THE DRY‐MATTER PRODUCTION, BOTANICAL COMPOSITION, <i>IN VITRO</i> DIGESTIBILITY AND PROTEIN PERCENTAGE OF PASTURE LAYERS

Clark, Jennifer; Kat, C; Santhirasegaram, K.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2494.1974.tb01248.x

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…If the upper third of the grass sward is cut to simulate grazing as was the case, in this study, differences between different patches are obviously less clear. The nutritive value of the herbage is dependent on the layer of the pasture (Clark et al. , 1974).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of livestock breed and grazing intensity on biodiversity and production in grazing systems. 1. Nutritive value of herbage and livestock performance

Isselstein

Griffith²,

Pradel

et al. 2007

Grass and Forage Science

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Summary Reduction of grazing intensity and the use of traditional instead of commercial breeds has frequently been recommended to meet biodiversity and production goals in sustainable grazing systems in Europe. To test the impact of such practices across a range of contrasting grassland types, integrated measurements of foraging behaviour, agronomic production and botanical, structural and invertebrate biodiversity were made over three years on four sites in the UK, Germany, France and Italy. The sites in the UK and Germany were mesotrophic grassland with high productivity and low to moderate initial levels of plant diversity, and were grazed by cattle. The French site was a semi‐natural, species‐rich grassland grazed by cattle. The Italian site contained a wider range in plant diversity, from species‐rich to mesotrophic grassland, and was grazed by sheep. The treatments were: MC, moderate grazing intensity with a commercial breed – this was designed to utilize herbage growth for optimum livestock production; LC, lenient grazing intensity with a commercial breed – this was designed to increase biodiversity by not fully utilizing herbage growth; and LT, lenient grazing intensity with a traditional breed – this was also designed to increase biodiversity. Neither fertilizers nor pesticides were applied. The nutritive value of the herbage and the performance of the livestock were measured. Mean stocking rates were proportionately 0·30–0·40 lower and mean sward heights and herbage mass on offer were 0·30–0·50 higher on the LC and LT treatments compared with the MC treatment. The proportion of live and dead material, and leaves and stems in the herbage, its chemical composition and nutritive value were little affected by the treatments. Individual livestock performance, measured as liveweight gain, showed no consistent response to treatment. In Germany, performance on the MC treatment was slightly lower than on the LC and LT treatments but no such difference was found on the sites in the other countries. Livestock breed did not have a strong effect on livestock performance. In the UK and France the traditional breeds had a lower performance but this was not the case in Germany or Italy. Livestock performance per ha of the LC and LT treatments was up to 0·40 lower than of the MC treatment. It is concluded that biodiversity‐targeted extensive grazing systems have potential to be integrated into intensive livestock production systems because the individual livestock performance reaches a similar level compared to a moderate grazing intensity. Traditional breeds did not have a production advantage over commercial breeds on extensively managed pastures.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of livestock breed and grazing intensity on biodiversity and production in grazing systems. 1. Nutritive value of herbage and livestock performance

Isselstein

Griffith²,

Pradel

et al. 2007

Grass and Forage Science

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show abstract

“…Herbage intake can be expressed as the quotient of the volume and bulk density of the grazed stratum. The difference in the bulk densities of the pre‐ and post‐grazed swards reflects the density gradient towards the base of the sward (Clark et al. , 1974).…”

Section: Grazing Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Herbage intake can be expressed as the quotient of the volume and bulk density of the grazed stratum. The difference in the bulk densities of the pre-and postgrazed swards reflects the density gradient towards the base of the sward (Clark et al, 1974). A lower bulk density of the grazed stratum compared with that of the initial sward indicates a selection for sward portions that are lower in bulk density, mainly leaf.…”

Section: Grazing Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Defoliation pattern, foraging behaviour and diet selection by lactating dairy cows in response to sward height and herbage allowance of a ryegrass‐dominated pasture

Tharmaraj

Wales

Chapman

et al. 2003

Grass and Forage Science

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The effects of sward surface height (SSH) and daily herbage allowance (HA) on the defoliation pattern and grazing mechanics of early lactation dairy cows grazing on irrigated perennial ryegrass–white clover pasture were studied. The hypothesis tested was that SSH and HA affect intake and diet selection through their effects on the pattern of defoliation which is influenced by the resistance to prehension bites. Factorial combinations of two initial SSH (14 and 28 cm) and two daily HA (35 and 70 kg DM cow−1 d−1) were examined in a replicated experiment. The peak longitudinal tensile force required to break the sward portion encompassed in a 100 cm2 area [bite fracture force (BFF100)] was measured as an index of the resistance to prehension. The volume of herbage defoliated and herbage intake increased with SSH (P < 0·05) and HA (P < 0·01). Corresponding to an increase in HA from 35 to 70 kg DM cow−1 d−1, there was a proportional increase in the total defoliation area (TDA) and intake by 0·24 and 0·55 in the short sward compared with 0·16 and 0·32 in the tall sward respectively. The results of this experiment suggest that a consistent spatial pattern of reduction of the canopy exists during defoliation by cows and that the volume of sward canopy defoliated is the major variable affecting herbage intake. The BFF increased down the sward profile at a rate that was higher (P < 0·05) for the taller sward than for the shorter sward. It is proposed that a relatively lower resistance to prehension in the short sward compared with the tall sward explains the greater proportionate increase in TDA and intake corresponding to an increase in HA. The rate at which BFF100 increases down the sward profile is suggested as a sward physical variable that can influence the defoliation process. The estimated time and energy costs of prehension bites are discussed in the context that larger bites are handled more efficiently than smaller bites.

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A multi-sensor approach for predicting biomass of extensively managed grassland

Reddersen

Fricke

Wachendorf

2014

Computers and Electronics in Agriculture

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THE DRY‐MATTER PRODUCTION, BOTANICAL COMPOSITION, IN VITRO DIGESTIBILITY AND PROTEIN PERCENTAGE OF PASTURE LAYERS

Cited by 9 publications

References 5 publications

Effects of livestock breed and grazing intensity on biodiversity and production in grazing systems. 1. Nutritive value of herbage and livestock performance

Effects of livestock breed and grazing intensity on biodiversity and production in grazing systems. 1. Nutritive value of herbage and livestock performance

Defoliation pattern, foraging behaviour and diet selection by lactating dairy cows in response to sward height and herbage allowance of a ryegrass‐dominated pasture

A multi-sensor approach for predicting biomass of extensively managed grassland

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