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Silage Characteristics Of Sugarcane (Sacchrum Officinarum) Tops In Sri Lanka, Y. M. H. N. Jayathilake, Sujatha Premaratne, W. R. G. Witharama, G. G. C. Premalal

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Sugarcane tops (SCTs) is generally known to be a major byproduct of sugarcane industry which is currently not utilized in a profitable manner and it is widely available at low cost particularly during the dry period in Sri Lanka when the forage are scarce for feeding of ruminants. Usually, the residue after sugarcane harvesting contains dry leaves, fresh leaves and growing point of the stalk. It increases drying of leaves in the field within 2 to 3 days after harvesting due to dry weather conditions prevailing in the harvesting period and much of the tops are burned and wasted in …

Nutritive Value And Silage Quality In Fodder Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor), Maize (Zea Mays) And Hybrid Napier (Pennisetum Americarnum × P. Purpureum) Grown In Sri Lanka, P. G. G. Bandara, W. A. D. Nayananjalie, G. G. C. Premalal

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

For continuous genetic improvement of cows, nutrition and management conditions should be improved to allow cow to produce its inherited potential production. However, many farmers not pay desired attention on forage quality and one of the main reasons for the low productivity of dairy cattle is under nutrition. Therefore, production of high quality fodder varieties is vital for strengthening the dairy sector in Sri Lanka. Hybrid Napier var. CO-3 is widely used for cattle feeding in Sri Lanka. It is important to find out other forage varieties with maximum nutritive values and minimum anti-nutritive factors which can be used as …

Nitrogen Retention And Microbial Protein Yield Of Desmodium Uncunatum, Mucuna Pruriens And Vigna Unguiculata Forage Legumes In Goats, Joseph J. Baloyi, Katsande Simbarashe, F. V. Nherera-Chokuda, N. T. Ngongoni

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage legumes have high potential degradability, indicating that they might need to stay in the rumen for a longer time (MolinaAlcaide et al., 1996) to increase microbial protein yield. Microbial protein contributes about two thirds of the amino acids absorbed by ruminants (Pathak 2008). Protein supplements which have proper levels of rumen undegradable protein provide growth limiting amino acids like lysine and methionine (Rezai et al., 2012). Nyambati et al. (2003) showed that milk production can be increased by supplementing with velvet bean, highlighting the importance of integrating legumes into the low-input, mixed cropping systems in the tropics. The current …

Mineral Content Of Grasses From Natural Pasture In South West Nigeria, Alaba O. Jolaosho, Okukenu Oluwafemi Adeyemi, O. A. Okukenu, E. Fabusoro

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Nigeria’s grassland grows on uncultivated land on which animals have access for grazing. These are found along roadsides and fallow lands in the coastal forest zones of Nigeria. Most of the natural grassland/rangeland assumes more important proportions in the open derived savanna zones of the country. Ruminant production during dry season is limited by low productivity of pasture forages, which often contain too low mineral concentration to meet the minimum requirement for optimal productivity of livestock (Annison and Bryden, 1998).

Litter Decomposition Of Xaraes-Grass Pasture Subjected To Different Post-Grazing Residuals, Ana C. Ruggieri, Elisamara Raposo, Leandro Galzerano, Alan R. Panosso, Mariana V. Azenha, Estella R. Janusckiewicz

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Since fertilizers are used less extensively on Xaraes-grass (Brachiaria brizantha) pastures in Brazil because of costs, the main route of nitrogen (N) supply to plants is through nutrient recycling via litter decomposition. One of the strategies used to maintain the supply of N is to manage the pasture correctly by keeping it under grazing pressure so that the amount of recycled nutrients in the residue is sufficient to meet the pasture requirements (Jantalia et al.2006). Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate different residual leaf area indices (RLAI) and determine which one provides the best …

Animal Performance On Tanzânia Grass Pasture Intercropped With Estilozantes Campo Grande Or Fertilized With Nitrogen, In The Seasons, Ulysses Cecato, Bruno S. Iwamoto, Edmar P. Peluso, Gracielle C. Mari, Vinicius V. Pereira, José M. Saute

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Nitrogen (N) is the most important nutrient for growth and development of pasture, giving the plant a faster growth rate and greater production (Roma et al. 2012). Despite proven effectiveness, there is restriction on its use by farmers due to high cost. On the other hand, the legume Estilozantes Campo Grande (Stylosanthes spp. (80% S. capitata + 20% S. macrocephala), capable of fixing nitrogen atmospheric has become a promising plant, as shown by the work of Ribeiro et al. (2011). However, there is still a lack of information about its use in association with grasses for animal …

Forms Of Soil Phosphorus Accumulation In Grassland Soils, Warwick J. Dougherty, Ronald J. Smernik, Ashlea L. Doolette

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Australian soils are generally low in phosphorus (P) by world standards and require applied P to reduce this limitation on plant growth. In grazing systems P is deposited on the soil surface from fertiliser, livestock excretion and senescing pasture. Phosphate occurs in many forms in soils. Because of rising fertiliser prices there is growing interest in assessing and improving the availability of accumulated soil P.

The objective of the research described here was to identify and quantify the forms of P in soils under permanent grasslands with a wide range of soil P status.

Accumulation Of Dry Matter And Morphological Composition Of Irrigated Mombaça Grass Fertilized With And Without Nitrogen Under Grazing, Ulysses Cecato, Gracielle C. Mari, Tatiane Beloni, Vanessa C. Piotto, Túlio Otavio D'Almeida Lins, Alyson Andrade Pinehiro

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Brazil is the holder of the largest commercial cattle herd in the world and the world's leading exporter of fresh and industrialized meat. Beef production is based on pastures and the production system is influenced by absence of fertilization and the seasonality of forage during of this the year, caused mainly by temperature, rainfall and luminosity. Nitrogen (N) is the most important element for the development and growth of grasses, since it accelerates the formation and growth of new leaves, improves regrowth vigor resulting in greater production and carrying capacity of pastures (Cecato et al. 2011). The present study …

The Effects Of Restricting Nitrogen, Phosphorus, And Potassium Fertilizers On Erianthus (Erianthus Arundinaceus) Growth And Nutrient Contents, Naoki Kato, Ikuo Hattori, Naohiro Uwatoko, Mitsuru Gau

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Low inputs and sustainability are the major concerns in bioenergy crop production (Reijnders 2006). Erianthus spp. is a relative of sugarcane and is a perennial crop with high dry matter production (Matsuo et al. 2003). It is expected to become a cellulosic bioenergy crop. However, its fertilizer requirements are still unknown because erianthus has a highly developed root system (Matsuo et al. 2003), and appears to absorb nutrients from the subsoil layer, which is hardly used by other crops. Therefore, it is necessary to experimentally restrict fertilizer application and maintain the rhizosphere to clarify the fertilizer requirements.

In this study, …

The Effect Of N-Fertilization Rate Or Inclusion Of Red Clover To Timothy Leys On Fatty Acid Composition In Dairy Cow Milk, Katarina Arvidsson, Anne-Maj Gustavsson, Veerle Fievez, Kjell Martinsson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

There is growing awareness among consumers of the link between diet and health. Further, the public often associates dairy products with coronary heart disease, since most of the fatty acids (FA) in milk are saturated. Therefore, it would be desirable to improve the FA profile of milk, which might be achieved by using appropriate feeding regimes. N-fertilization has been shown to influence both total fatty acid (TFA) content and the FA composition in a wide variety of species (Arvidsson 2009). The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of grass silages subjected to different N fertilisation regimes fed …

Phosphorus Use Efficiency In Lotus Spp. Under Contrasting Levels Of Water Availability: A Comparison Of Pot And Field Measurements, Hernán Acuña, C. Castillo, Erick Zagal, Luis Inostroza

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The results of the phosphorus (P) use efficiency measurements in pot experiments with soil as subtratum are controversial because they may not be representative of an equivalent situation under field conditions. Under P-stress conditions, strategies for improving phosphorus-use efficiency are: (1) increase the root surface soil contact area by modifying root morphology; (2) increase the effective root area by root symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; (3) increase nutrient availability through rhizosphere modification. The level of water availability and P supply are of high interest because the water stress, which limits growth more than any other environmental factor, can be minimized …

Production Of Aruana Guinea Grass Submitted To Cutting Severities And Nitrogen Fertilization, Alessandra A. Giacomini, Karina Batista, Maria T. Colozza, Luciana Gerdes, Waldssimiler T. Mattos, Ivani P. Otsuki, Flavia M. A. Gimenes, Linda M. Premazzi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Aruana Guineagrass (Panicum maximum Jacques cv. Aruana) is widely used as pasture for sheep, which are extremely susceptible to infestation by larvae of gastrointestinal parasites in tropical pasture-based systems (Zanini et al. 2012) A way to mitigate this problem, and consequently reduce the need for use of anthelmintics, is by managing pastures with post-grazing height low enough to favor the incidence of sunlight at the base of tussocks that will kill and control larval development, without jeopardizing canopy regrowth and persistence. The pre-grazing sward height recommended for Aruana Guineagrass is 30 cm, when the canopy intercepts 95% of …

Cattle Fecal Decomposition On Pennisetum Purpureum Schum. Pastures Managed Under Different Post-Grazing Stubble Heights, José C. B. Dubeux Jr., Felipe M. Saraiva, Mércia V. F. Dos Santos, Alexandre C. L. De Mello, Vicente Imbrosi Teixeira, Erinaldo Viana De Freitas

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Pasture management may affect cattle diet. Post-grazing stubble height is a pasture structural characteristic intrinsically linked to forage quantity and quality. Stubble height also indicates forage utilization rate, and as a result, affects nutrient pathway return (excreta or litter) and ultimately, nutrient cycling. Cattle excreta deposition affects soil chemical and physical characteristics (Carran and Theobald 2000). Slow release of nutrients from cattle dung, however, delays nutrient bioavailability for subsequent forage growth (Haynes and Williams 1993). This study evaluated how different post-grazing stubble heights on elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) pastures may affect cattle dung decomposition and nutrient release.

Decomposition Of Cattle Dung On Mixed Grass-Legume Pastures, José C. B. Dubeux Jr., Carolina Câmara Lira, Erinaldo Viana De Freitas, Mércia V. F. Dos Santos, Mário De Andrade Lira, Caroline Dykstra, Erick Rodrigo Da Silva Santos, Fernando Tenório Filho

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Animal excreta contribute positively to nutrient cycling and can improve the quality of soil (Dubeux et al. 2009, Carvalho et al. 2010). Cattle excrement, when evenly distributed over a pasture, can help to maintain plant nutrition without the application of fertilizers. The introduction of legumes intercropped with grasses benefits the soil by means of nitrogen fixation. Also, when ruminant animals eat legumes, the excrement produced may have lower C:N, C:P, lignin:N and lignin:P ratios promoting better nutrient return to the soil compared to when cattle eat only grass. Given the importance of nutrient return and decomposition time of …

Effect Of Diseases And Insect-Pests On Forage Quality Of Cowpea, D. K. Banyal, Jaya Chaudhary, Rajan Katoch

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) an important forage legume is mainly cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical regions of India for its food and fodder value. It is highly nutritive with 23.0, 67.0, 1.8 per cent protein, carbohydrate and fats respectively, and is also a rich source of calcium and iron. Cowpea is also prone to a number of diseases and inset-pests causing great losses in yield and quality of green fodder. High incidence of diseases profoundly reduces yield and quality, whereas insects typically reduce yield more than quality. Cowpea is grown globally in an area of 14 million hectares with …

Leaf Blast Pyricularia Grisea Effects On Buffelgrass Forage And Seed Production In Northwestern Mexico, Martha Martin Rivera, Fernando Ibarra-Flores, Patricia Barrios Cardenas, Salomón M. Moreno, Fernando Ibarra Martin, Rafael Retes Lopez, Francisco Rivas Santoyo, Alfredo Aguilar Valdez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Common buffelgrass Cenchrus ciliaris (T-4464) is an introduced species intensively planted in Mexico to increase productivity on rangelands. Studies have shown that the species produces 5 to 10 times more forage as compared to native species on rangelands (Martin et al., 1995). Previous studies in the Gulf of Mexico have shown that the fungus Pyricularia grisea causes a disease in buffelgrass known as "leaf blight" and induce serious damage to the plant affecting forage production and nutritive quality (Ocumpaugh and Rodríguez, 1998; González, 2002). Injuries begin in the inferior leafs as small dark stains that later are converted in injuries …

Performance Of Promising Forage In Eastern India And Their Nutritive Value, J. J. Gupta, A. Dey, B. P. Bhatt, S. K. Barari

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Eastern region of India possesses large number of ruminant population (162 million) that depend on available feed resources (GOI, 2014). But, at the same time, an acute shortage of green fodder prevails in the eastern part of India that varies from 82 to 89 per cent. The main reason behind this gap is low land holding and negligible area under fodder production. Shortage of quality feed and fodder resources and neglect of forage crops led to decline in the productivity of Indian livestock. However, as a whole, country having 8.30 million ha area under fodder production (Anon, 2013) and out …

Production Capacity Of A Mountain Meadow In Slovakia, Norbert Britanak, Daniel Rataj, Iveta Ilavska, Lubomir Hanzes

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Slovakia is rich in grassland ecosystem diversity due to its geological, geomorphologic and climatic conditions (Seffer et al. 2002). Grasslands make up to 81% of total agricultural land in the upland and mountain regions. They are regarded as basic sources of forage for cattle and sheep. During the last century, the utilisation of mineral fertilisers increased dramatically not only on arable land, but even on grassland in Europe (Hejcman et al. 2007). The objective of our 11-year trial was to compare the dry matter production of permanent grasslands at two levels of mineral nutrition under extreme climatic conditions …

Developing Methods To Evaluate Phenotypic Variability In Biological Nitrification Inhibition (Bni) Capacity Of Brachiaria Grasses, Jacobo Arango, Danilo E. Moreta, Jonathan Nuñez, Katharina Hartmann, Moralba Dominguez, Manabu Ishitani, John Miles, Guntur V. Subbarao, Michael Peters, Idupulapati M. Rao

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

As part of the nitrogen (N) cycle in the soil, nitrification is an oxidation process mediated by microorganisms that transform the relatively immobile ammonium (NH₄⁺)to the water soluble nitrate (NO₃^-), enabling the production of nitrous oxide (N₂O, a potent greenhouse gas) by denitrification as a by-product (Canfield et al. 2010). Researchers at CIAT-Colombia in collaboration with JIRCAS-Japan, reported that Brachiaria humidicola forage grasses have the ability to inhibit the nitrification process by exuding chemical compounds from its roots to the soil. A major hydrophobic compound was discovered and named brachial-actone (Subbarao et …

Productivity Enhancement Of Livestock Through Promotion Of Fodder Cultivation In Jehanabad District, Shobha Rani, R. K. Sohane, Dinesh Mahto

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Livestock production is the backbone of Indian agriculture and also plays a key role in providing employment especially in rural areas. In India, there is no practice of fodder production in rural areas and animals generally consume naturally grown grasses and shrubs which are of low quality in terms of protein and available energy, they are thus heavily dependent on seasonal variations and this results in fluctuation in fodder supply round the year affecting supply of milk round the year. For proper growth and development of the livestock, feed management is of great importance. In Jehanabad district, majority of the …

Effects Of Supplemental Feeding Using Different Nitrogen Sources On Body Weight Gain And Physiological Conditions On Grazing Castrated Lambs In The Steppe Zone Of Mongolia, Bayaraa Baasanjalbuu, Seishi Yamasaki, Gantumur Chuluunbat, Puruv Tsedevdorj

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The pastoral livestock production system in Mongolia has traditionally been operated in natural open pastures, which occupies approximately 80% area of the country. The productivity of the system is extremely seasonal, and the nutritional values of pasture plants such as crude protein (CP) and total digestible nutrients (TDN) decrease until spring (Yamasaki et al., 2013), resulting in animals losing their live weight by spring. In recent years, the damage caused by disastrously snowy and cold conditions, termed dzud in Mongolian, has evidently worsened, thereby affecting farm management in the region. To overcome the dzud and establish a sustainable livestock production …

Nutrient Intake And Utilization In Jalauni Lambs Fed Azolla Meal Supplemented Diet, M. M. Das, Rajiv K. Agrawal, J. B. Singh, Sunil Kumar, Satyapriya, Ravi Pratap Singh, Satendra Kumar

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Azolla is an important aquatic fungi due to the occurrence of both photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation in the leaves and also because of its profuse growth habbit, it appears as a potential source of protein, minerals and vitamins for livestock feeding. Keeping in view of the increasing cost and heavy deficit of concentrate ingredients in the country, an attempt was made to replace mustard cake protein @ 25% and 50% levels with Azolla (Microphylla) meal protein in the ration of sheep to investigate the effect of supplementation of azolla meal on nutrient intake and utilization in growing Jalauni …

Restoration Of Arid Grasslands: Issues And Strategies, R. K. Bhatt, M. P. Rajora, Ramavtar Sharma

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Economy of the Thar Desert of India, lying between 24-29°N latitude and 70-76°E longitude, is closely linked with the raising of livestock which mainly depends upon the native rangelands for their sustenance. Pearl millet, moth bean, cluster bean, range grasses and legumes, trees and shrubs are the major components of arid ecosystem. Perennial grasses, viz., buffel grass, bird wood grass, sewan and gramna are the dominating pasture species of the region. Due to frequent droughts and overgrazing, the productivity of the natural grasslands of the region has been steadily decreasing leading to reduced carrying capacity between 0.2-0.5 ACU per ha, …

Strategic Supplementation For Compensatory Growth In Tharparkar Calves Fed Low Quality Forages, S. K. Mahanta, M. M. Das

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

When animals are kept under feed restriction for a certain period of time followed by availability of feed again had high growth rate and even exceeded those of animals that were well fed throughout the same period (Tolla et al., 2003), because of physiological impulse called compensatory gain. Thus it improves feed efficiency and reduces feeding cost (Neto et al., 2011). However, when this happens in females growing calves it is desirable, provided it does not occur during puberty so that there is no reproductive damage. But compensatory growth varies depending upon the intensity and duration of under nutrition …

Nitrogen And Radiation Use Efficiency In Temperate Pastures For Low Quality Soils, Natalia M. Correa, Jorge O. Scheneiter

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In the humid pampa of Argentina, tall fescue is used in wet or low fertility soils whereas tall wheatgrass is used in flooded and alkaline environments (Maddaloni y Ferrari 2005). Autumn and winter growth rates are lower than in spring, and higher in tall fescue than in tall wheatgrass. In these species, maximum responses to nitrogen (N) fertilization occurs when it is done at the end of winter, but livestock farmers sometimes fertilize swards in late summer with the aim to get more forage in late autumn and winter. Due to the characteristics of the environments to which they adapt …

Effect Of Nitrogen Fertiliser Applications On Botanical Composition, Lydia R. Turner, Daniel J. Donaghy, Keith G. Pembleton, Richard P. Rawnsley

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The diminishing returns associated with nitrogen (N) fertiliser use over time are well recognised, as are the detrimental effect to the environment of excess N fertiliser use (Eckard 1998). However, many Tasmanian dairy farmers apply continually high rates of N fertiliser (e.g. in excess of 500 kg/ha annually) to minimise risk associated with variable pasture dry matter (DM) yields, and this often occurs at the expense of white clover populations within the pasture (Frame 1990; Frame et al. 1998). The responses of botanical composition and perennial ryegrass DM yields to N fertiliser application rate were investigated in the …

Carbohydrate To Protein Ratio In Perennial Ryegrass: Effects Of Defoliation Stage And Nitrogen Rate, Pablo A. Loaiza, Oscar A. Balocchi, Annick Bertrand, Ignacio F. López

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In intensive grass-based systems, perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L) grazed at early stages has a high crude protein content (CP) and low water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) relative to animal requirements. This imbalance leads to low nitrogen (N) use efficiency and a large loss of N excreted to the environment (Dijkstra et al. 2011). Previous research has shown the importance of the WSC:PC ratio as a useful factor that determines the improvement of the animal’s performance in terms of nitrogen utilization (Cosgrove et al. 2007). However, little is known about how the management of defoliation at specific growth …

Effect Of Organic Nitrogen Levels On N Fixation In Pea-Barley Mixture, H. W. Lee, J. D. Kim, C. H. Kim

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

One limitation in organic farming is short supply of forage. Organic fertilizer including cattle manure is overproduced in Korea but farmers are reluctant to use these kinds of resources because of heavy weight and handling cost. Legumes are of crucial importance for the N supply of grassland farming. They convert atmospheric dinitrogen (N₂) to plant available N through symbiosis. Information on N₂ fixation and transfer is lacking in Asian countries with a lot of results coming from EU and America. The objective of this report was to estimate potential N fixation and determine related benefits from intercropping …

Rhizobium-White Clover Symbiosis And Nitrogen Fixation Along A Soil Organic Carbon Gradient, Pieter A. Swanepoel, Philip R. Botha, Wayne F. Truter, A. Karen J. Surridge-Talbot, Alicia Van Der Merwe

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Sustainable cultivated pasture production in the southern Cape region of South Africa requires management practices that will support soil quality (Swanepoel and Botha 2012). Soil organic carbon (C_org) sequestration is regarded as one of the most important ways to promote soil quality. Dairy farmers in the southern Cape attempt to increase C_org by following minimum-tillage practices. These irrigated dairy-pastures require high levels of nitrogen (N) to maintain highly productive pastures. Nitrogen fertilisers have be-come very expensive and severely strain profitability of these dairy-pastures. Forage legumes are frequently incorporated into the grass pastures to overcome economic and environmental …

Nutrient Composition And Flux In A Semi-Arid Grazing Land Of Southern India, K. Karunaichamy, K. Paliwal

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The distribution and cycling of minerals in various compartments of the ecosystem form one of the important aspects of ecosystem study. The uptake of nutrients through the root system and their release via litter and root decomposition depends upon a number of factors including the species, growth and stage of maturity. The semi-arid grazing land ecosystem at Madurai has developed under short evolutionary grazing histories and low moisture regimes, in which grazing pressure has had dramatic effects on the plant community and biomass (Karunaichamy 1992). The biological cycle includes circulation of nutrients between soil and biotic communities by the phenomena …