Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

The Importance Of Ley Farming For Improving The Forage Basis Of Tropical Africa, V A. Oyenuga

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The concept and practice of including short­duration pasture mixtures or leys in agricultural rotations, particularly for intensive livestock production, are of recent development in tropical Africa. Although mixed farming -the keeping of animals for farm work, producing farmyard manure for the maintenance of soil fertility, and rearing of dairy cows to produce milk for household use - was first introduced as an organized system of settled farming in Nigeria in 1922, intensive animal husbandry, based on intensively maintained pasture mix­tures, be it on a small or large scale, is still in the process of widespread development in many parts of …

The Grassland Of Africa: Classification, Production Evolution And Development Outlook, H N. Le Houerou

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasslands in the broader meaning, i.e. grazing lands, occupy huge areas in Africa, prob­ably in the vicinity of 10 million km2 (1000 million hectares), of which some 800 million hectares of permanent pastures and 200 mil­lion hectares of grazed woodland and open forest. There are also some 210 million hectares of crops and fallows most of which are grazed for part of the annual cycle. These African grasslands thus represent 7.5 % of the world's total land surface and 1/3 of its total acreage of grassland; they also corre­spond to 33 % of the surface of the continent, the remainder …

Pasture Possibilities In The Tropics, Fernando Perez Infante

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Frnm an academic viewpoint, only biological aspects of pasture possibilities in the Tropics are considered in this paper. In spite of being an important . part of these possibilities, no mention would be made of a fundamental aspect, i.e. the one related to the people living in the Tropics and the ways in which they could make use of the potentials offered by their pastures to improve their living conditions. Thus when we come to consider "possibilities", it is not only a question of solving technical problems, but there are also economic and cultural factors which must be kept in …

Management Of Arid Pastures, Cyrus M. Mckell, Don D. Dwyer

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Arid pasture, natural grazing land, or rangeland are synonymous terms used to describe the extensive areas of open, non-cultivated arid lands over which domestic livestock and wildlife roam in search of feed. These lands are characteristically low in productivity and if managed, the level of management is extensive and based on ecological principles. The term rangeland originated in the United States of America and is gradually gaining usage in other countries to differentiate between intensively managed pastures of humid and sub-humid regions, and the open steppes, deserts, shrub­lands and dry non-commercial forested lands which, in addition to grazing, provide non­consumptive …

New Objectives And Modern Methods Of Forage Grass Breeding In The German Democratic Republic, Heinrich Baudis

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The objectives of forage grass breeding in the GDR are derived from the social development processes which, in socialist agriculture, find their expression in further intensification, concentration and spezialization of plant and animal production. New aspects which have been recognized only recently, for example, positive response to intensification measures, suitability for industrialized production me­thods, increased yield stability and improved quality in addition to a higher yielding poten­tial, have the decisive say in the breeding tar­gets. The most important traits and properties from the breeder's point of view are dealt with in detail. Explanations on practical breeding work and on some …

Possibilities Of Dry Matter Production From Forage Plants Under Different Climatic Conditions, Th Alberda

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

On the basis of the gross photosynthesis of closed green grass swards the net potential dry herbage production of permanent pastures is calculated for the climatic and soil conditions for the so-called broad soil regions and summa­rized per continent. The values thus obtained form the upper level of dry herbage production to be reached on the prevailing permanent pas­ture area. Subsequently the minimum level of dry herb­age production is calculated, based on data on the production of marketed secondary prod­ucts as meat and milk. Since not all these secondary products are marketed and since not all the herbage produced is …

The Gene Pool And Its Use In Breeding Grassland Plants, Anna Novoselova

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

1. The gene pool of grassland plants is of great diversity and localized in certain centres of origin where the carriers of germ plasma are concentrated for the most important bio­logical characters and properties of a great variability of species.

2. New intensive varieties for mowing and grazing have been bred by advanced breeding methods and by taking advantage of the gene pool of the most important plant species throughout the world.

3. Wild-growing species were found to have great prospects for opening up soils of poor productivity by mowing and grazing use. They constitute a great reserve of genetic …

The Environment And Population Differences In Anjan Grass (Cenchrus Ciliaris) In Western India, S C. Pandeya

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cenchrus ciliaris (anjan or buffel grass) is a gregarious fodder species with high nutritive value. The species is an inhabitant of drier sandy areas throughout Africa, Canary Island, Madagascar and eastwards to India, where it mostly occurs in western parts of the country, constituting the States of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Hayana and the adjoining portions of Punjab, U ttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh ( called here in as Western India). In Western India, Cen­chrus ciliaris (Cc) variously dominates the nat­urally occurring grazing lands exhibiting great morphological variations with respect to habit. and spike characters. The ecoclimate of Western India is arid …

Review Of 50 Years Grassland Farming And Trends Of Development In The Further Intensification Of Forage Production In The German Democratic Republic, Eberhard Wojahn

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This our XIII International Grassland Congress is being held at the invitation of the Govern­ment of the German Democratic Republic following the decision of the XII International Grassland Congress in Moscow in 1974 that this Congress shall be held as a jubilee event here in Leipzig. It is the Jubilee Congress reminding us of the First International Grass­land Congress which was held 50 years ago, during the last days of May, 1927, in this time-honoured University town and centre of world trade. Because of that jubilee character this XIII International Grassland Congress is of very special importance.

Influence Of Feeding On Health And Productivity Of Ruminants, Alexander Sommer

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

As to the utilization of plant matter not suited for direct consumption by man, ruminants are of outstanding importance. This fact is related with the function of their specific stom­ach system. The paper discusses the microbial protein synthesis from NPN compounds. When 50 per cent of digestible crude protein required by fattening cattle were replaced, daily live weight gains of 997 g were reached; beef quality was not affected. Similarly favourable results were obtained with dairy cows when replacing by NPN compounds 50 to 100 per cent of extracted meals. Further on, the problem of crude-fibre diges­tion in connection with …

Soil And Crop Productivity Under On-Farm Vermiculture-Based Farming System At Smallholder Rates In The Sub-Humid Tropics, Felix Matheri, Edward Karanja, David Bautze, Milka Kiboi

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Introduction – Vermiculture-based manures such as vermicompost and its byproducts like vermiculture are gaining importance as viable alternative soil amendments. This is practically feasible, especially in subsistence farming, by replacing common organic and synthetic inputs that are often costly and inaccessible to farmers. However, the effectiveness of vermiculture tea as a sole amendment or in combination with other inputs has not been tested under field conditions. Moreover, its longterm impact on soil and crop productivity has not been established. Methods – We conducted an on-farm field study in farmers' fields to evaluate the effects of sole vermiculture tea (Vermi), in …

Field Trials Report 2025: Wa Farming Systems Project (Daw2204-003rtx), Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Farm Systems and Economics research reports

In 2025 the Western Australian Farming Systems Project continued its program of field trials, from Northampton in the north to Wittenoom Hills in the south, to address our project outputs; investigate diversity within farming systems, evaluate changes in sowing opportunities, identify profitable low greenhouse gas emission options and monitor crown rot following diverse crop sequences.

Impact On Energy Budgets In Grassland Production And Conservation Of Possible Production Of Energy From Biomass Crops, R J. Wilkins

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

There is commonly a conflict between output/unit of area of land and output/unit of support-energy (SE) input. The possibil­ity of using a proportion of the total land area for biomass energy production suggests an approach for calculating grassland out­put/ha unconfounded with differences in SE input. Output can be calculated for an area of land that is devoted to grassland and biomass energy crops in proportions that result in a net demand for SE of zero. Outputs of utilized metabolizable energy (UME) are related to inputs of SE for (1) grazed grass with high application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer and (2) …

Efficiency Of Dairying Under Contrasting Feeding And Management Systems In North America, Israel, Europe, And New Zealand, J.D. J. Scott

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Four different systems of feeding and managing dairy cattle are seen in major milk-producing countries. These are (1) feeding purchased roughages and concentrates to zero-grazed, intensively penned cows; (2) home growing of roughages and most con­centrates for zero-grazed animals; (3) feeding concentrates with conserved pasture and other roughages in winter and reduced concentrates to grazed cattle in spring-summer; and (4) feeding cattle on grazed pasture and conserved pasture throughout the year. The following data on the four systems were obtained from examples in southern California, Wisconsin, England/Wales, and New Zealand. Average fat-corrected milk (FCM)/cow is approximately 7,140, 5,300, 4,670, and …

Potential Contribution Of White Clover To The Economics And Support-Energy Inputs Of Grass-Based Beef-Production Systems, T A. Stewart, R E. Haycock, A S. Laidlaw

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Biological output, gross margins, and efficiency of support-energy usage in an 18-month beef-production system on grass-white clover swards receiving either 50 kg N/ha stocked at 3.3 head/ha (low N) or 300 kg N/ha stocked 4.5 head/ha (high N) were compared. To date, two production cycles (1977-1979 and 1978-1980) at two sites have been completed. Mean live-weight and carcass gains/ha were, respectively, 17.5% and 14% higher from the high-N than from the low-N system. Gross margin/head was higher from the high-N system in the first production cycle but not in the second. In the low-N system as com· pared with the …

An Evaluation Of The Black Walnut- Tall Fescue Pasture-Management System, H E. Garrett, W B. Kurtz

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The economic and biological feasibility. of a black walnut-livestock-grazing multicropping-management regime bas been evaluated for comparison with a similar livestock-management regime conducted in the open. Pure tall fescue plots were established under open and black walnut-shade conditions. Forage yields on a dry-weight basis were estimated for a 3-year period. A concurrent grazing trial was co􀀌ducted on similar sites using 1.2-ha plots. Black walnut seedlings were planted within the plots on a 3 x 12-m spacing and protected from grazing animals by electric fencing. The economic analyses of the alternate grazing systems were based on their respective present net worth and …

Economics Of Renovating Mountain Hay Meadows, J J. Jacobs

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

There are approximately 0.5 million hectares (ha) of irrigated native grass hay in the mountain and intermountain regions of California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. Often these lands are not producing at their full physical or economic potential. The objectives of this study were to identify alternative improvement procedures to increase hay production and to determine the economic feasibility of those alternatives. The principal means of identifying alternative mountain hay-meadow improvement practices and their costs was personal in­terviews with ranchers. The ranchers interviewed were owners and/or operators of mountain ranches in Wyoming who were us­ing or had …

Pasture Demonstration Program For Beef: Economic Considerations, P R. Hasbargen, R H. Craven, N P. Martin

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This study made an economic evaluation of several alternative pasture improvement programs on beef farms in northern Minnesota. Three questions were addressed relative to several pasture improvement systems. These were (1) Will it pay? (2) Is there a cheaper way? and (3) Is there a more profitable system for a particular farm resource situation? Partial budgeting and computerized linear programming techniques were used to analyze pasture cost and return data obtained from several ranches in northern Minnesota. Study results show that rented pastures, when available, provided the cheapest source of additional summer feed, and that legume pastures provide cheaper sources …

Pennsylvania's Alfalfa Growers Program: Four Years Of Success, J E. Baylor, L E. Lanyon, W K. Waters

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is the most important perennial forage legume grown in Pennsylvania. However, yields currently reported by farmers are considerably below what might be expected when all production inputs are utilized. Therefore, a pro­gram was developed (1) to measure how much alfalfa hay, protein, and energy can be pro􀀗uced on 1 ha of Pennsylvania land under nonirrigated conditions, (2) to determine the mineral content and uptake by high-yielding alfalfa crops, and (3) to obtain more realistic on-farm estimates of alfalfa production costs. To achieve the program goals, hay production for each harvest from 2.02-ha farm fields was …

Estimation Of Digestibility Of Legume Forages By Means Of Morphological Parameters, W Kuhbauch

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage quality is normally evaluated by time-consuming and costly laboratory analyses. It appears promising to use mor­phological parameters to evaluate forage quality in alfalfa and red clover. During progressive growth of white clover, red clover, and alfalfa, the leaf and stem portion was separated to determine the fiber fraction according to the Van Soest method and to

estimate digestibility by the procedure of Tilley and Terry. Stem : leaf ratio and stand height as a measure of stem length were used as morphological parameters. Leaves of the three legumes vary only slightly in concentration of cell-wall material and in digestibility …