Enhancing pasture productivity with alfalfa: A review

2000 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 513-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Popp ◽  
W. P. McCaughey ◽  
R. D. H. Cohen ◽  
T. A. McAllister ◽  
W. Majak
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Nutrient Intake ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Mixed Stands ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Yield And Quality ◽  
Herbage Quality ◽  
Alfalfa Varieties ◽  
Principal Method ◽  
Pasture Yield

Alfalfa has been recognized for its superior yield and quality in seeded pastures. However, when grazing immature alfalfa there is a risk of animal losses due to frothy bloat in some ruminant livestock. Inclusion of at least 50% grass in the pasture mixture is commonly recommended to reduce the risk of bloat. Two decades of plant breeding have resulted in the release of AC Grazeland, an alfalfa cultivar that reduces the incidence of bloat. Other bloat control agents such as pluronic detergents and ionophores can also be of value. Development of grazing-tolerant alfalfa varieties is solving some of the problems associated with lack of persistence of alfalfa in mixed stands; however, they are not bloat-safe. Animal productivity commonly increases when alfalfa is included in pasture mixtures. Improvements in cattle rate of gain are observed when alfalfa contributes as little as 35% to the sward. Grazing management is the principal method for controlling pasture yield and quality as well as animal performance and bloat incidence. When grazing management is used to optimize pasture production and nutrient intake, yearling steers can gain as much as 1.5 kg head−1 d−1 and liveweight production ranging from 107 kg ha−1 (on dryland) to 1946 kg ha−1 (under irrigation) can be expected. Limiting utilization of alfalfa-based pasture to ≤70% may be more important for maximizing gain per head than managing herbage quality. Key words: Alfalfa, beef production, forage, grazing

scholarly journals Plant diversity with species drilled in the same or alternate rows enhanced pasture yield and quality over 4 years

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alistair Black ◽  
Thinzar Myint ◽  
Arulmageswaran Shampasivam ◽  
Shuo Yang
Keyword(s):  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Weed Suppression ◽  
Positive Interactions ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Yield And Quality ◽  
Relative Abundances ◽  
Total Seed ◽  
Pasture Yield

This paper reports on the effects of plant species diversity and sowing method on pasture yield and quality. Nineteen seed mixtures of perennial ryegrass (PR), plantain (Pl), white clover (WC) and red clover (RC) were sown on 26 March 2015 at Lincoln University. Four mixtures of PR, Pl and WC were repeated with species separated in alternate drill rows. Plots were grazed by sheep and irrigated. After 4 years, a mixture with 25% of each species based on seed count – equivalent to 7.5 kg PR, 5.6 kg Pl, 1.9 kg WC and 4.4 kg RC (19.4 kg total seed)/ha – produced an optimal balance of increased total yield (17.44 t DM/ha/yr), weed suppression (0% of total yield), metabolisable energy (11.4 MJ/kg DM) and crude protein (19% of DM). Sowing method had no effect. Plant diversity enhanced pasture production through positive interactions and identity effects among the legumes (WC and RC) and non-legumes (PR and Pl). The strength of interactions between species depended on the identity and relative abundances of the species involved. The diversity effects occurred alongside shifts in species relative abundances over time. This study demonstrated an experimental basis for the evaluation of multi-species pasture mixtures.

Agroforestry in Eastern Otago: results from two long-term experiments

2000 ◽  
pp. 93-98
Author(s):  
G.G. Cossens ◽  
M.F. Hawke
Keyword(s):  
Soil Ph ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Pinus Radiata ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Tree Age ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Clover Content ◽  
Pasture Yield

During the first 20 years of a Pinus radiata tree rotation, tree growth and pasture yield were assessed under a range of tree spacings at Invermay and Akatore, two coastal sites in Eastern Otago. Pasture yield in association with trees thinned to 100 stems per hectare (sph) was comparable to that from open pasture up to a tree age of 12 years. By the 19th year, however, pasture production declined to 63% of open pasture yield at Invermay and to 42% at Akatore. At 200 and 400 sph at Akatore, pasture yield was similar to that from open pasture at tree age 12 years but declined to 27% and 0% of open pasture yield respectively by year 20. At both Invermay and Akatore, the ryegrass and clover content of open pasture was relatively constant throughout the term of the trial. However, both the ryegrass and clover content of pasture beneath trees began to decline by tree age 12 years with a very rapid decline at Akatore in the number of pasture species at 200 sph by the 19th year. No pasture remained at 400 sph, after 19 years. Livestock carrying capacity with sheep on tree treatments at Invermay decreased from 100% of open pasture at year 6 to 60% by year 10. At Akatore, livestock carrying capacity averaged over the 20-year life of the trial was 4.1 stock units per hectare with a maximum of 8.1 stock units at a tree age of 8 years. Tree growth at both sites was similar, averaging between 1 and 1.1 m/year in height over 20 years, with trees at Invermay at 100 sph averaging 9% greater height and diameter growth than at Akatore. Increasing tree stocking from 100 to 200 to 400 sph at Akatore, resulted in increased tree height, but decreased diameter at breast height. A comparison of the East Otago trees with those in a similar trial at Tikitere (Rotorua) 900 km further north indicated that the southern trees were about 6 years later in their growth pattern by tree age 20 years. On both sites, soil pH tended to be lower in the presence of trees and was significantly lower than in open pasture by year 20. The results and comparisons with the Tikitere data suggest that, in an integrated agroforestry regime, there will be livestock grazing under the trees further into the tree rotation in Otago than in North Island sites. However, slower tree growth would result in a longer rotation time to harvest. Current recommendations to farmers are to plant trees on the less productive areas of the farm and adopt a tree stocking rate which fully utilises the site. Keywords: agroforestry, livestock, pasture, Pinus radiata, soil pH, tree stocking

Grazed pasture parameters. I. Pasture dry-matter production and availability in a stocking rate and grazing management experiment with dairy cows

1966 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.G. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Dry Matter Production ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Grazed Pasture ◽  
Matter Production

1. Net pasture dry matter production and available pasture dry matter were measured over 3 years in a small-scale replica of the study of the effects of dairy cow grazing management and stocking rate reported by McMeekan & Walshe (1963).2. The four treatments were(i) Controlled rotational grazing, light stocking rate (0.95 cows/acre).(ii) Controlled rotational grazing, heavy stocking rate (1.19 cows/acre).(iii) Uncontrolled, set stocked grazing, light stocking rate (0.95 cows/acre).(iv) Uncontrolled, set stocked grazing, heavy stocking rate (1.19 cows/acre).3. The pasture measurement technique employed measured net pasture production (gains through new growth minus losses from all sources). It is argued that this parameter, rather than absolute pasture production, governs the changes in the dry matter feed supply to the grazing animal.

Dietary preference of dairy cows grazing grass and clover

1998 ◽  
Vol 1998 ◽  
pp. 51-51
Author(s):  
S.M. Rutter ◽  
R.J. Orr ◽  
P.D. Penning ◽  
N.H. Yarrow ◽  
R.A. Champion ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Nutrient Intake ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Considerable Progress ◽  
Dietary Preference ◽  
Domestic Ruminants ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Lactating Dairy Cows ◽  
Grazing Sheep

The development of grazing management strategies to optimise nutrient intake from grazed herbage requires an understanding of the factors influencing the dietary preference of grazing domestic ruminants. Although there has been considerable progress in understanding the factors influencing the dietary preference of grazing sheep, there has been comparatively little research with lactating dairy cows (Rutter et al., 1997). The aim of the experiment reported here was to study the dietary preference of lactating dairy cows grazing grass and clover.

scholarly journals Pasture production under different irrigation depths

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 539-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laísa S. Antoniel ◽  
Giuliani do Prado ◽  
Adriano C. Tinos ◽  
Gabriel A. Beltrame ◽  
João V. C. de Almeida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
Panicum Maximum ◽  
State University ◽  
Brachiaria Brizantha ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Quadratic Response ◽  
Water Volumes ◽  
Monteith Equation ◽  
Pasture Yield ◽  
Plot Design

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the production of two pasture species, Brachiaria brizantha cv. BRS Piatã and Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça, under different irrigation depths. The experiment was carried out from May to December 2014, at the State University of Maringá, in the municipality of Cidade Gaúcha-PR, Brazil. The experiment was set out in a strip-plot design, with four replicates, six irrigation depths in the plot and two pasture species in the subplot. Irrigation depths were represented by a percentage of reference evapotranspiration (ET0), which was estimated by the Penman-Monteith equation. Four pasture cuts were performed during the studied period and there were no differences between the yields of both evaluated pasture species; however, irrigation depths caused a quadratic response on pasture yield. The maximum values of dry matter yield of the pastures under irrigated conditions were 52.1, 41.6, 26.2 and 25.1% higher than under non-irrigated conditions, for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th cuts, respectively. Irrigation depths that applied water volumes close to ET0 promoted considerable increases in pasture yield.

Pasture growth curves and grazing management

1968 ◽  
Vol 8 (30) ◽  
pp. 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
FHW Morley
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Growth Curves ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Optimum Number ◽  
Optimum Length ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Grazing System ◽  
Financial Survival ◽  
Rapid Relief

Growth curves, published by Brougham (1956), of pastures growing in winter at Palmerston North, New Zealand, were analysed. The mathematical models were examined by computer runs in which the various parameters were varied within likely limits. The results obtained suggest that the following principles may be applied to the management of pastures similar to those studied. The average rate of regrowth increases to a maximum after removal of grazing animals, but this maximum is not sharply defined. The optimum number of subdivisions in a rotational grazing system is probably less than ten, unless considerations other than pasture growth are important. The optimum length of intervals between grazings, and of grazing periods, for a given level of subdivision, are not sharply defined. Following dry autumns, management should generally aim at maximum pasture production rather than most rapid relief of present stress, provided this policy does not endanger animal or financial survival. Systems of grazing management may therefore vary within fairly wide limits, without serious loss of pasture production, provided pasture stability and animal welfare are not jeopardized.

scholarly journals Effect of Fertilizers on the Incidence of Anthracnose Disease, Yield and Quality of Mango

1970 ◽  
pp. 70-78
Author(s):  
MNA Chowdhury ◽  
MA Rahim
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Fruit Set ◽  
Combined Effect ◽  
Anthracnose Disease ◽  
Untreated Plant ◽  
Combined Application ◽  
Yield And Quality ◽  
Treated Plant

Effect of different fertilizers on the control of anthracnose disease, yield and quality of mango cv Amrapali was investigated. Application of combined fertilizers gave the highest fruit set, fruit retention and fresh fruits, therefore, produced the highest yield per plant and per hectare. The highest number of healthy fruits was found from 2nd year crop and the lowest was obtained from 1st year. The highest (8.47 t/ha) yield was obtained from 2nd year and the lowest (4.58 t/ha) was obtained from 1st year crop. Among the treatments, combined application of NPK, ZnSo4, Gypsum and Cowdung gave the highest (50.67) number of healthy fruits and the lowest (16) was obtained from untreated plant. The highest (12.41 t/ha) yield was obtained from combined application of NPK, ZnSo4, Gypsum and Cowdung and the lowest (3.88 t/ha) was obtained from untreated plant. In respect of combined effect, the highest (15.22 t/ha) yield was obtained from 2nd year x T9 treated plant and the lowest (2.95 t/ha) was found in untreated 1st year plant. Key words: Mango, fertilizers, anthracnose, yield. DOI = 10.3329/jard.v5i1.1461 J Agric Rural Dev 5(1&2), 70-78, June 2007

PENGARUH PUPUK ORGANIK DAN ANORGANIK ZA DAN SP 36 TERHADAP HASIL DAN MUTU TEMBAKAU TEMANGGUNG PADA TANAH ANDISOL

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
DJAJADI DJAJADI ◽  
M. SHOLEH ◽  
NUNUNG SUDIBYO
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Ammonium Sulfate ◽  
Ammonium Sulphate ◽  
Organic Fertilizer ◽  
Growth Yield ◽  
Yield And Quality ◽  
Stable Manure ◽  
Grade Index

Effect of organic (biogrcen) and inorganic fetilizers (ammonium sulphate and SP36) on the yield and quality of the temanggung tobacco in andosol soil was studied at Galapansari - Temanggung, from Februai to December 2001. The organic and inorganic fetilizers were formulated in 10 packages, namely : (1) 570 kg ammonium sulphate (AS) ♦ 100 kg SP36; (2) the recommended rate for temanggung tobacco (20 000 kg stable manure 500 kg AS + 100 kg SP36; (3) 5 000 kg organic fetilizer (OF); (4) 7 500 kg OF; (5) 8 500 kg OF; (6) 10 000 kg OF; (7) 12 500 kg OF; (8) 14 500 kg OF; (9) 7 500 kg OF + 3 500 kg sUble manure (SM); (10) 7 500 kg OF + 4 500 kg SM. All the rates of fetilizers were based on one hectare planted area (16 500 plants) The expeiment was designed as a randomized block in four replicates. Results showed that organic fertilizer waa more effective than stable manure in improving die growth, yield and quality of temanggung tobacco. A the rate of 5 000 kg was sufficient to produce high ( 6 313 kg fresh or 800 kg sliced died leaves), grade index (51.68) and crop index (55.31). Key words : Organic fetilizer, ammonium sulfate, SP36, temanggung tobacco, andisol

Steer gains, pasture yield and pasture composition on native pasture and on native pasture oversown with Indian couch (Bothriochloa pertusa) at three stocking rates

1997 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 755 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Pasture Grass ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Heteropogon Contortus ◽  
Native Pasture ◽  
Unit Increase ◽  
Stocking Rates ◽  
Pasture Yield

Summary. Pasture production and steer liveweight gain were compared on native pasture (Bothriochloa decipiens, Heteropogon contortus, Themeda triandra and Chrysopogon fallax) and on native pasture oversown with Indian couch or Indian bluegrass (Bothriochloa pertusa). This grass was not a planned introduction to the area but is spreading in Central and North Queensland and its value as a pasture species is questioned by graziers. There were 3 nominal stocking rates of 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 steers/ha. Each paddock was stocked with 3 steers of stratified ages. The experiment was sown in March 1988 and terminated in June 1993. The experiment, sited 50 km south of Townsville in eucalypt woodland on a solodic-solodised-solonetz soil, was sown in March 1988 and terminated in June 1993. Increases in stocking rate resulted in a linear decline in both pasture yield (by 3–5 t/unit increase in stocking rate) and steer gains (by more than 100 kg/unit increase in stocking rate). Differences between pastures were apparent only at the medium and high stocking rates where, over time, Indian couch gave higher pasture yields and steer gains. Younger steers gained far more weight than older steers. Mean gains over 3 years were weaners 125 kg/year, yearlings 93 kg/year and 2-year-old steers 46 kg/year. Native pasture remained fairly stable botanically at the low stocking rate, but the tufted perennial grass species declined at both the medium and high stocking rates. Sowing Indian couch hastened the botanical changes due to stocking rate, and it became the dominant species at these higher stocking rates. At the low stocking rate, the contribution of Indian couch declined from initial values indicating that this is not an invasive species in the area at a low stocking rate. Contribution of Indian couch to pasture yield was linearly related to stocking rate. Nutritional quality of the Indian couch was similar to the other native perennial grasses though calcium concentration was higher. Increased steer gains were related to higher yield on Indian couch pastures at the higher stocking rates rather than to improved quality. Maximum liveweight gain/ha was achieved at about 0.6 steers/ha. Stocking at 0.9 steers/ha was not sustainable. Even at the low stocking rate, steers would need to spend about 2.8 years on the pastures after weaning to reach 500 kg liveweight. It was concluded that B. pertusa is a useful pasture grass in this environment giving steer gains equal to, or higher than, the gains from the native pasture which it replaced.

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