Plant Biology Commons^™

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 …

Parasitization Efficiency Of Kairomonal Dust Formulations Against Egg Parasitoid Trichogramma Spp (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), Madhulika Srivastava, A. K. Singh, Sudhida G. Parihar, R. D. Gautam

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Agriculture arose independently in many different regions, as people gradually lived closer together, became less nomadic, and focussed their food production on plants that were amenable to repeated sowing and harvesting. Historically, insects have been the most significant herbivores, and the evolution of plants is closely associated with the evolution of insects. The study of plant defences against herbivory is important, not only from an evolutionary view point, but also in the direct impact that these defences have on agriculture, including human and livestock. Success of natural enemies particularly well recognized egg parasitoid, Trichogrammatid (Balakrishnan et al., 2004) in …

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 …

Impact Of Chromolaena Odorata Invasion On Diversity, Dry Matter Yield And Soil Mineral Contents In Pasture Area, Muhammad Rusdy, Muhammad Riadi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A major constraint to livestock production in tropical countries is the scarcity and fluctuating quantity and quality of year around forage supply. During the rainy season, tropical forage species grow at very fast rates, with forage yields often exceeding animal requirements. If not cut or fed to animals, during the dry season such forage becomes fibrous and lack of most essential nutrients required by animals. In densely populated country like Indonesia, lacks of forage supply are aggravated by the high conversion of grassland to cash crop and invasion of alien weeds into pasture area.

Since introduced to Indonesia in the …

Pasture Larval Burden In A Grazing Land Of Subtropical Hill Region Of Meghalaya, R. Laha, M. Das, A. Goswami, A. Sen

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Gastrointestinal (GI) helminths infections are considered as one of the most devastating diseases of livestock as it causes mortality, morbidity and thereby economic losses to the livestock owners. Infective larvae of nematodes are the source of infection to the livestock and one of the ways of nematode infection to the livestock is the ingestion of infective larvae (L3) through contaminated pasture. The count of infective larvae could give an idea of infection in animals grazed in a particular pasture land. Management of pasture is an important component of nematode parasite control programs. In the present study, pasture larval burden (PLB) …

Fungal Endophytes From The Aerial Tissues Of Important Tropical Forage Grasses Brachiaria Spp. In Kenya, Sita R. Ghimire, Joyce Njuguna, Leah Kago, Monday Ahonsi, Donald M. G. Njarui

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Most, if not all plants in natural ecosystems are symbiotic with mycorrhizal fungi and/or fungal endophytes. This association between plant and fungi is believed to be over 400 million years old when plants first colonized the land (Redecker et al., 2000). These fungal symbionts play important roles on plant ecology, fitness, and evolution; shaping plant communities; and the community structure and diversity of associated organisms. The importance of fungal endophytes in cool season grasses production and effects of endophyte on the livestock health (Examples fescue toxicosis and ryegrass staggers) have been extensively investigated (Smith et al., 2009; di Menna …

Study On The Feeding Preference Of Asian Migratory Locust: Locusta Migratoria Migratoria Linnaeus (Orthoptera, Acridoidea) In Different Development Stages Of Hoppers, Zumrat, Sali, Yasin, Yasen

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The experiment aimed to clear the degree of eating for different host plants in 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th instars nymphs of Asian migratory locust: Locusta migratoria migratoria Linnaeus (Orthoptera, Acridoidea) respectively.

Study On The Community Structure And Diversity Of Spiders In Alfalfa Fields And Natural Grassland, Yi Wu, Yasen, Li Zhao, Shali Yasen

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Different regions, habitats spider community have different composition, quantity and dynamics. We selected alfalfa fields, forests grasslands and arid grasslands and where studied its spider community structure, characteristic parameters and dynamics by traps from April to October in 2012.

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 …

Vegetation Changes Ten Years After Catclaw Mimosa ( Mimosa Laxiflora ) Control With Tebuthiuron In A Short Grass Prairie At Northern Sonora, Mexico, Fernando Ibarra-Flores, Martha Martin Rivera, Salomón M. Moreno, Fernando Ibarra Martin, Rafael Retes Lopez, Alfredo Aguilar Valdez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Catclaw mimosa (Mimosa laxiflora) is a native, perennial half-size brush, which invades short grass prairie and competes with desirable species for water, nutrients and light interferes with cattle grazing and reduces range productivity. Tebuthiuron [1-(5-tert-Butyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)-1,3-dimethylurea; chemical formula C₉H₁₆N₄OS] is a granular herbicide used to control invasive shrubby species on rangelands with sustainable forage responses (McGinty et al., 2009). Research trials conducted in the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts show that tebuthiuron at rates of 0.5 to 1.5 kg a.i./ha effectively controlled most shrubby species and significant increase forage in …

Studies On Insect Fauna Of Lucerne Medicago Sativa And Their Impact On Seed And Forage Yield In Lucerne Medicago Sativa , Narendra S. Kulkarni, Vinod Kumar

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Lucerne or Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L) is the world’s most important forage legume and a key component of many crop rotation systems (Osborn et. al., 1997). Alfalfa is considered an insectary due to the large number of insects it attracts. Some pests, such as alfalfa weevil, aphids, armyworms, and the potato leafhopper, can reduce alfalfa yields dramatically, particularly with the second cutting when weather is warmest. Chemical controls are sometimes used to prevent this. As a perennial crop, lucerne has a lifespan approaching 5 years, but in some areas of the world fields may remain productive for considerably longer. …

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 …

Landscape Performance Of Buck Roses Under Minimal-Input Conditions In North-Central Texas, Derald A. Harp, Gaye Hammond, David C. Zlesak, Greg Church, Mark Chamblee, Steve George

Faculty Publications

Griffith Buck (Iowa State University) bred roses (Rosa sp.) to survive long, cold winters and hot, humid summers yet still retain their foliage without fungicides. Unfortunately, there is little known about the performance of Buck roses in the southern United States. Thirty-eight Buck rose cultivars were evaluated for flowering, disease resistance, drought tolerance, and overall landscape performance in alkaline soils with no fertilizer, no pesticides, and only limited irrigation. Flowering occurred on a bimodal basis, with the highest per plant mean bloom number (16.3 blooms) and bloom coverage (9.7%) in April, and a second flowering in the fall, with …

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 …

Impact Of The Urban Heat Mosaic On The Leaf Senescence In Two Acer Species, Jeffrey D. Smith

University Honors Theses

Due to the heterogeneity of the urban heat island, we can think of the variable influence of urbanization on air temperature as more of an urban heat mosaic. Climate change has caused a resurgence of interest in the way temperature affects how organisms, such as street trees, undergo cyclic changes in their life cycle. Such changes include budburst or, less commonly, timing of senescence. Little is known about how the urban heat mosaic could be affecting the phenology of different urban trees. Because street trees are one of the more prominent ecosystem engineers of the urban landscape, variable influences of …

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 …

Effect Of Supplementation Of Dairy Cows Under Cut And Carry Or Grazing Of Irrigated Cultivated Pastures In Small Scale Dairy Systems In The Highlands Of Central Mexico, J. Velarde-Guillen, Carloss Manuel Arriaga-Jordan, J. G. Estrada-Flores, A. A. Rayas-Amor, F. Vicente, A. Martinez-Fernandez, D. Heredia-Nava, C. M. Arriaga-Jordan

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Small-scale dairy systems in Mexico represent over 78% of dairy farms and produce 37% of the nation’s milk, and have an important role in reducing rural poverty. Small-scale dairy systems are defined by having herds of 3 to 35 cows plus replacements, and rely mostly on the family for labour. In the central highlands, many small-scale dairy farms base the feeding of herds on irrigated cultivated pastures of ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum, L. perenne) – white clover (Trifolium repens), mostly under cut-and-carry by hand with scythes, straws, and large amounts of commercial compound concentrates that result in …

Biodiversity Conservation Of Indigenous Grasses To Meet Fodder Deficit In Odisha, Bijoy Kumar Sahoo, Binayak Dash

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Odisha, underfeeding of the livestock is the primary reason for decrease in production potential of the animals. On an average a desi cow of the state yields 0.214 kg of milk per day. The neglected calf management for generations also reduced the body weight of bullocks gradually. Low productivity of the indigenous and crossbred cows in the state is the absence of proper feeding material for them. The fodder availability in the state is ill matched to the livestock population. Out of the total greenfodder availability, contribution of cultivated green fodder is only 2.83% and majority (97.17 %) is …

Effect Of Supplementation Frequency On Forage Utilization By Heifers Grazing A Tropical Pasture During The Dry Season, José Augusto Imaz, D. Dos Santos, O. Hernández, A. Radrizzani, J. I. Arroquy

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In tropical pasture, low quality and availability forage during the dry season can limit the cattle intake. Energetic and protein supplementation is a viable practice to improve feed intake and animal performance. Previous studies have shown that infrequent protein supplementation decreases feeding cost achieving similar performance compared with every day supplementation (Farmer et al., 2004). Even though infrequent protein supplementation has been widely studied, little research has been carried out on infrequent energetic supplementation, especially its effect on pasture utilization. Some evidence indicates that negative effects on forage use at low levels of infrequent supplementation (Beaty et al., 1994). …

Use Of Surveys, Field Demonstrations And Time Tapse Photography For Delivery Of Forage Extension Information, S. Ray Smith, Garry D. Lacefield, Gabriel Roberts

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

It is often difficult to extend research information to forage producers in a format that they can understand and utilize. Over the last 10 years, University of Kentucky forage extension specialists have developed several effective extension tools to determine and show the effect of harvest and grazing height on Dactylis glomerata (L.) stand persistence and regrowth. D. glomerata is a widely planted forage species for hay and pasture in the USA based on its high productivity, forage quality and palatability (Lacefield and Ball, 2013).

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, …

Buffalo Rearing System In Bhadawari Breeding Tract, B. P. Kushwaha, Sultan Singh, S. B. Maity, K. K. Singh, Asim Kumar Misra

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Bhadawari buffalo is one of the recognized buffalo breeds in India, known for high milk fat content, which may go as high as 14% (Kushwaha et al., 2012). Zachariah (1941) had first described this breed as “Bhadawan” buffalo – the best breed of buffaloes in Uttar Pradesh and found in the districts of Agra and Etah (Central India). Presently Bhadawari Buffaloes are found in the ravines of Yamuna and Chambal rivers spread over in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. These buffaloes have adapted to the harsh conditions of the ravines with undulating topography, thorny and scanty …

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 …