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Opportunities In Molecular Biology: Enhancement Of The Nutritional Value Of Forages, K. R. Hancock, M. J. Ulyatt

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Pasture plants, while producing a cost-effective source of feed for grazing ruminants, can frequently be less than optimal in meeting the animals’ nutrient requirements. Over the past half century, there has been a major effort to improve the quantity and nutritional quality of pasture plants using conventional plant breeding. Although considerable progress has been made in improving the quality and agronomic characteristics of our major pasture plants by this means, breeding can only be applied to plants capable of sexual crosses. This poses severe limitations both in terms of speed of progress and in the number of genes available for …

The Role Of Endophytic Fungi In Brachiaria, A Tropical Forage Grass, S. Kelemu, J. F. White, Idupulapati M. Rao

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In temperate zones, endophytic fungi are widely used as biological protection agents for forage and turf grasses. They form nonpathogenic and intercellular associations with grasses and sedges, completing their entire life cycle within the plants’ aerial parts. Our surveys and studies confirmed that various endophytic fungi, including Acremonium spp., also inhabit native savanna grasses and introduced tropical forage grasses. We are now determining the potentially symbiotic relationships between these fungi and C₄ tropical forages, specifically between the endophyte A. implicatum and Brachiaria grasses. We treated half of a group of genetically identical clones of Brachiaria with fungicide to generate …

Advances In Endophyte Research. Progress And Priorities In Temperate Areas, L. R. Fletcher, H. S. Easton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Fungal endophytes infect a large number of temperate grass species, genera and tribes (Leuchtmann and Clay, 1997). The majority of these systemic endophytes fall into the genus Epichloe or the closely related Neotyphodium genus.

The asexual Neotyphodium endophytes are asymptomatic, never emerge from between the host grass cells, and are only transmitted vertically, via seed of the host plant. They are believed to have derived from the Epichloe endophytes, (Bacon and White, 2000; Schardl and Wilkinson, 2000) which do emerge from their intercellular habitat and form stromata around the emerging seedhead of their host. This is manifested as the choke …

The Legume – Rhizobia Symbiosis. Does It Vary For The Tropics Relative To The Mediterranean Basin?, J. G. Howieson, A. Mcinnes

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Symbiotic N fixation from legumes is one of the most important biological processes on the planet. It currently provides the majority of the N requirement in agriculture, yet will have to double if cereal crop production is to meet world demand by 2020 (Kennedy and Cocking 1997). To effectively harness the value of biological N fixation from legumes we need to more fully understand G² x E; where G refers to the genotypes of both the legume (G_l) and its microsymbiont (rhizobia; G_r), and E refers to the edaphic environment in which the symbiosis is …

Advances In Forage Legumes: Shrub Legumes, M. H. Shelton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage tree legumes benefit agriculture through their multi-purpose contributions to livestock feeding, to productivity of farming systems, and to protection of the environment.

Of the several hundred forage tree legume species regarded as having potential for forage only c. twenty are in common use. These are listed together with their agroecological range and tolerance of adverse environments including acid soils, cool temperatures, low rainfall, poor drainage and high salinity. The value of many species to ruminants is limited due to low nutritive value arising from low protein availability and low acceptability caused principally by high condensed tannin content. Only 10 …

Alfalfa, J. H. Bouton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cultivated alfalfa or lucerne (Medicago sativa spp. sativa) is the most important forage legume in the world with approximately 32 million hectares cultivated mainly in the temperate regions of both the northern and southern hemispheres. Intensive research has been conducted on the management and physiology of the crop and a major seed industry has developed world wide. Since insect and disease pests are numerous in alfalfa, development of cultivars with the proper fall dormancy and a broad genetic base for pest resistance has been pursued in order to provide increased adaptation, persistence, and yield. There has been a …

Carbon And Nitrogen Isotopic Discrimination In Alfalfa For High Yield And Quality Forage, W. S. Oliveira, P. P. A. Oliveira, M. Corsi, S. M. Tsai

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Biological nitrogen fixation and assimilation of CO₂ can be indirectly monitored in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) through the variation of the stable N and C isotopes in the plant (Δ values). Such measurements result in a simple, non-destructive and reliable method for identification of alfalfa cultivars of high yield and nutritional quality. A program for selection of 12 alfalfa cultivars under field and controlled conditions (lysimeters) included determination of biomass and N accumulation. Under controlled conditions yields ranged from 1.77 to 2.47 ton/ha/month (Pioneer 5312 and WL-605) and N2-fixed varied from 77.43 to 84.01% for total N (Brazilian …

The Use Of Cafeteria Trials For The Selection Of Desmodium Ovalifolium Genotypes, Axel Schmidt, R. Schultze-Kraft, B. L. Maass, C. E. Lascano

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

For the selection of tropical legumes which contain anti-nutritive components such as tannins, relative acceptability of genotypes to ruminants is of particular importance, since these plant components may influence selective grazing behaviour and subsequent animal productivity. Plant-animal interactions are not predictable from laboratory analyses. Involving grazing animals through the conduction of relative-acceptability (=cafeteria) trials at early stages of the germplasm selection process might therefore provide a convenient tool to adjust and confirm genotype selection based on laboratory quality analyses data. As part of a multilocational germplasm evaluation project, cafeteria-experiments were conducted at two contrasting environments in Colombia with a core …

Agronomic Evaluation Of Alfalfa Cultivars In Rio Grande Do Sul, Brasil, J. C. De Saibro, R. Battisti, T. M. S. Freitas

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

From April 1995 to June 1998, thirty five alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars (cvs.) were evaluated in a field trial at the “Depressão Central” ecoclimatic region, in southern Brazil. Two years after sowing, 30 cultivars were excluded from the test due to their poor overall agronomic performance, mainly low forage DM yields. The remaining cultivars: Crioula (local genotype used as a check), Victoria, Rio and P 30 are hay-type cultivars while Alfagraze is a grazing-tolerant type. Twenty-two harvests were made and no significant differences were found for total DM yields among cvs. Crioula, Victoria, Rio and P 30; however, …

Evaluation Of Paspalum Spp. With Adaptation To Poorly Drained Soils In The Tropical Americas, Michael Peters, B. Hincapié, P. Avila, C. E. Lascano

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A collection of Paspalum accessions obtained from Brazil was tested for their adaptation to poorly drained soils. Three accessions were selected based on their DM production and nutritive value. Productivity and quality of these three accessions was stable over the periods of maximum and minimum rainfall, giving potential for continuous forage supply throughout the year in the tropical Americas. Grazing trials for the selected accessions are underway.

Intake Characteristics And Performance Of Contrasting Grass Varieties Continuously Stocked With Sheep, R. J. Orr, J. E. Cook, R. A. Champion, A. J. Rook

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Fifteen intermediate-heading perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) varieties were grazed by sheep under continuous variable stocking management. Mean daily grass dry matter intake per ewe was positively correlated with liveweight gain per ewe (r = 0.63) and per ha (r = 0.58) over an 8-month grazing season. Daily intake was not correlated with grazing time (r = 0.12) but was positively correlated with instantaneous dry matter intake rate (r = 0.75). Breeding varieties with high intake rate characteristics should allow increases in the contribution of grazed grass to grassland-based livestock farming. There is now a …

Variability For Nitrogen And Phosphorus Uptake Among Timothy Genotypes, Réal Michaud, Gilles Bélanger, A. Brégard

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cultivars of timothy (Phleum pratense L.) with high N and P use efficiencies are required to reduce costs of production and risks of N and P pollution, and to meet the nutrition requirements of high producing animals. This field study aimed at comparing, (under three N rates) the relationship between DM yield, N uptake, and P uptake of 27 timothy half-sib families, plus the cultivar Champ as a control (Dry matter yield), N and P uptake increased with increasing N rates. Genotypes also differed for DM yield, N and P uptake. For a given DM yield, the genotypes had …

Research On Forage Quality: Progress And Priorities, J. A. Milne

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A broad definition of forage quality is used and the purposes for which research on forage quality is undertaken currently are outlined. These range from research that provides simple measurements that describes the forage quality of a commercial product to research on forage quality to improve understanding of digestion processes. Much of the research in the last decade has related to improving predictive measurements. The different degrees of progress that have been made in the development and use of measurements to further our understanding of forage quality are described and related to their fitness of purpose. It is concluded that …

Forage Quality And The Environment, C. E. Lascano, A. Schmidt, R. Barahona

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The influence of environmental factors on forage quality of temperate and tropical grasses has been reviewed by several authors, who summarized how light, temperature, drought and soil nutrients influence chemical composition, and digestibility of forages grown in contrasting areas of the world. The effects of season of the year on forage growth, grazing behavior and animal performance have also been the subject of numerous papers and reviews. However, there are few recent reviews that summarize how changes in climatic and edaphic factors influence forage quality of legumes with variable levels of condensed tannins (CT), which are important secondary compounds in …

The Effect Of Perennial Ryegrass Cultivar Lock Up Length And Nitrogen On Forage Quality For Silage, Joseph L. Jacobs, Frank R. Mckenzie, G. N. Ward

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A study was undertaken to determine the effects of three perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) cultivars (Vedette, Impact and Nevis) with differing maturities, lock up length and nitrogen (N) application upon the dry matter (DM) yield and nutritive characteristics of pasture for silage. The addition of N at 50 kgN/ha significantly (P< 0.05) increased DM yield for all cultivars. Metabolisable energy (ME) (MJ/kgDM) of the ryegrass declined with time for all treatments, although by week 8 of lock up the ME content of Vedette was significantly (P< 0.05) lower than for other cultivars. When the DM yield and ME content of ryegrass at early ear emergence for each cultivar was compared, the harvestable metabolisable energy (MJ/ha) was highest for Nevis followed by Impact and Vedette. In conclusion, there is potential to use later maturing cultivars of ryegrass in south east Australia to allow for later harvesting of forage for silage, whilst maintaining ME and maximising DM yields. Furthermore the use of N fertiliser can also increase DM yields without impinging on pasture quality.

Screening Fresh Forages For Protein Degradation And Nutritive Value, Garry C. Waghorn, J. L. Burke

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A method has been developed to prepare fresh forages for in sacco and in vitro incubation by freezing and mincing to achieve a particle size distribution of dry matter (DM) similar to in vivo conditions. The method is described and data presented to indicate losses of nitrogen (N) during in sacco digestion and net yield of ammonia from proteolysis in vitro for 22 fresh and conserved forages. Grasses, legumes and herbs were evaluated, with fractional degradation rates of forages ranging from 0.07h^-1 with tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) to 0.24 h^-1 with chicory (Cichorium intybus). …

Evaluation Of Centrosema Rotundifolium For Sand-Soil Savannas In Eastern Venezuela, I. Rodríguez, R. Schultze-Kraft, S. González

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

An evaluation of a collection of amphicarpic Centrosema rotundifolium showed considerable variability among the six accessions tested, regarding above- and below-ground seed production. Dry-season forage yields were very low but rainy-season yields reached acceptable levels. Contents of crude protein, P and Ca were intermediate to high (CP and P) or low (Ca). Three accessions are suggested for on-farm testing in association with grasses in order to explore the plant persistence implications of belowground seed production under practical conditions. Furthermore, the potential of this amphicarpic species for the conservation of sandy soils deserves attention.

Amphicarpy In The Tropical Legume Centrosema Rotundifolium: A Research Project In Eastern Venezuela, S. Müller, R. Schultze-Kraft, I. Rodríguez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Amphicarpy is a particular reproduction mechanism by which a plant can produce both above-ground and below-ground seeds and thus has the potential to contribute to an enhanced persistence of a plant population. It can be found in a range of tropical legumes, e.g. in several Centrosema species. The balance between above- and below-ground seed production is evidently influenced by environment and management factors but these influences are not well known. In the case of perennial tropical legumes, in addition to seed production shifts the allocation of resources affects also the production of tuberous roots as storage organs. A research project …

Genetic Resources For Tropical Areas: Achievements And Perspectives, Cacilda B. Do Valle

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This paper analyses the present status of tropical forage resources and their utilization in the development of novel cultivars based on the accumulated information from past decades of collecting, evaluation and whatever little breeding has been pursued. The situation of world collections of tropical forages is presented and discussed in the light of limited investment and dwindling resources. A cause for concern is the lesser priority assigned to conservation and manipulation of official tropical germplasm banks, such as CSIRO’S and CIAT’s. In order to assure the availability of tropical genetic resources for the future it is imperative that international efforts …

Forage Production And Nutritive Value Of Four Promising Sorghum X Sudangrass Hybrid In Korea, S. Seo, J. G. Kim, E. S. Chung, J. K. Lee, S. H. Yoon

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Sorghum x sudangrass hybrid (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is one of the most important annual grass utilized for supplemental summer forage. There were 14 National Livestock Cooperative Federation (NLCF)’s recommended forage sorghum´sudangrass hybrids in Korea. Among them several hybrids were produced widely, however, they have not been evaluated under same environmental conditions. Therefore, a field experiment was carried out to compare the plant height, forage yield and nutritive value of the NLCF’s recommended cultivars at NLRI, Suwon, Korea in 1995. The four promising cultivars of sorghum´sudangrass hybrid used in this study were P 988, TE-Haygrazer, NC+ 855 (heading type), …

The Effect Of Plant Population On The Yield And Quality Of Annual Rye-Grass, M. E. V. L. Lourenço, P. M. M. Palma

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The primary objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of three plant population levels (350, 750 and 1150 plants m^-2) on dry matter yield and forage quality (crude protein and dry matter digestibility) of four rye-grass genotypes (Barspectra, Billion, Clipper and Pollanum) used in two harvests (March and May).

The results for dry matter yield means by year, genotype, and harvest were always higher in the second harvest than in the first, and the highest total mean value was reached in the first year (5853 Kg ha^-1). The genotype Billion was the most stable …

Intake And Digestibility Of Black Locust Foliage Fed To Growing Goat Wethers, L. J. Unruh, J-M. Luginbuhl, J. P. Mueller

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Leaves of Black locust (BL, Robinia pseudoacacia), a native southeastern United States tree species known to contain substantial levels of condensed tannins, were fed to 16, four month old (20.4 kg body weight [BW]) Boer wether goats (Capra hircus hircus) to determine their effects on intake and digestibility. Four diets were stall fed in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. Diets included: (1) 100% eastern gamagrass (EGH; Tripsacum dactyloides) hay; (2) 70% EGH and 30% mixture of ground corn (GC; Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max) meal (SBM); (3) 75% …

Nutritional Quality Of Digitaria Eriantha Steudel. Subsp. Eriantha Cv. Irene, M. J. L. Privitello, R. L. Sager

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Digitaria eriantha is a South African perennial grass, C4 type, that grows during spring and summer with rainfalls higher than 400mm. The aim of this paper was to evaluate its nutritional quality profile: Crude Protein (%CP), True Protein (%TP), Soluble Protein (%SP), Non-Protein Nitrogen (%NPN), Neutral Detergent Fiber (%NDF) and Acid Detergent Fiber (%ADF) in cumulative production cuttings during a species cycle. In-sacco technique was applied to estimate the degradability of dry matter (DM). A simple regression statistics method was applied to relate different nutritional parameters. Digitaria eriantha presents low percentage of CP from flowering and of NPN during its …

Agronomic Potential And Nutritive Value Of Promising Leucaena Species In The Yucatan Peninsula, Luis Ramírez-Avilés, W. O. Cruz, Francisco J. Solorio-Sánchez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Two experiments were carried out in order to evaluate the agronomic potential, the nutritive value and the tolerance to psyllid (Heteropsilla cubana) of nine Leucaena species. A randomized block design with four repetitions was used. There were significant (P< 0.01) differences on dry matter production (i.e. leaf and twigs yield ). L. collinsii showed the most promising result, which could be related to its high psyllid tolerance. In a second experiment, the preference indices of Leucaena species was assessed with sixteen male pelibuey sheep in a cafeteria trial. There were significant (P< 0.0001) differences among Leucaena species. L. esculenta paniculata was the species most preferred . There was no relationship between chemical composition …

Ramon (Brosimun Alicastrum) Foliage As Supplement For Lactating Dual Purpose Cows, Carlos A. Sandoval-Castro, R. Cetina, I. Pérez, Luis Ramírez-Avilés

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The objective of the present study was to asses the value of ramón (Brosimun alicastrum) foliage as a N-source in replacement of soybean-N in lactating dual purpose cows (Bos indicus x B. taurus). Four lactating cows were used in a latin rectangle design. Ramón was included to replace 0, 33, 66 and 100 % of the soybean-N contained in the supplement. Basal diet was fresh “Taiwán” a cultivar of Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) fed ad libitum. Basal and total dry matter intake, digestibility (total fecal collection), saleable and calf suckled milk yields, and …

Dry Matter Yield, In Vitro Digestibility, Protein And Fiber Composition Of 'Tifton 9' Bahiagrass (Paspalum Notatum) At Six Maturities, J. M. B. Vendramini, C. M. Haddad, Carlos G. S. Pedreira

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The objective of this research was to evaluate dry matter yield, in vitro digestibility, and the concentrations of protein and cell wall components in 'Tifton 9’clipped at six maturities. Herbage was cut at the age of 20, 27, 34, 41, 48 and 55 days. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with six trataments (ages) and four replications. Dry matter yield and acid detergent fiber ranged from 188 g m^-2, to 593 g m^-2 and 386.9 g kg^-1 to 375.1 g kg^-1 respectively, with the cubic regression model having the best fit (P< 0.05). Concentrations of crude protein decreased linearly (P< 0.05) from 121 to 69 g kg^-1. …

Herbivore Preference For Afternoon- And Morning-Cut Forages And Adoption Of Cutting Management Strategies, H. F. Mayland, J. C. Burns, D. S. Fisher, Glenn E. Shewmaker, R. Carlstrom, D. S. Cash

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Photosynthesizing forage plants accumulate total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC) during daylight, but then TNC concentrations are reduced during the night. Afternoon-cut forage (PM) has greater TNC value and thus economic value, than morning-cut (AM). Livestock prefer PM-cut hay and this can be readily demonstrated by offering animals a choice of hays cut in PM and AM. Alfalfa growers in the western United States are readily adopting PM-cutting technology to increase profits.

Intake And Qualitative Aspects Of Guinea Grass Grazed By Sheep Over Three Different Seasons, Willem A. Van Niekerk

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of season on intake by sheep as well as certain selected qualitative characteristics of Panicum maximum (cv Gatton) (Guinea grass) at the mature growing stage. The lower DM content of the spring and summer grass (41.6 and 40.2%) did not hamper DOMI (48.1 and 26.7 W^0.75/d), respectively. The N concentration of the spring and summer grass was well within the limit required for optimal rumen microbial production (1.8 - 2.0%). The high cell wall components of the winter grass resulted most probably in a significant lower IVDOM value …

Identification And Quantification Of N-Alkanes In Three Tropical Grasses, T. C. M. Genro, Ê. R. Prates, L. R. L. De S. Thiago, M. Herrero, V. Sabatel

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The main goal of this paper was to quantify the profile of n-alkanes in three tropical grasses. Hand plucking samples to simulate grazing were taking from Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça and Pennisetum purpureum cv. Cameroon. These samples were collected from an experiment established to assess intensive beef production from grasses throughout the year, under rotational grazing. Rotation order through the paddocks remained constant, with 30 days of rest after each grazing bout (16 paddocks, 2 days of grazing). Profiles of n-alkanes were analysed in three separate periods of the year: in the middle of the dry …

Determination Of N-Alkanes At Different Stratum Heights In A Pasture Of Panicum Maximum Cv. Mombaça, T. C. M. Genro, L. R. L. De S. Thiago, Ê. R. Prates, M. Herrero, V. Sabatel

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The aim of this experiment was to determine n-alkane levels in the stem + leaf sheath and leaf blade components of a pasture of Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça, harvested in 20 cm stratified layers. This pasture was under rotational grazing for intensive beef production throughout the year. The grazing system was based on the use of 16 paddocks with a 2-day grazing period followed by a 30-day resting period. Profiles of n-alkanes were determined in samples harvested in three separate periods: in the middle of the dry season (August 97; PERIOD 1), at the beginning of the wet season (November …