Plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) as pregnancy and lactation feed for ewes joined at 8 months of age

2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (8) ◽  
pp. 1023 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Raeside ◽  
Z. N. Nie ◽  
M. Robertson ◽  
D. L. Partington ◽  
R. Behrendt
Keyword(s):  
Lolium Perenne ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Plantago Lanceolata ◽  
Late Pregnancy ◽  
Lolium Perenne L ◽  
Condition Score ◽  
Pregnancy And Lactation ◽  
3.0 T ◽  
Western Victoria

Ewe nutrition during pregnancy and lactation is a key determinant of ewe and lamb performance. A paddock-scale field experiment in western Victoria, Australia, tested the hypothesis that grazing maiden ewes on plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) from mid-pregnancy until lamb weaning (July 2010–January 2011) would increase ewe liveweight and condition score during this period, reduce worm egg counts, and increase lamb liveweights at birth, marking and weaning, relative to tetraploid perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), but that further increases would be achieved by offering a spatially arranged sward of plantain and perennial ryegrass. The experiment tested three treatments: plantain (PL), perennial ryegrass (PR), and a 50 : 50 (by area) spatially separated mixture of perennial ryegrass and plantain (PR + PL). Plots were ~1 ha in size arranged in a randomised complete block design with four replications. The ewes were Coopworth composites joined at 8 months of age. Feed-on-offer levels (kg DM/ha) did not differ (P > 0.05) between treatments, with 2.3–3.0 t DM/ha being available pre-grazing. Twin-bearing ewes had higher (P < 0.05) liveweights when offered PR + PL compared with PR or PL at late-pregnancy and higher (P < 0.05) liveweights than PR but not PL (P > 0.05) at lamb marking. At weaning, single-born lambs were heavier (P < 0.05) on PR than PR + PL, with the PL being intermediate. There were no other significant differences (P > 0.05). This experiment has found that feeding plantain to ewes during pregnancy and lactation, or offering ewes spatially separated mixes of plantain and perennial ryegrass, offers no clear liveweight or worm egg count improvement for ewes and lambs relative to a tetraploid perennial ryegrass under Western Victorian conditions.

Tactical versus continuous stocking for persistence of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) in pastures grazed by sheep in south-western Victoria

1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 265 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Waller ◽  
P. E. Quigley ◽  
G. R. Saul ◽  
G. A. Kearney ◽  
P. W. G. Sale
Keyword(s):  
Lolium Perenne ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Lolium Perenne L ◽  
Western Victoria ◽  
Tiller Density

The survival of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) plants was studied in sheep pastures in south-western Victoria during the dry summer of 1996–97. Recruitment of perennial ryegrass seedlings into the pasture sward was also monitored in the autumn–winter periods in 1997 and 1998. The objective was to investigate whether a tactical stocking strategy, consisting of variable length summer, autumn and winter rotations and continuous stocking in spring, might increase perennial ryegrass tiller survival and seedling recruitment in the autumn, compared with continuous stocking all year. The grazing strategies were compared on 2 contrasting pastures: an upgraded pasture [sown with newer cultivars of perennial ryegrass and subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) with 26 kg phosphorus/ha.year as applied fertiliser] and a naturalised perennial ryegrass pasture receiving 6 kg P/ha.year. Paddocks were grazed by Border Leicester × Merino ewes, mated to a terminal sire so as to lamb in September. Perennial ryegrass tiller density was higher on the upgraded pasture with a mean density of 7750 tillers/m2 in early summer which declined to zero live tillers by mid summer. Live tillers began to reappear before the opening rains and then increased after the rain. Mean tiller density in the upgraded pasture declined over the 2 summers, with only 2050 tillers/m2 being present 2 months after the opening rains in 1998. There were no effects (P>0.05) of pasture type or grazing strategy on the number of tagged tillers that survived the summer period. Only 12% of the vegetative tillers, randomly tagged in December 1996, survived to May 1997. More than half of the tillers (56%) that produced a seedhead produced daughter tillers which survived the dry summer–autumn period. A significant (P<0.05) interaction between grazing strategy and pasture type occurred with the number of perennial ryegrass seedlings that had established 4 weeks after the opening rains in 1997. There was a 5–11-fold increase in seedling numbers which regenerated in the tactically stocked, upgraded pasture compared with the other treatments. Seedling recruitment was considerably lower in the autumn of 1998, due presumably to an overall decline in perennial ryegrass density relative to annual grasses in 1997. A second experiment investigated the effect of excluding sheep from grazing at anthesis until seedhead maturation or until the opening rains, together with a mechanical seed dislodgment treatment at seed maturity. All exclusion treatments increased seedling recruitment 4–7-fold, compared with continuous stocking. The results suggest a possible mechanism by which perennial ryegrass density can be increased without expensive reseeding.

Dietary choice and grazing behaviour of sheep on spatially arranged pasture systems. 2. Wether lamb growth and carcass weight at slaughter

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 710
Author(s):  
M. C. Raeside ◽  
M. Robertson ◽  
Z. N. Nie ◽  
D. L. Partington ◽  
J. L. Jacobs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Plantago Lanceolata ◽  
Carcass Characteristics ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Carcass Weight ◽  
Eye Muscle ◽  
Internal Parasite ◽  
Dietary Choice ◽  
Condition Score

Dry matter production and nutritive characteristics of the pasture feedbase during autumn are key drivers of profitability in Australia’s prime lamb systems. An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that offering lambs dietary choice through spatially separated combinations of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) and/or lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) improves the post-weaning liveweight gain, condition score (CS), pre- and post-slaughter carcass characteristics and reduces the internal parasite burdens of wether lambs finished to a slaughter weight over autumn, relative to lambs offered no dietary choice. The experiment tested seven treatments, replicated four times in a randomised complete block design with plot sizes of 1 ± 0.1 ha. The treatments were: 100% perennial ryegrass (PR), 100% plantain (PL), 100% lucerne (LU), 50 : 50 perennial ryegrass/plantain (PR + PL), 50 : 50 perennial ryegrass/lucerne (PR + LU), 50 : 50 plantain/lucerne (PL + LU) and 33 : 33 : 33 perennial ryegrass/plantain/lucerne (PR + PL + LU). Plots were grazed by weaned lambs between March and June 2011. The lambs had been born between 3 August and 7 September 2010 and were derived from either Coopworth composite dams joined to Coopworth maternal sires or from Merino dams (Toland or Centreplus bloodlines) joined to Border Leicester sires. Backgrounding the lambs on a pasture system that contained lucerne during the lactation to weaning period increased (P < 0.05) liveweight at slaughter by 8% and hot carcass weight by 10%, relative to lambs backgrounded on perennial ryegrass. Finishing lambs on the LU treatment between weaning and slaughter increased (P < 0.05) liveweight at slaughter by 11%, CS at slaughter by 0.3 units, hot carcass weight by 16%, carcass CFAT (measured over the loin) by 2.5 mm, carcass eye muscle depth by 1.1 mm and carcass GRFAT (total tissue depth at 11/12th rib, 11 cm from mid line) by 3.8 mm, relative to lambs finished on the PR treatment. Finishing lambs on LU + PR, LU + PL or LU + PR + PL did not (P > 0.05) improve any of the measured parameters, relative to finishing lambs on the LU treatment. The PL and PR treatments did not differ (P > 0.05) in liveweight at slaughter, CS at slaughter or carcass characteristics, but the PL treatment had lower (P < 0.05) liveweight gain than the PR treatment during the first 2 weeks of the experiment (39 g/day vs 330 g/day), which was later partially compensated for. Our hypothesis has not been supported given that the use of spatially arranged mixes resulted in no improvement in liveweight gain, CS, carcass characteristics or internal parasite burdens relative to the comparable single species sward.

Establishing plantain in spring in existing perennial ryegrass pastures in northern Tasmania

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 114
Author(s):  
Pieter Raedts ◽  
Adam Langworthy
Keyword(s):  
Lolium Perenne ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Plantago Lanceolata ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Lolium Perenne L ◽  
Leaf Stage ◽  
Early Autumn ◽  
Productivity Decline ◽  
Direct Drilling

Research has shown advantages of including plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) in grazed perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)-based dairy pastures. Plantain is typically established in dairy pastures during paddock renovation, and included in a mixture with perennial ryegrass. While perennial ryegrass can persist for years, even decades, plantain plant numbers and productivity decline within a few years of establishment. Maintaining the advantage of plantain requires frequent re-establishment. The current research tested the efficacy of two sowing methods (direct-drilling and broadcasting) and three sowing rates (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 kg of seed/ha) for establishing plantain in existing irrigated perennial ryegrass pastures. Research was conducted on five dairy farms in northern Tasmania, Australia. Sowing occurred in mid-spring 2017, immediately after paddocks were grazed. Plantain establishment was monitored until early autumn 2018. Paddocks were managed as per normal farm practice, resulting in plantain being first grazed ~4 weeks post-sowing, before plants had developed to the recommended minimum six-leaf stage. Dry weather, timing of first grazing after sowing and insect burden challenged plantain establishment. However, both direct drilling and broadcasting were shown to successfully establish plantain into existing perennial ryegrass pastures.

The effects of grazing management on perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) herbage mass and persistence in south-eastern Australia

2000 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 207 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Graham ◽  
T. Prance ◽  
R. P. Thompson ◽  
D. Borg ◽  
P. Ball ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lolium Perenne ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Lolium Perenne L ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Western Victoria ◽  
Positive Effect

The effect of various grazing management treatments on newly sown and degraded perennial ryegrass pastures was studied at 6 different locations in the temperate high rainfall zone of southern Australia, as part of the Temperate Pasture Sustainability Key Program. The sites were located at Hamilton (2 sites, 1 grazed by cattle, 1 grazed by sheep) and Cavendish, western Victoria, Victor Harbor (Delamere), South Australia, and Ross and Parattah in Tasmania. Grazing management treatments significantly influenced the ryegrass mass and persistence of the pasture, but effects were not always consistent across sites. Autumn closure increased the perennial ryegrass content at Cavendish and Ross, as did the winter and summer closures at Ross. Spring closure increased the perennialryegrass content at Hamilton, Cavendish and Ross, but decreased it at Parattah, as did the summer closures at Parattah and Delamere. Fodder conservation decreased the ryegrass only at Parattah. At the Hamilton sheep site, and at Ross, mob stocking increased the ryegrass content, as did increased superphosphate treatments at Hamilton. Rotational grazing at Cavendish and Delamere increased the ryegrass content, as did the late spring or a late summer closure with a short autumn deferment at Cavendish and Ross, but both these treatments decreased ryegrass at Parattah. The treatments that had a negative effect at Parattah may have had a positive effect on cocksfoot at that site, creating competition for, and decreasing the ryegrass content. At most sites, treatments that included some spelling during spring to foster seed shedding, and spelling again in the following autumn to encourage germination seem to have been of benefit to the perennial ryegrass.

Dietary choice and grazing behaviour of sheep on spatially arranged pasture systems. 1. Herbage mass, nutritive characteristics and diet selection

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 697 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Raeside ◽  
M. Robertson ◽  
Z. N. Nie ◽  
D. L. Partington ◽  
J. L. Jacobs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Plantago Lanceolata ◽  
Dietary Preferences ◽  
Dietary Choice ◽  
3.0 T ◽  
Livestock Productivity ◽  
Multiple Species ◽  
Grazing Behaviour

Offering livestock dietary choice through access to different pasture species enables livestock to regulate their own feed intake, select for nutrients and minerals, balance rumen health and display natural grazing and foraging behaviours, which could in turn result in increased livestock productivity. An experiment was conducted at Hamilton, Victoria, Australia, to test the hypothesis that offering lambs dietary choice through spatially separated combinations of pasture species would improve lamb performance, relative to lambs with no dietary choice. The experiment tested seven treatments, replicated four times in a randomised complete block design with plot sizes of 1 ± 0.1 ha. The treatments were: 100% perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) (PR), 100% plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) (PL), 100% lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) (LU), 50 : 50 perennial ryegrass/plantain (PR + PL), 50 : 50 perennial ryegrass/lucerne (PR + LU), 50 : 50 plantain/lucerne (PL + LU) and 33 : 33 : 33 perennial ryegrass/plantain/lucerne (PR + PL + LU). In the multiple species swards, the pasture species were separated spatially (by area). Plots were grazed by weaned lambs between March and June 2011. Pre-grazing herbage mass during March and April were highest (P < 0.05) from the lucerne and lowest (P < 0.05) from the plantain, with lucerne producing 4.5–5.5 t DM/ha during this time, whereas the perennial ryegrass and plantain produced 3.5–3.9 t DM/ha and 2.3–3.0 t DM/ha, respectively. Herbage disappearance (calculated estimate of feed intake) was highest (P < 0.05) from the lucerne and lowest (P < 0.05) from the plantain during March and April. Leaf crude protein between the perennial ryegrass and plantain did not differ (P > 0.05) and were lower (P < 0.05) than the lucerne, but the perennial ryegrass and plantain had higher (P < 0.05) leaf on offer (kg DM/ha). Plantain leaf had higher (P < 0.05) Fe, Zn, Co, Ca and S than the perennial ryegrass leaf and higher (P < 0.05) Se, Cu, Mg, Na and Cl than the perennial ryegrass and lucerne leaf and a more negative (P < 0.05) dietary cation : anion difference. The agronomic data presented in this paper provides support for the hypothesis, with lambs showing dietary preferences between pasture species and morphological components, and forms to basis for why these preferences exist. The two subsequent papers show how offering lambs dietary choice affected the performance of male lambs to slaughter and female lambs to first joining.

Effect of bacterial fertilizers on the properties of a pseudomyceliar chernozem soil and on the biomass of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)

2011 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 219-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Jakab ◽  
János Kátai ◽  
Magdolna Tállai ◽  
Andrea Balláné Kovács
Keyword(s):  
Lolium Perenne ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Chernozem Soil ◽  
Lolium Perenne L

A tenyészedényes kísérletünket a DE AGTC MÉK Agrokémiai és Talajtani Intézet tenyészházában állítottuk be 2010. május 27-én. A kísérletben Debrecen-Látókép környékéről származó mészlepedékes csernozjom vályogtalajt alkalmaztunk, amely az alábbi jellemzőkkel rendelkezett: KA: 37,5; leiszapolható rész: 51%; pH(KCl): 5,5; pH(H2O): 6,6; Hu%: 2,8; AL-P2O5: 140 mg·kg-1; AL-K2O: 316,3 mg·kg-1. Az adatok alapján a kísérleti talaj gyengén savanyú, vályog kötöttségű, közepes nitrogén- és foszfor-, valamint jó kálium-ellátottsággal rendelkezett. A kísérletben kontroll-, műtrágya-, valamint szalmakezelést alkalmaztunk, melyeket bizonyos kombinációkban három különböző baktériumkészítménnyel (Bactofil A, EM-1, Microbion UNC) egészítettünk ki. A kísérletet három ismétlésben véletlenblokk elrendezésben állítottuk be. A tesztnövény angolperje (Lolium perenneL.) volt. A kísérlet kezdetétől számított 8. héten a talaj-, valamint a növényminták begyűjtésére került sor. Meghatároztuk a növényminták száraztömegét, a növény foszfor- és káliumtartalmát, valamint a talajminták nitrát-, valamint AL-oldható foszfor- és káliumtartalmát. Eredményeink alapján főbb megállapításaink a következők: – Az angolperje száraztömegét a műtrágyakezelés szignifikánsan növelte. A hatás a tápelem-ellátottság javulásával magyarázható. – A növény foszforkoncentrációja a műtrágyázás következtében csökkent, amelyet a hígulási effektussal magyarázhatunk. – A növény káliumkoncentrációját a műtrágya-, valamint a műtrágya+baktériumtrágya kezelések szignifikánsan serkentették. – A talaj nitráttartalma szignifikánsan növekedett a műtrágyakezelés kivételével minden kezelésben. – A talaj AL-P2O5-tartalma az NPK-műtrágyázás és az EM-1 kezelés következtében statisztikailag igazolható mértékben megnövekedett, míg az AL-K2O-tartalom kizárólag a szalmakezelés hatására nőtt. A baktériumkészítmények önmagukban alkalmazva általában nem eredményeztek jelentős változást a vizsgált paraméterekben, azonban a készítmények szerves/ásványi anyagokkal kombinált adagolása esetében különböző mértékben befolyásolták a vizsgált mutatókat.

The effect of biological additives on the composition and nutritive value of silage

1990 ◽  
Vol 1990 ◽  
pp. 139-139
Author(s):  
M Gonzalez Yanez ◽  
R Mcginn ◽  
D H Anderson ◽  
A R Henderson ◽  
P Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Lactic Acid ◽  
Lactic Acid Bacteria ◽  
Lolium Perenne ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Enzyme System ◽  
Lolium Perenne L ◽  
Grass Silage ◽  
Forage Harvester

It Is claimed that the use of the correct enzyme system as an additive on grass silage will satisfactorily control the fermentation and reduce the cell-wall fibre content, thus preserving the nutrients In the silage and aiding their utilisation by the animal (Henderson and McDonald, 1977; Huhtanen et al, 1985; Raurama et al, 1987; Chamberlain and Robertson, 1989; Gordon, 1989;).The aim of the present experiment was to assess the effect of biological additives, enzymes or a combination of enzymes with an Inoculum of lactic acid bacteria, on the composition of silage and on its nutritive value when offered to store lambs as the sole constituent of their diet.On 1st June 1988, first cut perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L) at pre-ear emergence was ensiled direct cut untreated (U), treated with a commercial enzyme (E) or with a commercial inoculum of lactic acid bacteria with enzymes (I) in 6t capacity bunker silos. The grass was cut with a mower and lifted with a New Holland precision chop forage harvester. The additives were pumped onto the grass using a dribble bar sited over the pick-up drum.

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