Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Economic Values For Perennial Ryegrass Traits In New Zealand Dairy Farm Systems, David F. Chapman, Jeremy R. Bryant, Graham A. Kerr, Glenn Judson, Tim Cookson, Grant R. Edwards, William H. Mcmillan

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) is the main species used in dairy pastures throughout New Zealand. There are approximately 30 perennial ryegrass cultivars sold commercially in New Zealand, but currently there is no evaluation system which allows farmers to compare the potential impact of different cultivars on the profitability of their farm business. Such an economic evaluation system requires information on performance values (PV) for cultivars which quantifies their performance with respect to the major productivity traits (herbage accumulation (HA, kg DM/ha), nutritive value and persistence) relative to a genetic base, and economic values (EV, Doyle and Elliott 1983) …

The Variation In Morphological Fractions Of Perennial Ryegrass Cultivars Throughout The Grazing Season And Subsequent Impacts On Organic Matter Digestibility, Marion Beecher, Deirdre Hennessy, Tommy M. Boland, Norann Galvin, Christina Fleming, Mary Mcevoy, Michael O’Donovan, Eva Lewis

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The grass plant is comprised of leaf blades, leaf sheath (pseudostem), true stem and dead material each differing in digestibility and their relative proportions can impact significantly on sward quality. The objective of this study was to determine the change in the proportion and organic matter digestibility (OMD) of leaf, pseudostem, true stem and dead fractions of four perennial ryegrass cultivars throughout a grazing season.

Effect Of Enclosure On Botanical Composition, Forage Biomass And Other Range Productivity Parameters In A Semi-Arid Area Of El-Khuwei Locality, North Kordofan State, Sudan, Mohammed Abdelkreim, Babo Fadlalla

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Animal production in North Kordofan State is mainly traditional depending on natural rangeland (Cook and Fadlalla 1987), (DHP, 1998). The State has an area of about 25 million ha of which 14.5 million ha is rangeland (Africover 2004). It is among the leading Sudanese States in animal and range resources. It contains more than 13 million heads of sheep, goats, camels and cattle (IFAD 2011). This paper deals with the effect of enclosure and stage of maturity on botanical composition, forage biomass production and other range productivity parameters in this semi-arid area.

Immediate And Carryover Effects Of Post-Grazing Sward Height Imposed In Early Spring On Sward And Milk Production, Elodie Ganche, Luc Delaby, Michael O’Donovan, Tommy M. Boland, Emer Kennedy

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

A grazing experiment was undertaken to investigate the immediate and carryover effect of post-grazing sward height (PGH) in early spring on sward and dairy cow production. Ninety Holstein-Friesian spring calving dairy cows were randomly assigned across 3 PGH treatments: 2.7, 3.5 and 4.2 cm from February 14 to April 24, 2011. Following the experimental period animals were managed similarly until the end of the lactation. Grazing to 2.7 cm during the experimental period reduced milk (-159 kg/cow; P < 0.01) and milk solids (-16 kg/cow; P < 0.01) yields and increased BW loss (+13 kg loss; P < 0.05) when compared to the 3.5 and 4.2 cm treatments which performed similarly. Grass utilisation (>2.7 cm) increased (P < 0.001) by decreasing PGH from 4.2 cm (0.74) to 3.5 cm (0.82) and further to 2.7 cm (0.94). During the carryover period (April 24 to November 13), cumulative milk (3542 kg/cow) and milk solids (281 kg/cow) yields did not differ between the experimental treatments. End BW was similar across treatments (503 kg). Total lactation performance of cows grazing to 2.7 cm in spring was -24 kg milk solids (P < 0.05) than the total lactation production of the 3.5 and 4.2 cm treatments (405 kg milk solids) indicating that cows offered a restricted pasture allowance in early lactation do not recover lost production. This study recommends a PGH of 3.5 cm in the first 2 grazing rotations to achieve a compromise between sward utilisation and animal performance in early spring while also ensuring high subsequent lactation milk production.

Dry Season Forages For Improving Dairy Cattle Production In Smallholder Dairy Systems, Jolly Kabirizi, Emma Zziwa, Swidiq Mugerwa, Agnes Namagembe

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Economically feasible strategies for year-round feed supply to dairy cattle are needed to improve feed resource availability, milk yield and household income for the smallholder dairy farming systems that dominate in the rural Eastern and Central African region. Currently, napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) is the major forage in zero-grazing production systems, but production is often constrained. While forage legumes, including Centrosema pubescens and Clitoria ternatea are used to complement napier grass, Brachiaria spp, a new drought tolerant grass, is being introduced. Our results showed that the introduction of drought tolerant forage technologies improved milk yield and household income. …

Systematic Management Of Stocking Rates Improves Performance Of Northern Australian Cattle Properties In A Variable Climate, Lester I. Pahl, Joe C. Scanlan, Giselle L. Whish, Robyn A. Cowley, Neil D. Macleod

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The risks for extensive cattle properties in the rangelands of northern Australia arising from high inter-annual rainfall variability are predominantly managed through adjustments in stocking rates (SR). This modelling study compared the performance of SR strategies that varied considerably in the extent that they adjusted SR annually at three locations in northern Australia. At all locations, land types and pasture condition states, the SR strategies that achieved the best pasture condition were those that least increased and most decreased SR annually in response to changes in forage availability. At Donors Hill (Qld), these conservative strategies also achieved the highest cattle …

Effects Of Grazing Management On Grassland Production And Animal Performance, Yingjun Zhang, W. Q. Chen, D. Huang, Z. Q. Li, Y. P. Rong

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Five grazing treatments with a set of design for evaluation of seasonal grazing influencing grassland conditions and animal performance have been conducted across northern and western China, in order to identify the key solutions for degradation of grazing grasslands. Here, the effects of seasonal grazing within two systems-one based on current ‘survival’ practices and the other taking more of a ‘production’ focus in Bashang grasslands were reported. The experiment involved a factorial combination of alternative practices (survival vs. production systems) in spring, summer and autumn with a layout of 15 plots and 1.5 ha per plot. Results of consecutive two …

Inter-Annual Variability In Pasture Herbage Accumulation In Temperate Dairy Regions: Causes, Consequences, And Management Tools, David F. Chapman, Richard P. Rawnsley, Brendan R. Cullen, David A. Clark

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Inter-annual variation in pasture herbage accumulation rate (HAR) is common in temperate dairy regions, posing challenges for farmers in the management of dairy cow feeding and of pasture state. This paper reviews the biophysical factors that cause inter-annual variation, considers some of its consequences for the efficient harvest of pasture, and discusses the basis for decision rules and support tools that are available to assist New Zealand and Australian farmers to help manage the consequences of an imbalance between feed supply and demand. These tools are well-grounded in scientific research and farmer experience, but are not widely used in the …

Relative Losses Of Pioneiro Grass (Pennisetum Purpureum Schumach) Silage With Addition Of Whole Plant Maize Or Maize Grain During Fermentation, Tiago M. Santos, Eduardo R. Scherer, Dayanna Pastal, Diana R. Vivian, Kátia F. Gobbi, Américo F. Garcez Neto

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Among the forages with potential to be ensiled, tropical forages stand out because of their high yield capacity, being able to produce three times more dry matter than for maize under tropical conditions. Although tropical forages are an interesting alternative for ensilage, their high moisture content may impair the fermentation process, reducing the silage quality. The addition of whole plant maize and maize grain to other grass silages can be an efficient way to reduce the losses involved during the process, specially due to the improvement of the fermentative profile of the silages (Stefanie et al. 2000; Anaya-Ortega et …

Losses And Dry Matter Recovery Of Pioneiro Grass (Pennisetum Purpureum Schumach) And Maize Silages In Mixtures, Tiago M. Santos, Lucas Leffers Neto, Bruna L. Portela, Kátia F. Gobbi, Américo F. Garcez Neto

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Forages ensiled with high moisture content produce increased quantities of effluents losing highly digestible nutrients (McDonald 1981). The ensilage process usually involves gaseous and effluent losses which are strictly related to the moisture content of the plants used for conservation. The addition of materials with high dry matter content and materials which improve the fermentation pattern has been an alternative to reduce these effluent losses. The maize plant and maize grain, by their physical and fermentative characteristics, may represent alternatives to reduce the losses in the process (Anaya-Ortega et al. 2009). This work was carried out with the aim …

Total Accumulative Losses During The Fermentation Of Pioneiro Grass (Pennisetum Purpureum Schumach) Silages With Addition Of Whole Plant Maize And Maize Grain, Cassiano L. B. Pasa, Lucas Leffers Neto, Tiago M. Santos, José A. Freitas, Kátia F. Gobbi, Américo F. Garcez Neto

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Pioneiro grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach) has gained importance in silage production mainly due to its robust habit, perenniality and high yield capacity, although its typically high moisture content may influence negatively its potential for ensiled conservation. High moisture content at the time of ensilage has resulted in increased losses by gases and effluents (Balsalobre et al. 2001, Nussio 2005). Despite these losses, the high yields of tropical forages still justifies their use and study as roughage and silage in ruminant nutrition.

Although tropical forages present an interesting alternative for conservation, maize silage still has widespread use across different …

Changes To The Fermentative Profiles Of Pioneiro Grass (Pennisetum Purpureum Schumach) And Maize Silages In Different Mixtures After Aerobic Stability, Eduardo R. Scherer, Tiago M. Santos, Diana R. Vivian, José A. Freitas, Kátia F. Gobbi, Américo F. Garcez Neto

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Silages arte widely used in animal production systems to overcome the seasonality of forage production around the world. The preservation of nutritional value of silages depends on the maintenance of an anaerobic environment during the fermentation and storage phases, as well from aerobic stability during the feed out stage (Nussio, 2005). Aerobic exposure usually promotes intense activity of fungi, yeast and aerobic bacteria. If the time of aerobic exposure is long enough, huge changes can happen in the chemical composition of the silages affecting negatively their nutritional value. These changes can be followed by decreasing lactic acid concentration and increasing …

Pelletized Forage-Based Rations As Alternative Feeds For Improving Goat Productivity, E. A. Orden, E. M. Cruz, A. N. Espino, Z. M. Battad, R. G. Reyes, M. E. M. Orden, N. O. Frias, A. G. Gibe, N. A. Del Rosario, E. C. Villar

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Goat farming is very popular in the Philippines as it is considered by many to be a viable rural enterprise. Despite this, the goat industry is faced with many challenges, including problems relating to high pre-weaning mortality, poor nutrition and lack of strategic approaches to accelerate genetic improvement. The long term rate of increase of goat numbers is only 0.97% per annum, due to high offtake rates and low productivity. Thus, the Philippine goat population is only expected to reach 4.27million by 2020 (compared with the target of 6.2 million), given the 3.88million population in 2010 (Alo 2012). Interventions are …

Performance Of Beef Cattle Fed Diets Containing Stylosanthes And Corn Silages, Thiago C. Da Silva, Odilon G. Pereira, Mariele C. N. Agarussi, Rafael M. Martins, Paula G. F. Duarte, Douglas R. Da Costa, Karina G. Ribeiro, Sebastião De C. Valadares Filho

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Reports of the use of tropical legumes in silage production are scarce as these legumes have high contents of crude protein, low water soluble carbohydrate and high buffering capacity, which inhibit the production of silages with good fermentation and nutritional characteristics. Recent research has, however, shown that it is possible to produce good quality silages using tropical legumes (Pereira et al. 2012). Souza et al. (2012) concluded that silage produced from Stylosanthes cv. Campo Grande (Stylosanthes capitata + Stylosanthes macrocephala) at 60% proportion of the dry matter of the diet can replace corn silage in diets for …

Intake And Digestibility Of Nutrients Of Corn And Stylosanthes Silages In Diets For Sheep, Thiago C. Da Silva, Odilon G. Pereira, Mariele C. N. Agarussi, Vanessa P. Da Silva, Lucas L. Cardoso, Leandro D. Da Silva, Karina G. Ribeiro, Sebastião De C. Valadares Filho

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The low concentration of water soluble carbohydrates, the high buffering capacity and the low autochthonous population of lactic acid bacteria are limiting factors to legume ensiling. However, recent research with tropical legumes has shown that the silages presented an adequate fermentation profile (Liu et al. 2012; Silva et al. 2012; Pereira et al. 2012). Nevertheless, there are few studies on the use of stylosanthes silages cv. Campo Grande (Stylosanthes capitata + Stylosantes macrocephala) for sheep feeding. The objective of this study was to evaluate the intake and digestibility of nutrients of stylosanthes and corn silages …

Ruminal Fermentation Of Sheep Fed Corn Silage Inoculated With Microbial Additives, Ricardo A. Reis, F. C. Basso, C. H. S. Rabelo, E. C. Lara, P. A. R. Salvo, J. V. Yamaguchi, T. T. Berchielli

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

An obligatory heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Lactobacillus buchneri, has been suggested as an additive to improve the aerobic stability of silages, mainly of corn silage, due to troubles during feedout of silos, when mishandled. Usually, heterolactic fermentation is deemed as undesirable compared with homolactic fermentation because the dry matter losses are greater. Otherwise, L. plantarum, a homo-fermentative LAB can be combined with L. buchneri in an attempt to decrease the fermentation losses and also protein degradation by greater production of lactate and, enhance the aerobic stability of silages. Nowadays, these LAB have been studied as their ability …

Chemical Composition And Fermentation Profile Of Perennial Peanut And Marandu Grass Mixed Silages, Karina G. Ribeiro, Françoise M. Gomes, Odilon G. Pereira, Sebastião De C. Valadares Filho, Thiago C. Da Silva, Vanessa P. Da Silva, Regina S. Santos, Mariele C. N. Agarussi

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Perennial peanut has high quality, evidenced by the improvement of animal production in grazing, due to good contents of crude protein and digestibility, which makes it one of the best alternatives for low cost feeding (Paganella and Valls 2002). Grass ensilage associated with legumes is considered an alternative to meet the protein demand of cattle in the livestock. However, due to limited information on the techniques of grass ensilage with tropical legumes, this research aimed to evaluate the chemical composition and the fermentation profile of perennial peanut and Marandu mixed grass silages, treated or not with bacterial inoculant.

Lactobacillus Buchneri And Storage Periods Affect The Fermentation Profile And Aerobic Stability Of Corn Silage, Adir De Sá Neto, Maity Zopollatto, Álvaro Wosniask Bispo, Daniel Junges, João Luiz Pratti Daniel, Mateus Castilho Santos, Luiz Gustavo Nussio

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Previous studies have shown that the utilization of Lactobacillus buchneri reduces the yeast population and improves the aerobic stability of corn silage (Driehuis et al. 1996) mainly because of the conversion of lactic acid to acetic acid and 1,2-propanediol (Oude Elferink et al. 1998; Driehuis et al. 1999). Recent studies have also shown that some microbial processes occur during prolonged storage and this may improve the quality of corn silage. For instance, Hoffman et al. (2011) suggested that proteolytic activity was responsible for improvements in starch digestion of high moisture corn over extended periods of ensiling and Kleinschmit …

Effect Of Using Additives At Ensiling On The Fermentation Quality Of Common Reed (Phragmites Communis Trin.) Silage, Keigo Asano, Ayako Araie, Riri Koike, Kohei Takahashi, Tatsuya Madachi, Motohiko Ishida

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The common reed (Phragmites communis Trin.) is a wild grass species widely distributed throughout Japan and the world, growing in thousands of abandoned paddy fields and riverside sites. Most of the common reed in Japan is burned or left to become a weed that grows thickly in canals and reclaimed lands, becoming breeding places for diseases and pests (Holm et al. 1977). The biodiversity of plants can be disrupted by an expanding community of common reed whose sward height is 1.5–4.0 m (Ailstock et al. 2001). The common reed should be controlled and made use of if …

Effect Of Lactobacillus Plantarum On Fermentation Quality Of Alfalfa Silages Mixed With Different Proportions Of Jujube Powder, Jipeng Tian, Zhu Yu, Zhongkuan Liu, Zhenyu Liu, Qing Zhang, Xujiao Li, Yu Wang

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Hebei province is one of the main production areas of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) in China. While alfalfa is used to make silages, it is necessary to improve the fermentation quality of alfalfa silage. Jujube powder which contains a high content of sugar, might be a good material to ensile mixed with alfalfa. On the other hand, the effect of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) has been documented and has been used as an additive to achieve good preservation of silage.

The objective of this study was a) to screen different ratios of jujube powder in the mixed silage of …

Forage Intake And Nitrogen Retention In Wethers Fed Ryegrass Haylage Supplemented With Maize Silage, João G. R. Almeida, Henrique M. N. Ribeiro Filho, Ederson A. De Andrade, Gabriela C. Guzatti, Paulo G. Duchini, Gutierri T. Raupp, Fabiana R. Ramos, Rémy Delagarde

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Many decision support tools have been developed to predict herbage intake with herbivore ruminants indoors (Faverdin 1992) or at grazing, both using short-term (Baumont et al. 2004) or daily scale input variables (Heard et al. 2004; Delagarde et al. 2011). However, the ingestive and digestive interactions when diets with more than one type of forage are used have not been sufficiently studied. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of maize silage supplementation to wethers receiving ryegrass haylage on OM intake, OM digestibility, microbial protein synthesis and N retention.

Characterization And Identification Of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated From Silage Prepared In Lao Pdr, Yimin Cai, Huili Pang, Viengsakoun Napasirth

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Silage is now the most common preserved cattle feed in many countries and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) play an important role during silage fermentation process. In order to establish an animal feed production system to cover the shortage of animal feed in the dry season of Lao PDR, silage fermentation technology is needed that has potential application in poor villages. Therefore, the characterization of LAB in various forage crops and their species identification requires further study. In the present study, the characterization of LAB species isolated from forage crops in Lao PDR was examined. In order to determine their taxonomic …

The Effect On Long-Chain Fatty Acids In Lucerne Silage With Jujube Powder And Lactobacillus Plantarum, Zhu Yu, Yu Wang, Jipeng Tian, Xujiao Li, Qing Zhang

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The major nutrients of lucerne silage are well documented. However, forages are also an important dietary source of α-linolenic acid (C18:3n-3) and linoleicacid (C18:2n-6) that are biohydrogenated in the rumen, originating a complex pattern of C18 fatty acids (Jenkins et al. 2008). Studies have reported slight effects on the fatty acid (FA) composition of grass silages by the use of additives like formalin, formic acid, or enzymes (Alves et al. 2011) However, there are no studies on the addition of jujube powder in lucerne silage, which has a high sugar content. The effect of Lactobacillus plantarum (LA) on …

Increased Sugar Concentration With Pm-Cutting And Wide Swathing Improves Alfalfa Silage Fermentation, Gaëtan F. Tremblay, Chantale Morin, Gilles Bélanger, Annick Bertrand, Yves Castonguay, Réal Michaud, Robert Berthiaume, Guy Allard

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Extensive protein degradation during silage fermentation reduces the efficiency of N utilization by ruminants and excess N is excreted in the environment. Forage nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) represent the main source of readily fermentable energy for lactic bacteria during silage fermentation. Increasing forage NSC concentration can enhance silage fermentation, lactic acid production, and the decline in pH with an overall reduction in the extent of protein degradation.

The NSC concentration increases during the day in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) to reach a maximum by the end of the afternoon. Under good wilting conditions, PM-cut alfalfa wilted in wide swaths had …

Effect Of Associations Of Additives On Ph And Ndf In Sugar Cane Silages (Saccharum Officinarum), C. A. Da Silva, A. A. R. Athayde, A. O. Ribeiro, A. R. Evangelista, P. C. Leite, A. C. A. F. F. Paula

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

An alternative to the seasonality of forage production in grazing-lands is the maintenance of feed supplies through the use of silages (Carvalho et al. 2007). Sugar cane stands out for silage production, mainly because of its high yield per hectare. There are, however, restrictions to its use in cattle production systems including the daily cutting demands, low digestibility of fiber and low contents of protein and minerals. Sugar cane ensiling can solve, or even reduce the seasonality of the crop and the losses by fire or frost, and has been utilized in cattle raising for these logistic and operational …

A Lactic Acid Bacterium Isolated From Grass In Native Grassland In Northern China, Qing Zhang, Zhu Yu, Jipeng Tian, Xujiao Li, Yu Wang

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The epiphytic LAB converts sugar into lactic acid during the ensiling process. As a result, the pH is reduced, and the forage is preserved. Therefore, further study of epiphytic LAB species is required, especially the screening of excellent LAB. However, to our knowledge, limited information is available on the epiphytic microflora on grass in native grassland. The present study set out to screen, isolate and identify the LAB from grass silages made in native grass-land in northern China.

A Bayesian Model Of Pasture Curing, Helen G. Daily, Ross Corkrey

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Curing percentage (the percentage of dead material in the sward) is a necessary component of fire behaviour modelling and subsequent fire danger ratings in grasslands. Current methods of estimating curing have limitations. Curing is controlled by leaf turnover in grasses but individual leaf turnover rates of themselves do not give estimates of curing. Bayesian modelling provides the potential to incorporate leaf turnover rates representing the entire life cycle of each leaf into a standalone model of curing from which statistical summaries can be generated and used in field models. In this study, curing percentage was estimated over thermal time for …

Effect Of Adding Functional Lactic Acid Bacteria At Ensiling On The Fermentation Quality And Nutritive Value Of Oat Silage, Kohei Takahashi, Keigo Asano, Takashi Koyanagi, Motohiko Ishida

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Livestock are exposed to stressors from the environment such as temperature, humidity and intensive feeding. Strong stress can cause animals to perform an atypical behavior and/or result in lower productivity, and livestock weanlings, which do not have as strong a body as the adult livestock, are more severely affected by stress. Functional silage that increases the stress tolerance of livestock may thus be beneficial. Some lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in human food were found to have a probiotic effect to ease stress, but it has not been established whether these LAB can affect the qualities of silage fermentation. Here we …

Nutritive Quality Of Hay And Silage From Natural Grazing Land In South Western Nigeria, Victoria O. A. Ojo, Alaba O. Jolaosho, Oluwasanmi M. Arigbede, Peter A. Dele, Samson A. Adeoye, Ronke Y. Aderinboye, Oluwaseun J. Idowu, Oludotun O. Adelusi

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

In the tropics, inadequate nutrition caused by scarcity of forages and its low quality constitutes a major constraint to good performance of ruminant animals (Lukuyu et al. 2011). Herbage availability during the wet season often exceeds animal requirements (Chakoma et al. 1999). As the dry season sets in, the protein level of the accumulated forages drops and the fibre level increases, with an increase in lignin content while voluntary intake decreases. Due to lack of quality forage especially in the dry season, animals feeding on them tend to lose weight and their productivity will be negatively affected.

In …

Impact Of Grazing On The Silage Yield Of Forage Oat Crops, Keith G. Pembleton, Matthew T. Harrison, Richard P. Rawnsley

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Winter forage oat crops are increasing in acreage on Tasmanian dairy farms. Such crops can be grazed multiple times during vegetative development in winter then later harvested for silage at the booting or soft dough growth stages in spring. Although effects of grazing on grain yield of winter cereal crops have been well characterised (Harrison et al. 2011), little research has been conducted on the influence of grazing on the forage and silage yield potential of oats grown in Tasmania.

We aimed to explore the influence of grazing management on the yields of forage for grazing and ensiling of …