PLANT SPECIES MIXTURES FOR FORAGE PRODUCTION FOR RUMINANT FEEDING UNDER MEDITERRANEAN CONDITIONS

SUMMARYThe establishment of leys for biomass production during the winter months could be an alternative feed resource of low cost for small ruminants in Mediterranean basin. For this purpose, an experiment was carried out with six plant species mixtures (PSM) that were cut up to seven times from seeding. The results showed that all the PSM had their highest growth at the 2nd cut withFestuca arundinacea,Lolium perenne,Dactylis glomerata,Trifolium repens(FLDT) being superior as the dry matter production concerns compared with the PSM that gave seven cuts. The crude protein and the ether extracts contents in all the PSM decreased from the 1st to the last cut, while that of NDF and ADF increased. The concentrations of myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acid increased in all the PSMs from the 2nd to the 5th cut, while the opposite was observed for the α-linolenic acid content. The concentration of α-linolenic acid was higher in the FLDT PSM when compared to others during all cuts. Taking into account all the examined parameters together, the FLDT seems to be superior to the other PSMs as animal feed for small ruminants, particularly during the period where there is no available grass from natural grasslands.

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The effect of trophism level and exploitation intensity on the production characteristics of grassland community dominated by Festuca arundinacea Schreb.

Plant Soil and Environment ◽

10.17221/359/2010-pse ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 57 (No. 4) ◽

pp. 160-165 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

F. Hrabě ◽

P. Knot

Keyword(s):

Festuca Arundinacea ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Net Energy ◽

Forage Production ◽

N Nutrition ◽

Grassland Community ◽

Matter Production ◽

Small Plot ◽

Four Levels ◽

Cutting Intensity

In 2004–2009, a small-plot trial was conducted on permanent grassland dominated by Festuca arundinacea Schreb. on the mesohygrophytic site in order to evaluate effects of four levels of nutrition: F1 = without NPK fertilization, F2 = P30 + K60, F3 = N90 + P30 + K60, F4 = N180 + P30 + K60 kg/ha), four levels of cutting intensity (I1-4, I2-3, I3-2, early, I4-2, late cut) and their interactive influence, i.e. a total of 16 variants on the production of forage dry matter, production of crude protein (CD) and net energy of lactation (NEL) per hectare. The dominant influence of N-nutrition is documented by significant differences in forage dry matter (DM) production between the variants (with the exception of F1/F2) ranging from 4.41–4.80 to 8.44–9.83 t/ha. The effect of different exploitation level on the production is subdominant and no significant differences were found either in the production of forage DM (I1-6.41 – I2-6.59 – I3-6.97 – I4-7.50 t/ha) or in the production of nutrients. Management models to be recommended for the given type of sward with respect to the interactive influence, efficacy of forage production and quality are as follows: (a) three cuts/180 kg N + PK/ha with forage suitable for dairy cows; (b) two cuts/90 kg N + PK/ha with forage suitable for cattle breeds kept for meat.

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Evaluation of Nutritional Quality and Adaptation of Several Native Plant Species of Kuwait to the Farming System as Potential Livestock Feed

Journal of Agriculture and Horticulture Research ◽

10.33140/jahr.04.01.01 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Animal Feed ◽

Dry Matter Production ◽

Native Plant ◽

Native Plant Species ◽

Livestock Feed ◽

Matter Production ◽

Forage Species ◽

Nutritive Values

The native vegetation of Kuwait is well adapted to hyper arid environment and once these naturally vegetated plants are managed properly these may be considered potential candidates as animal feed. Bringing the neglected and underutilized native plant species into animal food chain is promising. Considering the importance of some native plants, five native forage species (Cenchrus ciliaris, Cenchrus setigerus, Lasiurus scindicus, Panicum turgidum and Pennisetum divisum) were compared to widely used exotic forage species Panicum virgatum to measure the effects of fall (October) vs spring (March) planting on the biomass yield and the nutritive value. The results indicate that four species, C. setigerus, C. ciliaris, L. scindicus and P. divisum, showed a higher dry matter production in the spring planting season with relative increase in the nutritive values, i.e., NDF, ADF, fat, protein and ash concentrations as compared to P. virgatum. In general fall season planting, decreased the dry matter production and the nutritive values compared to the spring season. These findings provided opportunities to utilize the natural resources for increasing and or improving livestock feed supply. There is potential for growers to integrate these local forage species into their forage production system.

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Analysis of grassland associations of Stara Planina mountain

Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry ◽

10.2298/bah0906451t ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 25 (5-6-1) ◽

pp. 451-464 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Z. Tomic ◽

Z. Bijelic ◽

V. Krnjaja

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Plant Protection ◽

Small Ruminants ◽

Mineral Fertilizers ◽

Time Interval ◽

Weed Species ◽

High Quality ◽

Sheep And Goats ◽

Natural Grasslands

Production of organic, biologically valuable food is a trend in the World today, and in our country it can be successfully realized in production of meat and milk from small ruminants, sheep and goats in hilly-mountainous region. Namely, grasslands in these regions are well preserved from the utilization of mineral fertilizers and chemical preparations for plant protection, therefore production of healthy food is still possible with minimum investments. The quality of plant mass is very important, i.e. presence of high quality plant species in the grassland, as well as possibility for increase of their percentage in the grassland. For this purpose, research was carried out and plant associations most present on Stara Planina Mountain on altitude of 650 to 1200 m were analyzed from the aspect of phytocenology. On these locations recordings were made and samples were taken for analysis in the period 2002-2005 and in year 2008. Total of 8 associations were analyzed, and two of them Agrostietum vulgarae Z. Pavl. 1955. sensu lato. and Festucetum vallesiacae Borisavljevic 1956. occurred repeatedly on several location and different time interval of analysis. Beside mentioned two associations the following were also analyzed: Arrhenatheretum elatioris Br.-Bl. 1925.senso lato, Festuco-Chrysopogonetum grylli Randj. 1977., Danthonietum calycinae Cinc. et Kojic 1958., Medicago falcata-Festucetum rubrae, Trifolio campestre- Agrostietum vulgaris i Festuco vallesiacae-Agrostieutum vulgaris Danon et Blaz.1978 on 17 locations. Number of species in analyzed associations was from 34 to 77. Beside number of plant species also their share categorized in categories of high qualiity grasses, high quality leguminous plants and useful species from other families, as well as harmful i.e. weed species. Main quality parameters were established in samples from all associations. Objective of analyses of natural grasslands was to establish share of high quality plant species, which is reflected directly through production and quality of plant mass grazed by small ruminants, sheep and goats.

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Vegetable species for phytoextraction of boron, copper, lead, manganese and zinc from contaminated soil

Scientia Agricola ◽

10.1590/s0103-90162010000600014 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 67 (6) ◽

pp. 713-719 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Gláucia Cecília Gabrielli dos Santos ◽

Arnaldo Antonio Rodella ◽

Cleide Aparecida de Abreu ◽

Aline Renée Coscione

Keyword(s):

Brassica Juncea ◽

Plant Species ◽

Contaminated Soil ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Low Cost ◽

Environmentally Friendly ◽

Matter Production ◽

Attractive Option ◽

Element Removal ◽

Copper Lead

Phytoremediation is an attractive option to remove metal from contaminated soil since it is a simple, low-cost, and environmentally friendly procedure. To better examine the phytoremediation potential of kenaf (Hybiscus canabinnus), mustard (Brassica juncea), turnip (Raphunus sativus) and amaranth (Amaranthus crentus) plants, a greenhouse experiment was performed in which these species were grown on a soil contaminated with Zn, Cu, Mn, Pb and B. The translocation, the bioconcentration and the removal index, the transference factor and the time to reach 50% of element removal from soil, among other indicators, were used in order to identify a hyperaccumulator. Kenaf plants were more tolerant to the conditions tested, with the highest dry matter production and no visual toxicity symptoms. Amaranth would be the species chosen to remediate the soil under field conditions as it presented the higher indexes for decontamination of Zn and Mn and was also able to remove B. Turnip showed the best results for Pb removal. All species tested were able to remove B from soil. In spite, none of the plant species tested could be characterized as a hyperaccumulator.

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Potensi Covercrop Kebun Sawit Sebagai Sumber Pakan Hijauan Ternak Ruminansia Pada Musim Kemarau di Pelalawan, Riau

Jurnal Sains dan Teknologi Indonesia ◽

10.29122/jsti.v17i1.3421 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ruslan A. Gopar ◽

S. Martono ◽

Muhamad N. Rofiq ◽

Windu N.

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Sampling Method ◽

Dry Season ◽

Forage Production ◽

Destructive Sampling ◽

Matter Production ◽

Ruminant Animals ◽

Line Intercept

The objective of this experiment was to obtain forage/ cover crops productivity and carrying capacity for ruminant animals in Pelalawan Regency, Riau in the dry season. Data were collected from civil palm oil plantations at the aged 7, 10 and 14 years in the end of dry season with a destructive sampling method. Sampling used line intercept method which every hectare were picked 10 points by using a pair of 1 m2 sized quadrant. The result showed that the number of vegetations/ cover crops in oil palm plantations aged 7, 10 and 14 years was 42 types.The proportion of forage which consist grass, legume and ferns was diverse at each age of oil palm plantations. Forage production under oil palm plantations aged 7, 10 and 14 years were 2,571 kg/ha, 1479.76 kg/ha and 1417.22 kg/ha as fed and amounted to 811.41 kg/ ha, 471, 15 kg/ ha and 456.91 kg/ ha in the dry matter production. Average carrying capacities of oil palm plantations aged 7, 10 and 14 years was 0.36 Animal units (AU)/ha/year, 0.21 AU/ha/year and 0.20 AU/ ha/year.Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui potensi jumlah covercrop dan kapasitas tampungnya di kebun sawit sebagai sumber pakan hijauan ruminansia pada musim kemarau di kabupaten Pelalawan, Riau. Pengambilan data dilakukan di perkebunan kelapa sawit yang berumur 7, 10 dan 14 tahun milik rakyat pada akhir musim kemarau. Pengambilan sampel dengan destructive sampling method menggunakan metode garis berpetak memakai kuadran berukuran 1m2 dengan jumlah sampel tiap area sebanyak 10 titik. Berdasar hasil pengukuran diperoleh hasil jumlah vegetasi/ covercrop yang ada di kebun sawit berumur 7, 10 dan 14 tahun sebanyak 42 jenis yang bervariasi tiap umur tanaman sawit. Proporsi hijauan yang ada meliputi jenis rumput, legume dan paku-pakuan bervariasi pada tiap umur kebun sawit. Produksi hijauan yang ada di bawah kebun sawit berumur 7, 10 dan 14 tahun berturut-turut 2.571 kg/ha, 1.479,76 kg/ha dan 1.417,22 kg/ha dalam bentuk segar serta sebesar 811,41 kg/ha, 471,15 kg/ha dan 456,91 kg/ha dalam bahan kering. Kapasitas tampung dari kebun sawit berumur 7, 10 dan 14 tahun adalah 0,36 satuan ternak (ST)/ha, 0,21 ST/ha dan 0,20 ST/ha.Keywords: cover crops, oil palm plantation, forage, ruminant, dry season, Pelalawan

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Multispecies for multifunctions: combining four complementary species enhances multifunctionality of sown grassland

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-82162-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Matthias Suter ◽

Olivier Huguenin-Elie ◽

Andreas Lüscher

Keyword(s):

Forage Quality ◽

N Cycling ◽

Forage Production ◽

Mixture Effects ◽

Novel Approach ◽

Overall Performance ◽

The Mean ◽

High Forage ◽

Diversity Effects ◽

Species Mixtures

AbstractAssessing the overall performance of ecosystems requires a quantitative evaluation of multifunctionality. We investigated plant species diversity effects on individual functions and overall multifunctionality in a grassland experiment with sown monocultures and mixtures comprising four key grass and legume species. Nitrogen fertilisation rates were 50, 150, and 450 kg N ha−1 yr−1 (N50, N150, N450). Ten functions were measured representing forage production, N cycling, and forage quality, all being related to either productivity or environmental footprint. Multifunctionality was analysed by a novel approach using the mean log response ratio across functions. Over three experimental years, mixture effects benefited all forage production and N cycling functions, while sustaining high forage quality. Thus, mixture effects did not provoke any trade-off among the analysed functions. High N fertilisation rates generally diminished mixture benefits. Multifunctionality of four-species mixtures was considerably enhanced, and mixture overall performance was up to 1.9 (N50), 1.8 (N150), and 1.6 times (N450) higher than in averaged monocultures. Multifunctionality of four-species mixtures at N50 was at least as high as in grass monocultures at N450. Sown grass–legume mixtures combining few complementary species at low to moderate N fertilisation sustain high multifunctionality and are a ‘ready-to-use’ option for the sustainable intensification of agriculture.

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Effects of Dried Distillers’ Grains Cube Supplementation for Steers Grazing Introduced Pastures on Animal Performance and Forage Production

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skab096.020 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 99 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 12-13

Author(s):

Jordan Adams ◽

Rodney Farris ◽

Scott Clawson ◽

Earl Ward ◽

Paul Beck

Keyword(s):

Festuca Arundinacea ◽

Statistical Power ◽

Cynodon Dactylon ◽

Animal Health ◽

Late Summer ◽

Early Summer ◽

Distillers Grains ◽

Forage Production ◽

Trenbolone Acetate ◽

Dried Distillers Grains

Abstract We evaluated the effects of supplementing dried distillers’ grains cubes (DDGS) and re-implantation of steers (n = 149; BW = 238 ± 13.8 kg) grazing tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea)/bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) pastures (n = 9 pastures, 7.2 ± 2.90 ha) from 14 April to 17 September 2020 (n = 155 d) in a split-plot design on steer performance and forage production. Main plot supplemental treatments (n = 3 pastures/treatment) included 1) Fertilized Control (FC), no supplementation on fertilized pastures (112 kg N/ha); 2) Fertilized Supplement (FS), supplemental DDGS fed at 2.9 kg 3-d/wk on fertilized pastures; and 3) Supplement (S), supplemented DDGS at 0.75% BW/d on unfertilized pastures prorated for 5-d/wk feeding. Steers were previously implanted during receiving with 40 mg trenbolone acetate and 8 mg estradiol (REV-G; Revalor G, Merck Animal Health). On July 7, steers in each pasture were randomly assigned to one of three re-implant treatments: 1) no re-implant; 2) REV-G; or 3) 200 mg progesterone and 20 mg estradiol (Synovex S, Zoetis Animal Health). Steers in FS and S gained more (P < 0.01) than FC throughout the trial and final BW was greater (P < 0.01) for FS and S compared with FC. Unexpectedly, re-implanting had no effect on ADG (P = 0.57) or BW (P = 0.34), but statistical power may be lacking. Supplemental efficiency was greater in the late summer for FS (P = 0.05) compared to S. Fertilizing pastures in FS and FC did not affect biomass (P = 0.39), however, CP was increased (P = 0.01) and acid and neutral detergent fibers tended to decrease (P = 0.06) relative to S in the early summer (April, May, June, and July), but did not differ in late summer (August and September). Based upon our analysis, DDGS is a suitable supplement and can replace N fertilizer for steers grazing introduced pastures.

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Towards a low-cost localization system for small ruminants

Computers and Electronics in Agriculture ◽

10.1016/j.compag.2021.106172 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 185 ◽

pp. 106172

Author(s):

Rui Guedes ◽

Paulo Pedreiras ◽

Luís Nóbrega ◽

Pedro Gonçalves

Keyword(s):

Low Cost ◽

Small Ruminants ◽

Localization System

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Phytoremediation Potential of Native Herbaceous Plant Species Growing on a Paradigmatic Brownfield Site

Water Air & Soil Pollution ◽

10.1007/s11270-021-05234-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 232 (7) ◽

Author(s):

N. Matanzas ◽

E. Afif ◽

T. E. Díaz ◽

J. R. Gallego

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Contaminated Soils ◽

Native Species ◽

Low Cost ◽

Plantago Lanceolata ◽

Herbaceous Plant ◽

Plant Interactions ◽

Aerial Parts ◽

Medicago Lupulina ◽

Icp Ms

AbstractPhytomanagement techniques using native species allow the recovery of contaminated soils at low cost and circumvent the ecological risks associated with the use of non-native species. In this context, a paradigmatic brownfield megasite highly contaminated by As and Pb was sampled in order to analyze soil–plant interactions and identify plant species with phytoremediation potential. A survey was first carried out in a 20-ha area to obtain an inventory of species growing spontaneously throughout the site. We then performed another survey in the most polluted sub-area (1 ha) within the site. Pseudototal concentrations of contaminants in the soil, aerial parts of the plants, and roots were measured by ICP-MS. A detailed habitat classification was done, and a specific index of coverage was applied by means of a 1-year quadrat study in various sampling stations. Results converged in the selection of six herbaceous species (Dysphania botrys, Lotus corniculatus, Lotus hispidus, Plantago lanceolata, Trifolium repens, Medicago lupulina). All of these plants are fast-growing, thereby making them suitable for use in phytostabilization strategies. Furthermore, they are all easy to grow and propagate and are generally self-sustaining. All six plants showed accumulation factors below 1, thus revealing them as pseudomethallophytes and excluders. However, L. hispidus and M. lupulina showed translocation capacity and are considered worthy of further study.

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Minor Treatments Can Play a Significant Role in Preserving Natural Habitats and Protected Species on the Shore of a Central European Lake

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11081540 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 1540

Author(s):

Bence Fülöp ◽

Bálint Pacsai ◽

Judit Bódis

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Active Management ◽

Lake Balaton ◽

Protected Species ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Management Interventions ◽

Natural Grasslands ◽

Tourism Potential

Semi-natural grasslands were previously established through traditional land use and maintained by active management, but their extension nowadays is declining rapidly, particularly in areas that also have tourism potential. In parallel, the conservation value of the remaining areas is increasing. The shore of Lake Balaton is a particularly good example, as Lake Balaton is an area highly affected by tourism, yet there have been valuable habitats able to survive and provide refuge for many vulnerable, protected species. Fortunately, we have reliable information about the vegetation of the area from two decades ago. Comparing these data with our recent surveys we investigated the changes in habitats and the distribution of protected plant species in connection with the active conservation treatments such as grazing or cutting. Our results show that in areas where treatments are still ongoing, protected plant species are more likely to survive, or even other species can appear, which is in clear contrast with conditions experienced in abandoned areas, where at least seven protected species have disappeared. According to our results, minor, but appropriately chosen and well-executed management interventions, can help in the long-term maintenance of species-rich habitats and improving the conservation status of threatened species.

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