Management of phosphorus nutrition of beef cattle grazing seasonally dry rangelands: a review

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (7) ◽  
pp. 863
Author(s):  
R. M. Dixon ◽  
S. T. Anderson ◽  
L. J. Kidd ◽  
M. T. Fletcher

This review examines the effects of phosphorus (P) deficiency as a major constraint to productivity of cattle grazing rangelands with low-P soils. Nutritional deficiency of P may severely reduce liveweight (LW) gain of growing cattle (e.g. by 20–60 kg/annum) and the productivity of breeder cow herds as weaning rate, mortality and calf growth. In seasonally dry tropical environments, the production responses to supplementary P occur primarily during the rainy season when the nutritional quality of pasture as metabolisable energy (ME) and protein is high and pasture P concentration is limiting, even though the P concentrations are higher than during dry season. When ME and nitrogen of rainy-season pasture are adequate, then P-deficient cattle typically continue to gain LW slowly, but with reduced bone mineralisation (i.e. osteomalacia). In beef breeder herds when diet P is insufficient, cows with high bone P reserves can mobilise bone P reserves during late pregnancy and early lactation. Mobilisation may contribute up to the equivalent of ~7 g diet P/day (one-third of the P requirements) in early lactation, and, thus, allow acutely P-deficient breeders to maintain calf growth for at least several months until depletion of cow body P reserves. However, severe P deficiency in cattle is usually associated with reduced voluntary intake (e.g. by 20–30% per kg LW), severe LW loss and poor reconception rates. When P intake is greater than immediate requirements, breeders can replenish bone P. Replenishment in mature cows occurs slowly when ME intake is sufficient only for slow LW gain, but rapidly at ME intakes sufficient for rapid LW gain. Bone P replenishment also occurs in late-pregnant heifers even when losing maternal LW. Intervals of mobilisation and replenishment of body P reserves will often be important for P nutrition of beef breeder cows through annual cycles. Diagnosis of P deficiency in grazing cattle is difficult and must encompass estimation of both diet P intake and availability of P from body reserves. Cattle behaviour (e.g. pica, osteophagea), low soil P concentrations and low herd productivity provide valuable indicators. Some constituents of blood (plasma inorganic P, calcium, plasma inorganic P:calcium ratios and endocrine markers) are valuable indicators, but the threshold values indicative of P deficiency at various ME intakes are not well established. It is evident that knowledge of both the nutritional physiology and requirements for P provide opportunities to better manage P nutrition to alleviate production losses in low-input systems with beef cattle grazing rangelands.

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 200
Author(s):  
Rob Dixon ◽  
Stephen Anderson ◽  
Lisa Kidd ◽  
Mary Fletcher

Nutritional deficiency of phosphorus (P) is a major constraint to productivity of cattle grazing many tropical rangelands with low P soils, particularly in northern Australia, South America and Africa. Cattle growth and reproductive rates may be severely reduced. Such P deficiency is usually addressed by providing supplements containing calcium phosphates. In the seasonally dry tropics such supplements are most effective when fed during the summer rainy season when the pasture quality as energy and protein are highest. Young cattle often continue to grow slowly when P deficient, but with reduced bone mineralization. Cows with normally high bone mineral reserves (from previously P-adequate diets) can mobilize bone P during late pregnancy and lactation when diet P is insufficient. This mobilization may contribute up to ca. one-third of the P requirements and allow P-deficient cows to maintain milk production and calf growth, but is associated with reduced pasture intake and severe loss of cow liveweight. Cows can replenish bone minerals when P intake exceeds immediate requirements for growth and milk. Since on large commercial farms in rangelands it is often difficult to effectively implement P supplementation of cattle during the rainy season the mobilization and replenishment of body mineral reserves are important for managing P nutrition through the annual cycle. Biochemical markers in blood are valuable for diagnosis of P deficiency in grazing cattle. In conclusion, understanding of the nutritional physiology of cattle provides opportunities to improve management of P nutrition of cattle grazing P deficient rangelands and alleviating production losses.


2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (11) ◽  
pp. 2280 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Dixon ◽  
L. J. Kidd ◽  
D. B. Coates ◽  
S. T. Anderson ◽  
M. A. Benvenutti ◽  
...  

Phosphorus (P) deficiency is a major constraint to the productivity of breeder herds grazing low-P rangelands due to adverse effects on growth and fertility. However, P supplementation during the wet season, when additional dietary P is most needed, is often difficult due to practical constraints. Body P reserves in breeders can be mobilised and alleviate dietary P deficiency within an annual cycle. Approaches to estimate bone P reserves and net mobilisation or replenishment of P from the analysis of rib and hip (tuber coxae) biopsies are discussed. In at least some circumstances, breeder cows grazing P-deficient pastures mobilise bone P to alleviate the effects of diet P deficiency. Recent experiments with breeders have investigated mobilisation of body P to alleviate the adverse effects of dietary P deficiency during pregnancy and early lactation, and subsequent replenishment of body P reserves. Both mature cows and first-calf cows (FCC) calving in a high P status and fed severely P-deficient diets during lactation were able to mobilise sufficient body P reserves to provide milk for moderate calf growth (viz. 0.6–0.8 kg liveweight (LW)/day for 3 months), but this was associated with rapid cow-LW loss and markedly decreased bone P content. First-calf cows appear to have lesser capacity than mature cows to mobilise body P. FCC fed P-adequate diets during late pregnancy maintained high voluntary intakes and had higher LW and bone P reserves at calving. When fed a P-deficient diet during early lactation, these greater bone P reserves were utilised. Bone P reserves can be replenished by P-adequate diets fed post-weaning. Breeder management that relies more on mobilising body P reserves when P demands are high and on replacing these body P reserves when P demands are lower offers an opportunity to alleviate the effects of dietary P deficiencies during the early wet season in situations where P supplementation is not possible.


2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 715-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Pereira da Silva-Marques ◽  
Joanis Tilemahos Zervoudakis ◽  
Luciana Keiko Hatamoto-Zervoudakis ◽  
Pedro Ivo José Lopes da Rosa e Silva ◽  
Núbia Bezerra do Nascimento Matos ◽  
...  

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
An Yong Hu ◽  
Shu Nan Xu ◽  
Dong Ni Qin ◽  
Wen Li ◽  
Xue Qiang Zhao

The soil bioavailability of phosphorus (P) is often low because of its poor solubility, strong sorption and slow diffusion in most soils; however, stress due to excess soil P can occur in greenhouse production systems subjected to high levels of P fertilizer. Silicon (Si) is a beneficial element that can alleviate multiple biotic and abiotic stresses. Although numerous studies have investigated the effects of Si on P nutrition, a comprehensive review has not been published. Accordingly, here we review: (1) the Si uptake, transport and accumulation in various plant species; (2) the roles of phosphate transporters in P acquisition, mobilization, re-utilization and homeostasis; (3) the beneficial role of Si in improving P nutrition under P deficiency; and (4) the regulatory function of Si in decreasing P uptake under excess P. The results of the reviewed studies suggest the important role of Si in mediating P imbalance in plants. We also present a schematic model to explain underlying mechanisms responsible for the beneficial impact of Si on plant adaption to P-imbalance stress. Finally, we highlight the importance of future investigations aimed at revealing the role of Si in regulating P imbalance in plants, both at deeper molecular and broader field levels.


2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. 1025-1032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Pereira da Silva-Marques ◽  
Joanis Tilemahos Zervoudakis ◽  
Luciano Nakazato ◽  
Luciano da Silva Cabral ◽  
Luciana Keiko Hatamoto-Zervoudakis ◽  
...  

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 136
Author(s):  
Rob Dixon ◽  
Stephen Anderson ◽  
Lisa Kidd ◽  
Mary Fletcher

Inadequate intakes of phosphorus (P) by cattle can cause P deficiency and severely reduce productivity. Blood inorganic P concentration (Pi) is often used as an indicator of P deficiency. Results from two experiments (E1 and E2) with young cattle grazing tropical P-deficient rainy season pastures without or with additional P, or fed in pens on higher energy pelleted diets ranging in P concentration (E3), were used to examine the relationships between Pi and liveweight (LW) gain. When Pi was >2.0 mmol/L average LW gains were 0.71, 0.85 and 1.04 kg/day in E1, E2 and E3, respectively. These differences between experiments were most likely associated with diet limitations other than P. LW gain was related curvilinearly in E1 and E2, and linearly in E3, with Pi. The Pi ranged from ca. 1.0 mmol/L through to 2.5–3.0 mmol/L in each experiment. The reductions in LW gains from the maximum at Pi > 2.0 mmol/L for several lower Pi concentrations were calculated from these relationships. At Pi = 1.0 mmol/L the LW gains were 36–60% of the maximum, at Pi = 1.5 mmol/L LW gains were 59–84% of the maximum, and at Pi = 2.0 mmol/L the LW gains were 82–98% of the maximum. The reductions in LW gain at each Pi were substantially greater for E3 than for E1 and E2. It is concluded that the Pi threshold indicative of P deficiency varies with the diet quality and that the threshold values are substantially higher with higher diet quality.


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 157
Author(s):  
Jean Trap ◽  
Patricia Mahafaka Ranoarisoa ◽  
Usman Irshad ◽  
Claude Plassard

Plants evolve complex interactions with diverse soil mutualist organisms to enhance P mobilization from the soil. These strategies are particularly important when P is poorly available. It is still unclear how the soil P source (e.g., mineral P versus recalcitrant organic P) and its mobility in the soil (high or low) affect soil mutualist biological (ectomycorrhizal fungi, bacteria and bacterial-feeding nematodes) richness—plant P acquisition relationships. Using a set of six microcosm experiments conducted in growth chamber across contrasting P situations, we tested the hypothesis that the relationship between the increasing addition of soil mutualist organisms in the rhizosphere of the plant and plant P acquisition depends on P source and mobility. The highest correlation (R2 = 0.70) between plant P acquisition with soil rhizosphere biological richness was found in a high P-sorbing soil amended with an organic P source. In the five other situations, the relationships became significant either in soil conditions, with or without mineral P addition, or when the P source was supplied as organic P in the absence of soil, although with a low correlation coefficient (0.09 < R2 < 0.15). We thus encourage the systematic and careful consideration of the form and mobility of P in the experimental trials that aim to assess the role of biological complexity on plant P nutrition.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 884
Author(s):  
Emmanuelle Haslin ◽  
Rene A. Corner-Thomas ◽  
Paul R. Kenyon ◽  
Adrian J. Molenaar ◽  
Stephen T. Morris ◽  
...  

The experiment aimed to examine the impacts of an increased growth rate of ewes between three and seven months of age on udder development using ultrasound and to establish whether ultrasonography could be used to identify ewe mammary structures that may be indirect indicators of singleton growth to weaning. Udder dimensions, depths of gland cistern (GC), parenchyma (PAR) and fat pad (FP) were measured in late pregnancy (P107), early lactation (L29), and at weaning (L100) in 59 single-bearing yearling ewes selected from two treatments. The ‘heavy’ group (n = 31) was preferentially fed prior to breeding achieving an average breeding live-weight of 47.9 ± 0.38 kg at seven months of age. The ‘control’ group (n = 28) had an average breeding live-weight of 44.9 ± 0.49 kg. Udder dimensions, GC, PAR and FP did not differ between treatments. Lamb growth to L100 was positively associated (p < 0.05) with PAR at P107 and GC at L29. There was no evidence of negative effects of the live-weight gain treatments on udder development of yearling ewes as measured by ultrasonography. The results suggest that this ultrasound method has the potential to identify pregnant yearling ewes which would wean heavier singletons.


Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 158
Author(s):  
Jiang Tian ◽  
Fei Ge ◽  
Dayi Zhang ◽  
Songqiang Deng ◽  
Xingwang Liu

Phosphorus (P) is a vital element in biological molecules, and one of the main limiting elements for biomass production as plant-available P represents only a small fraction of total soil P. Increasing global food demand and modern agricultural consumption of P fertilizers could lead to excessive inputs of inorganic P in intensively managed croplands, consequently rising P losses and ongoing eutrophication of surface waters. Despite phosphate solubilizing microorganisms (PSMs) are widely accepted as eco-friendly P fertilizers for increasing agricultural productivity, a comprehensive and deeper understanding of the role of PSMs in P geochemical processes for managing P deficiency has received inadequate attention. In this review, we summarize the basic P forms and their geochemical and biological cycles in soil systems, how PSMs mediate soil P biogeochemical cycles, and the metabolic and enzymatic mechanisms behind these processes. We also highlight the important roles of PSMs in the biogeochemical P cycle and provide perspectives on several environmental issues to prioritize in future PSM applications.


Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thabiti Soudjay Kamal ◽  
Yunfeng Huang ◽  
Chulong Huang ◽  
Su Xu ◽  
Gao Bing ◽  
...  

We present a quantitative analysis of phosphorus (P) flows that characterize the food production-consumption system metabolism in a low-income, food, and phosphorus deficient country, using Comoros, a small African island state, as an example from the year 2000 to 2011. The data were interpreted in terms of the connections between crop production, livestock breeding, human consumption, and soil stock, using the substance flow analysis (SFA) model. We found that the total P input into Comoros totaled 132.37 t in 2000 and 270.60 t in 2011, whereas the total P output totaled 567.40 t in 2000 and 702.29 t in 2011. Farmers in Comoros are cropping with little or no P input, resulting in a soil P deficiency; it varied from 435.03 t in 2000 to 431.69 t in 2011. In addition, the Phosphorus Use Efficiencies (PUEs) of plant and animal production in Comoros were 131.80% and 14%, respectively, in 2011. This is the first SFA of a small island state, and the lack of a closed P loop is a major issue for the country in terms of P security and this has not changed between 2000 and 2011. This study proposes crucial solutions for improving the PUE through recycling and reusing animal manure, human excreta, and household solid organic waste.


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