Liveweight of grazing steers supplemented with molasses, urea and sulfur in northern Queensland

1982 ◽  
Vol 22 (117) ◽  
pp. 252 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Winks ◽  
PK O'Rourke ◽  
SR McLennan
Keyword(s):  
Compensatory Growth ◽  
Cattle Grazing ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Feeding Period ◽  
Sulfate Sulfur ◽  
Native Pasture ◽  
Dry Seasons ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Native Pastures

Steers grazing native pasture were supplemented with 0, 0.8 or 2.4 g of sulfur/head.d in addition to a molasses (230 or 115 g/head.d) and urea (60 g/head.d) supplement over four dry seasons. The unsupplemented animals lost most or gained least weight during the feeding period in all four years but the difference was significant (P< 0.05) in only two years. Adding sulfur to the molasses and urea tended to give the best results but the effect was not significant (P> 0.05) over the results achieved with feeding only molasses and urea. There was a tendency for liveweight performance to be better with the higher level of molasses, but again differences were not significant. Blood sulfate-sulfur levels during the feeding period increased with the level of sulfur fed but levels were not significantly correlated with liveweight change. Compensatory growth by unsupplemented groups after the feeding period eliminated liveweight advantages of supplemented groups. The results suggest that the level of molasses in a molasses and urea supplement for yearling cattle grazing native pastures on solodic soils during the dry season in northern Queensland can be reduced to 115 g/head.d without adversely affecting liveweight. These results may not apply on sulfur deficient soils and in dry years.

Comparison of dry season urea supplements containing salt, sulfur or molasses for steers grazing native pasture in the dry tropics of northern Queensland

1981 ◽  
Vol 21 (112) ◽  
pp. 457 ◽  
Author(s):  
SR McLennan ◽  
PJ Dunster ◽  
PK O'Rourke ◽  
GM Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Compensatory Growth ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Feeding Period ◽  
Post Feeding ◽  
Dry Tropics ◽  
Native Pasture ◽  
One Year ◽  
Better Than

The effects of feeding dry season supplements of salt and urea (NaU), salt, urea and sulfur (NaUS) and molasses and urea (MU) on the liveweight of steers grazing native pasture in northern Queensland were studied over four years. Liveweight during the feeding period was improved (P < 0.05) by each supplement in three years out of four, with a mean level of response of 49 g/d. The supplements gave similar results in two years while in one year NaU and MU were better than NaUS (P < 0.05) and in another NaUS was better than NaU (P < 0.05). Compensatory growth by unsupplemented animals after the feeding period eroded liveweight responses to supplements in most cases. Blood sulfate level was not affected by treatment, nor was it related to liveweight in either the feeding or post-feeding periods. Mean levels for unsupplemented animals were 15.8 and 21.2 �g/ml for the feeding and post-feeding periods, respectively. Salivary Na:K ratios exceeded 18:1 throughout the year for unsupplemented and NaUS groups, indicating sodium sufficiency.

Nutrition of beef breeder cows in the dry tropics. 2. Effects of time of weaning and diet quality on breeder performance

2011 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 529 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Dixon ◽  
C. Playford ◽  
D. B. Coates
Keyword(s):  
Diet Quality ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Near Infrared Reflectance ◽  
Lactating Cows ◽  
Dry Tropics ◽  
Body Reserves ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Native Pasture ◽  
The Difference

In the seasonally dry tropics the effects of three times of weaning and three nutritional regimes on the changes in liveweight (LW) and body condition score (BCS) of grazing Bos indicus × Bos taurus breeder cows (n = 210) and their calves were examined through an annual cycle, commencing in the early dry season in April 1998. Most of the cows (n = 180) were lactating initially, and were weaned in April (W1), July (W2) or September (W3) to represent the expected early, mid and late dry season. In addition, cows that had not lactated for 11 months before the experiment commenced (NOCALF treatment; n = 30) were examined. The seasonal break occurred in late August, 3.5 months earlier than average for the site. The nutritional regimes consisted of a native pasture (LOW), another native pasture augmented with Stylosanthes spp. legumes (MEDIUM), or this latter pasture supplemented during the dry season with molasses-urea (HIGH). These nutritional regimes were imposed from the commencement of the experiment in April 1998 until February 1999, except that for the HIGH treatment the supplement was fed only during the dry season. Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy of faeces (F.NIRS) was used to estimate the contents of non-grass, crude protein (CP) and DM digestibility of the diet selected, and also DM intake and metabolisable energy (ME) intake. Diet quality was in accord with the expected seasonal cycle, and was consistently lower (P < 0.05) for the LOW than for the MEDIUM treatment. Concentrations of CP and CP/MJ ME in the diet, and of N in faeces, indicated that the cows grazing the LOW treatment were deficient in rumen degradable protein during the dry season. There was no interaction (P > 0.05) between the nutritional regime and the time of weaning on changes in conceptus-free liveweight (CF.LW) or BCS during the dry season. Weaning increased breeder CF.LW, relative to lactating breeders, by 0.42 kg/day in the early dry season (April–July; the difference between the W1 and W2 treatments), and 0.18 kg/day in the usual mid dry season (July–September; the difference between the W2 and W3 treatments). The NOCALF treatment cows were initially 79 kg heavier than lactating cows, and lost more LW during the dry season. Microbial CP synthesis was 21 and 29% greater (P < 0.05) in lactating than in non-lactating cows in the late dry season and shortly after the seasonal break (August and September), respectively. Calf growth was not affected (P > 0.05) by nutritional regime during the early dry season (April–July), but was lower for the LOW nutritional regime during the usual mid dry season (July–September); this indicated that the LOW nutritional regime cows mobilised sufficient additional body reserves to maintain milk production during the former, but not the latter, interval. All cows that were lactating at the commencement of the experiment gained CF.LW rapidly from September 1998 following the seasonal break. In conclusion, although nutrition affected LW change of both cows and calves, there was a much larger effect of weaning than of the nutrition treatments examined on conservation of body reserves in breeder cows during the dry season. The observation that the effects of weaning on conservation of cow body reserves were similar across a wide range of nutrition is important for management to achieve appropriate targets for breeder cow body reserves.

Complementary grazing of native pasture and standing Townsville lucerne in the dry season at Katherine, NT

1967 ◽  
Vol 7 (26) ◽  
pp. 225 ◽  
Author(s):  
MJT Norman ◽  
GA Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Crude Protein ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
High Protein Diet ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
High Protein ◽  
Protein Concentrate ◽  
Native Pasture ◽  
Digestible Crude Protein ◽  
Dry Seasons

In an experiment at Katherine, N.T., in the 1964, 1965, and 1966 dry seasons, Shorthorn steers were grazed on varying proportions of native pasture and standing Townsville lucerne pasture. The treatments were : a native pasture alone ; b Townsville lucerne two days, native pasture five days ; c Townsville lucerne four days, native pasture three days ; d Townsville lucerne alone. Liveweight gain over 16 weeks, from early June to late September, was linearly related to the number of days in the week on Townsville lucerne (21 = -74.9 + 2 7 . 9 � 30.5, where! = gain in lb per head and x = number of days). The results were compared with earlier data from Katherine on dry season supplementation of cattle on native pasture with a high-protein concentrate. In terms of liveweight gain, a weekly fall in dry matter yield of Townsville lucerne of 100 lb per head was equivalent to the consumption of 0.5 lb per head per day of digestible crude protein in concentrate form. Of this quantity of legume, it appeared that approximately two-thirds was consumed and one-third wasted. Periodic sampling of the Townsville lucerne pastures confirmed earlier findings that cattle grazing standing Townsville lucerne in the dry season do not select for a high-protein diet. The pattern of liveweight gain on Townsville lucerne alone, with other evidence, suggested that they do select for a high-energy diet.

Variation in feed utilisation by sheep undergoing compensatory growth following underfeeding with and without additional dietary nitrogen in western China

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Philp ◽  
Adam M. Komarek ◽  
Sarah J. Pain ◽  
William Bellotti
Keyword(s):  
Energy Intake ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Compensatory Growth ◽  
Western China ◽  
Feeding Period ◽  
Feed Utilisation ◽  
Metabolisable Energy ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Over Time

Small mixed farming systems in developing economies often rely on compensatory growth to recover livestock weight lost during seasonal feed shortages; however, deficit feed management may continue to affect the capacity of livestock to efficiently use feeds even after adequate feeding has resumed. Accordingly, we compared the difference in liveweight gain and feed utilisation over time in Tan weaner sheep in western China, during a period of ad libitum compensatory feeding after alternative feed deficit scenarios. During the feed deficit period, sheep were offered, at 80% maintenance requirements, corn straw, corn grain and lucerne hay in a respective ratio of either 80 : 20 : 0 (S1 ration: metabolisable energy = 7 MJ/kg DM, crude protein = 40 g/kg DM) or 55 : 20 : 25 (S2 ration: metabolisable energy = 8 MJ/kg DM, crude protein = 65 g/kg DM) for 20 days. All sheep were then offered an ad libitum supply of the S2 ration for a further 20 days, during which DM digestibility (DMD), energy intake and liveweight was measured and compared at 5-day intervals. Results indicated that sheep previously fed the S1 ration were not able to digest as much of the ad libitum S2 ration as those previously fed the S2 ration, experiencing significantly lower DMD, energy intake and average daily weight gain. The difference in the effect of the two restrictive feeding treatments on the digestibility of the ad libitum S2 ration gradually decreased over time, indicative of a recovery adaptation during ad libitum feeding period. The rate of DMD recovery post-realimentation was greater in the S1 sheep, likely due to their significantly lower DMD values immediately following underfeeding. We concluded that the comparatively higher nutritive value of the S2 ration sustained rumen digestive function throughout the restrictive feeding period, permitting sheep to commence re-feeding under conditions that are more favourable. Additionally, it is evident that reliance on livestock winter rations typical in western China, as expressed by the S1 ration, degraded ruminant digestive conditions to such an extent that feed was used with reduced efficiency even after being supplied in adequate quantities.

Liveweight response following sodium chloride supplementation of beef cows and their calves grazing native pasture

1973 ◽  
Vol 13 (63) ◽  
pp. 369 ◽  
Author(s):  
GM Murphy ◽  
AW Plasto
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Chloride ◽  
Cattle Grazing ◽  
Beef Cows ◽  
Common Salt ◽  
Hereford Cattle ◽  
Native Pasture ◽  
Urinary Levels ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Native Pastures

Hereford cattle grazing native pastures on the eastern Darling Downs, Queensland, were deemed sodium (Na) deficient on the basis of salivary Na and potassium (K) levels. Common salt (NaCl) was offered ad libitum to one half of the animals. Cows receiving the supplement had significantly better rates of liveweight increase (0.35 v. 0.14 kg head-1 day-1, P < 0.01) than unsupplemented cows. Calves of supplemented cows grew significantly faster than calves of unsupplemented cows (0.77 v. 0.62 kg head-1 day-1, P < 0.01). After 21 days of Na supplementation, cows in the supplemented group had mean saliva values of 139.1 m-equiv l-1 Na and 7.4 m-equiv l-1 K; these values are considered normal. Corresponding values in the unsupplemented group were 60.2 m-equiv l-1 Na and 71.7 m-equiv l-1 K, which are indicative of severe Na deficiency. Levels of this magnitude remained throughout the duration of the experiment. Blood and milk concentrations of Na and K were not affected by Na intake. Urinary levels of Na and K were attered by Na intake but were extremely variable.

The short term effects of time and frequency of burning on native pastures at Katherine, N.T

1963 ◽  
Vol 3 (8) ◽  
pp. 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
MJT Norman
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Dry Matter Yield ◽  
Botanical Composition ◽  
Clay Loam ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Native Pasture ◽  
Native Pastures ◽  
Provisional Recommendation

A report is given of the first five years of an experiment at Katherine, N.T., concerned with the effects of time and frequency of burning on the dry matter yield, nitrogen yield and botanical composition of native pasture on Tippera clay loam. Sampling in 1961-62 showed that all burning treatments reduced dry matter yield in comparison with unburned pasture Pasture burned biennially in the late dry season (September) showed the least reduction in yield. Biennial burning was less detrimental than annual burning ; burning in late dry season was less detrimental than burning in early dry season. Burning in late dry season increased the proportion of annuals in the pasture. All treatments other than biennial burning in late dry season reduced the proportion of Themeda australis (R. Br.) Stapf., the dominant perennial grass. Burning biennially in January or in April increased the proportion of Chrysopogon fallax, S. T. Blake. The provisional recommendation for Themeda-Sorghum pastures in the Katherine area is to bum in late dry season at intervals of not less than two years.

Intake of lick block supplements by cattle grazing native monsoonal tallgrass pastures in the Northern Territory.

1990 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
AR Eggington ◽  
TH McCosker ◽  
CA Graham
Keyword(s):  
Northern Territory ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Mineral Supplement ◽  
Protein Nitrogen ◽  
Lactating Cows ◽  
Native Pasture ◽  
Pure Salt ◽  
Dry Seasons ◽  
True Protein

Four supplementation treatments to investigate wet seasons responses were imposed on eight Brahman/Shorthom cross herds totalling 870 animals of all classes (cows and calves, bulls, heifers and steers). They grazed 12,300 ha of native pasture in the Darwin district of the Northern Territory. The treatments were: (i) control (no wet season supplement), (ii) Mineral (Ultraphos - supplementation with 13 minerals during the wet season), (iii) +Protein (Ultrapro-50 - the same 13 minerals plus non-protein nitrogen (WN) and true protein over the wet season), and (iv) Strategic (strategic use of salt, mineral and hTN supplements over the early wet, mid wet and late wet seasons respectively). All treatments received an hTN plus mineral supplement (Uramol) during the dry season. Supplement intakes by the herds were measured monthly for three years. Intake of Salt, Ultraphos and Ultrapro-50 supplements averaged 43, 124 and 149 g/animal/day respectively during the three wet seasons. Losses of the molasses-based block formulations due to rain were small (7%) during the wet season. However, up to one third of each pure salt block was eroded. Intake of Uramol during the three dry seasons averaged 182 g/animal/day across all herds. No urea toxicity problems were noticed over the three years of the supplement programme, despite high intakes during the dry season. All animals consumed some supplement. However, levels of supplement intake: (i) increased with the seasonal decrease in native pasture quality, (ii) decreased with an increase in proportion of paddock burnt, (iii) varied between animal classes, with lactating cows consuming 64% more supplement than non-lactating cows in two of the three years, and (iv) varied between individuals within classes. Individual intake varied widely (from 10 to 835 glanirnallday for lactating cows) with no significant correlation between individual intake and the pregnancy rate or average daily liveweight gain.

Dry season protein and energy supplements for beef cattle on native pastures at Katherine, N.T

1963 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 280 ◽  
Author(s):  
MJT Norman
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Peanut Meal ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
High Protein ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Protein Supplements ◽  
Native Pasture ◽  
Native Pastures ◽  
Sorghum Grain ◽  
Energy Supplements

Three experiments planned to gain information on the gross nutritive deficiencies of native pasture as a feed for beef cattle during the dry season were carried out at Katherine, N.T., between 1960 and 1962. Groups of local Shorthorn steers were grazed on native pasture from July to November and fed supplements of crushed sorghum grain and peanut meal at different levels of total digestible nutrients and digestible crude protein. The results suggest that up to the time of early storm rains, prior to the wet season proper, the dry standing native pasture is an adequate source of energy, which can be effectively utilized if cattle are given a small quantity of high-protein supplement. During the period of early rains, the pasture is not an adequate source of energy, and high-protein supplements do not prevent liveweight loss. High spring temperatures before the early rains did not appear to affect adversely the performance of supplemented cattle.

Rising ecosystem water demand exacerbates the lengthening of tropical dry seasons

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Xu ◽  
Xu Lian ◽  
Ingrid Slette ◽  
Hui Yang ◽  
Yuan Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Demand ◽  
Potential Evapotranspiration ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Land Area ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Dry Seasons ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Factor Governing

Abstract The timing and length of the dry season is a key factor governing ecosystem productivity and the carbon cycle of the tropics. Mounting evidence has suggested a lengthening of the dry season with ongoing climate change. However, this conclusion is largely based on changes in precipitation (P) compared to its long-term average (P ̅) and lacks consideration of the simultaneous changes in ecosystem water demand (measured by potential evapotranspiration, Ep, or actual evapotranspiration, E). Using several long-term (1979-2018) observational datasets, we compared changes in tropical dry season length (DSL) and timing (dry season arrival, DSA, and dry season end, DSE) among three common metrics used to define the dry season: P < P ̅, P < Ep, and P < E. We found that all three definitions show that dry seasons have lengthened in much of the tropics since 1979. Among the three definitions, P < E estimates the largest fraction (49.0%) of tropical land area likely experiencing longer dry seasons, followed by P < Ep (41.4%) and P < P ̅ (34.4%). The largest differences in multi-year mean DSL (> 120 days) among the three definitions occurred in the most arid and the most humid regions of the tropics. All definitions and datasets consistently showed longer dry seasons in southern Amazon (due to delayed DSE) and central Africa (due to both earlier DSA and delayed DSE). However, definitions that account for changing water demand estimated longer DSL extension over those two regions. These results indicate that warming-enhanced evapotranspiration exacerbates dry season lengthening and ecosystem water deficit. Thus, it is necessity to account for the evolving water demand of tropical ecosystems when characterizing changes in seasonal dry periods and ecosystem water deficits in an increasingly warmer and drier climate.

scholarly journals Fruiting phenology and consumption by birds in Ficus calyptroceras (Miq.) Miq. (Moraceae)

2002 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 339-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. RAGUSA-NETTO
Keyword(s):  
Food Resource ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Frugivorous Birds ◽  
Fruiting Phenology ◽  
Dry Seasons ◽  
Seed Dispersers ◽  
Wet And Dry Seasons

Figs are a remarkable food resource to frugivores, mainly in periods of general fruit scarcity. Ficus calyptroceras Miq. (Moraceae) is the only fig species in a type of dry forest in western Brazil. In this study I examined the fruiting pattern as well as fig consumption by birds in F. calyptroceras. Although rainfall was highly seasonal, fruiting was aseasonal, since the monthly proportion of fruiting trees ranged from 4% to 14% (N = 50 trees). I recorded 22 bird species feeding on figs. In the wet season 20 bird species ate figs, while in the dry season 13 did. Parrots were the most important consumers. This group removed 72% and 40% of the figs consumed in the wet and dry seasons, respectively. No bird species increases fig consumption from dry to wet season. However, a group of bird species assumed as seed dispersers largely increases fig consumption from wet to dry season, suggesting the importance of this resource in the period of fruit scarcity. The results of this study points out the remarkable role that F. calyptroceras plays to frugivorous birds, in such a dry forest, since its fruits were widely consumed and were available all year round.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document