scholarly journals THE EFFECT OF A PLANT GROWTH REGULATOR (MEFLUIDIDE) ON PASTURE GROWTH AND MILK PRODUCTION

Author(s):  
I.M. Brookes ◽  
C.W. Holmes

Nine paddocks (0.85 hectares each) of ryegrass-white clover pasture were divided in half and one half of each paddock sprayed,with 0.15 kg ai mefluidide per hectare in mid-October. All paddocks were grazed 7-9 days after spraying and then rested for a further 14-20 days. A 7 week grazing trial using 8 pairs of idential twin cows was then conducted. All cows received an equal herbage allowance of 40 kg dry matter per head daily. Equal areas were offered to each treatment group and extra cows used to adjust the grazing pressure where necessary. Mefluidide depressed pasture growth rates by 29% for 3-4 weeks after spraying. Subsequent growth rates did not differ significantly between sprayed (S) and unsprayed (U) pastures. Pasture quality was similar for both treatments in the second round of grazing (late November and early December), but in the third round (mid-December) sprayed pastures were more leafy, less stemmy, had higher N concentrations and were more digestible than unsprayed. This was not reflected as differences in the yields of milk, milkfat or milk protein between treatments. The net effect of spraying with mefluidide was therefore to decrease the carrying capacity of the sprayed area used in the grazing trials by 76 cow days compared with the equivalent unsprayed area. This would have resulted in the production of approximately 59 kg less milkfat from 2.5 ha over a 7 week period. Keywords: Mefluidide, Embark 2-V , pasture growth, pasture quality, milk yield, dairy cows, milkfat, nutritive value.

1989 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 69 ◽  
Author(s):  
GJ O'Leary ◽  
RM Binns ◽  
TR Lewis

The effects of delaying chemical fallowing in a pasture rotation on pasture quality and subsequent wheat yield were investigated at sites near Minyip and Charlton, Victoria, in 1983 and 1984. Three chemical fallows were commenced at different times and were compared with a conventionally cultivated fallow. The earliest chemical fallow was established, together with a conventional fallow, at the end of winter. The second chemical fallow commenced towards the end of the rapid spring growth period in mid-October (early hayfreezing), and the third in mid- November (late hayfreezing) on a grass-dominant pasture. The pasture in spring ranged from 51 to 72% digestible dry matter (DDM) but the quality declined to 42-50% DDM by the end of the fallow treatments in autumn at each site in both years. Weathering of the pasture over summer reduced it to roughage. In contrast to a conventional fallow, early hayfreezing of pasture reduced the yield of subsequent wheat crops at Minyip by 14% in 1984 and 26% in 1985. Late hayfreezing caused losses of around 35% in each year at Minyip. At Charlton yield losses were much lower with only 14% loss observed from late hayfreezing in 1985. Because the feed produced by hayfreezing was of very poor quality, hayfreezing cannot be recommended as a viable fodder conservation method as it could not adequately compensate for any yield loss.


Author(s):  
S. J. Hawkins ◽  
R. G. Hartnoll

The effects of experimentally manipulated barnacle cover on the population size, mortality and growth of Patela vulgata L. were investigated on a vertical, barnaclecovered pier at Port Erin in the Isle of Man. One area was left untouched as a control, half of the barnacles on a second were scraped off in a chequered pattern, and on the third the barnacle cover was reduced to less than 2 °0. Subsequent growth rates were inversely proportional to barnacle cover. Mortality was highest on the control. Recruitment of limpets was markedly enhanced by the mosaic of 50 % barnacle cover.Behaviour on this vertical face differed from that on nearby more gently sloping shores, with foraging during emersion being more prevalent: however, barnacle removal reduced this foraging when the tide was out. The foraging of Patella vulgata whilst emersed was similarly shown to be more prevalent on vertical than horizontal surfaces at other localities in Britain. Emersed foraging on the pier was dependent on high humidity. It is suggested that on vertical surfaces, particularly if barnacle-covered, P. vulgata are more dependent on foraging whilst emersed because of the greater risk of dislodgement by waves when feeding whilst the tide is in.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arto Kalevi Huuskonen ◽  
Maiju Pesonen

The objective of the present experiment was to study the effects of the third-cut grass silage compared with the first- and second-cut silages on intake, performance and carcass characteristics of finishing bulls. A feeding experiment comprised 45 Simmental bulls which were fed a total mixed ration ad libitum. The three dietary treatments included either first-, second- or third-cut grass silage (550 g kg-1 dry matter), rolled barley (435 g kg-1 dry matter) and a mineral-vitamin mixture (15 g kg-1 dry matter). Dry matter and energy intakes and growth rates of the bulls increased when either first- or third-cut silages were used instead of the second-cut silage. This was probably due to differences in digestibility, which was the lowest in the second-cut silage. There were no differences in intake or growth between the first- and third-cut silage-based rations. No significant differences in carcass traits among the feeding treatments were observed.


1972 ◽  
Vol 12 (59) ◽  
pp. 608 ◽  
Author(s):  
RC Rossiter ◽  
GB Taylor ◽  
GW Anderson

Pasture swards of the annual clovers Trifolium subterraneum (CV. Geraldton), T. hirtum (CV. Kondinin), and T. cherleri (CV. Yamina), and a mixture of all three were sown on a gravelly soil at Bakers Hill, Western Australia, in 1964. All pastures were set-stocked at 5 sheep ha-l from April 1965-April 1968, and at 8 sheep ha-1 from April 1968-March 1970. From 1966 onwards the amount of pasture dry matter on offer in July and September was two to four times as great on the subterranean clover pasture as on rose or cupped clover pastures. Moreover, the subterranean clover pasture resisted invasion by volunteer annuals more strongly. The mixed clover pasture was dominated by subterranean clover by 1966, and remained so thereafter. For the first four seasons of grazing, wool production was consistently higher (on average, 14 per cent higher) on rose clover than on subterranean clover pasture, and slightly lower still on cupped clover. In the fifth season, when grazing pressure was higher than previously, the rose and cupped clovers 'crashed', and subterranean clover produced most wool. We argue that the higher wool production on rose clover during 1965-1969 was due to some factor additional to digestible organic matter intake.


2015 ◽  
Vol 77 ◽  
pp. 89-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.M. Cranston ◽  
P.R. Kenyon ◽  
S.T. Morris ◽  
P.D. Kemp

Many farmers are sowing mixed swards containing chicory (Cichorium intybus), plantain (Plantago lanceolata), red clover (Trifolium pratense) and white clover (T. repens) (hereafter termed herb and clover mix). This herb and clover mix has comparable annual dry matter (DM) production to perennial ryegrass white clover pasture (rye/wc), however, it has a different pattern of growth, producing more DM during summer and autumn. The herb and clover mix also has a higher nutritive value and is able to support greater rates of animal production, especially over summer, than rye/ wc in both sheep and cattle. The herb and clover mix is most suited to a rotational grazing interval of 3-4 weeks to an 8 cm residual height, with no winter grazing. When managed appropriately the herb and clover mix is able to persist for at least 2 years and up to 5 years under both sheep and cattle grazing. Keywords: Cichorium intybus, Plantago lanceolata, Trifolium pratense, Trifolium repens, legume, perennial, nutritive value.


Author(s):  
S.H. Raza ◽  
P. Rowlinson

Many feeding , economic and managemental problems have been observed to be associated with the silage feeding (Wilkinson, 1990) e.g.;1) The high cost of production, losses during storage and damage to the walls and floors of silos.2) Variation in feed characteristics due to multicut.3) Effluent and pollution problems.4) The unpredictable feeding value and tendency to enhance milk fat but not milk protein in lactating animals.All these factors have forced animal scientists to look for suitable alternatives to grass silage . Whole crop cereals have drawn the attention of workers as a substitute for grass silage due to the following advantages ;1) The number of cuts and the harvesting cost can be reduced .2) A high dry matter yield of crop can be obtained with modest application of fertiliser and no effluent problem.3) The early harvesting of the crop gives more time for the entry of the following crop.4) More predictable nutritive value , high grain content ( approaching 50 % ) of the total crop yield .


1990 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Tanner ◽  
J. D. Reeds ◽  
E. Owen

ABSTRACTForty Menz rams weighing 20 to 22 kg and aged 13 to 18 months were individually offered 1·0 kg/day chopped maize stover and one of five supplements over a 70-day growth trial followed by a 10-day metabolism trial. The amounts of supplement offered were designed to supply 4·4 g nitrogen per day and with stover, sufficient nutrients to allow growth rates of 50 g/day. The control supplement, 80 g dry matter (DM) per day extracted noug (Guizotia abyssinica) meal, was compared with 194 to 212 g DM per day of fruits (pods (carpels) with seeds) of Acacia tortilis, A. albida, A. nilotica and A. sieberiana. For the control and four Acacia supplements respectively, mean growth rates were 32, 32, 21, 16, 4 (s.e.6) g/day and mean stover intakes 483, 430, 401, 347, 320 (s.e. 74) g DM per day. The low growth rates and intakes with A. sieberiana and to a lesser extent A. nilotica were probably related to their content of phenolic compounds including insoluble proanthocyanidins which may have lowered the digestibility of neutral-detergent fibre and nitrogen. A. tortilis and A. albida would appear to be of comparable nutritive value to noug meal as supplements to maize stover. Unlike noug meal Acacia fruits are widely available in rural areas of Africa. Further research is required to identify other tree species suitable for use as supplements and how to overcome the anti-nutritional factors.


1985 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 169 ◽  
Author(s):  
LJ Lambourne ◽  
IM Wood

Nutritional studies using rats have shown that the grains of Rongai and Highworth, the current commercial cultivars of lablab bean in Australia, and of CPI41222, a white-seeded accession, have low nutritive value. Diets containing raw beans of the three accessions at levels up to 12% crude protein led to severe weight losses of up to 0.89 g/day compared with weight gains of up to 2.8 g/day with autoclaved soybean meal. Autoclaving for 20 min or boiling the grain improved growth rates only marginally. Increasing the period of autoclaving reduced the feeding value; extraction of the grain with saline solution or treatment with formaldehyde failed to improve it. These results are consistent with previous reports of the presence in lablab beans of a heat-labile phytohaemagglutinin. Blood haemoglobin levels were signifycantly depressed on diets which contained Highworth beans. The proteins of all accessions contained low levels of the sulfur-containing amino acids; a deficiency of methionine was confirmed by feeding trials. The level of histidine in the lablab protein was about 50% higher than in soybean and, in supplementation trials, additions of histidine reduced growth rates. In two feeding trials, there were good correlations (R2=0.85 and 0.92) between weight gains and digestible dry matter intake, indicating that the differences in growth rates were primarily the result of differences in intake. Intakes of digestible dry matter and digestible crude protein and the digestibilities of dry matter and crude protein were all significantly lower with Rongai than with the other two accessions. These differences do not appear to be associated with the quality of the protein as shown by amino acid analyses or by the responses to supplementation with essential amino acids. They also do not appear to be associated with seed coat colour, seed size or crude protein content of the grain.


1975 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 769 ◽  
Author(s):  
SC Valentine ◽  
JC Radcliffe

Formaldehyde-prepared silages and untreated silage were made from grass-clover herbage and offered to dairy cows. Formaldehyde was applied at 0.6 and 1.2% of the dry matter of the herbage. The 1.2% formaldehyde-prepared silage had significantly lower concentrations of ammonia nitrogen, total organic acids and propionic acid than untreated silage, but a higher concentration of lactic acid. The 0.6% formaldehyde-prepared silage had a similar degree of fermentation to untreated silage, but more lactic acid and less butyric acid were produced. Treatment with formaldehyde significantly reduced the in vitro digestibilities of dry matter and nitrogen. Cows offered the formaldehyde-prepared silages had significantly greater ad libitum dry matter intakes, produced significantly more milk, protein, butterfat and solids not fat (SNF), and utilized digestible energy more efficiently for milk production than cows offered untreated silage. Differences between treatments in the percentages of butterfat, protein and SNF in milk from cows offered the silages were generally not significant. Treatment with formaldehyde was a suitable method of controlling the ensiling fermentation to Increase the ad lib. dry matter intake and the production of milk and milk components by dairy cows.


Author(s):  
S.L. Harris ◽  
D.A. Clark ◽  
P.J. Laboyrie

Two grazing trials conducted with Friesian cows in mid lactation showed milk yields were higher on birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)-dominant pasture (19.8 and 16.7 l/cow/day) than on white clover-dominant (17.8 and 15.4 l/cow/day) or ryegrass-dominant (13.0 and 11.7 l/cow/day) pastures. Increased milk production on the Lotus and clover was attributed to the higher nutritive value of the legume-based pasture compared with the ryegrass, and to higher dry matter intakes. Cows grazing Lotus also had improved feed conversion efficiency compared with those grazing either ryegrass or clover, indicating that the presence of condensed tannins in the Lotus may have contributed to the improved efficiency. Milk protein concentration was consistently higher on the Lotus (3.36 and 3.35%) than on the ryegrass (3.15 and 3.21%) or clover (3.30 and 3.21%) in both experiments, while milk fat levels were lower in Experiment 1. While Lotus increased milk yield and milk protein concentration, its potential as a forage legume for dairy cows also depends on annual herbage production and the determination of how best to utilise it in a farm system. Keywords: birdsfoot trefoil, dairy cows, dry matter intake, Lotus corniculatus, milk composition, milk yield, perennial ryegrass, white clover


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