Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Nitrogen And Radiation Use Efficiency In Temperate Pastures For Low Quality Soils, Natalia M. Correa, Jorge O. Scheneiter

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

In the humid pampa of Argentina, tall fescue is used in wet or low fertility soils whereas tall wheatgrass is used in flooded and alkaline environments (Maddaloni y Ferrari 2005). Autumn and winter growth rates are lower than in spring, and higher in tall fescue than in tall wheatgrass. In these species, maximum responses to nitrogen (N) fertilization occurs when it is done at the end of winter, but livestock farmers sometimes fertilize swards in late summer with the aim to get more forage in late autumn and winter. Due to the characteristics of the environments to which they adapt …

Effect Of Nitrogen Fertiliser Applications On Botanical Composition, Lydia R. Turner, Daniel J. Donaghy, Keith G. Pembleton, Richard P. Rawnsley

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The diminishing returns associated with nitrogen (N) fertiliser use over time are well recognised, as are the detrimental effect to the environment of excess N fertiliser use (Eckard 1998). However, many Tasmanian dairy farmers apply continually high rates of N fertiliser (e.g. in excess of 500 kg/ha annually) to minimise risk associated with variable pasture dry matter (DM) yields, and this often occurs at the expense of white clover populations within the pasture (Frame 1990; Frame et al. 1998). The responses of botanical composition and perennial ryegrass DM yields to N fertiliser application rate were investigated in the …

Carbohydrate To Protein Ratio In Perennial Ryegrass: Effects Of Defoliation Stage And Nitrogen Rate, Pablo A. Loaiza, Oscar A. Balocchi, Annick Bertrand, Ignacio F. López

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

In intensive grass-based systems, perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L) grazed at early stages has a high crude protein content (CP) and low water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) relative to animal requirements. This imbalance leads to low nitrogen (N) use efficiency and a large loss of N excreted to the environment (Dijkstra et al. 2011). Previous research has shown the importance of the WSC:PC ratio as a useful factor that determines the improvement of the animal’s performance in terms of nitrogen utilization (Cosgrove et al. 2007). However, little is known about how the management of defoliation at specific growth …

Effect Of Organic Nitrogen Levels On N Fixation In Pea-Barley Mixture, H. W. Lee, J. D. Kim, C. H. Kim

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

One limitation in organic farming is short supply of forage. Organic fertilizer including cattle manure is overproduced in Korea but farmers are reluctant to use these kinds of resources because of heavy weight and handling cost. Legumes are of crucial importance for the N supply of grassland farming. They convert atmospheric dinitrogen (N₂) to plant available N through symbiosis. Information on N₂ fixation and transfer is lacking in Asian countries with a lot of results coming from EU and America. The objective of this report was to estimate potential N fixation and determine related benefits from intercropping …

Rhizobium-White Clover Symbiosis And Nitrogen Fixation Along A Soil Organic Carbon Gradient, Pieter A. Swanepoel, Philip R. Botha, Wayne F. Truter, A. Karen J. Surridge-Talbot, Alicia Van Der Merwe

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Sustainable cultivated pasture production in the southern Cape region of South Africa requires management practices that will support soil quality (Swanepoel and Botha 2012). Soil organic carbon (C_org) sequestration is regarded as one of the most important ways to promote soil quality. Dairy farmers in the southern Cape attempt to increase C_org by following minimum-tillage practices. These irrigated dairy-pastures require high levels of nitrogen (N) to maintain highly productive pastures. Nitrogen fertilisers have be-come very expensive and severely strain profitability of these dairy-pastures. Forage legumes are frequently incorporated into the grass pastures to overcome economic and environmental …

Nutrient Composition And Flux In A Semi-Arid Grazing Land Of Southern India, K. Karunaichamy, K. Paliwal

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The distribution and cycling of minerals in various compartments of the ecosystem form one of the important aspects of ecosystem study. The uptake of nutrients through the root system and their release via litter and root decomposition depends upon a number of factors including the species, growth and stage of maturity. The semi-arid grazing land ecosystem at Madurai has developed under short evolutionary grazing histories and low moisture regimes, in which grazing pressure has had dramatic effects on the plant community and biomass (Karunaichamy 1992). The biological cycle includes circulation of nutrients between soil and biotic communities by the phenomena …

Use Of Monsoon Herbage (Amaranthus Spp.) In Complete Feed Block For Sheep Feeding, R. S. Bhatt, A. Sahoo, S. K. Sankhyan

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Favourable climatic condition and faster vegetation growth during monsoon season leads to abundance of forage production, which remained mostly unutilized by the grazing herbivores. Chaulai (Amaranthus spp) is one of the local green biomass that grows very fast after first monsoon shower and is not preferably grazed in comparison to other available grazing resources during monsoon. A huge quantity (dry biomass yield of approximately 10-15 Q/ha) of this biomass is therefore gone waste in due course, not being harvested or utilized. This plant is quite rich in protein (CP 10-14%) with succulent leaves and tender stems and has varying palatability …

Effects Of Tropical Legume (Stylosanthes Cv. Campo Grande) Silage And Dietary Protein Levels On Animal Performance Of Finishing Beef Cattle, Leandro Diego Da Silva, Odilon G. Pereira, Thiago C. Da Silva, Sebastião De C. Valadares Filho, Karina G. Ribeiro

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Recently, the interest in legume silage for livestock systems has increased in tropical countries (Heinritz et al., 2012) because of the high inclusion of the protein sources in the concentrate used in feedlot diets, like soybean meal. Stylosanthes cv. Campo Grande was developed in Brazil and this cultivar has a good adaptation to tropical conditions, as soils with low fertility and high acidity (Fernandes et al., 2005). Recently, this legume has been indicated for silage making because of its nutritional value and previous results with beef cattle have showed similar performance and digestibility in comparison with corn silage (Souza …

Effect Of Feeding Whole Crop Barley Silage On Growth Performance, Carcass Trait And Meat Quality Of Hanwoo Steer, Ki-Choon Choi, Won-Ho Kim, Soundarrajan Ilavenil

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Hanwoo steers are one of the major sources of meat, required for increasing consumer demands in Korea, Japan, and China. Beef contained high levels of saturated fat, and it contains appreciable quantities of linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. Optimum growth can obtain with appropriate combination of concentrate and forage. Fattening of Hanwoo on concentrate-based feeds resulted in faster, more efficient growth and heavier carcasses. However, feed costs represent the largest single variable in beef production in Korea and Japan. The grass is generally the cheapest source of feed available for beef production, which provides high yields with quality …

The Effects Of Tithonia Diversifolia On Dairy Cow Performance, Rafael S. Ribeiro, Sylvia Rocha E Silveira, Joao Paulo Sacramento, Gilberto Debortoli Delarota, Danielle Storino De Freitas, Rogerio M. Mauricio, Thierry Ribeiro Tomich, Luiz G. R. Pereira, Alexandre Vieira Chaves, Stephanie Amelia Terry

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Southeast, South and Central West are the main milk producing regions in the Brazil. Especially in the states of Minas Gerais, Goias and Sao Paulo, the tropical climate is very characteristic, with hot and rainy summers, and dry winters. Dry winters in these states are characterized by scarcity of pasture herbage mass, which directly influence the volume of milk produced.

The high volume of milk produced in summer and low volume of milk produced in winter (i.e. seasonality of production which is about 20% of total milk volume) directly affects dairy farmers by reducing its revenue during dry winters …

Stylosanthes Cv. Campo Grande In Diets Of Beef Cattle: Intake And Digestibility Of Nutrients And Ruminal Fermentation, Thiago C. Da Silva, Felipe Xavier Amaro, Odilon G. Pereira, Felipe X. Amaro, Paula G. F. Duarte, Leidy D. A. Rufino, Augusto M. Corrêa, Karina G. Ribeiro, Sebastião De C. Valadares Filho

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Recent studies have shown that it is possible to obtain well-fermented silages from tropical legumes (Heinritz et al., 2012). Souza et al. (2014) concluded that Stylosanthes cv. Campo Grande silage (StS); (Stylosantes capitata + S. macrocephala), when included in the proportion of 50% dietary dry matter (DM), could replace corn silage in diets of feedlot beef cattle without altering intake and performance.

However, there is a lack of information about increasing proportion of StS that should be included in diets for beef cattle. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the intake and digestibility of nutrients, …

An R Package To Compute The Energy Balance For Ruminants Under Both Grazing And Pen-Fed Conditions, Taro Takahashi, Karl Behrendt, David R. Kemp

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Grassland degradation is a serious environmental problem around the world, with off-site impacts of soil erosion affecting wider communities beyond those engaging in livestock farming (Kemp and Michalk, 2007). In order to operationalise an alternative farming system that is beneficial to both producers and the ecological environment, the energy and nutritional demands for animal production must be met, either through grassland production, supplementary feeding or the combination of the two, in an efficient manner (Kemp et al., 2013). The use of specialized biophysical models to estimate the energy balance of livestock is a well-proven solution to find such an economically …

Improving Livestock Production Assuring Natural Grassland Ecosystem Conservation: Three Key Management Practices At Farm Level, Oscar Blumetto, Santiago Scarlato, Andrés Castagna, Guadalupe Tiscornia, Andrea Ruggia, Gerónimo Cardozo

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Ecosystem changes by human activities are a central topic in environmental discussions and temperate grasslands are among the most altered ecosystems on the planet (Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005). The Rio de la Plata grasslands are among of the most extended temperate grasslands in the world, along with the prairie system of North America, the grasslands in east Europe and Mongolia, the grassvelds in South Africa and the New Zealand plains. They cover the central-eastern part of Argentina, Uruguay and south of Brazil. Natural grasslands are very rich in terms of number of species, reaching up to more than 3,000 vascular …

Assessment Of Animal Palatability For Domestic Developed Italian Ryegrass Lolium Multiflorum Lam. In South Korea, Jong-Geun Kim, Hyung-Soo Park, Han-Jong Ko, Jong-Sung Jeong, Meing-Joong Kim

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

About 5.6 million tons of forage were consumed in ruminant animals in Korea. But, most of them were supplied in rice straw (2 million ton) and more than one million ton of forage was imported from oversea. As a matter of fact, the self-sufficiency rate of high quality forage was 44 % (2.5 million ton). The research institute had started breeding programs of forage varieties (orchardgrass, Tall fescue and Italian ryegrass), Their remarkable breeding program resulted in release of a synthetic species Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) which was more cold-tolerant, much higher yielding than introduced varieties and more …

Milk Production In Goats On Veld Hay Supplemented With Selected Legume Forages, Katsande Simbarashe, Joseph J. Baloyi, F. V. Nherera-Chokuda, N. T. Ngongoni

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Alternative affordable sources of feed such as forage legumes that provide protein, vitamins and mineral elements, which are lacking in mature natural grassland pastures, especially during the dry season (Baloyi et al. 2008), can be an option. The high protein content of these legumes suggests that they have high potential for use as protein supplements in goat feeding. However, there is need for an in-depth study of the utilization of different legume forages for milk production in goats. Gusha et al. (2014) reported that supplementing with legume hays could improve poor quality roughage intake in goats. Snyman (2010) observed lower …

The Use Of Digestate As Fertilizer: Effect On Cocksfoot Productivity And Total Energy Input, Vita Tilvikienė, Žydrė Kadžiulienė, Zenonas Dabkevičius

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The financial viability of bioenergy production is mostly influenced by the productivity and quality of the biomass (Lehtomäki et al. 2011; Šiaudinis et al. 2012. Biogas which is an important form of bioenergy, is composed of methane and carbon dioxide produced from the anaerobic digestion of organic raw materials. To maximize the economic value of the anaerobic digestion process, both biogas and digestate should be efficiently utilized.

The energy input for grass grown specifically for biogas production ranges from 4.1 to 24.5 GJ/ha (Kryževičienė et al. 2005; Navickas et al. 2006; Navickas et al. 2011) …

Carbon And Nitrogen Stocks In Integrated Crop Livestock, Valdinei T. Paulino, Erika M. L. C. Teixeira, Marcos Siqueira Neto

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Soil organic matter (SOM) is recognized as an important characteristic of sustainable agricultural systems in the tropics and temperate regions. It is considered an integrated characteristic of physical, chemical and biological soil conditions and has been used as a soil quality index in different land uses and management practices (Lal 2011). Environmental, social, and financial imbalances have occurred, requiring producers to become more efficient. A system of intercropping grain crops with forages can provide enough forage in the dry season to maintain nutritional quality of livestock and even promote weight gain (Castro Filho et al. 1991). An integrated crop-livestock system …

The Mineral Nutrients Content And The Organic Manure Quality Appraisal For The Stylosanthes Green Manure, Guo-Dao Liu, Dong-Fen Huang, Xi Wen, Chang-Jun Bai, Dao-Geng Yu, Heng-Fu Huan

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Stylo (Stylosanthes spp.) is a leguminous crop planted widely in the world tropics. In the past the stylo was commonly used as pasture with high quality, and was less used as a green manure. However, stylo is recently used more as a green manure in tropical plantations. As there is little relevant research on the organic manure quality for stylo, the purpose of this research was to evaluate the quality of stylo green manure. Selection of stylo green manure with the highest quality was based on the analysis of nutrients and organic matter content in stylo.

Influence Of Stocking Rate, Grazing Season Length And Dairy Cow Genetic Strain On The Nitrogen Balance Of Grass Based Dairy Production Systems, Deirdre Hennessy, Willie Ryan, Laurence Shalloo

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Stocking rate (SR), grazing season (GS) length and Holstein-Friesian (HF) strain can have a profound effect on the productivity of grass-based milk production systems. The optimum SR is that which gives the maximum sustainable economic output of product per unit area. Increasing SR increases output per ha, but also requires increased inputs of feed and fertilizer. Increasing the proportion of grazed grass utilized for milk production improves the economic sustainability of the system (Dillon et al. 2008). Nitrogen (N) use efficiency is one of the key drivers of environmentally and economically sustainable agricultural production systems. Achieving the optimum balance …

Urinary Recovery Of Dicyandiamide (Dcd) Pulse-Dosed Into The Rumen Of Non-Lactating Dairy Cows, And The Effects Of Applying Urine With Dcd To Lysimeters On Nitrous Oxide And Nitrate Leaching In Ireland, Patrick J. O’Connor, Eva Lewis, Helen Slattery, Deirdre Hennessy

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Urine excreted by dairy cows is a source of nitrogen (N) to the sward. The N content of urine is high, up to 1000 kg N/ha and is usually in excess of sward requirements. Surplus N is usually lost through a number of pathways including nitrate (NO₃^-) leaching and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Dicyandiamide (DCD), a nitrification inhibitor, has been shown to reduce NO₃^- leaching and N₂O emissions when applied as a fine particle suspension (FPS) to grazed paddocks. The objectives of the study were to: (1) quantify the recovery of DCD in …

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 (1993-2023)

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 …

Leaching Of Nitrate From A Grassland Field, Abdulfatah F. Aboufayed

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Agricultural activities are the major cause of non-point pollution. Mechanization of agriculture, artificial fertilizer use and overall intensification of farming has played a major role in the increased incidence of pollution by agricultural activities. Carton et al. (2006) reported the effects of agricultural practices on nitrate leaching from an intensively managed dairy farm and showed that mean concentrations of nitrate nitrogen in the groundwater beneath the farm during the two monitoring years exceeded the maximum admissible concentration (MAC) for drinking water. While average nitrate nitrogen concentration in soil water were less than MAC, there was a trend for increased nitrogen …

Soil Phosphate Solubilising Bacteria Of The Okavango Floodplains, Botswana, Tabo Mubyana-John, Lawrence Tarupiwa, Wellington R. L. Masamba, Susan Ringrose

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Phosphorus although abundant is among the most limiting macro plant nutrients in some soils. Deficiencies are often seen as purpling of leaves due to unavailability of PO₄ in soil solution. In soil solution PO₄ solubility is pH dependent; at pH < 6, it is often bound to Fe or Al, while at pH > 7 it forms insoluble complexes with Ca, Mg, K or Na making it unavailable to plants (Brady 2002). Soil organic P requires mineralisation then solubilisation by the enzyme phosphatase before being available. Botswana soils due to the low rainfall (< 450 mm/yr) are characterised by high pH and salt pans scattered all over the semi-arid and arid landscape. Cultivation of most of these soils often results in P deficient crops (Leuschner and Manthe 1996). However, in grassland areas of the Okavango, very few grasses show P deficiency. Studies from other areas indicate that some grasses habour PO₄ solubilizing bacteria in their rhizosphere that help them in their P sequencing quest (Duponnois et al. …

Should Native Pastures Be Fertilised?, Jo I. Powells, Doug J. Alcock, Luke C. Pope, Denys Garden

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Considerable research has been conducted in recent years demonstrating the ongoing benefits of phosphorus (P) fertiliser in achieving and maintaining higher levels of production from native pastures (Graham 2006; Garden et al. 2003; Lodge et al. 2003; Michalk et al. 2003). However Garden et al. (2003), Hill et al. (2004) and Dorrough et al. (2008) all question the sustainability of this practice by highlighting changes in species composition of these pastures with regard to increasing the introduced annual grass and broadleaf weed components at the expense of the native grasses and forbs but in …

Humic Products–Potential Or Presumption For Agriculture. Do Humic Products Have A Place In Australian Grazing Enterprises?, Kim L. Billingham

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Australian soils are inherently low in organic matter. Agricultural practices have compounded this problem. As farmers look for more sustainable farming methods a commercial niche has opened for a range of alternative products including the humic products. More than 200 humic products are manufactured and sold by Australian companies (Billingham 2012). Many more can be purchased via overseas websites.

The term ‘humic products’ denotes a range of materials derived from lignites (brown coals), peats, lignins, composts and other organic wastes. Most are manufactured by alkali and acid extraction of the source material. Humic products are usually sold as soil amendments …

Efficient Use Of Phosphorus In Temperate Grassland Systems, Richard J. Simpson, Alan E. Richardson, Shirley N. Nichols, James R. Crush

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Phosphorus (P) fertilisers are important for high production in many grassland systems. However, there are increasing environmental, economic and strategic issues associated with using P, which is a non-renewable and “effectively finite” global resource. We review the P balance of temperate pastures to identify the factors that contribute to inefficient P use and discuss ways to improve P use efficiency. The most immediate gains can be made by ensuring that pastures are not over-fertilised. Plants with low critical P requirements, particularly as a result of better root foraging, will be important. Root traits such as fine roots (root diameter), branching, …

Petrology, Physicochemical And Thermal Analyses Of Selected Cretaceous Coals From The Benue Trough Basin In Nigeria, S. A. Akinyemi, O. F. Adebayo, B. B. Nyakuma, A. K. Adegoke, O. A. Aturamu, O. A. Olaolorun, A. Adetunji, James C. Hower, Madison M. Hood, A. Jauro

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty and Staff Publications

Abundant coal resources that were previously neglected due to a crude oil boom need revitalisation and integration into the national electricity mix to address the energy demands of the Nigerian population. Selected coal samples from the Benue Trough sedimentary basin in Nigeria were examined by various techniques, including proximate and ultimate analyses, organic petrography, Fourier transform infrared ray spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Based on vitrinite reflectance, the Lafia-Obi (OLB), Garin Maiganga (GMG), Imiegba (IMG), and Okaba (OKB) coals are classified as subbituminous, while the Lamja1 (LMJ1), Lamja2 (LMJ2) and Chikila (CHK) coals are high volatile B bituminous. The Enugu (ENG) …

Nitrogen Management In Grasslands And Forage-Based Production Systems–Role Of Biological Nitrification Inhibition (Bni), Guntur V. Subbarao, Idupulapati M. Rao, K. Nakahara, Y. Ando, K. L. Sahrawat, T. Tesfamariam, J. C. Lata, S. Boudsocq, J. W. Miles, Manabu Ishitani, M. Peters

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Nitrogen (N), being the most critical and essential nutrient for plant growth, largely determines the productivity in both extensive- and intensive- grassland systems. Nitrification and denitrification processes in the soil are the primary drivers generating reactive-N: NO₃^-, N₂O, and NO, and is largely responsible for N-loss and degradation of grasslands. Suppressing nitrification can thus facilitate the retention of soil-N to sustain long-term productivity of grasslands and forage-based production systems. Certain plants can suppress soil nitrification by releasing inhibitors from roots, a phenomenon termed ‘biological nitrification inhibition’ (BNI). Recent methodological developments (e.g. bioluminescence assay …

Assessment Of Drought Resistance For 17 Alfalfa Varieties At The Seedling Stage, Lin Meng, Peichun Mao, Qiang Guo

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Alfalfa is a crop of relative water demand, and the good quality, the high and stable yield could be obtained directly depending on water supplies and strong or weak drought resistance ability of alfalfa cultivars (Geng 1995; Chen and Jia 2000). To guide steady and effectively development of alfalfa industrialization in the arid and semi-arid regions of China, we systematically selected the excellent drought resistant alfalfa cultivars, and then identified and assessed their drought resistant capacity. In this study, a pot experiment was conducted by simulating drought stress in a greenhouse to assess the drought resistance of seventeen alfalfa cultivars …

Effect Of Forage Brassica On Subsequent Soil Water Content And Yield Of Dual-Purpose Winter Wheat In Rainfed Region Of Northwestern China, Yuanbo Liu, Lihua Tian, Qingping Zhang, Yuying Shen

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The dual-purpose performance of winter wheat used for both forage and grain production has been explored as an alternative practice for filling the feed gap during winter and spring in agricultural areas of the Loess Plateau. Profit-ability is still restricted however, because of a three month summer fallow period between harvest and planting of the subsequent wheat crop. During this 3 month period 60% of the annual precipitation occurs, limiting the effective use of soil water and compounding the risk of soil erosion. Thus it is important to cultivate some forage crops with higher water consumption, protecting the ecological environment …