Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Grassland Monitoring System For Sustainable Utilisation In Inner Mongolia, China. 3. The Estimation Of Herbage Intake Of Sheep During Grazing The Natural Grassland, H. Yokota, K. Kawamura, T. Akiyama, M. Inoue, M. Kondo, K. Kita, Y. Wang

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Grassland condition depends on a balance between growth rates of grasses and herbage intake by animals. In the previous two reports the general concept was described of the monitoring system using satellite data, GPS and GIS and real-time monitoring of grass biomass and quality and animal behaviour. This paper reports the estimation of herbage intake by sheep which had been raised by a farmer in the Inner Mongolia steppe under a typical grazing system with no supplement feeds except salt and also estimation of the growth rate of young sheep.

Artturi Assists Finnish Advisers And Farmers To Succeed In Grass-Based Dairy Production, Marketta Rinne, Pekka Huhtanen, Kaisa Kuoppala, H. Nikander, J. Nousiainen, M. Hellämäki, L. Nyholm, J. Helminen, K. Lampinen, M. Maisi, M. Korhonen

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Artturi is a collective name for a wide range of services. It is a common tool for different bodies who share an interest in strengthening grass-based dairy production in Finland: research, advisory service and industries. The Service is named after A. I. (Artturi Ilmari) Virtanen, the Finnish scientist who was awarded the Nobel prize in 1945, partly based on his work in developing the ensiling process of grass. The Artturi web site is available in Internet at: http://www.agronet.fi/artturi. Access to Artturi Services is free and no registration is required. The language used is Finnish. During summer 2003, 15,000 visits were …

A Decision Support System For Monitoring Livestock Diet Quality And Performance: Verification Study On Cattle, Adami Tulu, Ethiopia, A. A. Jama, G. Tolleson, J. W. Stuth, Abule Ebro, K. Zander, Robert J. Kaitho

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Fecal profiling technology based on near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been widely used in the U.S. to predict the diet quality and performance of free-ranging animals (e.g. Leite & Stuth 1995, Lyons & Stuth 1992, Lyons et al., 1993, Stuth et al., 1999, Tolleson et al., 2001). This technology is linked with the Nutritional Balance Analyzer (NUTBAL-PRO) model to form the core of a nutritional advisory system for livestock producers in the United States. This model predicts changes in body weight and condition for a broad range of livestock classes for cattle, sheep and goats. To test …

Intake, Digestibility And Rate Of Passage Of Grass In Grazing By Light Breed Horses On Different Pastures, Masahito Kawai, N. Yabu, T. Asa, K. Deguchi, S. Matsuoka

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

In a previous study, grazing light breed horses could ingest CP and DE requirements for maintenance without supplements. However, their grazing behaviour, such as biting and chewing efficiency, which related to the passage rate of forage in the digestive tract and fibre digestibility, was affected by the pasture conditions (Kawai et al., 2004). In this study, the DM intake, digestibility and mean retention time (MRT) of grass in light breed horses were determined and compared in spring, summer and autumn on an improved pasture.

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

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

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 (1997-2023)

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.

Study On Re-Growth And Nutritional Potentials Of Eleusine Indica L In Chitwan, Nepal, P. R. Regmi, Naba R. Devkota, M. Sapkota, M. P. Sharma

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The efforts to use exotic fodder species to solve the problem of green roughage scarcity in Nepal, have had only limited success because the species are not persistent. Use of local forage species, such as Eleusine indica, which is widely adapted and tolerant of repeated cutting (Lowry et al., 1992), could be possible solution to the problem. The objective of this study was to understand the re-growth potential of E. indica with respect to nitrogen fertiliser application and cutting management and to determine its feeding value in the dry season.

The Feeding Value Of Silage Made From Peas Grown Alone Or In Mixture With Cereals, A. Kirilov

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The interest in pea as a forage crop rich in protein does not decrease. In areas frequent summer drought pea (Pisum sativum) as a whole plant for forage gives assured yield and may be used for zero grazing, hay or silage. The winter varieties use winter-spring soil moisture better and give higher yield than the spring varieties, but they lodge, so it is necessary to sow them with supporting cereal crops to increase lodging resistance. The objective of the study was to compare the intake, digestibility, energy value and quality index of two wilted silage made from winter …

Nutritional Evaluation Of Banana Peelings From The Various Banana Varieties In Different Regions Of Uganda, J. Nambi-Kasozi, Elly N. Sabiiti, F. B. Bareeba, E. Sporndly

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

In Uganda, peri-urban agriculture is very important in sustaining livelihoods of the increasing population in urban and peri-urban (U & PU) areas. However, this form of agriculture has a number of problems, feed shortage being the most important. The agricultural produce brought in from the rural areas is marketed in raw form hence increasing the crop wastes in the market areas. The crop wastes, if properly sorted, can serve as alternative feeds for the animals kept in the U & PU areas. Banana (Musa spp) peelings (BP) constitute the largest proportion of all the crop wastes in most …

Nutritional Characteristics Of Four Species Of Native Pastures From The Highlands Of Central Mexico, O. A. Castelán, A. A. Rayas, A. Espinoza, J. Estrada, C. Arriaga, F. Mould

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Research in Mexico has been devoted to nutritional characterisation of improved pastures, but native species of grasses have not been studied. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the nutritional value of four species of native pastures and composite samples of them.

Prediction Of The Feed Values Of Maize Silage By Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy, H. S. Park, J. K. Lee, H. J. Ko, H. Y. Lee, D. Y. Kil

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Until recently, feed evaluation of silages in official laboratories and feed factories was based on cutting date, chemical composition and the ammonia fraction. However, in vitro techniques have been developed based on rumen fluid or commercial enzymes to replace laborious, time-consuming and expensive digestibility experiments with animals. In this study the possibility of using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to predict the chemical composition and digestibility of maize silage was examined.

Nutritive Quality Of Silages By Conventional Laboratory Methods And Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy, Pilar Castro, G. Flores, A. González-Arráez, J. Castro, B. Fernández-Lorenzo

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Preservation of forages as silages is needed by dairy farmers in NW Spain to feed their cows during the dry (summer) and cold (winter) seasons. The objective of this work was to compare the prediction of in vivo digestibility values by conventional laboratory methods and by near infra-red reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) for herbage and maize silages.

The Economic Benefit Of Increased Yield And Digestibility In A Perennial C4 Grass, R. Mitchell, K. P. Vogel, G. Sarath

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) is a perennial C₄ grass native to the North American tallgrass prairie (Weaver, 1954). It provides productive, high quality forage during late spring and summer in the Great Plains, USA (Mitchell et al., 1994). Increasing forage yield and digestibility can increase livestock performance and grassland profitability (Casler & Vogel, 1999). This study aimed to compare the economic value of 2 big bluestem strains developed by 3 generations of breeding for increased forage yield and digestibility with the base populations from which they were derived.

Improving Forage Quality Of Tall Fescue (Festuca Arundinacea) By Genetic Manipulation Of Lignin Biosynthesis, Z. -Y. Wang, L. Chen, C. -K. Auh, A. Hopkins, P. Dowling

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Lignification of plant cell walls is a major factor limiting forage digestibility and concomitantly animal productivity. Improvement in forage grass cell wall digestibility has become an important goal of many plant-ruminant animal research programs. Lignins are complex phenolic heteropolymers associated with the polysaccharidic components of the wall in specific plant cells. Lignin in forage grasses comprises guaiacyl (G) units derived from coniferyl alcohol, syringyl (S) units derived from sinapyl alcohol, and p-hydroxyphenyl (H) units derived from p-coumaryl alcohol. Cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) and caffeic acid O- methyltransferase (COMT) are key enzymes involved in lignin biosynthesis. Tall fescue …

Divergent Breeding For Tiller Digestibility Modified Leaf, Sheath, And Stem Composition Of Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum L.), K. P. Vogel, G. Sarath, R. Mitchell

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum. L.) is a cross-pollinated, C₄ species that is native to the prairies of temperate North America. Breeding to improve its forage quality has been conducted using post-heading, whole-tiller in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) as the selection criterion. One breeding cycle (C-1) for low IVDMD and three cycles for high IVDMD (C1, C2, C3) were completed in a switchgrass population adapted to the USA mid-latitudes. Sward trials demonstrated that whole plant IVDMD had been improved (Hopkins et al., 1993). The objective of this study was to determine the effect of breeding for tiller …

Characterising The Fermentation Capabilities Of Gut Microbial Populations From Different Breeds Of Cattle And Sheep Grazing Heathland, D. R. Davies, M. D. Fraser, V. J. Theobald, E. L. Bakewell

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Previous studies have demonstrated differences in the diet composition of sheep and cattle when grazing heather moorland, and such differences may in turn lead to differences in rumen fermentation characteristics and associated adaptation to diet. To investigate this further an in vitro gas production experiment was conducted using inocula from different breeds of cattle and sheep grazing heathland.

Nutritional Value Of Pasture Forage For Sheep In Krkonoše National Park, P. Homolka

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

This study describes the nutritional value of pastures in extreme mountain conditions in Krkonoše Mountains National Park. The Park performs important ecological and environmental functions. Extensive sheep grazing serves in the preservation of rare, protected and endangered species of plants (including endemics) and in the restoration of the biodiversity of meadows. The objective of this experiment was to estimate the production of plant biomass in these pastures and its digestibility by sheep.

Modelling The Digestibility Decrease Of Three Grass Species During Spring Growth According To The Age Of The Grass, The Thermal Age And The Yield, M. E. Salamanca, R. Lambert, M. Gomez, A. Peeters

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The nutritive value of forage changes during growth. For the protein content, a general evolution curve was found with the yield increase (Salette & Lemaire, 1984). The digestibility of the organic matter decreases during growth as cellulose and lignin content increase. Regrowth age is the main factor, which explains the digestibility decrease (Demarquilly & Jarrige, 1981). The crop age can be expressed in number of growth days but also in thermal age (cumulated temperature). We compared the digestibility change of three grass species during spring growth for two years as a function of yield increase, thermal age or number of …

Objectives And Benefits Of Molecular Breeding In Forage Species, T. Lübberstedt

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

1. The amount of resources and information provided by forage crop genomic programs has dramatically increased during the past few years.
2. Trait-based forward genetic procedures such as mapping and expression profiling have successfully provided new candidate genes or genome regions affecting forage quality. Respective information can easily be transferred across related forage species.
3. Since several genes in major biochemical pathways related to forage traits have been isolated, gene-based reverse genetic approaches (transformation, association studies) are promising.
4. Most genetic experiments are conducted under simplified "artificial" conditions such as on single-spaced plants. Therefore, transferability of respective genetic information to breeding practice needs to …

Effect Of Additives At Harvest On The Digestibility In Lambs Of Whole Crop Barley Or Wheat Silage, S. Muhonen, I. Olsson, P. Lingvall

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

There are very few published articles about how silage additives affect digestibility of whole crop silage. In this experiment, male lambs were given whole crop barley or wheat silage harvested at dough stage with a number of different acid-based and bacterial additives.