scholarly journals Sheep production and agronomic performance of Lotus corniculatus under dryland farming

2003 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 109-115
Author(s):  
T.N. Barry ◽  
P.D. Kemp ◽  
C.A. Ramirez-Restrepo ◽  
N. Lopezvillalobos
Keyword(s):  
Condensed Tannins ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Lotus Corniculatus ◽  
Body Growth ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Weaning Weight ◽  
Wool Production ◽  
Dryland Farming ◽  
Wool Growth

Lotus corniculatus (lotus) contains condensed tannins (CT; 25-35 g/kg DM), which reduce the microbial degradation of forage protein in the rumen and increase amino acid absorption from the small intestine. In grazing experiments at Palmerston North during the 1990s, sheep grazing L. corniculatus had superior wool production, body growth and ovulation rates (OR) relative to sheep grazing lucerne (Medicago sativa) or perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)/white clover (Tritolium repens) pasture. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) drenching studies showed that action of CT was responsible for a component of the increases in wool growth and OR, but not body growth, and increased milk yield in lactating ewes. The 'Massey lotus' programme moved in 2000 to Riverside farm in the Wairarapa, where L. corniculatus is more agronomically suited, and its integration into dryland farming systems is being studied. We aim to develop systems that increase animal productivity whilst also reducing chemical input, notably of anthelmintic drenches. In two experiments conducted over 12 weeks in spring, ewes and lambs grazing L. corniculatus without pre-lamb drenching had lower faecal egg counts (FEC) and lower dag scores than ewes and lambs grazing pasture. Also, liveweight gain (+44%), weaning weight (+26%) and wool production (+32%) were greater for lambs grazing lotus. Weaned lambs grazing L. corniculatus over 14 weeks in summer grew faster than those grazing pasture (298 cf. 201 g/day) when regularly drenched. Reduction of anthelmintic drenching reduced the growth rates of lambs grazing L. corniculatus, but at 228 g/day this was still much faster than those grazing pasture (187 g/day). Lambs grazing L. corniculatus with restricted anthelmintic grew slightly faster than regularly drenched lambs grazing pasture. In addition, ewes mated on L. corniculatus had greater ovulation rates, lambing % and weaning % (approximately 25%) than ewes mated on pasture. Lamb weaning weight was unaffected by the ewes grazing L. corniculatus during mating, but mortality rate during the period from birth to weaning was lower for lambs that were conceived when their dams were grazing lotus. Annual (dry matter) production under grazing averaged over two years (2000-2001), was 9.5 t/ha for L. corniculatus and 8.6 t/ha for pasture. The percentages of annual production that occurred in spring, summer, autumn and winter were 49, 40, 8 and 4%, respectively, for L. corniculatus and 55, 30, 9 and 6%, respectively, for pasture. L. corniculatus has potential as a specialist feed in dryland farming systems for use during mating to increase subsequent lambing percentage and to increase lamb growth while reducing anthelmintic use. The result is more lambs being drafted at an earlier age. Key words: agronomy, body growth, condensed tannins, dry matter yield, Lotus corniculatus, reproduction, sheep, withdrawing anthelmintic, wool growth

scholarly journals The effect of condensed tannins in Lotus corniculatus upon reproductive efficiency and wool production in sheep during late summer and autumn

1999 ◽  
pp. 51-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.N. Barry ◽  
W.C. Mcnabb ◽  
P.D. Kemp ◽  
G.C. Waghorn ◽  
B.R. Min ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Condensed Tannins ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Condensed Tannin ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Lotus Corniculatus ◽  
Ovulation Rate ◽  
Maximum Increase ◽  
Wool Production ◽  
Voluntary Feed Intake ◽  
Wool Growth

(23 g condensed tannins (CT) /kg DM) and perennial ryegrass-white clover pasture (1 g CT/ kg DM) during the late summer/autumn of 1997 (Experiment 1) and 1998 (Experiment 2). Ewes were in thin condition and weighed 54 kg in Experiment 1 and were fat and weighed 60 kg in Experiment 2. Oestrus was synchronised for two cycles in Experiment 1 and four cycles in Experiment 2. Ewes were grazed at maintenance for the first 10 days of each oestrus cycle and then ad libitum for the last 6 days, including ovulation. Half the ewes grazing L. corniculatus were drenched twice daily with polyethylene glycol (PEG), to inactivate the condensed tannins. Relative to ewes grazing pasture, grazing ewes on L. corniculatus increased both ovulation rate (OR) and wool production, with the response in OR being greater in Experiment 1 (34%) than in Experiment 2 (13%). Maximum increase in OR occurred after grazing lotus for two cycles (5 weeks). Increases in fecundity were caused by a reduction in the proportion of ewes exhibiting single ovulation and increases in the proportions having doubled and triple or quadruple ovulations. As judged by responses to PEG supplementation, part of the L. corniculatus response in OR could be explained by action of CT in Experiment 1 but not in Experiment 2. As voluntary feed intake was similar between the treatments, feeding L. corniculatus improved the efficiency with which ingested nutrients were used for reproduction and wool growth. It was concluded that grazing L. corniculatus during autumn has most potential for increasing OR in lighter ewes. Keywords: condensed tannin, forage, Lotus corniculatus, nutritive value, ovulation rate, wool growth Abbreviations

Effect of condensed tannins in Lotus corniculatus on the nutritive value of pasture for sheep

1997 ◽  
Vol 128 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. C. WAGHORN ◽  
I. D. SHELTON
Keyword(s):  
Soluble Protein ◽  
Condensed Tannins ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Experimental Period ◽  
Lotus Corniculatus ◽  
Feeding Trial ◽  
Wool Growth

The extent to which condensed tannins (CT) in Lotus corniculatus were able to affect protein degradation and the nutritive value of pasture were evaluated at Palmerston North, New Zealand in 1992 in an indoor feeding trial with sheep and using in vitro incubations. The feeding trial involved three groups of seven young wether sheep held indoors in metabolism crates for the 32-day experimental period with one group fed freshly cut ryegrass/clover pasture (Pasture group) whilst the other two groups received a mixture of c. 37% freshly cut Lotus corniculatus and 63% pasture (dry matter (DM) basis). One of the latter groups was given twice daily oral drenches of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to bind with and remove the effects of the CT (PEG group) whilst the remaining sheep (Tannin group) were not drenched. Intakes of sheep given the mixed diets were constrained to that of the pasture group. The CT concentration in the lotus was 26·1 g/kg DM so that the mixed diets contained c. 10g CT/kg DM. Effects of CT on digestion and sheep performance were minimal. Apparent digestibility of N was lower in the Tannin group (76·4%) than PEG (79·8%) or Pasture (79·4%) sheep (P<0·001), but there were no differences in DM digestibility (75%) or wool growth from mid-side patches. Rumen ammonia and soluble protein concentrations appeared to be similar in PEG and Tannin sheep and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations were similar in all groups (100 mmol/l).For incubations in vitro, several ratios of Lotus corniculatus: pasture were used to determine the effects of CT on precipitation of soluble proteins and the net yield of ammonia and gas with and without PEG. Homogenates of Lotus corniculatus leaves and pasture showed that 50% of soluble protein was precipitated by 1·3% CT in homogenate DM and there was a substantial decrease in in vitro degradation to ammonia when lotus leaf accounted for 33% or more of DM with pasture. This work emphasises the need for caution when extrapolating from in vitro to the in vivo situation and suggests that 1% CT from Lotus corniculatus may be insufficient to affect the nutritive value of fresh forages for sheep.

Effect of condensed tannins upon body growth, wool growth and rumen metabolism in sheep grazing sulla (Hedysarum coronarium) and perennial pasture

1992 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. H. Terrill ◽  
G. B. Douglas ◽  
A. G. Foote ◽  
R. W. Purchas ◽  
G. F. Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rates ◽  
Condensed Tannins ◽  
Rumen Fluid ◽  
High Ratio ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Body Growth ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Rumen Metabolism ◽  
Wool Growth ◽  
Hedysarum Coronarium

SUMMARYAreas of sulla (Hedysarum coronarium) and pasture (Lolium perenne/Trifolium repens/Holcus lanatus) were grazed by young sheep (29·5–34·8 kg initial liveweight) in four experiments, and effects upon body growth, wool growth and rumen metabolism were measured.Sulla contained 40–50 g condensed tannins (CT)/kg DM, whilst the pasture contained small amounts of CT (2–6 g/kg DM). After chewing during eating, a lower proportion of total CT was readily extractable and greater proportions were protein-bound and fibre-bound. Nutritional effects attributable to CT were assessed by oral administration of polyethylene glycol (PEG), which binds and inactivates CT, to half the animals grazing each forage. Rates of body growth were consistently higher for lambs grazing sulla than those grazing pasture, with the CT concentration in sulla being neither stimulatory or inhibitory to body growth or voluntary feed intake (VFI). The action of CT reduced carcass fatness in sheep fed both diets, in the one experiment where this was measured. CT present in both sulla and pasture decreased rumen ammonia concentration and decreased molar proportions of iso-butyrate and iso and n-valerate. During spring and early summer, when wool growth rates were highest, CT present in both pasture and sulla increased wool growth rate; when wool growth rates were low during winter, CT had no effect upon the wool growth of sheep grazing either forage. Numbers of protozoa and molar proportions of n-butyrate in rumen fluid were increased by CT in sheep grazing sulla but not pasture.It was concluded that the higher rates of body growth and VFI in lambs grazing sulla was most likely to be due to its very high ratio of readily fermentable: structural carbohydrate.

Effect of chemical removal of grasses from pasture leys on pasture and sheep production

1987 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 349 ◽  
Author(s):  
CW Thorn ◽  
MW Perry
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Annual Grass ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Wool Production ◽  
Wool Growth ◽  
Annual Grasses ◽  
Sheep Production ◽  
Stocking Rates

Pasture production, pasture composition and quality, and liveweight, body condition and wool growth of Merino weaner wethers were monitored over 2 seasons and at 2 stocking rates (4 and 8 sheep/ha) on a mixed annual grass-legume pasture sprayed with propyzamide to control grasses. Propyzamide virtually eliminated annual grasses from the pasture (less than 5 kg/ha of grass dry matter in spring v. 403 kg/ha on untreated pasture in 1981) and this carried over into the second season (61 kg/ha v. 647 kg/ha in spring 1982). Propyzamide treated pastures had less total dry matter (P = 0.05) throughout 1981: however, except for a single sample date, there was no effect of propyzamide on total available pasture in the second season. Increased growth of clover and capeweed compensated for the absence of the grasses. The higher stocking rate reduced available clover, capeweed and total dry matter (P = 0.05) throughout both years. Sheep grazing grass-free pastures had lower liveweights during winter in both years, but made compensatory gains during late spring and summer consistent with the higher quality (1.6 v. 1.07% nitrogen when sampled in January) of propyzamide treated pastures. In 198 1, wool growth rates were reduced at the higher stocking rate and total clean wool production was reduced from 4.55 kg/sheep at 4/ha to 3.65 kg/sheep at 8/ha. Pasture treatment had no effect on wool production in either year. The implications of using selective herbicides to remove the annual grass component of legume-based annual pastures in south-western Australia are dis cussed in relation to pasture and sheep production.

The effect of condensed tannins in Lotus corniculatus upon reproductive efficiency and wool production in sheep during late summer and autumn

1999 ◽  
Vol 132 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. R. MIN ◽  
W. C. McNABB ◽  
T. N. BARRY ◽  
P. D. KEMP ◽  
G. C. WAGHORN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Condensed Tannins ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Fibre Diameter ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Lotus Corniculatus ◽  
Plasma Metabolites ◽  
Reproductive Efficiency ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Wool Production

A grazing experiment, conducted for 55 days (from 4 March to 29 April) in the late summer/autumn of 1997, at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand, compared the reproductive efficiency and wool growth of ewes grazing Lotus corniculatus (birdsfoot trefoil) or perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)/white clover (Trifolium repens) dominant pasture (pasture). Half the ewes grazing each forage were given daily oral polyethylene glycol (PEG: molecular weight 3500) supplementation to inactivate the condensed tannins (CT) in lotus. A rotational grazing system with 200 mixed age ewes (54·2±0·88 kg/ewe; 50 ewes/treatment) was used.The effect of forage species and PEG supplementation upon voluntary feed intake (VFI), concentration of plasma metabolites, reproductive efficiency, wool production and wool characteristics was measured during two synchronized oestrous cycles. The ewes were restricted to maintenance feeding for the first 12 days of each oestrous cycle and then increased to ad libitum for the 6 days prior to and including ovulation. Lotus contained 17 g total CT/kg dry matter (DM) in the diet selected. There were only trace amounts of total CT in pasture. In vitro organic matter digestibility (OMD) was higher for lotus (0·82 v. 0·74) than for pasture, whilst lotus contained less nitrogen (N; 37·8 v. 44·5 g/kg OM).Mean ovulation rates (OR) for CT-acting and PEG sheep grazing pasture and lotus were respectively 1·33 v. 1·35 and 1·78 v. 1·56, with corresponding lambing percentages being 1·36 v. 1·36 and 1·70 v. 1·42. Fecundity (number of corpora lutea/ewe ovulating) was greater for ewes grazing lotus than pasture (P<0·01), and tended to be greater for CT-acting than for PEG sheep grazing lotus (P=0·06). In unsupplemented sheep, ewes grazing lotus had increased plasma concentrations of branched chain amino acids (BCAA; 57%) and essential amino acids (EAA; 52%) compared to ewes grazing pasture.In ewes grazing pasture, PEG administration had no effect on plasma concentrations of urea and free amino acids, VFI, reproductive efficiency and wool production. However, in sheep grazing lotus, plasma concentrations of urea were significantly lower and concentrations of most amino acids were significantly higher for CT-acting than for PEG supplemented ewes (CT not acting); there was no difference in VFI between these two groups. Compared to ewes grazing pasture, ewes grazing lotus had similar VFI but produced more wool with longer staples and thicker fibre diameter, with there being no effect of PEG supplementation.It was concluded that feeding lotus increased the efficiency of both reproduction and wool production without an increase in VFI, and that a possible cause was the action of CT in increasing plasma EAA and especially BCAA concentration.

Effect of condensed tannins on the production of wool and on its processing characteristics in sheep grazing Lotus corniculatus

1998 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 597 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. R. Min ◽  
W. C. McNabb ◽  
P. D. Kemp ◽  
T. N. Barry
Keyword(s):  
Blood Plasma ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Condensed Tannins ◽  
Rumen Fluid ◽  
Fibre Diameter ◽  
Lotus Corniculatus ◽  
Plasma Metabolites ◽  
Plasma Urea ◽  
Wool Production ◽  
Wool Processing

The effect of condensed tannins (CT) in Lotus corniculatus upon voluntary feed intake (VFI), concentration of rumen and plasma metabolites, production of wool, and wool processing characteristics was measured in grazing ewes restricted to maintenance feeding for 125 days during summer. A rotational grazing system with restricted feed allowance with 40 mixed aged dry ewes (54±1·0 kg) was used. Half of the ewes were selected randomly for twice-daily oral polyethylene glycol (PEG; MW 3500) supplementation (CT-inactivated), with the remainder being CT-acting animals. Measurements of the diet selected, VFI, wool production, and wool processing characteristics were made. The concentration of ammonia in rumen fluid and the concentrations of methionine, cysteine, and urea in blood plasma were also measured. The diet selected contained 32 g total nitrogen (N) and 28 g total CT/kg dry matter (DM) and had an in vitro organic matter digestibility of 0·70. Action of CT reduced rumen ammonia concentration (256 v. 302 mg N/L), reduced blood plasma urea concentration (7·3 v. 8·9 µM), and increased blood plasma cysteine concentration (30 v. 27 µM) compared with sheep receiving PEG supplementation. CT had no effect on VFI but increased clean fleece weight (2·53 v. 2·28 kg/ewe) and staple length (7·7 v. 6·9 cm), but did not affect liveweight gain (54 v 67 g/day). The CT reduced dag weight and tended to reduce wool yellowness relative to sheep receiving PEG. There were no signifiant effects of CT on fibre diameter, staple strength, bulk density, and wool resilience. It was concluded that action of CT in sheep fed L. corniculatus reduced the degradation of forage protein in the rumen and the principal effect of this was to increase the efficiency of wool production, with more wool being produced at the same feed intake and the wool being of reduced yellowness.

A Comparative Study of Sheep Grazing a Semi-Arid Saltbush Pasture in Two Condition Classes.

1986 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 46 ◽  
Author(s):  
RD Graetz
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Landsat Imagery ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Wool Production ◽  
Broken Hill ◽  
Wool Growth ◽  
Stocking Rates

Measurements were made of the wool growth, body weight gain and diet of sheep grazing a saltbush pasture near Broken Hill, N.S.W. The experiment utilized a fenceline contrast in saltbush (Atriplex vesrcarra) density that was visible on Landsat imagery. It ran for five years (1976-1981) with a design of two pasture types by two stocking rates. Fleece weights varied from 3.9-6.0 kg/head and wool production from 0.6-2.9 kg/ha. Neither wool production per head nor bodyweight were substantially affected by stocking rate or pasture type. The composition and quality of the diets selected by sheep on both pastures were identical and of high nutritional value indicating their capability to accommodate differences in pasture composition. Pasture quality was not limiting between stocking rates or determined by the abundance of saltbush. Changes in pasture composition resulting from grazing and exclosure were small and of no significance.

Stimulation of wool growth by thyroxine implantation. II. Feed intake of grazing Merino wethers treated repeatedly with thyroxine.

1964 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 676 ◽  
Author(s):  
LJ Lambourne
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Wool Production ◽  
Wool Growth ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Maintenance Requirements ◽  
Substantial Rise ◽  
Stimulation Of

Estimates have been made of the feed intake of wethers that received implantations of 60 mg thyroxine every 3 months, and of untreated sheep, grazing together. The estimated intake of digestible organic matter (D.O.M.) by treated wethers was higher than that of controls in 24 out of 27 measurement periods. The difference in feed intake was least in the iirst month after implantation, when the treated sheep lost weight, and greatest in the second and third months when the treated sheep were regaining weight. The overall increase in intake resulting from thyroxine treatment (20–25%) was greater than the increase in wool production (7% greasy weight, 3-7 % clean weight), and the efficiency of wool production was therefore lower in thyroxinetreated wethers. From the relationships between feed intake and rate of weight change it was concluded that in the month after implantation, when pulse rates indicated a substantial rise in metabolic rate, the maintenance feed requirement was raised from about 560 g to about 780 g D.O.M. per day. Observations in two winters with recently shorn sheep gave estimates of maintenance requirements for untreated wethers ranging from 850 to 1300 g D.O.M. per day. During recovery from repeated thyroxine implantation the wethers gained in weight no more efficiently than the controls. The mechanism of action of exogenous thyroxine is discussed in the light of these and other data.

Formaldehyde as a silage additive. II. The chemical composition and nutritive value of lucerne hay, lucerne silage, and formaldehyde and formic acid-treated lucerne silages

1973 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 939 ◽  
Author(s):  
SC Valentine ◽  
DC Brown
Keyword(s):  
Formic Acid ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Similar Degree ◽  
Fresh Weight ◽  
Wool Production ◽  
Wool Growth ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Ad Libitum Intake

Formaldehyde-treated silage, formic acid-treated silage, formaldehyde-formic acid-treated silage, untreated silage, and lucerne hay were made from a lucerne sward and offered to Merino wethers. The formaldehyde was applied at a rate of 0.9 % of the weight of the dry matter and formic acid at 0.5 % of the fresh weight of the lucerne. Formaldehyde-treated silage and formaldehyde-formic acid-treated silage had significantly lower concentrations of ammonia nitrogen and total and individual organic acids than untreated silage. Formic acid-treated silage had a similar degree of fermentation to untreated silage, but more acetic acid and less lactic acid were produced than in untreated silage. However, when formic acid was applied in combination with formaldehyde, the ensiling fermentation was inhibited more than when formaldehyde was applied alone. There was some apparent protection of protein by the formaldehyde treatment. Treatment with formic acid significantly increased the in vivo digestibility of both nitrogen and dry matter, but did not increase ad libitum intake or wool growth by sheep offered this silage. Compared to untreated silage, treatment with formaldehyde significantly reduced the in vivo digestibility of nitrogen, produced a non-significant increase in intake, and significantly increased wool growth. The treatment of lucerne with both formaldehyde and formic acid significantly increased in vivo digestibility of dry matter, ad libitum intake, and wool growth compared with untreated silage. The treatment of lucerne with a mixture of formaldehyde (0.9% of the dry matter) and formic acid (0.5% of the fresh weight) was a suitable method of controlling the ensiling fermentation in order to increase the ad libitum intake of lucerne silage by sheep and their subsequent wool production. However, the intake and wool production of sheep offered such silage was still significantly less than that of sheep offered lucerne hay.

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