Bloat in cattle fed alfalfa selected for a low initial rate of digestion

1994 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 451-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Hall ◽  
W. Majak ◽  
D. G. Stout ◽  
K.-J. Cheng ◽  
B. P. Goplen ◽  
...  

Investigations of legume species which do and do not cause bloat suggested that a bloat-safe alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) might be produced by reducing its initial rate of digestion. This study compared a third cycle alfalfa synthetic selected for a low initial rate of digestion (LIRD) with a control cultivar (Beaver). The occurrence of bloat was not significantly lower when cattle were fed cycle 3 LIRD than when fed Beaver in three grazing trials or in two of three feedlot trials. The deviation of the results in the third trial could not be explained by differences in dry matter or protein content. When grown under irrigation, the 4 h dry matter disappearance (DMD) of cycle 3 LIRD was 89% to 96% of that for Beaver. This reduction was much less than has been hypothesized to prevent bloat. Without irrigation the 4 h DMD of both cultivars were reduced by 1–3% while cycle 3 LIRD continued to have a lower DMD than Beaver. LIRD may provide some protection against bloat on dry rangelands though the response may be variable in years when moisture is well supplied. Studies with a fourth cycle LIRD selection will investigate this further. Key words: Legumes, Medicago sativa L., nylon bag, digestion

1999 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 509-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suwarno Suwarno ◽  
K. M. Wittenberg ◽  
W. P. McCaughey

A study was conducted to monitor nutrient and microbial count changes during wilting of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in response to varying degrees of maceration at mowing. Early bloom alfalfa was mowed with either a roller-conditioner (CONV) or a macerator set to deliver four degrees of maceration during alfalfa mowing: LIGHT, LIGHT+, SEVERE, and SEVERE+. Macerated alfalfa reached 80% dry matter in 9–11 h compared with alfalfa mowed by roller-conditioner, which required 54 h. The most rapid wilting rates were associated with LIGHT+, SEVERE, and SEVERE+ maceration treatments when alfalfa was not exposed to precipitation. The wilting coefficient in the first 24 h was increased by more than 100% for the SEVERE treatment compared with alfalfa mowed using a conventional roller-conditioner in alfalfa that was not exposed to precipitation. Precipitation at 1.5 h post-mowing increased wilting time by 8.3 h to achieve 45% DM, and by 17.5 to achieve 80% DM in the SEVERE+ maceration treatment relative to alfalfa from the same conditioning treatment that was not exposed to precipitation. Precipitation at 24 h post-mowing increased wilting time to reach 80% DM by 11 h and 21 h for the LIGHT and LIGHT+ maceration treatments relative to alfalfa of the same mowing treatments not exposed to precipitation. Maceration of alfalfa resulted in a 24.2 to 26.8 h shorter wilting time relative to the conventional roller-conditioner treatment when alfalfa was exposed to precipitation at 24 h post-mowing. SEVERE and SEVERE+ maceration treatments at mowing resulted in higher (P < 0.05) neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre levels post-wilting. Lactic acid bacteria populations on alfalfa tended to be higher with maceration within 1 h post-mowing (P < 0.10) and post-wilting (P < 0.08). Key words: Alfalfa, maceration, precipitation, wilting time, bacteria, nutrient profile, compressibility


1985 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 1049-1055 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. BELANGER ◽  
J. E. WINCH

At two shallow pasture sites in southern Ontario, glyphosate, paraquat and dalapon were evaluated for the control of the indigenous vegetation in the establishment of four sod-seeded legume species. The relative efficiency of herbicides in the control of vegetation decreased in the order given above and was evident in the establishment of birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and in the present cover of legumes in the first production year. Mefluidide and fluazifop-butyl had little effect upon the control of vegetation and did not improve legume establishment. Crown vetch (Coronilla varia L.) and cicer milkvetch (Astralagus cicer L.) failed to establish in the seedling year. A twofold to threefold increase in total dry matter production was obtained in the first production year by fertilizing and sod-seeding after control of vegetation.Key words: Herbicides, sod-seeding, legumes, pasture renovation


1984 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 309-317
Author(s):  
L. BELZILE ◽  
R. RIOUX

The effects of cultivars, seeding rates and dates on alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) yield and quality in the seeding year were studied from 1971 to 1975 on a Kamouraska clay. Results showed the importance of seeding alfalfa before the end of May. Seedings made in early and in mid-May resulted in equivalent yield. Differences between cultivars were more important on the second than on the first cut. Regrowth was an important factor in the seedling year. The total yield of the Alfa cultivar is higher than Vernal and Narragansett and it is also higher for every combination of rates and seeding dates. Seeding rates were not an important factor except at the first cut where a rate of 6.7 kg/ha gave a lower yield than a rate of 13.4 kg/ha. Dry matter digestibility of Alfa is sometimes higher than for the other cultivars in the study. Late seeding generally increased the digestibility of the second cut dry matter, whereas rates of seeding have no effect on either first or second cut material. The crude protein content is not affected by seeding rates and the effects of cultivars are generally very small. With a delay in seeding dates the crude protein content of the second cut material is sometimes increased.Key words: Medicago sativa L., cultivar, date, rate


1985 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 553-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. GERVAIS ◽  
M. BILODEAU

A 3-yr study on harvesting management applied to alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) shows that a three-cut system, the last cut taken in October, yielded significantly more dry matter than a two-cut system. The latter system, however, gave a more uniform production throughout the years and maintained the stand at the highest level. Fall cuttings, taken at weekly intervals from the end of August to the end of September, reduced both the yield and the stand, the earliest cuttings being most harmful. October cuttings showed little effect on the productivity of alfalfa. The percentages of non structural carbohydrates stored in the roots on 1 November increased only slightly with the delay in taking the third cut in September. The accumulation of the food reserves was favored most by the two-cut system and the three-cut system with the last cut taken at mid-October. The influence of the harvesting regimes on the chemical composition of the forage is also discussed.Key words: Alfalfa, harvesting management, yield, persistence, chemical composition, food reserves


1983 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 641-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
UMESH C. GUPTA ◽  
K. A. WINTER ◽  
H. T. KUNELIUS

Rates of 50–200 g Se/ha, applied to the seed, maintained tissue Se levels greater than 0.1 ppm in three cuts of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and Westerwolds ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.). The Se concentrations were generally higher in ryegrass than in alfalfa. Dry matter yields were not influenced by Se seed treatment. Key words: Ryegrass, alfalfa, selenium, seed treatment


2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (5-6-1) ◽  
pp. 601-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Delic ◽  
O. Stajkovic ◽  
B. Milicic ◽  
Dj. Kuzmanovic ◽  
N. Rasuluc ◽  
...  

The effects of highly effective strains of Sinorhizobium meliloti on biomass and crude protein yields of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) were investigated in a three-year field experiment focusing on the advantage of alfalfa inoculation with N microbiological fertilizer over N mineral fertilization on chernozem soil. Strains 236 and 234 were found in this experiment to have significant effect on the yields of dry matter and proteins, by comparison to untreated control plants. In the third year of utilization, dry matter yield of alfalfa plants inoculated with strains 236 and 234 increased around 31% in the first cutting and 53% and 65% in the second one, compared to control plants. Strain 236 was found to increase the yield of crude proteins by 29.7% (second cutting) and 39.6% (third cutting) in the second year, and 27.5% (first cutting) and 50.3% (second cutting) in the third year of utilization, while strain 234 increased significantly the content of proteins in the third cutting of the second year (27%) and in the third year of utilization (51% in the first and 53% in the second cutting). The results indicate that effective strains of S. meliloti may be applied as N microbiological fertilizers on soils with optimal physical and chemical characteristics and autochthonous populations that may not have satisfactory effectiveness in nitrogen fixation.


Author(s):  
Galina Stepanova

The article describes the main morphological and biological features of alfalfa varieties included in the State register of breeding achievements approved for use in the Central Chernozem zone of Russia. A total of 32 alfalfa varieties are included in the State register. This is 9 varieties of blue alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. subsp. Sativa) of domestic selection and 8 foreign, 11 varieties of variable alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. nothosubsp. varia (Martyn) Arcang.) domestic selection and 1 variety of foreign and 3 varieties of yellow alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. subsp. falcata (L.) Arcang.). It shows the average and maximum yield of varieties determined in the process of state variety testing, as well as independent evaluation in research institutions in the region. Varieties of blue alfalfa of domestic selection Kevsala, Elena, Satellite, Vavilovskaya Yubileynaya were the most productive. The average yield of dry matter of these varieties reaches 8.4–9.2 t/ha, the maximum — 15.3–17.7 t/ha. Alfalfa varieties Timbale and Galaxy were the most productive among foreign varieties: the average yield of dry matter was 8.1 and 8.3 t/ha, the maximum – 15.5 and 17.2 t/ha. Varieties of alfalfa variable Vitalina and Vela provided an average yield of dry matter of 7.6 and 9.0 t/ha, the maximum yield reached 15.4 and 18.1 t/ha.


1998 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 719-722
Author(s):  
A. D. Iwaasa ◽  
K. A. Beauchemin ◽  
S. N. Acharya ◽  
J. G. Buchanan-Smith

Shearing force of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) stems was measured to evaluate genotype-by-year interactions. Based on mean shearing force for each stem segment and genotype clustering criteria, several genotypes had similarly shearing forces among years. Therefore, selecting genotypes with desirable shearing force characteristics to improve digestibility or intake potential of forages may be possible. Key words: Genotype, environment, shearing force, cell wall chemical constituents


1972 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 941-948 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. B. MacLEOD ◽  
H. T. KUNELIUS ◽  
F. W. CALDER

The effects of early summer and fall cutting managements on two alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars were studied over a 3-year period. Removal of the first crop of Saranac and Narrangansett alfalfas at prebud stage, followed by two cuts at the early bloom stage before early September, and a late fall harvest on October 25, produced seasonal dry matter (DM) yields of 7.5–8.6 metric T/ha in the 1st year. Stand deterioration, however, was severe and by the 3rd year, practically all alfalfa had disappeared. Average percent crude protein (CP) in cut 1 was 17.7–21.9 and percent in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVD) 67.4–73.8. Removal of the first cut at bud stage with two subsequent harvests at the early bloom stage also allowed a total of three harvests before early September and resulted in seasonal DM yields of 8.6–8.8 in the 1st year. Although the survival of alfalfa was increased over the managements where cut 1 was at prebud stage, a considerable decrease of alfalfa was still observed in the 3rd year. Under this management, average CP in cut 1 was 15.8–16.3 and IVD 64.1–68.4. Harvesting the first crop at early to midbloom stage and the second crop at early bloom in early to mid-August, followed by third harvest in late October, resulted in good survival with seasonal DM yields of 6.1–10.6. Lower CP and IVD were recorded in cut 1 than in the more intensive managements. Under all managements, average CP in cuts 2 and 3 was 14.9–17.3 and 13.3–19.4, respectively. IVD was 54.5–60.7 in cut 2 and 56.0–64.4 in cut 3.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document