirable Forage Traits, P. B. Alcantara, J. A. Usberti Jr., C. A. Colombo, V. B. G. Alcantara, R. Usberti, M. A. C. Lucena, M. Harris

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Pigeon pea is a tropical forage legume usually sown in mixed pastures with tropical forage grasses. Most of the available cultivars shows erect and tall plants with poor tillering potential, breakable thick stems, low leaf/stem ratios (fresh/dry matter) and low persistence under animal grazing. It shows a high dry matter production, due to low leaf/stem ratios (Barnes & Addo, 1997). Pigeon pea shows good crude protein levels/dry matter (ranging from 14-23%) and regular in vitro digestibility indexes (52-58%) (Karachi & Matata, 1996); animal consumption is affected by high tannin levels of young leaves. Being a self-pollinated species, the variability for …

Development Of High-Yielding And Early-Maturing Korean Hairy Vetch, C. N. Shin, K. H. Ko

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

There are a number of forage cultivars recommended by the government, but only a few winter-spring legumes are available for the farmers in Korea. Hairy vetch has superior winter hardiness and produces high dry matter (DM) yield compared with crimson clover, Persian clover, rose clover, common vetch and Chinese milk vetch in Korea. However, under a double cropping forage production system an early maturing vetch cultivar was more productive than a late maturing one (Shin et al., 2000). The objective of this research was to develop a high yielding and early flowering new hairy vetch cultivar derived from an …

Seasonal Variation Of Tannin Content On Pigeon Pea (Cajanus Cajan (L.) Millsp) Plants, Rodolfo Godoy, P. M. Santos, L. A. R. Batista

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Tannins reduce forage digestibility and palatability by reacting with proteins (Makkar, 1989) and due to that, tannin content is considered to be an important characteristic of leguminous crops and it has been used as a selection criterion on pigeon-pea improvement programs (Godoy et al., 1994). In Southeastern Brazil, pigeon pea is less consumed by bovines in the rainy season (October through March) than in the dry season (from April on), when flowering occurs. Alencar et al. (1991) found very little consumption by Canchim cows during the rainy season, and Lourenço et al. (1984) recommend pigeon-pea for feeding bovines in …

Quantifying The Variation In Protein Content In White Clover (Trifolium Repens L.), A. H. Marshall, E. Sizer, A. Kingston-Smith, A. Williams, M. T. Abberton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

White clover (Trifolium repens L.) is the main legume in temperate pastures. It has relatively low levels of water-soluble carbohydrate but produces forage of high quality with a high crude protein (CP) content and dry-matter digestibility (Beever, 1993). Some studies have suggested that the forage quality of white clover can be problematic because its high CP content may contribute to inefficient use of nitrogen in the rumen and exacerbate diffuse pollution via excreta (Waghorn & Caradus, 1994). The development of white clover germplasm with lower CP content would potentially benefit forage production and grassland management. A study was carried …

New Approaches To Clover Breeding, M. T. Abberton, T. A. Williams, T. P. T. Michaelson-Yeates, A. H. Marshall, C. Jones, E. Sizer-Coverdale, R. P. Collins

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

White clover (Trifolium repens L.) and red clover (T. pratense) are the major forage legumes of temperate pastures. Breeding efforts have focused on overcoming the constraints to productivity and reliability in this species and thereby optimising their contribution to mixed swards. In recent years there has been an increased emphasis on livestock production and the efficient utilisation of forage material in the rumen. In this paper we report on a shift in the aims of forage legume breeding at IGER, building on a strong agronomic platform but giving greater consideration to the environmental footprint of our varieties …

Breeding White Clover With Improved Tolerance Of Nitrogen Fertiliser, T. A. Williams, M. T. Abberton, P. Olyott

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

White clover (Trifolium repens L.) is often considered a forage legume with a primary use in 'low input/ low output' systems. One facet of this is the perception that the persistency of this species is poor when Nitrogen (N) fertiliser is applied. However, new varieties of white clover are able to play a significant role in highly productive systems (Williams et al., 2000) and show consistent yields over ten years at a range of applied N levels (Williams et al., 2003). Germplasm improvement for nitrogen tolerance has been carried out with the aim of not only allowing white …

Evaluation Of Lucerne Cultivars For Dry Matter And Seed Production In Latvia, S. Rancane, M. Sparnina

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Lucerne is highly productivity and has a high quality. Nevertheless, lucerne growing in Latvia is limited, because of a large area of acid soils (pH_KCl<5.8) as well as low and unstable seed yields (Berzins, 2002). In recent years lucerne has taken a more important place in forage production in Latvia, because it is a fast growing crop and in good years gives 3-4 harvests per season. It is important to determine which cultivars of lucerne are more productive and give good seed yields every year in Latvia (Luksa, 2002).

Genetic Variability In Different Lucerne (Medicago Sativa) Genotypes, V. Mikić, J. Radović, Z. Lugić, D. Lazarević

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

One of the basic goals of modern lucerne breeding programmes is creation of new cultivars with a great potential for high quality and stable yields of both forage and hay (Riday & Brummer, 2002). Such cultivars meet increased needs of animal husbandry and must contribute to diverse farming systems (Luki , 2000). Our trial was aimed at determining genetic variability of yield components in 7 lucerne genotypes, as well as at evaluation of their breeding potential as gene donors to new lucerne cultivars

The Genetic Charactaristic Of Salt Tolerance At The Stage Of Seed Germination In Lucerne, H. Zhou, Q. Yang

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Superweak luminescence exists in all animal and plants; it shows important genetic information. We report the relationship between superweak luminescence and genetic characteristics to salt resistant in lucerne (Medicago sativa). The method can quickly and exactly evaluate the salt-resistance of plants.

Molecular Clone Of The Na+/H+ Antiporter Gene Atnhx1 And Study Of Transgenic Salt Tolerant Lucerne, Q. Yang, H. Zhou, Y. N. Tongquan

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Lucerne (Medicago sativa) with its good quality and ease of cultivation occupies an important position in animal feeding. Salinity is a major constraint of crop productivity, because it reduces yield and limits expansion of agriculture. Na⁺ /H⁺ antiporter catalyses the counter transport of Na⁺ and H⁺ across membranes. Vacuolar Na⁺ /H⁺ antiporter plays an important role in developing salt-tolerance of plants. Therefore, we could use the gene involved in this mechanism to modify salt tolerance of lucerne.

Leaves Of High Yielding Perennial Ryegrass Contain Less Aggregated Rubisco Than S23, A. Kingston-Smith, P. W. Wilkins

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Breeding diploid perennial ryegrass for improved dry matter yield under nitrogen-limiting conditions has reduced the nitrogen (N) concentration of the herbage (Wilkins et al., 2003). Reduced N concentration in the ruminant diet is one potential way to reduce losses of N to the environment by reducing the amount of N that animals excrete. The underlying physiological basis of this increased N-use efficiency in ryegrass was investigated.

Genetic Variability Between Adapted Populations Of Annual Ryegrass (Lolium Multiflorum Lam) In Argentina, A. Andrés, B. S. Rosso, J. De Battista, M. Acuña

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) is one of the most important annual grasses used in Argentina because it adapts better to the intensive animal system of the Humid Pampas than other annual forage grass. Although much research has been done to study its productive potential and management technologies, little work has focused on breeding and selection. There is ample evidence that genetic variability occurs within grass species (Snaydon, 1987; Andrés and Barufaldi, 1997) both in morphology and physiology. As a result the variation of attributes related with yield potential, quality and adaptation to different management systems, is often used …

Minimising Bloat Through Development Of White Clover (T. Repens) With High Levels Of Condensed Tannins, M. T. O’Donoghue, C. Spillane, E. Guiney

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

White clover constitutes a low percentage of the overall sward content in Irish pastureland despite EU directives limiting the use of nitrogenous fertilizers. This is mainly due to the tendency of large amounts of white clover to cause bloat. Bloat is a potentially fatal build up of proteinaceous foam in the guts of ruminants. Some lesser cultivated legumes such as Lotus species contain condensed tannins (CT) that decrease the incidence of bloated animals. The project’s objective is to reduce the risk of bloat by generating white clover cultivars with high CT content. We are investigating whether expression of the ANTHOCYANIN …

Polyphenolic Phenomena: Transgenic Analysis Of Some Of The Factors That Regulate The Cell-Specific Accumulation Of Condensed Tannins (Proanthocyanidins) In Forage Crops, Mark P. Robbins, G. Allison, D. Bryant, P. Morris

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Condensed tannins biosynthesised within crops are a well-established mechanism for protecting plant protein in the rumen of grazing livestock. Protein protection mediated by these polymeric flavonoid molecules has been characterised in Lotus spp. and offers an interesting contrast to the polyphenol oxidase (PPO) system that confers protein protection in red clover.

Changes In Gene Expression During Acclimation To Cold Temperatures In White Clover (Trifolium Repens L.), M. Lowe, R. P. Collins, M. T. Abberton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

White clover is an important component of many temperate pastures and improved winter hardiness is a major objective of breeding programmes in many countries. Exposure to cold and fluctuations in temperature are components of winter stress and although some studies have investigated the agronomic and physiological mechanisms of cold tolerance, little research has been carried out to identify the genes involved. We are complementing mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL) responsible for cold tolerance with studies of variation in gene expression between plants growing at different temperatures. In particular we are initially focusing on the process of acclimation by analysing …

Future Directions In The Molecular Breeding Of Forage And Turf, G. C. Spangenberg, J. W. Forster, D. Edwards, U. John, A. Mouradov, M. Emmerling, J. Batley, S. Felitti, N. O. I. Cogan, K. F. Smith, M. P. Dobrowolski

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Molecular breeding of forage and turf plants and their endosymbionts has entered the post-genomic era with a large amount of structural genomics information and genomic resources available for key forage and turf species and relevant model systems.
2. A primary future challenge is the conversion of this information into useful functional knowledge for the development of molecular breeding technologies and products that address a range of high impact outcome scenarios in forage and turf.
3. High-throughput approaches for spatial and temporal analysis, from genome to phenome, and the respective data integration in a systems biology context will be critical for …

Crown Rust Resistance In Transgenic Italian Ryegrass (L. Multiflorum) Expressing A Rice Chitinase Gene And Crosses With Cytoplasmic Male Sterile Hybrid Ryegrass, W. Takahashi, M. Fujimori, Y. Miura, T. Komatsu, S. Sugita, A. Arakawa, Y. Nishizawa, H. Sato, Y. Mano, T. Hibi, T. Takamizo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) is one of the most important forage grasses in the temperate region. In ryegrasses, crown rust (Puccinia coronata) is the most serious foliar fungal disease and brings about a reduction of herbage yield and loss of palatability to grass-eating domestic animals. In this study, we tried to increase tolerance to the pathogen by introducing a rice chitinase gene using particle bombardment.

Genetic And Molecular Characterization Of Temperate And Tropical Forage Maize Inbred Lines, B. Alarcón-Zúñiga, E. Valadez-Moctezuma, T. Cervantes-Martinez, T. Cervantes-Santana, M. Mendoza‐Rodriguez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Livestock feeding in the Central highland of Mexico is based on harvest, grazing and annual forage conservation, with forage maize being the most important silage crop (Alarcón, 1995). Even though forage maize is extensively bred in Europe, USA and Asia since the 1900’s, this started in Mexico only in the 1960’s, and little is known about genetic diversity in both agronomic and nutritive value traits. Our breeding program goals are to analyze combining ability of biomass and quality predictors and to study the genetic relationship of inbred lines between lowland tropical and temperate races from Mesa Central, by genetic and …

Improving Forage Quality Of Tall Fescue (Festuca Arundinacea) By Genetic Manipulation Of Lignin Biosynthesis, Z. -Y. Wang, L. Chen, C. -K. Auh, A. Hopkins, P. Dowling

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Lignification of plant cell walls is a major factor limiting forage digestibility and concomitantly animal productivity. Improvement in forage grass cell wall digestibility has become an important goal of many plant-ruminant animal research programs. Lignins are complex phenolic heteropolymers associated with the polysaccharidic components of the wall in specific plant cells. Lignin in forage grasses comprises guaiacyl (G) units derived from coniferyl alcohol, syringyl (S) units derived from sinapyl alcohol, and p-hydroxyphenyl (H) units derived from p-coumaryl alcohol. Cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) and caffeic acid O- methyltransferase (COMT) are key enzymes involved in lignin biosynthesis. Tall fescue …

Manipulating The Phenolic Acid Content And Digestibility Of Forage Grasses By Targeted Expression Of Fungal Cell Wall Degrading Enzymes, M. M. De O. Buanafina, P. Morris, T. Langdon, S. J. Dalton, B. Hauck, H. Porter

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grass cell walls constitute 30-80% of forage dry matter, representing a major source of energy for ruminants. Ferulic acid (4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-cinnamic acid) and other hydroxycinnamic acids are ester linked to arabinosyl residues in arabinoxylans of grass cell walls and undergo oxidative coupling reactions resulting in the formation of a variety of dehydrodiferulate dimers which cross-link cell wall polymers. Although such cross-links have a number of important roles in the cell wall, they also hinder the rate and extent of cell wall degradation by ruminant microbial and fungal enzymes. We have shown previously the expression of a ferulic acid esterase gene from …

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

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

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

Effect Of Pre-Planting Seed Treatment Options On Dormancy Breaking And Germination Of Ziziphus Mucronata, Abubeker Hassen, N. F. G. Rethman, Willem A. Van Niekerk

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Ziziphus mucronata (Buffalo thorn) is a multipurpose tree, widely adapted to a range of ecological conditions and tolerant of extreme climatic conditions, including frost and drought (Venter & Venter, 1996). It is a valuable fodder tree for livestock and game animals, especially in the drier parts of Africa (Rothauge et al. 2003). Similar to many other leguminous species, establishment is constrained by low and erratic germination of the seed, which has been attributed mainly to the physical barrier of the stony endocarp and dormancy associated with seed coat impermeability. This experiment aimed to compare the suitability of various seed treatment …

Grazing Animal Production Systems And Grazing Land Characteristics In A Semi-Arid Region Of Greece, I. Hadjigeorgiou, G. Economou, D. Lolis, N. Moustakas, G. Zervas

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rough grazing in Greece cover about 40% of the total land area, is publicly owned and managed extensively (Hadjigeorgiou et al., 2002). The Prefecture of Larisa is in the centre of Greece, and has 212,000 ha of rough grazing land, with a variable topography ranging from sea level up to 3,000 m a.s.l. This area is utilized by a total population of 135,000 LU (mainly sheep, goats and some suckler cows), which consumes annually an appreciable fraction of their total nutrient requirements from rough grazing.

The Long Road To Developing Native Herbaceous Summer Forage Legume Ecotypes, James P. Muir, T. J. Butler, W. R. Ocumpaugh

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Only a handful of well-adapted herbaceous summer forage legumes are currently marketed for drier regions of North America and even fewer are true natives. There is a growing demand for native germplasm in the region as a new generation of landowner attempts to return grasslands to a semblance of their original species and diversity. The objective of this paper is to describe preliminary research results of a grasslands team collecting, studying and promulgating native leguminous germplasm in Texas.

Working Within Constraints: Managing African Savannas For Animal Production And Biodiversity, J. T. Du Toit

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The mean density of livestock biomass on African rangelands now greatly exceeds that of indigenous large herbivores, although livestock cannot fully substitute for wildlife with respect to co-evolved ecosystem processes involving herbivory. The dominance of livestock in semi-arid rangelands is largely due to water provision, which uncouples livestock population dynamics from the rainfall-driven trajectories followed by indigenous ungulate species in wildlife areas. Ecological sustainability cannot be achieved with a few exotic species maintained at unprecedented biomass densities in savanna ecosystems, which are evolutionarily adapted for species-rich communities of ungulates of a wise range of sizes. Integrating wildlife and livestock in …