Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Herbage And Animal Production From Tall Fescue- And Ryegrass-Based Pastures In A Summer-Dry Environment, D E. Hume, R.J M. Hay, T B. Lyons

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Herbage production and animal performance were measured over 3 years In Hawkes Bay, a summer-dry region of New Z'.ealand. Tall rescue (Festuca arundinacea) (3 cultivars, all endophyte free) was compared with high endophyte perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne). All pastures were sown with white clover (Trifolium repens). Herbage production and composition were determined for all seasons while cattle were monitored for live-weight gains from spring through to autumn. Tall fescue pastures produced 27% more total dry matter/ year than the ryegrass pasture, primarily in autumn. In summer­autumn, ryegrass pastures had up to 76% dead matter …

Impact Of White Clover Cultivars On Nitrogen Fixation And Livestock Production In New Zealand Hill Pasture, D F. Chapman, A D. Mackay, B P. Devantier, N Dymock

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Growth, nitrogen fixation and animal production of pastures based on the white clover (Trifolium repens L.) cultivars Grasslands Tabora or Grasslands Huia, and of unamended pastures containing the "resident" clover ecotype, were compared In a self-contained systems experiment on moderate to steep, low-fertility hill country. Put-and­take stocking of hoggets was used to assess animal production, with stocking rate determined by a feed budget model. Tabora- and Huia­based pastures had higher white clover contents than resident pastures over the first 3 years of measurement, and Tabora-based pastures fixed 4591, more N than resident pastures over 1 full year. Benefits in …

Plant Improvement: The Evaluation And Extension Processes, A S. Laidlaw, K.F M. Reed

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Registration and evaluation systems throughout the world range from voluntary registration to compulsory schemes involving assessment of taxonomic and agronomic characteristics. Evaluation can be confined to agronomic tests simulated under grazing management or extended to feeding-value trials. Criteria include adaptation to climate and soils, persistence and seasonal growth, annual dry matter production, resistance to pests and diseases, and association with beneficial organisms. The need for stress (e.g. drought, low nutrients, acidity, salinity, heat or cold) to be given more emphasis in programmes in specific localities is suggested. In developing regions the emphasis is screening a wide range of grasses and …

Cattle Production And Botanical Composition In Continuously Stocked Grass-Clover Swards, A Elgersma, H Schlepers

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The performance of grass-clover mixtures was evaluated under cattle grazing, and the relations between grass variety, clover content and animal production were studied during four years at three locations. The prostrate diploid perennial ryegrass variety formed a dense sward with less clover and less weeds than the tetraploid or the erect diploid ryegrass varieties, which contained about the same amount of clover in the mixture. The ryegrass tiller density was lowest in the tetraploid. These differences between mixtures were not reflected in differences in animal performance or net energy production.

Animal Productivity And Dynamics Of Native Pastures Improved With Oversown Legumes In Uruguay, D F. Risso, E J. Berretta

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Natural pastures in large areas of Uruguay can be improved by fertilization with phosphorus (P) and surface sowing of adapted legumes, promoting an increased forage production and quality, with the consequent higher carrying capacity and better animal performance. A study was conducted to evaluate two improved grasslands with two stocking rates under rotational grazing. Such improvements resulted from the oversowing of: 1) white clover (Trifolium repens) plus birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus); and 2) annual lotus (Lotus subbiflorus). In these pastures, with important presence of legumes, a higher frequency of C3 and winter species, high levels …

The Effect On Intake Palatability And Digestibility Of Phenolic Compounds In Tagasaste (Chamaecytisus Proliferus), N J. Edwards, J C. Mailey, D M. Mcneill, J B. Lowry, C S. Mcsweeney, D A. Henry, C M. Oldham

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The major secondary metabolites currently identified in tagasaste (Chamaecytisus proliferus) belong to the phenolic group of compounds. The principal phenolic compounds are the flavones, apigenin and luteolin, but low concentrations of condensed tannins, the isoflavonoid daidzein and the alkaloid sparteine have also been detected in some samples. No flavonols have been detected. There is a strong relationship between the concentration of phenolic compounds in tagasaste and its palatability. Furthermore, digestibility of tagasaste is relatively high throughout the year, thereby implicating intake as the major factor influencing the seasonality of liveweight performance of livestock grazing tagasaste. Despite confirmation of …

Grazing Management Of Tagasaste (Chamaecytisus Proliferus) For Sheep And Cattle Production In Southern Australia, N J. Edwards, G M. Allen, D M. Mcneill, C M. Oldham

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Direct grazing of hedgerows of tagasaste (Chamaecytisus proliferus) by sheep or cattle appear to be very robust systems. Tagasaste persists under a continuous grazing regime with cattle such that plant regrowth maintained between 5 and 10 cm in length produces in excess of 215 kg of animal liveweight/ha/year. This level of production is also sustained within a rotational grazing regime. Under both grazing systems cattle production within a year is highly seasonal, with liveweight gains from young cattle peaking at 1.0-1.5 kg/head/day in winter and spring, but dropping to maintenance only by late summer-autumn. Sheep, like cattle, can …

Sustainable Grazing On Saline Land In Western Australia - Multidisciplinary Research Linking Producers And Scientists, Hayley C. Norman, D. G. Masters, M. G. Wilmot, A. J. Rintoul, R. Silberstein, E. Lefroy, T. York

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Dryland salinity is one of the most critical environmental issues challenging Western Australian farmers. Currently 10% of the cropping zone (1.8 million ha) is salt-affected and this is predicted to increase dramatically in the next 50 years (NLWRA, 2001). Animals grazing saline pasture systems represent the most likely large-scale opportunity for economic return from saline land in the short to medium term. To date, few farmers have invested in large-scale revegetation of saline land as the economic return from grazing has not been perceived to cover costs. Furthermore other benefits of saltland pasture systems, such as biodiversity, water use and …

Agroforestry Systems In Cuba: Some Aspects Of Animal Production, J. Iglesias, L. Simón, L. Lamela, I. Hernández, M. Milera, T. Sánchez

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The silvopastoral systems, that nowadays constitute scientific achievements of the Grasses and Forages Research Station "Indio Hatuey ", have been developed from the results of investigations that were carried out since the 1980s, to improve the productivity of natural pastures through the introduction of valuable herbaceous species and tree legumes. Those investigations also determined the essential elements of pasture management such as the optimal stocking rates for low input systems and suitable methods of grazing to obtain sustainability of grasslands.

Portuguese Society Of Pastures And Forages, J. Potes, E. V. Lourenço, T. Carita

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The Portuguese Society of Pastures and Forages (SPPF) was born from a course on pastures and forages held in the National Plant Breeding Station of Elvas (where the headquarters of SPPF are located) in 1979. It was organised by the head of the Pastures and Forages Department, David Gomes Crespo, who was the first and founder member. According to Abreu et al. (1999), the structure established was that of a Scientific Society and was considered by the Government as a Service of Public Interest. It gathered inspiration from the British Grassland Society, the Association Francaise pour la Production Fourragére, …

Agroforestry Systems In Cuba: Some Aspects Of Animal Production, J. M. Iglesias, L. Simón, L. Lamela, I. Hernández, M. Milera, T. Sánchez

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The silvopastoral systems, that nowadays constitute scientific achievements of the Grasses and Forages Research Station “Indio Hatuey ", have been developed from the results of investigations that were carried out since the 1980s, to improve the productivity of natural pastures through the introduction of valuable herbaceous species and tree legumes. Those investigations also determined the essential elements of pasture management such as the optimal stocking rates for low input systems and suitable methods of grazing to obtain sustainability of grasslands.

Overview Of Animal Production From Pastures In Ireland, M. J. Drennan, A. F. Carson, S. Crosse

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Key points

The importance of grassland to agriculture in Ireland is indicated by the fact that:

1. Sixty percent of agricultural output is from grassland as cattle, milk and sheep products.
2. Over 90% of the total farmed area is in grass.
3. Livestock are almost entirely dependent on grazed grass for 200 to 235 days of the year.
4. Grass conserved as silage is the main source of fodder in winter.
5. To improve competitiveness changes are continuously taking place, which include:

• increased suckler herd size and a movement to late maturing continental cattle breeds;
• movement in the dairy herd towards Holstein with increased …

Adoption Of Tropical Legume Technology Around The World: Analysis Of Success, H. M. Shelton, Steven Franzel, M. Peters

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

1. Examples of successful adoption of forage legumes are reported from all continents, where they delivered profitability and often provided multipurpose benefits to farmers.
2. Factors vital to successful adoption were: meeting the needs of farmers; building relevant partnerships; understanding the socio-economic context and skills of farmers; participatory involvement with rural communities; and long-term involvement of champions.
3. Organisation of seed supply, achieving scale-up and forming partnerships to implement adoption are key features.
4. Legumes remain an important but under-exploited resource for tropical farming systems. The alternative to legumes will be greater and more costly use of N-fertilisers and purchased protein concentrates.
5. The R&D …

Overcoming Seasonality Of Production: Opportunities Offered By Forage Conservation Technologies, P. O'Kiely, A. G. Kaiser

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

1. Seasonality of forage supply is a key contributor to the seasonality of meat and milk production.
2. Conserving forages as silage or hay can help reduce the seasonality of feed supply.
3. Forage conservation technologies make this contribution mainly through increases in the yield or quality of suitable crops, through an improved efficiency of the conservation process or by allowing a reduction in costs.
4. Future research needs differ considerably among regions of the world.

Strategies To Mitigate Seasonality Of Production In Grassland-Based Systems, Claudio Porqueddu, S. Maltoni, J. G. Mcivor

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

1. Fertilisation use and manipulation can cost-effectively alter species composition, increase seasonal herbage production and improve herbage quality.
2. Choice of suitable grassland species, varieties and mixtures offers opportunity to mitigate limitations of seasonal grassland production.
3. Special purpose fodder crops, cereals, shrubs and trees offer alternative or supplementary feed sources.
4. Manipulation of stocking rates, grazing systems, transhumance and pasture management at various times of the season are significant advantageous options.
5. Integration of different strategies is essential to mitigate seasonality in systems of animal production that must be inherently more sustainable over a longer time frame.

Adoption Of Tropical Legume Technology Around The World: Analysis Of Success, H. M. Shelton, S. Franzel, M. Peters

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Key points

1. Examples of successful adoption of forage legumes are reported from all continents, where they delivered profitability and often provided multipurpose benefits to farmers.

2. Factors vital to successful adoption were: meeting the needs of farmers; building relevant partnerships; understanding the socio-economic context and skills of farmers; participatory involvement with rural communities; and long-term involvement of champions.

3. Organisation of seed supply, achieving scale-up and forming partnerships to implement adoption are key features.

4. Legumes remain an important but under-exploited resource for tropical farming systems. The alternative to legumes will be greater and more costly use of N-fertilisers …

Overcoming Seasonality Of Production: Opportunities Offered By Forage Conservation Technologies, P. O'Kiely, A. G. Kaiser

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Key points

1. Seasonality of forage supply is a key contributor to the seasonality of meat and milk production.

2. Conserving forages as silage or hay can help reduce the seasonality of feed supply.

3. Forage conservation technologies make this contribution mainly through increases in the yield or quality of suitable crops, through an improved efficiency of the conservation process or by allowing a reduction in costs.

4. Future research needs differ considerably among regions of the world.

Strategies To Mitigate Seasonality Of Production In Grassland-Based Systems, Claudio Porqueddu, S. Maltoni, John G. Mcivor

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Key points

1. Fertilisation use and manipulation can cost-effectively alter species composition, increase seasonal herbage production and improve herbage quality.

2. Choice of suitable grassland species, varieties and mixtures offers opportunity to mitigate limitations of seasonal grassland production.

3. Special purpose fodder crops, cereals, shrubs and trees offer alternative or supplementary feed sources.

4. Manipulation of stocking rates, grazing systems, transhumance and pasture management at various times of the season are significant advantageous options.

5. Integration of different strategies is essential to mitigate seasonality in systems of animal production that must be inherently more sustainable over a longer time frame.

An Ecophisiological Proposal To Manage Natural Grasslands: A Long Term Trial, F. L. F. De Quadros, D. Roberti, L. Marin, B. Kuinchtner, P. L. Nascimento

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Natural grasslands on Southern Brazil comprise the so called “Rio de La Plata Grasslands” in South America. They are an important fodder source for ruminant pastoral systems and contribute to regional ecosystem services. Strength of these grasslands is its floristic diversity that poses a dilemma to farmers: how to choose management protocols that could be applied for hundreds of species. We propose to use a functional ecophysiological approach based on groups of grasses, the most abundant on aerial biomass of this natural grasslands. We clustered the most frequent grasses in two groups based on its leaf traits (leaf dry matter …

Plant Secondary Compounds; Their Impact On Forage Nutritive Value And Upon Animal Production, T. N. Barry, D. M. Mcneill, W. C. Mcnabb

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Both the anti-nutritional and beneficial effects of secondary compounds in a range of temperate and tropical forages have been reviewed. Major secondary compounds in temperate and tropical forage plants occur in the phenolic fraction and include condensed and hydrolysable tannins, phenolic monomers and lignin. Condensed tannins (CT) bind to plant protein by pH-reversible hydrogen bonding. In temperate legume forages this reduces rumen protein degradation and can increase the absorption of essential amino acids (EAA) from the small intestine, with reactivity depending on CT concentration, molecular weight and chemical structure. Low concentrations of CT in Lotus corniculatus (20-40g/kg DM) increased EAA …

Himalayan Rangelands Ecology And Animal Production Influenced By Changing Social And Economic Culture In Northern Areas Of Pakistan, Syed Hassan Raza

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

No abstract provided.

Progress In Silage Research In Relation To Animal Production And Food Safety, N. Nishino

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Variable Climatic Conditions On Animal Production In A Semi‐Arid Communal Farming System In South Africa, M. Naidoo, M. T. Hoffman, Nicky Allsopp

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

No abstract provided.

Performance Of Steers Grazing Star Grass Supplemented With Multi‐Nutritional Blocks, O. Hernández‐Mendo, G. Mendoza‐Martinez, L. Vargas‐Villamil

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Surface Coal Mining On The Pre- And Post-Mining Agricultural Potential Of The Grassland Biome Of Southern Africa, Wayne F. Truter, T. Bredell, J. Olivier, D. Van Heerden, P. Mosebi

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Surface mining of coal is widespread in the grassland areas of the Mpumalanga Province in South Africa, and is the main cause of many environmental impacts in this agriculturally important region. To ensure healthy and productive vegetation after the reclamation process, disturbed soils need to be ameliorated and re-vegetated with locally adapted grass species to protect, preserve and improve soils for future agricultural use. To date, soil compaction is regarded as one of the main factors that cause severe restrictions in the effective rooting depth of plants, and the level of compaction is strongly influenced by altered soil water contents, …

Meat And Milk Production On Irrigated Birdsfoot Trefoil Pastures In The Mountain West Usa, Jennifer W. Macadam, Sara R. Hunt, Silvana Martini, Rachael Christensen, Jong-Su Eun

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Irrigated birdsfoot trefoil (BFT; Lotus corniculatus L.) is a productive, persistent perennial legume in the Mountain West region of the United States of America (USA) (MacAdam and Griggs 2006). It does not cause bloat, even when grazed in pure stands, because it contains a relatively small amount (2-4% of dry matter (DM)) of condensed tannins (Mueller-Harvey 2006; Waghorn 2008). Birdsfoot trefoil tannins bind excess plant proteins at rumen pH (~ pH 6.2) sufficiently to prevent bloat and then release these proteins into the abomasum at gastric pH (~ pH 2.5). This allows plant proteins to be digested to amino acids …

Tedera: From A Promising Novel Species To A Commercial Pasture Option For Mediterranean Southern Australia, Daniel Real, Chris Oldham, Matthew N. Nelson, Janine Croser, Marie-Claire Castello, Steve Gherardi, John Finlayson, Clinton K. Revell, Aneeta Pradhan, Graham O'Hara, Enrique Correal

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Tedera (Bituminaria bituminosa var. albomarginata and var. crassiuscula) is a traditional forage species used for centuries in the Canary Islands (Méndez and Fernández 1990), that has increasingly attracted interest from researchers in regions with Mediterranean-type climates from Spain, Italy, Israel, Greece, Portugal, Morocco, Turkey and Australia. In 2000, Australian pasture researchers started a large and systematic screening process that evaluated about 720 species of exotic and native legumes, grasses and herbs for adaptation and productivity in Mediterranean and temperate environments (Real et al. 2011). Tedera was one of the few novel perennial legumes to show potential for …

Strengthening Livelihood Of Rural Farmer Populations Through Improved Grasslands, Sujatha Premaratne, S. C. Somasiri

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

This paper reviews the current background of the grassland resource with a purpose of livestock perspective to improve the livelihood of rural farmers. The use of grasslands for livestock rearing by rural farmers has been a long tradition. In climate and vegetation contrast, these grasslands are much more diverse. They are likely to play an economical role in increasing the milk production in many Asian countries. With an increase of human population, the traditional feeding, breeding and surviving habitats for livestock have been acutely restricted in many countries. Therefore, a continued effort is needed to maintain production for sustainable management …