Seasonal utilization of saltgrass (Distichlis spp.) by cattle

Brizuela, M. A.; Cid, M. S.; Miñon, Daniel Pedro; Grecco, R. Fernández

doi:10.1016/0377-8401(90)90022-z

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…25,26 However, apparently, the contribution of saltgrass to livestock diet is low. 10 In the present study, the mean values of CP, OMD, and IVME (Table 2) put saltgrass at an intermediate range of fodder quality: above straw but below customary forage crops such as alfalfa. Nevertheless, the variability among accessions was considerable, and many accessions displayed traits in the high quality range.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of saltgrass as a fodder crop for livestock

et al. 2005

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Farmland salinization due to unsustainable agricultural practices has become a worldwide problem. Salt-resistant forage crops, introduced at the primary stages of land reclamation, can provide fodder for livestock, thus adding economic benefit to the process. Saltgrass (Distichlis spicata), a wild halophytic grass species distributed in salt marshes in America, is occasionally grazed by livestock and wild animals. In attempts to domesticate this species, we evaluated and ranked the fodder potential of groups of accessions from several sites in North and South America. Ash content never exceeded 110 g kg −1 , even when plants were grown with salty water. Crude protein content was variable and averaged 116 g kg −1 of DM. Mean yield of metabolizable energy was 6.30 and 5.61 kJ g −1 DM for sheep and goats, respectively. Organic matter digestibility (in vitro) was higher in sheep than in goats (506 g kg −1 and 478 g kg −1 , respectively) for all saltgrass accessions. Differences in quality parameters were usually larger within than among groups of accession when sorted according to country of origin or ecosystem. Accessions from the South Atlantic coast of North America and from South America were superior in several parameters. South Atlantic coast accessions were relatively vigorous and were productive under saline conditions, as indicated by their relative growth rate (RGR) in small-scale experiments. Six outstanding saltgrass accessions were chosen for further examination. The results of the present study indicate that saltgrass holds considerable promise for selection and suggest that efforts should continue to identify and characterize additional saltgrass ecotypes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of saltgrass as a fodder crop for livestock

et al. 2005

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“…Uplands reach their production peak in mid-spring, plains in late springearly summer, and the lowlands in mid-summer ( Figure 3). The maximum standing crop of alkaline lowlands (1.2 to 2 ton DM ha -1 y -1 ) occurs at the end of the summer, when saltgrass, the dominant species of this community, becomes the peak standing crop (Sala et al, 1981;Ginzo et al, 1986;Brizuela et al, 1990). This temporal sequence in productivity agrees with the pattern of C3:C4 grass ratio at the landscape level reported by Perelman et al (2001), and partially supports the hypothesis that the flooding pampas experience two seasonal waves of primary production: a regional wave generated by variation in latitude, and a superimposed local wave generated by topography.…”

Section: Functional Heterogeneity Of the Flooding Pampasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Livestock recognize grassland heterogeneity at the landscape and plant community levels, and thus select communities within paddocks (Escobar, 1994;Siffredi et al, 1997) and species within communities (Brizuela et al, 1983(Brizuela et al, , 1990Miñón et al, 1984a;Cid and Brizuela, 1994;Vacarezza, 2000;Vacarezza and Cid, 2004). Cattle are frequently observed grazing in the humid and alkaline lowlands during the summer.…”

Section: Livestock Grazing and Grassland Heterogeneitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Grass-Fed Beef Production Systems of Argentina's Flooding Pampas

Cid¹,

Grecco²,

Oesterheld³

et al. 2011

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The homogeneous topography of Argentina's flooding pampas conceals a substantial amount of spatial and temporal ecosystem heterogeneity. Differences in soils, grassland botanical composition and plant growth regimes that occur down to individual paddocks influence livestock grazing patterns and, predictably, affect the productivity of cattle ranches in the region. Over 40 years of ecological research have greatly improved understanding of the structural and functional heterogeneity of this ecosystem. This better understanding has led to the development of grazing management strategies that help ranchers optimize secondary production by achieving a more efficient use of vegetation. As a result, cattle ranches are rapidly increasing profitability by integrating grass-fed yearling finishing programmes with the traditional cow-calf operations of the region.

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“…The sodium concentration of NyPa Forage, irrigated with water with a salinity of 15,000 mg L -1 , was approximately 8 mg g -1 , towards the high end of the range found in most pasture plants, but well below levels often found in other halophytes (≥80 mg g -1 ) and known to depress intake and liveweight gain in grazing livestock (Masters et al , 2007. This relatively low sodium concentration reflects the fact that, unlike many other halophytes that tolerate saline conditions by accumulating salts in their tissues, NyPa Forage actively excretes salt through salt glands and may have higher feeding value than many other salt tolerant fodder plants (Flowers et al, 1986;Brizuela et al, 1990; Sergeant et al 2006).From the data collected in this study, the most likely factor limiting feed intake was high indigestible fibre (ADF). Weston (1996) proposed that the voluntary feed intake of forages is regulated by the interplay between the rate of clearance of dry matter from the rumen and the amount of useful energy that is available to the animal, relative to the animal's capacity to use the energy.…”

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confidence: 94%

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The potential of a salt-tolerant plant (Distichlis spicata cv. NyPa Forage) to treat effluent from inland saline aquaculture and provide livestock feed on salt-affected farmland

Lymbery

Kay

Doupé

et al. 2013

Science of The Total Environment

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Dryland salinity is a major problem affecting food production from agricultural land in Australia and throughout the world. Although there is much interest in using saline groundwater to grow marine fish on salt-affected farmland, the disposal of nutrient enriched, saline aquaculture effluent is a major environmental problem. We investigated the potential of the salt-tolerant NyPa Forage plant (Distichlis spicata L. Greene var. yensen-4a) to trap nutrients from saline aquaculture effluent and subsequently to provide a fodder crop for livestock. Sub-surface flow wetlands containing NyPa Forage were constructed and their efficacy in removing total nitrogen, ammonia, nitrite/nitrate, total phosphorus and orthophosphate was monitored under different levels of nutrients and salinity. The wetlands removed 60 -90% of total nitrogen loads and at least 85% of ammonia, nitrite/nitrate, total phosphorus and orthophosphate loads, with greater efficiency at high nutrient and low salinity levels. The above-ground yield, sodium, crude protein (CP) and in vitro dry matter digestibility (DMD) of NyPa Forage plants were measured after fertilisation with different nutrient levels and cropping at different frequencies. Yield of plants increased with increased nutrient, while nutritive value was greater when nutrients were applied but did not differ among nutrient levels. Yield was not affected by cropping frequency, but nutritive value was greatest when plants were cropped at intervals of 21 or 42 days. At optimum nutrient addition and cropping levels, the plants had a mean CP content of 16.7 % and an in vitro DMD of 67.6 %, equivalent to an energy value of 9.5 MJ kg -1 . Assuming an equivalent fibre content and voluntary food intake as grass hay, and no accumulation of other toxic minerals, these nutritive values would be sufficient for maintenance or moderate liveweight gains in dry adult sheep or cattle. Keywords:salinity; inland saline aquaculture; effluent; constructed wetlands; saltland pasture; agri-aquaculture 3 IntroductionSecondary salinisation, in which human activities lead to high concentrations of ions (principally sodium and chloride) in the landscape, is a major environmental problem affecting freshwater and soil in many arid and semi-arid areas of the world (Ghassemi et al., 1995;Rozema and Flowers, 2008). Secondary salinisation occurs because of rising water tables, as a result of irrigation (irrigation salinity) or land clearing (dryland salinity). It is a particular problem in economically less-developed countries (e.g. India, Tunisia, Morocco, Peru and Bolivia) although more-developed regions, such as Australia, may also be badly affected (Rozema and Flowers, 2008). In Australia, the widespread clearing of native vegetation has resulted in approximately 5.7 M ha of agricultural land being adversely affected by dryland salinity, and this figure may grow to 17 M ha by 2050 (National Land and Water Resources Audit, 2001).The salinisation of agricultural land in arid regions is largely irreversible because ...

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Seasonal utilization of saltgrass (Distichlis spp.) by cattle

Cited by 10 publications

References 5 publications

Evaluation of saltgrass as a fodder crop for livestock

Evaluation of saltgrass as a fodder crop for livestock

Grass-Fed Beef Production Systems of Argentina's Flooding Pampas

The potential of a salt-tolerant plant (Distichlis spicata cv. NyPa Forage) to treat effluent from inland saline aquaculture and provide livestock feed on salt-affected farmland

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