Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

Closing Address: The View From Outside, Allan Nation

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Closing Address

The Xvii International Grassland Congress And Challenges For The Future Of Tropical Grasslands: A Developing Country Perspective, W S. Alhassan

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

All too soon we are to draw down the curtains on the XVIII International Grassland Congress and it is my pleasure and honour to contribute to the closing statements of this historic event, the first of its kind in Canada and one to bring us to the end of the present millennium as we as set the stage for the next. I do this on behalf of my colleagues in Africa, Asia and South America.

The thirty themes and the nearly 2000 technical presentations underscore the growing complexity of the role of our grasslands in shaping the general well-being of …

Congress Highlights From Perspective Of Temperate Regionsr, R J. Wilkins

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This paper commences with brief reference to points made in the concluding paper at the XVI International Grassland Congress in Nice in 1989 (Wilkins, 1989) and then gives consideration in turn to technical advances reported in the Congress and to the future socio­ economic situation and its impact on research priorities. This is inevitably a personal view which does not give justice to the 800 or so papers presented at the Congress.

Forage And Animal Management Systems On Communal Rangelands In Arid And Semi-Arid Regions, Panjab Singh, A N. Ghosh

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasslands and savannas, which comprise about 25% of the earth's land surface, are undergoing constant degradation, particularly in ar d and semi-arid regions. The rangeland resource is constantly sinking mainly because of its conversion to crop land, leaving farmer and pastorilist vulnerable to environmental extremes. This Paper presents the existing situation and the herbage and animal Product biomass of these regions. Climate and its impact on the Vegetation are discussed. Prevalent systems of rangeland use by sedentary and nomadic herdsman are considered and the constraints 0 the system are enumerated. Livestock 'rearing has been the most important occupation in these …

Wheat Response To Foliar-Applied Phosphorus Is Determined By Soil Phosphorus Buffering, Raj Malik, Craig Scanlan, Andrew Van Burgel, Balwinder Singh

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

In no-till cropping systems, banding of phosphorus (P) fertiliser at seeding results in low use efficiency due to chemical reactions in soil. Foliar P has the potential to allow grain producers to respond tactically with P application after sowing when P supply from soil and fertiliser is not meeting crop demand. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of foliar P on wheat grain yield, grain quality, biomass yield, P uptake and P use efficiency indices. Nine field experiments were conducted to investigate the response of wheat to foliar P. Three rates of P, 0, 2.5 and …

Autumn Grass Growth- The Effect Of Rest Interval, R Neilan, E G. O'Riordan, G Keane

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The effect of closing dates (Experiment 1: August 1, August 14 and September 18) and grass regrowth interval (Experiment 2) on herbage yield in the autumn/winter and in the following spring were investigated on a previously grazed Lolium perenne sward. In Experiment 1, similar yields were obtained for the August 1 and August 14 closing. Yields decreased and the proportion of dead material increased from 0.19 to 0.61 between mid-October and late- December. In Experiment 2, dry matter yield increased linearly (P < 0.05) with rest interval up to 7 wks in swards closed in September. There was no significant yield advantage for rest intervals greater than 5-6 wks. It is concluded that accumulated autumn and spring yields showed increased DM production with the shorter regrowth intervals.

Improving Pasture Composition Increases Wool Returns In Eucalypt Woodlands, T J. Hall, R G. Silcock, J J. Sevil, J R. Van Der Meulen

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A sheep grazing experiment in red earth Eucalypt country on semiarid pastures dominated by either Gayndah buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) or wiregrass (Aristida jerichoensis) quantified liveweight, wool production and quality, and financial returns. Wethers were grazed at 0.32 and 0.6 ha/sheep. In year 1 there was no significant effect of either stocking rate or pasture type on liveweight or wool growth rate. Vegetable fault was greater in the fleeces from the wiregrass. The sheep grazing buffel grew better than those on wiregrass when stocking rates were doubled in year 2, while pasture yields remained high. The …

Responses Of Artemisia Herba-Alba Asso. And Its Associated Species To Grazing Frequency (Midelt, Morocco), M Mejjati Alami, O Berkat, C Bensalem

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The objective of this study (conducted in 1994) was to assess the effects of season and grazing frequency (control, continuous, intermittent during 2 days per week) on vegetation attributes, and animal feeding behavior. Mean standing crop, for which Artemisia herba alba contributed 72%, attained 533 for the control while it was maintained at 394 and 322 Kg DM/ha, for the continuous and the intermittent grazing, respectively. Mean productivity of Artemisia herba alba varied according to treatment and had values of 5.3, 3.0 and 2.5 Kg DM/ha/day, under the ungrazed control, the continuous and the intermittent grazing regimes, respectively. Percent utilization …

Grazing Management Of An Italian Ryegrass Sward With Dairy Sheep In The Mediterranean Environment, M Sitzia, P P. Roggero, N Fois, G Molle

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A grazing experiment was conducted in North-West Sardinia with the aim of testing the sward height as a mean to set up an efficient spring management of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.). Three fields were continuously grazed during spring 1992 by three groups of 12 dairy Sarda ewes, at three different sward heights (SH): 30 - 60 - 90 mm. The target sward height was obtained by continuously adjusting the field sizes. The results showed that the different grazing managements influenced the above ground biomass production and partitioning of the Italian ryegrass and the animal performances. During the vegetative …

Estimation Of Herbage Intake Of High Producing Milking Cows Under Intensive Grazing With A Supplementary Feeding Method In Northern Japan, K Ohiai, K Sudo, T Ikeda, T Honma

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The objective of this study was to estimate the herbage intake and to assess a supplementary feeding method for high producing milk cows under intensive grazing. Eight high producing milking cows were grazed rotationally on perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L) dominant mixed pasture and on meadow fescue (Festuca elatior L) dominant mixed pasture, changing rotation period and grazing area ccording to seasonal pasture growth rate. Pasture intakes were estimated to be about 2% of body weight by TDN requirements estimation of animals. A supplementary feeding method is examined to be proper for high producing milking cows under …

Palatability Of Grasses And Grazing On Hungarian Grassland, Z Barcsak, I Kertesz, L Szeman

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasslands provide the most basic and cheapest forage diet for cattle. The palatability studies were carried out on pure and mixed swards sown in 1990 on the GATE experimental farm. The studies involved the following 12 species: Lolium perenne, Trifolium repens, Festuca arundinacea, Festuca rubra, Poa pratensis, Festuca pratensis, Bromus inermis, Phalaris arundinacea, Lotus corniculatus, Agropyron crystatum, Dactylis glomerata and a mixed sward. During the study the morning and afternoon grazings were investigated with the involvement of 60 Limousin cattle. The following observations were made: 1. On the basis of our ethological observations regarding the bite rates the animals found …

Selective Sheep Grazing In An Heterogeneous Wheatgrass Dominated Pasture Related To Stocking Rate, G L. Siffredi, M A. Brizuela, M S. Cid, C Cangiano

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

It has been hypothesized that patch and community selection are driven by forage quality and/or quantity. We assess the relationship between vegetation characteristics and community and patch selection by sheep under continuous grazing at different stocking rates in an heterogeneous pasture. Our results suggest that when communities strongly differed in nutritive value sheep recurrently select the higher quality community in spite of its low biomass. However, sheep do not completely exclude the poorer quality community, generating a patchy vegetation pattern.

Grazing Management Of Elephant-Grass For Milk Production, F Deresz, L L. Matos

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The objectives of these experiments were to study the effects of three resting periods (RP) of elephant-grass pasture on milk production and composition of Holstein-Zebu cows. These trials were carried out during two consecutive rainy seasons (December to May) using 24 cows in each year. They were randomly assigned by blocks according to milk yield and live weight (LW) to four treatments: 30- day RP with no concentrate (30N), 30-day RP with concentrate (30C), 36 and 45-day RP with C (36C and 45C) in the first year. In the second year the treatments were: 30C, 30N, 36N and 45N. Concentrate …

Comparison Of Yield, Forage Quality And Persistence Of 11 Grasses Grown With Irrigation In A Semi-Arid Climate, D E. Glover, G A. Kielly, R H. Cohen, P G. Jefferson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Nutritive quality of many grass species used for forage in the Northern Great Plains of Canada and the United States is not well documented, especially at different maturity stages. This study compared agronomic and forage quality characteristics of eleven grasses common to Saskatchewan. Botanical separation and quality analysis was undertaken at three growth stages. Meadow Brome (Bromus riparius), Russian Wildrye (Psathyrostachys juceus) and Altai Wildrye (Elymus angustus) were shown to have high leaf to stem ratios which corresponded with high protein levels. Separations showed persistence of Reed Canarygrass (Phalaris arudinaceus), Creeping Foxtail …

The Effect Of Grazing On Leaf Development In Eight Grass Species, H A. Lardner, S.B M. Wright, R H. Cohen

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grazing by herbivores affects grass species both morphologically and physiologically. A grazing study was conducted on an irrigated pasture near Outlook, Saskatchewan, Canada during the summers of 1991 and 1992 to determine morphological development of regrowth of reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.), slender wheatgrass (Elymus trachycaulus (Link) Gould ex Shinners subsp. trachycaulus), intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkw. & D.R. Dewey subsp. intermedium), orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), meadow bromegrass (Bromus beibersteinii Roem. & Schult.), smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea (Schreb.) Wimm.) and timothy (Phleum pratense L.) in order to …

The Effect Of Slurry And Dirty Water Application To Swards On Grazing Behaviour In Dairy Cows, S Danby, J A. Laws, P D. Penning, B F. Pain, E Owen

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In preference tests using pairs of turves in boxes (treated and control), dairy cows were more averse to surface spread than shallow injected slurry and more averse to slurry than dirty water. Effects of slurry persisted for up to 6 weeks, with fewer bites and less herbage removed from treated swards compared to control swards. Aversion to slurry may be decreased by injection. Effects of dirty water persisted for only 14 days.

Applications Of Height-Based Grazing Management In Mixed Swards, A Singh, J E. Johnston, E A. Clark

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grazing efficiency and livestock performance were compared on swards rotationally grazed down to either 50 or 100 mm for three years. With a fixed entry height of 200-250 mm, standing swards of mixed grasses and white clover (Trifolium repens L.) were stratified into 50 mm vertical layers both pre- and post-grazing. Through four or five cycles of grazing each year for three years, a fixed entry height range stabilized total standing herbage at 3250 to 3690 kg OM ha-1. Organic matter on-offer above 100 mm was 36, 45, and 43% of total standing herbage in the three years, compared …

Ingestive Behavior Of Fistulated And Intact Sheep Grazing Grass And Legumes Indoors And Outdoors, Y M. Gong, J Hodgson, M G. Lambert

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Components of short-term ingestive behaviour were recorded for fistulated and intact sheep grazing turves in indoor crates, and for esophageal-fistulated sheep grazing swards in situ in outdoor cages. Perennial ryegrass, orchard grass and white clover at vegetative and reproductive growth stages were offered to the sheep. Bite weight, depth, area and volume did not differ between sheep grazing indoors and outdoors, nor between intact and fistulated sheep. Bite rate of fistulated sheep was slower indoors than outdoors (25.3 versus 32.1 bites/min), and intact sheep had a higher biting rate (36.7 versus 25.3 bites/min) than fistulated sheep. Bite weight was over-estimated …

Dairy Production From Pasture In Southern China, P.N P. Matthews, J Hodgson, A.C P. Chu, W L. Jiang, C B. Luo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This paper covers the development of dairy production systems as part of the UNDP funded Agro-grasslands Systems Development Project in Guizhou Province, China. The basic philosophy for the project was for local adaptation of New Zealand technology for developing dairy production systems based on pastures. The dairy production systems were established and the outputs of the project successfully achieved. Net incomes of smallholder farmers increased from a baseline of RMB $140 to RMB $1740 per annum over a three year period. Based on the experienced gained in setting up these systems local researchers, administrators, extension personnel and smallholders were able …

Trace Mineral Status Of Beef Cattle Grazing Semiarid Rangelands Of North Mexico, J R. Kawas, G T. Armienta, E Olivares, O Torress, J J. Kawas, F Garza

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Trace mineral concentrations of soil, forage and serum of range cattle of the northeast Mexico state of Nuevo Leon were determined in both wet and dry seasons of 1992. For each season, collections were made at twenty-four ranches within eleven counties of three regions. A total of 220 soil, 680 forage and 220 blood samples were collected and analyzed. No differences (P<0.05) between regions were obtained for Zinc (28.0 to 34.9 ppm) or Copper (4.4 to 5.4 ppm). Molybdenum concentrations were greater in the northern (2.1 ppm) than in the central (1.6 ppm) or southern (1.5 ppm) regions. Considering the critical levels in forages for Zinc (30 ppm) and Copper (10 ppm) reported by the National Research Council (1984), Zinc concentrations may be marginally deficient, whereas Copper concentrations were deficient in all three regions, in both seasons, and in grasses and woody species.