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Benefits And Uses Of Nematodes In Grassland Soils, Michael J. Wilson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

To most grassland farmers nematodes mean trouble: they are important parasites of both pasture plants and livestock. While there is no doubting the considerable losses caused by nematodes, crop and livestock pests represent a tiny minority of the approximately 26,000 described nematode species. Here I examine the beneficial effects of nematodes within grassland systems and their beneficial uses. Nematodes in grassland soils increase plant available nutrients, move beneficial microbes through the rhizosphere and control insect and mollusc herbivores. We can use nematodes as biological control agents, and also as indicators of soil health/quality. While no single group of organisms can …

Effects Of Different Feed Additives On Methane Emissions From Beef Cattle, P. Giraldo, A. Marín, L. A. Giraldo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The rate of accumulation of methane in the atmosphere from enteric fermentation in cattle has an important impact on the greenhouse effect and contributing to global warming. Additionally, methane emission reduces the energy efficiency of substrate fermention in the rumen. Under-standing the effect of the diet on enteric methane emissions could help to identify strategies to reduce emissions of this greenhouse gas. Therefore, the main objective of the present investigation was to determine the effect of nutritional additives such as monensin, fumaric acid, tannins of Acacia decurrens, and glycerol on methane production and other measures of fermentation characteristics using …

In Vitro Screening Of Tropical Forages For Low Methane And High Ammonia Generating Potential In The Rumen, Thakshala Seresinhe, A. N. F. Perera

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Goat farming is a livelihood activity which helps ensure food security for small and marginal farmers, landless labourers and rural folk in Sri Lanka. Goats are fed on a diverse range of tree leaves which are their primary food source in rural areas, whereas in peri-urban areas they are fed with other feedstuffs due to limited supply of tree leaves (Seresinhe and Marapana 2011). The poor growth performance of local goats is associated with low digestibility of feeds which may be due to the presence of condensed tannins (CT) present in the feed. Therefore, this study evaluated the suitability of …

Making Decisions To Identify Forage Shrub Species For Versatile Grazing Systems, Jason Emms, Philip E. Vercoe, Steve J. Hughes, Peter Jessop, Hayley C. Norman, Tanya Kilminster, Andrew Kotze, Zoey Durmic, Nathan Phillips, Dean K. Revell

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grazing systems in many parts of the world face large challenges, including a declining natural resource base (e.g. soil fertility), marked fluctuations in feed production across seasons and years, climate change (including the contribution of greenhouse gases from livestock), and market demands for sustainable and ethical production systems. The ‘Enrich’ project was established in Australia (Revell et al. 2008; Bennell et al. 2010) within this broad context of emerging challenges to explore the potential of using Australian native perennial shrub species as part of the feedbase for sheep and cattle in southern Australia. The underlying rationale was …

Adapting Livestock Production Systems To Climate Change In Nepal: Challenges And Opportunities, D. D. Poudel, R. P. Thakur, T. Duex, G. Blakewood, A. Singh, A. Deramus, B. Chapagain, K. Acharya, S. Adhikari, R. B. Gramling, N. Sharma

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

To assess climate change impacts and identify challenges and opportunities for livestock climate change adaption, we conducted a comprehensive study in the Thulokhola watershed of Nuwakot district in Nepal from June 1, 2011 to January 31, 2013. We established nine community livestock groups (CLGs) consisting of 51 members and trained the CLG members in daily livestock record keeping and monitoring surface water quality. Monthly fecal samples from 50 cattle, 50 goats, and 50 buffaloes were collected for the determination of gastrointestinal parasites. Soil and fodder samples were also collected and analyzed. Group discussions, Participatory Rural Appraisals, and full-fledged household survey …

Adaptation To Climate Change In Mixed Crop-Livestock Farming Systems In Developing Countries, Philip K. Thornton, Mario Herrero

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Globally, crop-livestock systems produce over 90% of the world's milk supply and 80% of the meat from ruminants. Mixed crop-livestock systems are particularly important for livelihoods and food security, as they provide most of the staples consumed by poor people. These systems will be under considerable pressure in the coming decades to help satisfy the burgeoning demand for food from rapidly increasing populations, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where rural poverty and hunger are already concentrated. At the same time, the impacts of climate change will be increasingly heavily felt. Increases in temperatures and changes in the amounts …

Impacts Of Climate Change On Livestock Systems: What We Know And What We Don’T Know, Mark Howden, S. Schroeter, S. Crimp, C. Stokes

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Climate changes and the associated increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration are just two of many possible future drivers of change in grassland systems and whilst there are significant uncertainties around these, they are probably more effectively characterised than many other drivers. The challenge for grasslands systems research is not so much trying to precisely predict future climate in the face of unresolvable uncertainty but rather to work with decision-makers to enhance their decisions for a range of possible climates, build their capacity to make sound risk-based and informed decisions and increase the array of options available for adaptation. There …

Fermentation Parameters Of Kikuyu Grass (Pennisetum Clandestinum) By In Vitro Gas Production Technique (Ivgpt), A. Marín, P. Giraldo, L. A. Giraldo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Methane (CH₄) is a byproduct of ruminal fermentation whose production is directly related to forage quality, which in turn is affected by a myriad of environmental factors. In general the quality of pastures in the tropics range from medium to poor due to a high content of lignocellulosic material of low digestibility and a low content of other components, such as soluble carbohydrates and protein (Correa et al, 2008). CH₄ produced by enteric fermentation from cattle rumen represents a major source of greenhouse gases (GHG). By measuring these emissions the impact of dairy production systems on …

Identifying Target Traits For Forage Grass Breeding Under A Changing Climate In Norway Using The Basgra Model, Mats Höglind, Tomas Persson, Marcel Van Oijen

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grass-based dairy and livestock production constitutes the most important agricultural sector in Norway in economic terms, and 60% of the agricultural land in Norway is used for grass production. Climate change may have consider-able impact on the survival and productivity of grasslands, with consequences for the local supply of forage to live-stock, farmers’ income and the supply of dairy- and livestock-based food products to the global market. Farmers can adapt to climate change by choosing different grass species or cultivars or by changing management practices such as the timing and frequency of harvests. Plant breeders select new cultivars of grasses …

Climate-Smart Crop-Livestock Systems For Smallholders In The Tropics: Integration Of New Forage Hybrids To Intensify Agriculture And To Mitigate Climate Change Through Regulation Of Nitrification In Soil, Idupulapati M. Rao, Manabu Ishitani, John Miles, Michael Peters, Joe Tohme, Jacobo Arango, Danilo E. Moreta, Hernán Lopez, Aracely Castro, Rein Van Der Hoek, Siriwan Martens, Glenn Hyman, Jeimar Tapasco, Jorge Duitama, Harold Suarez, Gonzalo Borrero, Jonathan Núñez, Katharina Hartmann, Moralba Dominguez, Mauricio Sotelo, Daniel Vergara, Patrick Lavelle, Guntur V. Subbarao, Alvaro Rincon, Camilo Plazas, Reynaldo Mendoza, Lena Rathjen, Georg Cadisch

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

It is widely recognized that less than 50% of applied nitrogen (N) fertilizer is recovered by crops, and based on current fertilizer prices the economic value of this “wasted N” globally is currently estimated as US$81 billion annually. Worse still, this "wasted" N has major effects on the environment (Subbarao et al. 2012). CIAT researchers and their collaborators in Japan reported a major breakthrough in managing N to benefit both agriculture and the environment (Subbarao et al. 2009). Termed "Biological Nitrification Inhibition" (BNI), this natural phenomenon has been the subject of long-term collaborative research that revealed …

Root Decomposition Of Elephant Grass Pastures Grazed At Different Management Intensities, José C. B. Dubeux Jr., Hiran Marcelo Siqueira Da Silva, Maria Lúcia Silveira, Erinaldo Viana De Freitas, Mércia V. F. Dos Santos, Alexandre C. L. De Mello

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grazing management may alter chemical composition of plant components affecting nutrient cycling. Among pasture management tools, adjustment of stocking rate (SR) and N fertilization have potential to affect nutrient cycling in the grassland ecosystem (Dubeux et al. 2007). Excreta from grazing animal and litter are the two major pathways of nutrient return on grazed pastures (Thomas 1992). Fertilization and SR may alter these pathways by different forms. Increasing fertilization generally increases pasture net primary productivity. Stocking rate affects different pasture and animal responses. Regarding nutrient cycling, increasing SR will likely increase proportion of nutrient returned through excreta as opposed …

Effects Of Nitrogen Supply And Nitrogen Form On Intrinsic Water-Use Efficiency In Temperate, Semi-Natural Grasslands Under Rising Atmospheric Co2, Iris H. Köhler, Andy Macdonald, Hans Schnyder

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Carbon uptake and water loss of plants are controlled by the regulation of carbon assimilation rate (A) and stomatal conductance (g_s). Any changes in these parameters under rising atmospheric CO₂ concentration (c_a) influence plant water-use efficiency and can affect carbon and water relations in grassland ecosystems. Time-series analyses of intrinsic water-use efficiency (W_i) of C3 grassland vegetation during the 20^th century have shown that carbon uptake relative to water loss generally increased (Köhler et al. 2010, 2012; Barbosa et al. 2010). Short-term experiments suggest that nitrogen …

Climagie: A French Inra Project To Adapt The Grasslands To Climate Change, Jean-Louis Durand, Jérome Enjalbert, Laurent Hazard, Isabelle Litrico, Catherine Picon-Cochard, Marie-Pascale Prudhomme, Florence Volaire

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Climate change in France, central and southern Europe is expected to provoke more frequent and more intense summer water deficits, with increased amplitude in temperatures, exposing the same perennial crops to frosts as well as to heat waves and severe droughts. The impacts on sown monospecific grasslands have been assessed using crop models (Durand et al. 2010) but with less accuracy in extreme situations. Since less work has been done on intra-specific genetic variability there is urgent need to investigate both ranges of climate conditions and genetic variability (Poirier et al. 2012). Phenology and plant productivity responses to …

Assessment Of Harvest Security Of Timothy Under Climate Change Condition Using A Set Of Simple Criteria, Tomas Persson, Mats Höglind

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

According to climate change projections, the conditions for forage grass production in Northern Europe, including Norway, will change dramatically during the 21st century. The projected changes in climate in this country include increased average annual air temperature as well as increased precipitation both during the summer and winter season (Hansen-Bauer et al. 2009). In previous studies, effects of projected climate change on the above-ground biomass production, winter survival and harvest security of forage grasses have been assessed (Thorsen and Höglind 2010; Höglind et al. 2013). For example, Persson and Höglind (2013) showed a decreased dry spell period and …

Comparative Analysis Of Climate Change Adaptation Options Across The Southern Australian Livestock Industry, Afshin Ghahramani, Andrew D. Moore

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Climate change is predicted to have a substantial negative effect on the productivity of grasslands across southern Australia (Moore and Ghahramani 2013). We used the GRAZPLAN biophysical simulation models to assess several possible grassland management and animal genetic improvement adaptations under SRES A2 climate change scenario. Simulations spanned the five dimensions of geography, time, global circulation models, enterprise, and adaptations. Impact of climate change was predicted to reduce profitability of livestock industry by 46%, 58%, and 72% at 2030, 2050 and 2070, respectively. Increasing soil fertility could return the average profitability of five livestock enterprises to its historical level at …

Eco-Efficiency Of Forage Production In Northern Germany, Antje Herrmann, Sandra Claus, Christof Kluß, Friedhelm Taube

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A 2-year field experiment was conducted at two sites in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany, to quantify and evaluate the carbon footprint of arable forage cropping systems (continuous silage maize, maize-wheat-grass rotation, perennial ryegrass ley) as affected by N fertilizer type and N amount. Total greenhouse gas emission showed a linear increase with N application, with mineral N supply resulting in a higher slope. Product carbon footprint ranged between -66 and 119 kg CO2eq/(GJ NEL) and revealed a quadratic or linear response to fertilizer N input, depending on the cropping system. At N input required for achieving maximum energy yield, perennial ryegrass …

Elevated Co2 Impacts On Grazed Pasture: Long-Term Lessons From The New Zealand Face, Michael B. Dodd

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A grazed pasture Free Air CO₂ Enrichment (FACE) experiment has been operating for almost 15 years in the Rangitikei Region of New Zealand, following earlier work studying CO₂, temperature and moisture effects on pasture in growth chambers. The longer-term results are reviewed with a focus on primary productivity, pasture compositional dynamics, nutrient cycling feedbacks and soil carbon supply. In terms of the direct effects of CO₂ elevated to 475 ppm, increases in primary production were reflected in belowground allocation and legume stimulation, with the latter diminishing in the longer term and annual aboveground net herbage accumulation …

Assessing Climate Change Impacts On Managed Grassland Production Using A Bio-Economic Modelling Approach, Robert Finger, Pierluigi Calanca, Simon Briner

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

We develop a bio-economic model that combines the process based grassland simulation model PROGRASS with an economic decision model, which accounts for income risks and yield quality, to derive optimal nitrogen application rates in a grass-clover system in Switzerland. The model is applied to current as well as to future climate conditions. Though nitrogen increases yields, it also leads to a higher variance and more negative skewness of yields, i.e. is risk increasing. Accounting for farmers’ risk aversion thus reduces optimal nitrogen use. We find climate change, ceteris paribus, to lead to higher grassland yields but also to increase the …

Tithonia Diversifolia For Ruminant Nutrition, Rogerio M. Mauricio, Rafael S. Ribeiro, Sylvia R. Silveira, Person L. Silva, Leonardo Calsavara, Luiz G. R. Pereira, Domingos S. C. Paciullo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

India and Brazil lead the world ranking of livestock enteric methane emissions (FAO 2006). According to FAO (2006), Brazil (9.6 Tg of CH4/year) is the highest emitter of methane from cattle, followed by India (8.6 Tg of CH4/year) and the USA (5.1 Tg of CH4/year). In livestock, methane (CH4) formed from enteric fermentation of carbohydrates is primarily responsible for the emissions in the sector. Regarding livestock methane emission, Delgado et al. (2012) evaluated 20 tree and shrub species using in vitro technique and demonstrated a reducing effect on the amount of methane when Tithonia diversifolia was compared with, for …

Herbage Intake, Methane Emissions And Animal Performance Of Steers Grazing Dwarf Elephant Grass With Or Without Access To Arachis Pintoi Pastures, Ederson A. De Andrade, Henrique M. N. Ribeiro-Filho, Diego M. De Liz, João G. R. Almeida, Marcolino F. Miguel, Gutierri T. Raupp, Fabiana R. Ramos, Edison X. Almeida

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The inclusion of legumes in diets based on grass has nutritional benefits due to ingestive and digestive interactions (Niderkorn and Baumont 2009). Moreover, it is speculated that tropical legumes can contribute to reducing the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) compared to diets exclusively composed of grasses (Archimède et al. 2011). However, under grazing conditions, these advantages are not always possible to obtain. This occurs when the spatial distribution of sward grasses impose limitations on access to legumes by grazing animals (Solomon et al. 2011). This can be the case, for example, when legumes are overlapped by the leaves …

Challenges And Opportunities For Improving Eco-Efficiency Of Tropical Forage-Based Systems To Mitigate Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Michael Peters, Mario Herrero, Myles Fish, Karl-Heinz Erb, Idupulapati M. Rao, Guntur V. Subbarao, Aracely Castro, Jacobo Arango, Julian Chará, Enrique Murgueitio, Rein Van Der Hoek, Peter Läderach, Glenn Hyman, Jeimar Tapasco, Bernardo Strassburg, Birthe K. Paul, Alvaro Rincón, Rainer Schultze-Kraft, Steve Fonte, Timothy Searchinger

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage-based livestock production plays a key role in national and regional economies, for food security and poverty alleviation. Livestock production is also considered as a major contributor to agricultural GHG emissions, however. While demand for livestock products is predicted to continue to increase, there is political and societal pressure both to reduce environmental impacts and to convert some of the pasture area to alternative uses such as crop production and environmental conservation. Thus it is essential to develop approaches for sustainable intensification of livestock systems to mitigate GHG emissions, addressing biophysical, socioeconomic and policy challenges. This paper highlights the potential …

Distribution Of Soil Organic Carbon Fractions As Related To Land Use And Management In The Loess Plateau, Northern China, Huige Han, Xudong Li, Decao Niu, Hua Fu

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Organic C in the soil is not a uniform material but rather a complex mixture of plant, animal and microbial residues at different stages of decomposition (Post and Kwon 2000). So the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) is usually described by dividing total SOC into different fractions (Six et al. 2002). Of all the different fractions, density defined fractions (light- and heavy fractions) may relate better to specific functions or processes (O’Hara et al. 2006), and the changes in SOC due to land use and management may be partly explained by the way C is allocated in …

Palatability Of Psolarea Spp. Accessions Offered As Micro-Swards To Dairy Sheep, Mauro Decandia, Marco Acciaro, Maria Sitzia, Andrea Cabiddu, Carla Manca, Valeria Giovanetti, Giovanni Molle

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Psoralea bituminosa C.H. Stirton (syn. Bituminaria bituminosa L.) is a perennial legume usually considered of low palatability because of the strong smell that can be emitted by oil glands located on its foliage. However the nutritive value of P. bituminosa in terms of forage composition and digestibility was proven similar to or even better than that of other legumes. The aerial part of this species may contain a high concentration of furano-coumarins, out of which psoralen and angelicin are the most abundant (Pecetti et al. 2007). These substances could be harmful to animals, being responsible for contact photodermatitis, in …

Is There Genetic Diversity In The ‘Leucaena Bug’ Synergistes Jonesii Which May Reflect Ability To Degrade Leucaena Toxins?, Jagadish Padmanabha, Michael J. Halliday, Stuart E. Denman, Carl K. Davis, H. Max Shelton, Chris S. Mcsweeney

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Leucaena leucocephala, a nutritionally rich forage tree legume, contains a non-protein amino acid, mimosine, which is degraded by ruminal bacteria to toxic metabolites 3,4-DHP and 2,3-DHP resulting in goitre-like symptoms in animals, severely restricting weight gain. Raymond Jones, in the early 1980s, discovered the ‘leucaena bug’ in the rumen of goats in Hawaii that degraded these toxic DHP metabolites into non-toxic compounds (Jones and Lowry 1984) which was named Synergistes jonesii (Allison et al. 1992) Subsequently, a rumen inoculum containing S. jonesii was used as an ‘oral drench’ for cattle, kept in continuous culture (Klieve et al. …

Detection Of Toxicity In Ruminants Consuming Leucaena (Leucaena Leucocephala) Using A Urine Colorimetric Test, Sam R. Graham, Scott A. Dalzell, Graham L. Kerven, H. Max Shelton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala), a productive leguminous shrub for feeding ruminant livestock, contains the toxic amino acid, mimosine which post- ingestion is converted to 3,4-DHP and 2,3-DHP, isomers of dihydroxy-pyridone. While DHP generally does not exhibit acute toxic symptoms, it has been suggested that it is an appetite suppressant that reduces animal live weight gain (Jones 1994). With no observable symptoms, subclinical toxicity is difficult to detect (Phaikaew et al. 2012). In 1982 the DHP-degrading rumen bacterium named Synergistes jonesii was introduced into Australia as a potential solution to DHP toxicity as it spreads easily throughout cattle herds …

Relationships Between Goat Foraging Behaviour And Pastoral Value In High Bassin Zone Of Mandrare Rangeland In Southern Of Madagascar, A. J. M. Randrianariveloseheno, J. N. Rakotozandriny, R. Daccord

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Goats have particular anatomical behaviour for browsing leaves to satisfy their energy requirements. In rangelands, available shrubs, leaves and biomass resources influence ruminant’s activities and rhythms such as foraging, walking, resting, ruminating and drinking. At semi-arid areas, this study aimed to determine how shrubs interact with pasture value to effect goat foraging behaviour.

Relative Preference, Palatability And Intake Of Stylosanthes Scabra Accessions Adapted In Pretoria, Thamsanqa D. E. Mpanza, Abubeker Hassen, Ned E. F. Donkin

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Inadequate supply of forage particularly during dry season is the major constraint in livestock production in sub-Saharan Africa (Anele et al. 2011). Poor management of the available feeds, seasonal variability in weather and climate changes may contribute to the high fluctuation of forage quality and quantity between season and years (Sultan et al. 2008). To improve livestock production in sub-Sahara Africa there is a need to improve feed deficiencies both in quantity and quality. Stylosanthes scabra cv. Seca was evaluated for dry season feed supplementation, and was found to be adaptive and productive under subtropical climate of Gauteng …

Intake Rate And Nutritive Value Of Elephant Grass Cv. Napier Subjected To Strategies Of Rotational Stocking Management, Eliana V. Geremia, Lilian E. T. Pereira, Adenilson J. Paiva, Thiago M. Santos, Laiz P. Oliveira, Laiz P. De Oliveira

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Several research papers on forage tropical grass species have demonstrated that grazing management interferes with sward structure that, in turn, alters patterns of ingestive and foraging behaviour of the grazing animals. For that reason it has been used as explicative variable for adjustments in intake characteristics like bite mass, bite rate, intake rate and nutritive value of the consumed herbage (Fonseca et al. 2012). Tall tufted growing plants like elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) cv. Napier show a continuous pattern of growth characterised by stem elongation during their vegetative state (Da Silva and Carvalho 2005), causing swards to …

Nutritive Value And Cattle Preferences In An Old Boer Lovegrass Stand Treated With Biosolids In Cananea, Sonora, México, Salomón M. Moreno, Martha R. Martin, Fernando Ibarra, Roque Martínez, Agustín Cabral Martell, Francisco B. Denogean, Rafael Retes

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Boer lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula var. conferta) is an introduced species planted to increase productivity on deteriorated rangelands in northern Mexico. Forage production with Boer lovegrass achieves an increase of two to three fold when compared to native grasses, however, as stands became old, pasture productivity and forage quality declines due to a reduction in available nutrients causing a reduction in grazing capacity and beef production. Previous studies have shown that biosolids enhance seedling establishment, plant growth and increases forage production in the species, but no data is available to measure changes in forage quality and animal performance. This …

Volatile Plant Secondary Metabolites In Eremophila Glabra And Their Influence On Animal Foraging Preference, Stewart M. Jones, Jason Emms, Charles Price

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

One response to global climate change effects on Australia is to investigate the use in sustainable farming systems of native plants, which have evolved to cope in their harsh environment (Monjardino 2009). The Enrich^TM project has screened many Australian native plants for their potential use as methane reducers in ruminants, as anthelmintics, and as nutrition sources systems (Revell 2010). Eremophila glabra is one plant that shows promise in this regard, but first the foraging animal must want to eat it. This decision is assisted by the animal's assessment of the emitted volatile plant secondary metabolites (PSM) (Provenza 2007).

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