Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Methane Emission Estimated From Different Cattle Intake Data In Heifers Grazing A Tropical Pasture, José Augusto Imaz, O. Hernández, D. Dos Santos, A. Radrizzani, J. I. Arroquy

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The quantification of methane (CH₄) from enteric fermentation related to cattle diet is a useful tool to identify strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. This is even important in tropical and subtropical regions due to the lack of CH₄ estimations in beef cattle, particularly from Bos Indicus breeds grazing tropical grasses (Kurihara et al., 1999). Several modelling approaches have been developed in order to predict CH₄ emission. However, the use of these models has limitations associated with uncertainty information required such as feed intake (FI), composition of the selected diet and animal responses (Gonzalez et …

Feasibility Of Buffalo Rearing On Pasture In Tropical Climate Of Andaman And Nicobar Islands, M. S. Kundu, A. Kundu, S. Dam Roy

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands form the Southern most tip of the Indian subcontinent, located (6-14° N latitude and 92-94°E longitude) in the South Eastern part of the Bay of Bengal .There are 572 Islands of which only 37 are currently inhabited. The Islands are beautiful and unique. The indigenous plants, animals, livestock, and marine life contribute to uniqueness of these Islands. The total livestock population has increased to many fold from meager 38.6 thousand in 1961 to 154.75 thousand in 2012. The buffalo constitute 5.08 per cent of the livestock of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The buffaloes …

Pasture Establishment And Sustainability In Arid Region Of Rajasthan, India: Prospects And Constraints, Surendra Singh Shekhawat, S. M. Kumawat, S. L. Godara

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Rajasthan is the largest state of India and covers nearly 10.4 per cent (342.65 lakh ha) of total geographical area of the country. About 65 per cent of its population is dependent on agriculture. According to livestock census-2007, Rajasthan ranks at the third place (56.663 million) in the country for total livestock population after Uttar Pradesh (60.272 million) and Andhra Pradesh (60.175 million). The large livestock population of the state shows importance of fodder in the state. Western part of Rajasthan state covers the area of the state towards western side of Aravali range of hills, which divides the state …

Policy Measures For Extensive Farming Systems In Southwest Norway, Lief Jarle Asheim, Pål Thorvaldsen, Odd J. Øvreås

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The open landscapes produced over centuries by farming in southwest Norway are threatened by agricultural abandonment, raising public concern for maintenance of the species rich and valuable coastal grasslands. A study in two municipalities revealed that semi-natural grasslands, traditionally grazed in spring and fall and mowed in-between, are most affected. Two linear programming models, one for part time sheep farms and one for larger mixed dairy and meat farms, were developed to study measures for stimulating production, in particular effects on grazing and land utilization of altering support between leys, farm pasture, and grazing animals. Yields and fertilization level in …

Endozoochorus Seed Dispersal By Jalauni Sheep In Tropical Climate: Recovery And Germinability Under Natural Pasture Grazing, Nityanada Das, S. B. Maity

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Herbivores can play an important role in seed dispersal. Climate, available vegetation for grazing, pasture situation can determine the seed dispersal trends by the grazing animals. Tropical climate of India with wide climatic variation leads to fluctuating herbage quality and available biomass. Ruminants spread plants through fecal pellets after grazing at one place and fecal voiding at another. Herbivores can play an important role in seed dispersal. Climate, available vegetation for grazing, pasture situation can determine the seed dispersal trends by the grazing animals. Tropical climate of India with wide climatic variation leads to fluctuating herbage quality and available biomass. …

Animal Behaviour And Pasture Depletion In A Pasture-Based Automatic Milking System, Nicolas A. Lyons, Kendra L. Kerrisk, Sergio C. Garcia

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

In an automatic milking system (AMS) feed is used as an incentive to encourage voluntary and distributed cow traffic to the milking unit (Prescott et al. 1998). Therefore the timing, placement and size of feed allocations need to be managed in order to achieve targeted milking events per day.

Behavioural studies allow the construction of time budgets (Gibb et al. 1998), and aid understanding of how cows modify their behaviour under different management regimes (Johansson et al. 1999). To date there are no published reports on how different location of feed incentives affect cows’ behaviour upon arrival at …

The Effect Of Planting Date On The Dry Matter Production Of Italian And Westerwolds Ryegrass In The Southern Cape Of South Africa, Philip R. Botha, Janke Van Der Colf, Lethukuthula B. Zulu, Pieter A. Swanepoel

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Perennial pasture species such as lucerne (Medicago sativa), kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and perennial clovers (Trifolium spp.) make an important contribution to the fodder flow programmes for dairy production in the southern Cape. One of the main challenges when these species make up the primary pasture base within a pasture system is the mutually low growth rates during winter (Van Heerden et al., 1989; Swanepoel et al., 2014). In order to bridge pasture shortages during the critical winter months, producers establish annual Italian (Lolium multiflorum var. italicum …

Production And Quality Assessment Of Pasture Crop In Red Lateritic Wasteland Of Central Chhattisgarh, Mahendra Nath Naugraiya, G. S. Tomar

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The livestock constitutes a very important component in rural economy, as in agriculture. Our country largely depends on livestock for manure and power. The availability of fodder is short from the requirement and an estimate of several agencies, there is more than 300 per cent gap between availability and requirement (Anon, 1980). Most of the livestock depend either partially or completely on natural and developed pastoral system, but the existing practices of utilization of range lands, grasslands and forest areas natural resources and increasing land degradation. In the improved pastoral system in wastelands, the carrying capacity of grass-legumes pastoral field …

Vegetation Restoration Patterns After Rangeland Enclosure In Arid Tunisia, Khalil Mseddi, Ahmad Mohajja Al-Shammari, Hossain Sharif, Mohamed Chaieb

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

In Tunisia arid regions, the increase in the rural populat-ion density, (Le Floc’h et al. 1999) has intensified human pressure on natural resources through ‘‘disturbances’’ such as grazing and wood harvesting, land clearing and ploughing, which largely depend on the annual rainfall. About 10% of the steppe area has been taken over by agriculture, shrinking perennial plant cover and a highly degraded vegetation class (Hanafi and Jauffret 2008). This work assesses the vegetation restoration patterns on a protected agricultural field in Tunisian arid rangeland after 15 years of enclosure and protection against plowing.

Towards Effective Management: Toxicity, Causal Mechanism And Controlling Strategy Of Toxic Rangeland Weeds In Western China, Wei He, Yongmei Liu, Hao Lu, Baoyu Zhao, Chonghui Mo, Juying Wu, Nengtai Da, Yahui Wei

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Toxic rangeland weeds (TRWs) pose a great threat to animal husbandry. Currently, an estimated 33 million hectares of pasture (10%) in western China is infested by a variety of toxic weeds, including Stellera chamaejasme, Oxytropis spp., Astragalus spp., Achnatherum inebrians. The spread of these toxic weeds results in huge annual economic losses of more than $2.4 billion USD (direct and indirect). A combination of ecology, molecular biology, biochemistry and field practise methods will be used to identify and evaluate TRWs, explore the mechanism of toxicity, and more importantly, understand the causal mechanism by which TRWs flourish. The knowledge …

Dry Matter Yield Of Promising Panicum Maximum Genotypes In Response To Phosphorus And Liming On Brazilian Savannah, Gustavo J. Braga, Giovana A. Maciel, Allan K. B. Ramos, Marcelo A. Carvalho, Francisco Duarte Fernandes, Liana Jank

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Soil fertility of the Brazilian savannah Cerrado is naturally poor. Extensive areas of pastures located in the central part of territory are cultivated with Brachiaria grasses which are less demanding for soil nutrients and lime (Rao et al. 1998). On the other hand, Panicum maximum cultivars such as the high yielding Mombaça grass recommended to intensive beef and dairy cattle systems (Euclides et al. 2008), must be seeded with a higher amount of fertilizer, especially phosphorus (P). Consequently there is an effort for selection of P. maximum genotypes with low P demand and high responsiveness. The objective of …

Impact Of The Last Grazing Time On The White Clover/Grass Swards Performance, Jonas Šlepetys, Alvyra Slepetiene

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Winter survival and longevity of grasses depend not only on the weather conditions but also on the state of grasses in the autumn, when their wintering shoots and roots are intensively accumulating reserves of nutrients (Stout, 1987; Sardana and Narwal, 2000). The long-term productivity of the sward depends on the species composition of grasses, frequency of use, nitrogen fertilisation, and timing of the last cut. The effects of these various factors on the sward can be very diverse in various geographic locations (Van Keuren, 1988; Taneja et al., 1994; Sollenberger and Newman, 2007). When utilising pastures in the regions of …

Improving The Phosphorus Efficiency Of Temperate Australian Pastures, Richard J. Simpson, Graeme A. Sandral, Richard A. Culvenor, Megan H. Ryan, Hans Lambers, Phillip G. H. Nichols, Richard C. Hayes

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Phosphorus (P) is a key input necessary for high production in many temperate, grass-legume pasture systems in Australia because the pastures are situated on P-deficient and moderate to highly P-sorbing soils. A consequence of P-sorption in these soils is that much more P must be applied as fertiliser than will be exported in animal products. The P balance efficiency (PBE=100*P_export/Pi_nputs) of grazing enterprises (e.g. wool, meat, milk and live animal export) is about 10-30% and compares poorly with some other agricultural enterprises (e.g. 45-54% for grain production; McLaughlin et al. 1992; Weaver and …

The Dilemma Of Using Sward Height As A Management Tool For Intensively Grazed Sheep Pasture In Spring, David R. Stevens, Andrew J. Wall, Bryan R. Thompson, Karren T. O’Neill, Ian C. Scott

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Sward height is often used as a tool for both animal and pasture management, especially when continuously grazing pasture. For example, sward height has been used to define the conditions for optimal feed intake of multiple-bearing ewes, both before and after lambing (Everett-Hincks et al.2005; Morris and Kenyon 2004). Sward height is easily applied by the grazier and so becomes an effective tool. However, changes in the leaf distribution and relative species makeup of the sward both seasonally (Thomson et al. 2001) and in response to grazing management (Webby and Pengelly 1986) mean that the amount of pasture per unit …

Extending The Period Of High Feed Value In Italian Ryegrass (Lolium Multiflorum Lam.) For Grazing In The Warm Temperate Zone Of Japan, Makoto Kaneko, Yoshi-Nori Nakamura, Akihisa Yamada

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Japan has widely diverse climate conditions, from subtropical in the south to boreal in the north. In warm regions of the temperate zone in the south-west, such as low-lying areas of Kyushu Island, temperate grasses only barely survive during the summer (Area V in Fig. 1). Therefore, for year-round grazing, tropical grasses and temperate grasses have been used, respectively, for summer and winter (Fig. 2). Throughout Japan, grazing is limited for cows and their calves and fattening takes place in barns. Recently, as consumer preference for meat has diversified, the demand for lean meat with less fat from grazing cattle …

Pasture Yield And Sward Intake By Suckler Cows In The Extended Grazing Season, Piotr Goliński, Barbara Golińska, Józef Biniaś

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Recent advancements in grazing management have shown opportunities to extend the grazing season in late autumn (Hennessy et al. 2006). The increase in the grazing season length will have profound effect on the overall system through reducing the quantity of slurry to be stored, reduction in the quantities of silage and hay required for winter feeding and reductions in the energy associated with sward harvesting and conservation. Also, in Central Europe the extending of grazing season has become highly desirable in the recent years (Opitz v. Boberfeld et al. 2006; Skladanka et al. 2010), because it can …

Pastures In Production Management In Madagascar, Isabelle H. Hantanirina, Jean De N. Rakotozandriny

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

In Madagascar, natural pasture is found across extensive areas of the landscape and has inherently low productivity. There is limited management of these areas and limited management inputs, such as fertiliser or introduced sown pastures (Morat 1973). Natural pasture has a prominent place in animal production, however, consumer demand for milk, meat and other products mean that greater animal productivity is required than that achieved on natural pastures. This is the case for dairy farming in the highlands of Madagascar. The use of exotic pastures has become necessary for better production.

The aim of this study was to evaluate feed …

Modelling Complex Sheep Systems Using Ausfarm, Susan M. Robertson, Michael A. Friend

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Simulation modelling can be a valuable method for extrapolating experimental findings to different weather or management conditions. However, most of the decision support tools which are available for sheep grazing systems, for example GrassGro® (Donnelly et al. 1997), are limited to modelling of relatively simple sheep management. This makes validation of simulations against experimental results difficult where management changes from year to year, and where more complex sheep management is used. This study evaluated the use of the AusFarm® decision support tool (Moore et al. 2007) to model a split-joined sheep system, using different ram breeds against experimental …

Fatty Acid Metabolism On Pasture- And Feedlot-Finished Cattle, Cuk T. Noviandi, Robert E. Ward, Jong-Su Eun, Dale R. Zobell, Rusty D. Stott, Blair L. Waldron, Mike D. Peel

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Feeding high-grain diets to finishing beef cattle results in high proportions of saturated fatty acids (SFA) in the beef, which is considered to confer negative impacts on human health. In contrast, pasture-finished cattle produce lower proportion of SFA, greater n-3 and less n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and higher conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) compared to high grain-finished beef (Noviandi et al. 2012). Increased n-3 PUFA, especially C18:3 n-3, can reduce the risk of heart disease, hypertension, inflammation, and mammary cancer, and lower cholesterol concentration in blood (De Deckere et al. 1998; Tapiero et al. 2002).

Nitrogen fertilisation …

Morphogenic Responses Of Two Brachiaria Genotypes In Response To Clipping Frequency, Ana Flávia G. Faria, Carlos G. S. Pedreira, Diego N. L. Pequeno, Liliane S. Silva, Damião W. Nguluve, Aliedson S. Ferreira

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Tropical grasslands represent an important resource for the Brazilian cattle industry, which is heavily dependent on grazed pastures. Total pasture area in the country totals 196 M ha (23% of the country’s land area) (FAO 2013). The genus Brachiaria represents around 85% of cultivated pastures in Brazil (Moreira et al. 2009), 40% of which are established with B. brizantha cv. Marandu (Barbosa 2006). Mulato II is a new hybrid brachiaria grass cultivar which has been developed to improve agronomic characteristics, broaden the range of adaptation, and to ensure high forage production and nutritive value. It has also been viewed …

Scenario Analysis: Risk And Return Of Aluminium Tolerant Lucerne, Claire D. Lewis, J. L. Jacobs, K. F. Smith, G. Spangenberg, B. Malcolm

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Lucerne (Medicago sativa) yield is limited by aluminium stress associated with acid soils (Campbell et al. 1988; Scott et al. 2008). With the aid of transgenic technologies, the development of aluminium tolerant (Al Tol) lucerne is proposed. Modelled scenario analysis was conducted to explore the potential net benefits of Al Tol lucerne as part of a grazing system for a sheep production system in the high rainfall zone of south west Victoria.

Diversity, Trends, Opportunities And Challenges In Australian Grasslands–Meeting The Sustainability And Productivity Imperatives Of The Future?, Lindsay W. Bell, Richard C. Hayes, Keith G. Pembleton, Cathy M. Waters

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Grassland production systems contribute 40% to Australia’s gross agricultural production value and utilise over 50% of its land area. Across this area a broad diversity of systems exist, but these can be broadly classified into four main production systems: 1. Pastoral grazing of mainly cattle at low intensity (i.e. < 0.4 DSE/ha) on relatively unimproved native rangelands in the arid and semi-arid regions of northern and central Australia; 2. Crop-livestock systems in the semi-arid zone where livestock graze a mixture of pastures and crops which are often integrated; 3. High rainfall permanent pasture zone in the coastal hinterland and highlands and; 4. Dairy systems covering a broad range of environments and production intensities. A notable trend across these systems has been the replacement of wool sheep with beef cattle or meat sheep breeds, which has been driven by low wool prices. Although there is evidence that most of these systems have lifted production efficiencies over the past 30 years, total factor productivity growth has failed to match the decline in terms of trade. This has renewed attention on how research and development can help increase productivity. In addition, these industries are facing increasing scrutiny to improve their environmental performance and develop sustainable production practices. We propose several areas in which grasslands research and development might help provide gains in system productivity and sustainability. In particular, pasture productivity might be improved by filling gaps in the array of pastures available either through exploring new species or improving the adaptation and agronomic characteristics of species currently sown. Meanwhile there is a need to maintain efforts to overcome persistent and emerging constraints to pasture productivity. Improving livestock forage feed systems and more precise and lower cost management of grasslands would translate into improved utilisation and conversion of forage produced into livestock products. There is significant scope to capture value from the ecological services grasslands provide and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from livestock production. Multi-purpose grasslands provide not only grazing for livestock but produce other food products such as grain which may also have potential to integrate livestock with cropping. However, reduced human research capacity in pasture science will challenge our ability to realise these potential opportunities unless efforts are made to attract and support a new generation of pasture scientists.

Managing Grassland Systems In A Changing Climate: The Search For Practical Solutions, Jean-François Soussana, Luis Gustavo Barioni, Tamara Ben Ari, Rich Conant, Pierre Gerber, Petr Havlik, Alexandre Ickowicz, Mark Howden

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

By the end of the XXI^st century, a global temperature rise between 1.5 and 4°C compared to 1980-1999 and CO₂ concentrations in the range 550-900 ppm are expected, together with an increased frequency of extreme climatic events (heat waves, droughts, and heavy rain) that is likely to negatively affect grassland production and livestock systems in a number of world regions. Grassland management has a large potential to mitigate livestock greenhouse gas emissions at a low (or even negative) cost, by combining a moderate intensification, the restoration of degraded pastures and the development of silvo-pastoral systems. Climate change vulnerability …

Plant And Microbial Responses To Repeated Cu(Oh)2 Nanopesticide Exposures Under Different Fertilization Levels In An Agro-Ecosystem, Marie Simonin, Benjamin P. Colman, Weiyi Tang, Jonathan D. Judy, Steven M. Anderson, Christina M. Bergemann, Jennifer D. Rocca, Jason M. Unrine, Nicolas Cassar, Emily S. Bernhardt

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

The environmental fate and potential impacts of nanopesticides on agroecosystems under realistic agricultural conditions are poorly understood. As a result, the benefits and risks of these novel formulations compared to the conventional products are currently unclear. Here, we examined the effects of repeated realistic exposures of the Cu(OH)₂ nanopesticide, Kocide 3000, on simulated agricultural pastureland in an outdoor mesocosm experiment over 1 year. The Kocide applications were performed alongside three different mineral fertilization levels (Ambient, Low, and High) to assess the environmental impacts of this nanopesticide under low-input or conventional farming scenarios. The effects of Kocide over time were …

Promising Forage Options To Enhance Livestock Production In Mediterranean Climate Agricultural Systems, Serkan Ates, Hayley C. Norman, Hichem Ben Salem, Bradley Nutt, Harun Cicek

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The increasing demand for food, fibre and animal products inevitably requires intensifying agricultural production worldwide. This can present a number of environmental and farming systems challenges in Mediterranean climate areas of the world. Developments of novel strategies, employing ecologically sound intensification practices, are crucial to enhance production in the Mediterranean agropastoral production systems. In this paper, we have discussed forage based systems that improve productivity, profitability, environmental quality and resilience of the farming systems. Key opportunities include better use and integration of diverse genetic resources, new agronomic techniques and the utilization of perennial forage plants that are adapted to land …

Production, Persistence And Diversity Of Species In Temperate Grasslands, Meredith L. Mitchell, Brendan P. Christy

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Temperate grassland areas are considered to be semi-arid, with rainfall typically between 250 and 500 mm, much of it occurring in the late spring and early summer. Grazing plays an important role in all these grasslands with impacts on diversity and persistence. Against this assumption that seasonal productivity would be more uniform within a pasture that was diverse, the research suggested that species rich pastures were less stable, because this species richness was composed of non-perennial, volunteer and weed species. This paper explores the concept that systems diversity of temperate grassland does not always equate to production. In these systems …

Management Of Pasture Soils: Biochar Stability, Carbon Storage Potential And Its Effect On Production And Quality, Bhupinder Pal Singh, Yunying Fang, Mark Boersma, Damian Collins, Lukas Van Zwieten, Lynne M. Macdonald

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The use of biochar has been proposed as a stable carbon (C) amendment with long-term carbon (C) storage potential in agricultural soils while improving primary productivity. However, this concept has not been widely tested in contrasting soils under temperate pasture systems. To address this knowledge gap, a ¹³C-labelled biochar, produced from Eucalyptus saligna biomass by slow pyrolysis (450° C; d¹³C -36.7‰) was surface (0"10 cm) applied in C₃ dominated, annual temperate pasture systems across Arenosol, Cambisol and Ferralsol. The results show that only 2% of the applied biochar-C was mineralised in a relatively clay- and C-poor …

Stakeholders Integration For Sustainable Use Of Temperate Forage/Livestock Agriculture, Garry D. Lacefield, Don Ball

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Forage/livestock production is complex, and best management options are often site-specific, but some concepts have broad application. The intent of this article is to provide an overview of research-based management approaches that the authors believe are necessary to ensure the sustainability of forage/livestock farms. This overview discussion is needed because livestock agriculture is changing, thus creating both challenges and opportunities for producers. In the last 30 years, beef numbers in the USA have declined by 20%, but production per cow has more than doubled, resulting in increased total production on less land with fewer animals. Similar statistics exist for the …