Life Sciences Commons^™

Grassland Landscape Design: Working With Land-Managers, C. J. Pearson, R. K. Mann, I. G. Mann

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

We are entering an era of landscape design in order to simultaneously tackle largescale issues such as salinity and rising water tables, whole-farm profitability and the maintenance or enhancement of rural communities. In Australia, an important element of landscape design will be the reintroduction or broadening of the base of perennial grasses within farm systems. The goal of this project was to accelerate awareness and adoption of perennial grasses in a large but ecologically-specific area, namely the already-cleared steep uplands in the high rainfall recharge areas of the Murray-Darling Basin. We used a participatory model, in which land-managers made monthly …

Results With Methods For Measuring Herbage Mass In Situ, G. Nagy, I. Vinczeffy, K. Petõ

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Two indirect methods for estimating herbage mass in situ were investigated in a research programme. Electric capacitance and spectral reflectance measurements were made and estimated values were compared with cut herbage mass results. Vegetation indexes (VI) measured by spectroradiometer showed a high correlation with fresh herbage mass, but there was no correlation observed between VI and dry matter results. Equations installed in electric capacitance meter were not feasible for Hungarian conditions. The change of electric capacitance in the sward (CMR) gave no correlation with cut DM yields. The investigated indirect methods are not suitable for research or production use yet.

Application Of Municipal Biosolids To Bahiagrass Pasture: Trace Metals In Harvested Forage, R. M. Muchovej, J. E. Rechcigl

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Municipal biosolids (sewage sludge) are the by-products of wastewater treatment plants and their production, worldwide, has steadily increased over the past years. Florida is one of the fastest growing states in the USA. Biosolids are readily and increasingly available throughout the state. Pasture fertilization has been shown to increase biomass and quality of bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge) dramatically in Florida sandy soils. Nevertheless, with low cattle prices, ranchers are forced to reduce fertilizers inputs. Biosolids contain considerable amounts of nutrients, especially nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), sulphur (S), calcium (Ca), and micronutrients, and are inexpensive when compared with commercial fertilizers. …

Rangelands Vegetation Mapping At Species Composition Level Using The Spicla Method: SDm Based PiXel ClaSsification And Fuzzy Accuracy. A New Approach Of Map Making, A. G. Toxopeus, C. A. J. M. De Bie, E. H. Kloosterman, J. K. Mbaluka, P. K. Mwangi, L. G. J. Boerboom

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Vegetation maps have been made since centuries. The vegetation cover was represented as homogeneous mapping units (polygons), representing different vegetation types, where each type consists a combination of different plant species (floristic composition). More recent, with the use of satellite imagery, the polygons have been replaced by pixels with similar content as the polygon maps. In both approaches, field-observations were linked to the mapping units (polygons or pixels) often resulting in a complex of different vegetation types per mapping unit. In our new approach field data (sample points) on presence and abundance of individual grass species are spatially extrapolated based …

Adoption And Influence: Industry Evaluation Of The GrassgroTm Decision Support Tool, E. M. Salmon, A. D. Moore

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The GrassGro Decision Support tool (DS tool) (Donnelly and Moore, 1999) was released for commercial use in Australia with a training package in late 1997. An assessment of its adoption was made by a survey of 53 registered users in March 1999. An evaluation of the software and training package was made at training workshops by 92 users between 1997 and December 1999. The response rates to the survey and the evaluation were 62% and 82% respectively. Seventy six percent of survey respondents had analysed at least one problem with GrassGro and 27% had applied GrassGro to five or more …

Digestibility Estimates Based On A Grass Growth Model Are Distributed Via Internet To Finnish Farmers, Marketta Rinne, J. Nousiainen, I. Mattila, H. Nikander, P. Huhtanen

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Optimising the harvesting time of grass in primary growth is difficult under Finnish climatic conditions, because the digestibility of grass decreases on average by 0.5 percentage units daily. We constructed a model based on cumulative temperature and geographical location which estimates the digestibility of grass. This model is used to produce estimates utilising real time weather information. The estimates are presented as a map, which is revised daily. Farmers have free access to the maps via Internet.

Kentucky Alfalfa Conference: A Team Approach To Alfalfa Education And Technology Transfer, Garry D. Lacefield, Monroe Rasnake, Christi L. Forsythe, Jimmy C. Henning, Bill Talley

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Alfalfa has played an important role in providing farmers of Kentucky with a high yielding, high quality, persistent forage legume for many years. In 1980, a group of individuals under the leadership of University of Kentucky Forage Extension Specialists organized and implemented the first statewide educational event on alfalfa. This initial meeting gave rise to the Kentucky Alfalfa Conference that celebrated it’s twentieth anniversary in February 2000. This annual event has been co-sponsored by the University of Kentucky, Kentucky Forage and Grassland Council, along with other state and national groups including Certified Alfalfa Seed Council, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Kentucky …

Developing A National Alfalfa Information System, David B. Hannaway, K. J. Hannaway, P. Sohn, S. Griffith, B. E. Avery, E. Nowick, W. F. Wedin, L. R. Vough, S. C. Bosworth, Garry D. Lacefield, Gary E. Bates, D. Undersander, N. P. Martin, J. Caddel, G. L. Kilgore, S. B. Orloff, A. M. Gray, R. Ditterline, T. Griggs, D. H. Putnam, M. J. Ottman

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Using state-of-the-art telecommunication technologies, this project is developing a comprehensive knowledge resource for alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.); the National Alfalfa Information System (NAIS). This project will serve as an improved model for Extension educational programs. Alfalfa is the most important forage crop in the USA and grown worldwide for feeding millions of livestock and in many cropping systems. As a legume, it is important in sustaining the environment and the productivity of agriculture. Information needs are present in every state and internationally. The NAIS is being developed through national and international cooperation, putting the best science-based alfalfa information and …

Map Based Www Tool For Recommending Forage Species, M. H. Hall, D. A. Miller, J. H. Cherney

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Selecting the “best” forage species or species mixture requires a knowledge and understanding of the consuming animal, soil characteristics, and forage species. The multivariate nature of the problem presents challenges to those interested in solving the practical problem of maximizing available resources. Earlier work at Cornell University resulted in a WWW-based interface that allowed the user to provide a soil type or zip code and additional management factors to initiate the species selection. This approach relies on either user knowledge of soil series or an implied relationship between zip code and soil series that may often be wrong. To improve …

Remote Sensing Application To Grassland Monitoring, Z. B. Nan

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Application of remote sensing to the management of grassland resources, the role this plays in developing sustainable grassland farming systems and opportunities for further development are outlined. Use of remote sensing technologies in grassland monitoring has a history of more than 30 years. Both fine- and coarse-grained remote sensing techniques are used to monitor and study grasslands. Fine-grained techniques are used to study landscape scale processes through the use of sensors providing spatial resolution of a few meters, whereas coarse-grained techniques are used to study catchment scale areas, and even entire biomes, using satellite-based sensors with a spatial resolution of …

Modelling Grassland Ecosystems, J. H. M. Thornley

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

In this contribution a view of the promise and difficulties of modelling grassland is given. This is largely centred around work with a grassland ecosystem simulator known as the Hurley Pasture Model.

A brief introduction sets forth possible reasons for building a large ecosystem model, and stresses the importance of modelling objectives. It is suggested that a model is de rigeur for any research programme which aims to take a firm grasp of the complex responses of grassland. Mechanistic models are required to provide the understanding needed for intelligent and flexible management of grassland, whatever the prevailing environmental or economic …

Estimating Herbage Mass In Stargrass (Cynodon Nlenfuensis Var Nlenfuensis) Using Sward Surface Height And The Rising Plate Meter, D. E. Oliveira, S. R. Medeiros, L. J. M. Aroeira, L. G. Barioni, D. P. D. Lanna

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Estimation of herbage mass is necessary both in research and farm management. Methods for such estimations should be inexpensive, rapid and reliable. Since estimations through hand clipping are time consuming, a range of indirect methods have been developed and tested in the literature. This study had the aim of comparing precision of two indirect methods, sward surface height (SSH) and the rising plate meter (RPM), to estimate herbage mass in stargrass pastures (Cynodon nlenfuensis var. nlenfuensis). Pre-grazing measurements of SSH and RPM readings were taken and compared with the paddock herbage mass. RPM readings were converted into centimeters. Average …

The Analysis Of Results From Paired Paddock Comparisons, David R. Kemp, P. M. Dowling, D. L. Michalk, G. Millar

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Paired-paddock comparisons are a common way of evaluating new grassland practices at a scale more relevant to farmers. They are also being used to replace or augment designed experiments and can be the only source of information available on a practice. However, it is often uncertain if the differences between paddocks are significant. Importantly, a current trend among funding organisations is to support paddock comparisons. The need for valid procedures to compare unreplicated treatments is increasingly urgent. It is suggested that a range of tools be used to infer statistical significance from using typical error values from related studies or …

Length And Width To Estimate Dry Mass Of Panicum Maximum Cv. Tanzânia Leaves, L. G. Barioni, P. M. Santos, A. Coldebella, M. Corsi

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

An analysis of the relationship of leaf length (LL) and leaf width (LW) with leaf dry weight (LDW) in Panicum maximum was carried out with the objective of improving estimations of tissue flow in that plant. Data was collected in a mob grazing experiment with 28 days grazing interval sampled the day before grazing in 9 grazing cycles. Regression analysis revealed highly significant effect (P < 0.001) of both LL and LW on LDW. A lack of fit test gave strong evidence of non-linear relationship of LDW with LL (p < 0.05), fitting the model 1 0 LDW = β₀LL^β₁ , while LW presented a linear relation with LDW. LL was a better predictor of LDW than LW. LL solely or in combination with LW produced equations with …

Bioeconomic Model For Decision-Making On Fattening Beef-Cattle, G. Ferreira, O. Cardozo, J. M. Soares De Lima

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Profitability and competitiveness of agricultural systems it is closely related with the technology used. Economic and financial appraisal of investments on pasture improvements, facilities, feed and management plans, etc. are often required in order to make decisions. A bio-economic simulation model was developed in order to support decision making on beef-cattle grazing fattening. The aim of the model is to show the relationship between the technological alternative analysed in physical terms as well as financial and economic. By this way it is possible to asset and relate the bio-economic impact of the different animal and pasture management alternative technologies. Results …

Sequential Injection Analysis: A Powerful Tool For Routine Soil And Plant Laboratories, A. R. A. Nogueira, F. V. Silva, M. Y. Kamogawa, G. B. Souza, L. F. M. Ferraz

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Sequential injection analysis (SIA) present attractive characteristics for analyses in large scale. In SIA the analytical determination can be performed automatically reducing the number of steps usually involved in a chemical analysis. In order to demonstrate the advantages found in the implementation of a SIA procedure in a laboratory dedicated to routine analyze, the determination of volatile nitrogen in silage and soil samples has been performed. The nitrogen content was determined after NH₃ on-line separation in alkaline conditions by using a gaseous diffusion or a pervaporation unit for liquid-liquid separation. An ammonium tubular selective electrode detector was used for …

A Chance-Constrained Linear Model For Beef Policy Analysis, Claudio F. Machado, S. T. Morris, C. Dake, A. Macdonald, I. M. Brookes, F. Di Croce, F. Gonzalez, N. J. Auza

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

A simple linear model to evaluate different bull beef policies (BBP) by incorporating the stochastic nature of pasture yield from a database with separate chance constraints (ChC) was developed. A 100 ha farm was used, and the model was run with five different BBP and set to different levels of pasture yield risk to maximise production.ha^-1.year^-1. Summer was the most risky season, and the optimum mix of policies changed at different levels of risk. Chance constraint represents an interesting and simple alternative to include pasture variation into a linear model.

Mapping Nitrogen Fixing Shrubs In Dry Unimproved Tussock Grassland, C. C. Boswell, W. L. Lowther, P. D. Espie

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Global Positioning System (GPS) was used to both map the positions of individual nitrogen-fixing shrub plants and record individual plant height and breadth dimensions, within a small catchment of dry sub-humid unimproved short tussock grassland. The distributions of different species of shrubs varied with different landscape units within the catchment. The information will provide the base data for a first approximation of the role of the shrubs in the nitrogen balance of the ecosystem, which is pivotal to the sustainability of pastoral farming in the tussock grasslands.

Repeated Measurement Analyses Of Forages In Cropping Systems, A. R. De Freitas, O. Primavesi, L. De A. Corrêa, A. C. Primavesi, E. B. Pott, A. Dos S. Mascioli

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Repeated measurements (RM) are common in forage experiments. The data used in this study were accumulated ammonia losses by volatilization (N) and dry matter production (DM) of Cynodon dactylon cv. Coastcross pasture from an experiment in blocks with five levels of urea: 0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 kg of N ha^-1, applied in five periods (cuttings). For N, RM were the averages of cuttings and nine days of observation. The F test for the hypothesis of no effect for Period and Level x Period interaction (DM) and for Days and Level x Days interaction was not affected …

Farmwi$E: A Flexible Decision Support Tool For Grazing Systems Management, A. D. Moore

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

CSIRO's new FarmWi$e decision support tool provides a framework that permits pasture-livestock systems and management policies of any level of complexity to be simulated. An underlying "modelling protocol" permits other simulation models to be added, further extending its domain of applicability. Management policies are specified in FarmWi$e by means of rules that govern when, whether and how management events take place. An example of the use of FarmWi$e to study lamb production is given.

Sward Height; Visual Estimate Compared With Plate Meter Height, W. B. Bryan, E. C. Prigge, E. L. Nestor, O. J. Gekara, M. A. Schettini

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Sward height (SH) is widely used in pasture research and farm practice to evaluate pasture conditions. Visual estimates can take less time than actual measurements. This study compared visually estimated SH, of continuously grazed cool-season permanent pasture with plate meter height. Weekly estimates, by five people, were made on 12, 0.75 to 1 ha fields, grazed at two intensities. Paired data (visual estimate and plate meter height) were subjected to variance and covariance analyses and prediction equations were developed. Average visual height accounted for 86% of the variability in plate meter height. Inclusion of other sources of variability in the …

Sources Of Error For Ultrasonic Measurements Of Steer Compositional Traits In Grazing Studies, Glen E. Aiken, F. M. Rouquette Jr., A. H. Brown Jr.

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Real-time ultrasound technology has potential use for measuring compositional traits in grazing studies. Sources of error with this application must be identified for designing experiments with adequate precision to determine treatment effects. A study was conducted to evaluate breed type (Angus x Brahman, AB; Simmental x [Angus x Brahman], SAB; Simmental x [Brahman x Hereford], SBH), initial body weight, and initial ultrasonic measures as sources of experimental error in the analyses of external fat (EF) depths and longissimus dorsi (ribeye) areas (LDA). Steers were ultrasonically scanned at the initiation and conclusion of a grazing study that examined stocking rate effects …

Grassland Management And Animal Product Quality, G. W. Sheath, J. B. Coulon, Q. A. Young

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The expectations of consumers ultimately determine the specification of product quality; and grassland systems produce a wide range of animal-based products. Therefore, to provide focus, this paper deals only with food products that are destined for markets that exhibit strong discretionary choice. Quality expectations of consumers have traditionally been based on product attributes such as taste, freshness, nutritional value and appearance, but customer expectations are expanding to encompass food safety, environmental care, animal welfare and biotechnologies.

Grassland forages and their management influence the intrinsic sensory properties of food. A dairy products case study is presented, indicating that pasture species and …

Priority Setting And Funding Of Agricultural Research, M. Petit

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Agricultural research funding amounts and modalities have been profoundly transformed in recent years in many countries. For instance, competitive funding has become the norm rather than the exception in most countries and funding sources have been greatly diversified. In addition, in some major countries, the private sector has become a major actor In agricultural research, both as a funder of research and as a provider research results. This poses a major challenge to public research institutions, which remain the major agricultural research actors and employers of researchers in most countries. With these changes in funding, formal procedures for research priority-setting …

Dilemma: Increase In Human Food Production Or Use Of Grasslands For Environmental And / Or Social Purposes, A. D. Meister

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

In the title for this paper we find three major objectives: to feed the world, sustain the environment and provide resources for social purposes, and a dilemma. Even though the word ‘dilemma’ usually implies choice between undesirable alternatives, it is obvious that the alternatives here are not undesirable. Is the dilemma then, that we can only do one at the time, or that the consequences of favouring one over the other can lead to undesirable outcomes? It is my opinion that we are talking about the latter interpretation. It is the foreclosing of options by allowing one objective to dominate …

Contextual Factors In The Management Of Common Grazing Lands: Lessons From Mongolia And Northwestern China, R. Mearns

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Seen in a global perspective, pastoral development is now increasingly motivated by social and environmental objectives rather than by production- or output-orientated objectives. Attention is shifting towards a broader concern with sustainability, both of grasslands, and of the livelihoods of those who rely on them (de Haan et al, 1997, Fratkin and Mearns forthcoming). Quite how these twin sustainability objectives may be achieved in particular contexts, however, is an empirical question. Drawing on examples from a diverse range of natural grassland-based livestock production systems under economic transition in Mongolia and northwestern China, this summary paper aims to show how an …

The Development And Prospect Of Chinese Grassland Economic System, Fuzeng H.

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

China is a country with an old agriculture civilization of the world. The arrangement of the crop and pasture area had developed from Han and Tang dynasty. (From A.C 206.to AD 907). Chinese livestock economic had undergone the winding development for a thousand years of feudal society, however, It still belong to a phase of the loose private ownership. From 1949 when The People's Republic of China was founded, the pasture was nationalized and collective management. Since 1980s, the planned economic changed into the market economic gradually. The pasture was public ownership, but management by contract, paid utilization and unchanged …

De-Intensification Of Grasslands: Understanding The Processes To Find The Balance, K. C. Hodgkinson

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

There is a growing trend in Australia and other developed countries for deintensification of animal production from grasslands and for grasslands to be used for purposes other than livestock grazing. These shifts are occurring for a variety of reasons including unsustainable land management practices, environmental pollution, loss of conservation value, poor commodity prices and declining rural infra-structure and communities. In Australia, the shifts are under way in agricultural grasslands, where sown pastures occur in a matrix of semi-natural woodlands, but less so in the other three major natural grasslands that forms the arid and semi-arid rangelands.

The conversion of natural …

De-Intensification Of Grasslands: Current State And Trends, Michael Duru, Bernard Hubert

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

De-intensified use of grasslands, and more generally of the livestock systems they support, has been triggered by a growing sensitivity of citizens to environmental quality (nitrogen) and quality of animal products, and by the warnings addressed to political authorities by scientists about the environmental consequences of economic imbalances (decreasing biodiversity, drop in soil fertility, greenhouse effect), and in particular of food overproduction in Europe.

From an ecological standpoint, grassland de-intensification must be envisaged whenever the techniques implemented disrupt resource sustainability. The grassland resource itself may be at risk when a rate of vegetation offtake by herbivores that is incompatible with …