Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

Estimating Pasture Intake By Dairy Cows, Dennis R. Cosgrove, D. P. Cooper

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Proper nutrient management planning minimizes the environmental impact of manure from dairy farms. Manure output from dairy cows can be predicted from feed intake (Wilkerson et al., 1997). Weighing feed and refusals each day can determine accurately the feed intake of dairy cows in confinement. Intake determination is more difficult for dairy cows on pasture (Vasquez & Smith, 2000). As part of a larger study aimed at estimating manure production of dairy cows on pasture, this study compares 3 methods for estimating pasture yield and feed intake.

An Evaluation Of The N-Alkane Technique For Determining Diet Composition In Animals Grazing Complex Swards, M. D. Fraser, J. M. Moorby, V. J. Theobald, R. Jones

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The n-alkane profiles of epicuticular waxes derived from different plant species are sufficiently distinct to allow assessment of the proportions of different herbages in two-component mixtures including perennial ryegrass/white clover, heather/hill grass and rush/perennial ryegrass (Dove & Mayes, 1996). Evidence suggests the reliability of such estimates declines as the number of different dietary components increases. However, recent studies have shown analysis of additional compounds, including long-chain fatty alcohols, may improve discrimination between different dietary components. The aim of this experiment was to quantify the accuracy of such methods for determining the diet composition of animals grazing complex swards.

Estimating Pasture Intake By Cattle Using Alkanes And A Known Amount Of Supplement, E. Charmley, J. L. Duynisveld, H. Dove

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The alkane ratio method for estimating pasture intake involves calculating the fecal ratio of plant (endogenous) and exogenous alkanes. This method is effective for sheep, although the delivery mechanism for the exogenous alkanes has presented challenges in cattle (Charmley et al. 2003). Dove et al. (2003) have shown that the relative concentration of components in a mixed diet can be estimated from fecal alkane concentrations using least squares methods. Further, if the amount of one dietary component is known, then the amount of all components, and hence intake, can be determined. In this trial beeswax was added to …

Using The N-Alkane Technique To Estimate The Herbage Intake And Diet Composition Of Cattle Grazing A Miscanthus Sinensis Grassland, Y. J. Zhang, Y. Togamura, K. Otsuki

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Plant wax alkanes are now widely used as marker substances (Dove & Mayes 1991) for the estimation of forage intake and diet composition of grazing herbivores. The objective of this study was to evaluate this method with cattle grazing a M. sinensis grassland in Japan.

Rich Information In The Acoustic Signals From Feeding And Grazing In Ruminants, Montague W. Demment, J. R. Galli, Carlos A. Cangiano, Emilio A. Laca

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Because of their impact on productivity and the environment, feeding behaviour, ingestion and rumination are critical to understand intake in grazing ruminants. Many systems, mainly mechanical, have been developed to measure ingestive behaviour. However, these systems have problems, including mechanical failure and the inability to distinguish between the complex jaw movements of prehension and ingestion (Laca et al., 1994). The sounds generated by these behaviours are rich in information that holds potential not only to distinguish and count behaviours, but also identify aspects of the nature of the foods ingested.

The Sound Of Chewing, J. R. Galli, Carlos A. Cangiano, Emilio A. Laca, M. W. Demment

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Acoustic biotelemetry has been proposed as a way to count ingestive bites and chews of grazing animals. Recent work has indicated the possibility that detailed analysis of 'sounds of chewing' contains information about other characteristics of the ingestive process that can be used to study grazing behaviour of free ranging animals (Laca & Wallis DeVries, 2000), or to monitor stall-fed animals in more detail.

Development Of A 2-Dimensional Video-Acoustic Tool For Monitoring Bite Placement, Wendy Griffiths, V. Alchanatis, R. Nitzan, V. Ostrovsky, E. Ben-Moshe, R. Yonatan, S. Brenner, H. Baram, E. D. Ungar

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Studies of grazing behaviour conducted at the spatial scale of a feeding station demonstrate that intake rate declines with increasing depletion, a response attributed to an increase in bite overlap (Ginnett et al., 1999; Ungar et al., 2001). In order to understand the rules that govern bite placement, a methodology is required that can map the sequential placement of bites on the sward surface. We developed a video-acoustic tool to achieve this and report the findings of using the tool on small uniform patches of herbage.

Spatial Heterogeneity Of Seasonal Grazing Pressure Created By Herd Movement Patterns On Hilly Rangelands Using Gps And Gis, A. I. Arnon, E. D. Ungar, T. Svoray, A. Perevolotsky, M. Shachak, H. Baram, R. Yonatan, E. Ben-Moshe, S. Brenner, D. Barkai

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The spatial heterogeneity of grazing pressure on extensive rangelands has management implications (Adler et al., 2001) but it has traditionally been difficult to quantify. Combination of technologies based on GPS (Global Positioning System) and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) is a quantum leap in our ability to address this issue. These tools were used to estimate the spatial heterogeneity of grazing pressure at a farm scale, and examine the relation between local landscape features and local grazing pressure.

Chew-Bites, Jaw Movement Allocation And Bite Rate In Grazing Cattle As Identified By Acoustic Monitoring, E. D. Ungar, N. Ravid, T. Zada, E. Ben-Moshe, R. Yonatan, S. Brenner, H. Baram, A. Genizi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Bite rate derives from the time budget of the biting and chewing processes of intake, which are both performed by jaw movements. A new type of jaw movement was revealed by acoustic monitoring in cattle - the "chew-bite" -which chews herbage already in the mouth and harvests fresh herbage with the same jaw movement (Laca et al., 1992). Chew-biting should enable the animal to reduce the total number of jaw movements performed per bite without reducing the number of chews per bite. We examined the variation among individuals in the allocation of jaw movements between the three types, and …

First Things First: Widespread Nutrient Deficiencies Limit Yields In Smallholder Oil Palm Fields, Hendra Sugianto, Juan Pablo Monzon, Iput Pradiko, Fatima A. Tenorio, Ya Li Lim, Christopher R. Donough, Sunawan, Suroso Rahutomo, Fahmuddin Agus, James Cock, Joni Amsar, Rana Farrasati, Ridho Iskandar, Juan I. Rattalino Edreira, Shofia Saleh, Heri Santoso, Antonius P. Tito, Nadib Ulfaria, Maja A. Slingerland, Patricio Grassini

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

CONTEXT: Indonesia is the most important oil palm producing country. Nearly 40% of planted area is managed by smallholders, with yields well below the potential. Efforts to increase productivity have focused on the source of planting material, with little attention paid to plant nutrition.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the degree to which current productivity in smallholder oil palm fields is limited by nutrients in scenarios with distinct sources of planting material.

METHODS: We collected detailed data on leaf nutrient concentration from 30 fields to derive minimum sampling size needed to diagnose nutrient status. Subsequently, we collected data on …

Cover Crops And Soil Health In Rainfed And Irrigated Corn: What Did We Learn After 8 Years?, Humberto Blanco-Canqui, Sabrina J. Ruis, Katja Koehler-Cole, Roger Elmore, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Duration of cover crop (CC) management, CC biomass production, and other factors could impact how CC affects soil health. We studied the 8-year cumulative impacts of winter rye (Secale cereale L.) CC on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in rainfed and irrigated no-till corn (Zea mays L.)-based systems in the western US Corn Belt. Average annual CC biomass production was 0.56 ± 0.51 Mg ha⁻¹ at the rainfed site and 0.98 ± 0.95 Mg ha⁻¹ at the irrigated site. After 8 years, CC improved particulate organic matter (POM) and mean weight diameter of waterstable aggregates …

Editorial: New Insights Into Mechanisms Of Epigenetic Modifiers In Plant Growth And Development, Volume Ii, Ming Luo, Tomasz Jacek Sarnowski, Marc Libault, Gabino Ríos, Jean-Benoit Charron, Nitin Mantri, Shoudong Zhang

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

As we have learned, chromatin modifications, including histone modifications and DNA methylation, play a key role in plant development (Ng and Bird, 1999). However, accumulated evidence shows that, besides chromatin biochemical modifications, other epigenetic regulations such as chromatin architecture also function at a pivot point to regulate plant development (Zhang et al., 2021). In this Research Topic, five research papers describe multiple developmental facets mediated by different epigenetic mechanisms besides histone modifications. These manuscripts report experimental evidence or summarize recent advances in epigenetic regulations of some important developmental genes or development-related mechanisms. This Research Topic allows readers to learn of …

The Effect Of Harvesting Strategy Of Grass Silage On Milk Production, K. Kuoppala, M. Rinne, J. Nousiainen, P. Huhtanen

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Timing of harvest in primary growth of grass is a major factor affecting D-value (digestible organic matter, g/kg DM) of silage and dry matter (DM) consumption and milk production of dairy cows (Rinne, 2000). The objective of this research was to investigate whether there is a similar pattern in regrowths of grass.

The Effect Of Harvesting Strategy Of Grass Silage On Milk Production, K. Kuoppala, M. Rinne, J. Nousiainen, P. Huhtanen

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Timing of harvest in primary growth of grass is a major factor affecting D-value (digestible organic matter, g/kg DM) of silage and dry matter (DM) consumption and milk production of dairy cows (Rinne, 2000). The objective of this research was to investigate whether there is a similar pattern in regrowths of grass.

The Effects Of Offering Hay, Pit-Stored Grass Silage Or Big-Bale Silage To Pregnant Ewes On Ewe And Lamb Performance, T. F. Crosby, P. J. Quinn, J. J. Callan, T. Mcgrane

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Hay and pit silage have been used extensively for feeding sheep over the winter period, but in recent years, especially on smaller farms, big-bale silage has become increasingly popular. However, there is limited comparative information on the use of big-bale silage for sheep, especially in relation to the effects of chopping and growth stage at harvest. This study compared the performance of ewes offered hay, pit silage, or big-bale grass silage made from either chopped or unchopped grass and cut from the same field at the same time.

The Effects Of Offering Grass Or Maize Silages To In-Lamb Ewes On Body Weight And Condition Changes, Colostrum Yield And Quality, T. F. Crosby, P. J. Quinn, J. J. Callan, P. Reilly, B. Flynn, D. Cunningham, T. Massey

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Hay and more recently grass silage (GS) have been the traditional feeds for sheep in Ireland over the winter period. Alternatives such as maize silage (MS) are becoming increasingly important as winter forage sources especially for cattle. This study sought to evaluate grass silage and maize silage when offered to pregnant ewes.

Round-Bale Silage Preparation Of Rice Straw, Yimin Cai, C. Xu, N. Yoshida, M. Ogawa

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rice straw is an important feed resource for ruminants. In Japan, rice straw cannot be fully dried due to the usually humid autumn season, which leads to about 70% of the production being ploughed back or incinerated. Therefore, the development of techniques to enhance the long-term preservation and quality of rice straw is of great importance. In this work, a new lactic acid bacterium was used as a silage inoculant, and its effect on round-bale silage preparation from fresh rice straw was examined.

Factors Affecting Bag Silo Densities And Losses, R. E. Muck, B. J. Holmes

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Bag silos (polyethylene tubes, 30 to 90 m length, 2.4 to 3.7 m diameter, 0.22 mm thick) are used on approximately one-third of the dairy farms in the U.S.A. for making silage, and the level of adoption is increasing rapidly. Unfortunately, almost no research data have been published on these types of silos. Our objective was to measure densities and losses in bag silos at three farms, looking for causes of variation in both.

Moisture Control, Inoculant And Particle Size In Tropical Grass Silages, S. F. Paziani, L. G. Nussio, D. R. S. Loures, L. J. Mari, José Leonardo Ribeiro, P. Schmidt, M. Zopollatto, M. C. Junqueira, A. F. Pedroso

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Decreased fermentation and spoilage losses with improved aerobic stability during feed out can be accomplished by several strategies, such as wilting, addition of microbial additives and moisture absorbents. Particle size reduction may increase bulk density and improve the fermentation. The objective of this trial was to evaluate the effects of particle size, moisture content and a microbial additive on chemical-physical parameters and losses in silages made from Tanzania grass.

Effect Of A New Microbial Strain As An Inoculant On The Quality Of Maize Silage, J. G. Kim, J. S. Ham, E. S. Chung, S. Seo, J. K. Lee

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Lactic acid bacteria play a key role in making silage from forage, and lactic acid bacteria selected from good silage could be expected to be suitable inocula for making good silage. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the such novel lactic acid bacteria for making high quality maize silage.

The Potential Of Different Forage Combinations For Green-Chop Silage, Trevor L. Knight, Tom J. Fraser, T. A. White, M. G. Hyslop

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

On the Canterbury Plains of New Zealand (NZ) there is an opportunity on cropping farms, between summer harvest and autumn/winter sowing, to grow forage crops to make high quality silage. Recently, cereal cultivars have been specifically bred for forage production and suitability for whole-crop silage (de Ruiter et al. 2002), and also high legume (e.g. sulla) content forage mixes have resulted in high quality silages with high lactic acid and soluble carbohydrate content (Niezen et al. 1998). This trial aimed to determine the yield potential of various cereal/legume forage mixtures summer sown and harvested for silage in autumn.

A New System For The Evaluation Of The Fermentation Quality Of Silages, E. Kaiser, K. Weiß

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Depending on the content of nitrate in green forage, the pattern of fermentation products in silages differ significantly (Weiß & Kaiser, 2001). The systems, which are now common in practice for evaluating the quality of silage fermentation, characterise fermentation quality incorrectly because the evaluation is influenced by the chemical composition of green forage. The aim of this work was to derive an evaluation system for fermentation quality, which is independent from the chemical composition of green forage.

Calculation Of Forage Value And Suitability For Silage Of Autochthonous Plant Mixtures Found In Peat Soil Grassland In Relation To The Cut-Off Date, Lisa Dittmann, Renate Bockholt

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The semi-extensive management of permanent grassland results in autochthonous plant mixtures whose productivity and forage quality dynamics are relatively unknown, but important for its utilisation. There are enormous differences in forage value and the suitability for silage depending on botanical composition, cutting date or grazing date. The time-based changes in the forage value are of economic interest for the farmers and important for determining a utilisation strategy.

Influence Of Grass Species And Sample Preparation On Ensiling Characteristics, D. J. R. Cherney, M. A. Alessi, J. H. Cherney

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Laboratory silos are considered a practical method of comparing a number of treatments (O'Kiely, 1993). Cherney et al. (2004) reported that vacuum-sealed polyethylene bags effectively ensiled corn silage samples in the laboratory. Grasses, with their inherently higher buffering capacities and lower sugar levels, generally are more difficult to ensile. Objectives were to evaluate the influence of species and chopping (whole vs. shredded) on pH and volatile fatty acid profile of grasses ensiled in vacuum-sealed polyethylene bags and to assess the suitability of this method as a laboratory ensiling method.

Ensiling Characteristics And Ruminal Degradation Of Italian Ryegrass With Or Without Wilting And Added Cell Wall Degrading Enzymes, Z. Yu, Jianguo Han, Z. He, X. Qingfang, B. Chunsheng, N. Nishino

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The previous experiment (Yu zhu et al.,1999) has shown that the efficacy of added enzymes varied greatly according to the DM content of the material crop. The silage DM did not alter the effects of enzymes on the in vitro digestion of NDF (Yu zhu et al.,1999, Yu zhu et al.,2000). The aim of this experiment was to study the effect of wilting and enzymes on fermentation quality, chemical composition and in situ digestion of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) silage.

Ensilability And Silage Quality Of Different Festulolium Hybrids In Comparison To Festuca Arundinacea, K. Banzhaf, Wilhelm Opitz V. Boberfeld

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Festulolium hybrids as cool-season grasses may be used as dominant species for winter pastures in year-round outdoor livestock systems. The utilisation of these species during summer is limited due to low intake as a fresh pasture grass by grazing ruminants. Therefore, ensiling the primary growths of these hybrids may be an alternative approach to using these species during the growing season. However, information on the quality of Festulolium silages under central European conditions is not available. The objective of this research was to determine ensilability and silage quality of four Festulolium cultivars (of festucoid or loloid type) compared to one …

Effect Of Agronomic Management On Feeding Value Of Festulolium Hybrids For Winter Pasture, Wilhelm Opitz V. Boberfeld, K. Banzhaf

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Festulolium spp. are considered to combine the distinctive winterhardiness of Festuca species with the high forage quality of Lolium species. Such cultivars may be particularly appropriate for winter pastures, but knowledge about quality aspects during winter under central European conditions is not available. The objective of this research was to determine forage quality of four Festulolium cultivars (festucoid type or loloid type) during winter under varying agronomic treatments.

Nutrient Composition Of Napier Grass (Pennisetum Purpureum) And Napier Grass Silages Made With Different Additives, A. A. Aganga, U. J. Omphile, J. C. Baitshotlhi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage contributes about 73% and 95% of the diets of ruminants fattened on grain supplements and on natural ranges respectively (Sarwar & Nisa, 1998). Napier grass is one of the highest yielding tropical forage grasses and was shown to provide a good quality silage when it was supplemented with molasses, as the fermentation quality was not affected by the high storage temperature (40^oC). The objectives of this study were to determine the chemical composition of silages when ensiled alone or mixed with additives.

A Modified Forage System For Stocker Production In The Southern Great Plains, Usa, B. K. Northup, H. S. Mayeux, W. A. Phillips

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Putting low-cost gain on yearling cattle with forages is an important agricultural activity in the Southern Great Plains. The primary forage system within the area incorporates two forages: winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) for grazing in fall through spring, and warm- season grasses in the summer (Fig. 1). These systems have significant gaps in time when high-quality forage is not available. This study tested the function of introduced cool-season perennial grasses in filling the spring gap, and their capacity as large-scale replacements for winter wheat.

Graze-Out Plus: Filling Forage Gaps In The Southern Great Plains, Usa, B. K. Northup, W. A. Phillips, H. S. Mayeux

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Putting low-cost gain on yearling cattle with forages is a significant agricultural activity in the Southern Great Plains. The primary forage system within the area has two components: winter wheat (Triticum aesitivum) grazed from fall through spring (Redmon et al., 1995), and warm-season perennial grasses for summer grazing. This system has significant gaps (Fig. 1) when high-quality forage is not readily available (September-November and May-June). Introduced cool-season perennial grasses have longer growing seasons than wheat, and could help fill these gaps. This experiment tested the function of an introduced cool-season perennial grass, new to the southern Great Plains, …