Seasonal changes in the crude protein concentration of mixed swards of white clover/perennial ryegrass grown without fertilizer N in an organic farming system in the United Kingdom

Changes in the crude protein (CP) concentration of white clover and perennial ryegrass herbage from a mixed sward were determined on six sampling dates from May to October in each of 2 years. The swards were grown without fertilizer N in an organic farming system and continuously grazed by dairy cows during the grazing season. The annual mean contents of white clover in the dry matter (DM) of the sward were 272·3 and 307·0 g kg⁻¹ in Years 1 and 2. The mean CP concentrations of the white clover and perennial ryegrass herbage were 251·6 and 151·9 g kg⁻¹ DM in Year 1 and 271·9 and 174·0 g kg⁻¹ DM in Year 2 respectively. The CP concentration of the white clover increased significantly during the grazing season from 220·0 to 284·1 g kg⁻¹ DM in Year 1 and from 269·0 to 315·5 g kg⁻¹ DM in Year 2. In the perennial ryegrass herbage the CP concentration increased from 112·2 to 172·6 g kg⁻¹ DM in Year 1 and from 142·7 to 239·5 g kg⁻¹ DM in Year 2. The rate of increase during the season in the CP concentration of the perennial ryegrass herbage was similar to the rate of increase recorded in the white clover herbage.     

Effects of application of nitrogen fertilizer on concentrations of P, K, S, Ca, Mg, Na, Cl, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn in perennial ryegrass/white clover pastures in south-western Victoria, Australia

Effects of timing and rate of N fertilizer application on concentrations of P, K, S, Ca, Mg, Na, Cl, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn in herbage from perennial ryegrass/white clover pastures were studied at two sites in south-western Victoria, Australia. Nitrogen fertilizer (0, 15, 25, 30, 45 and 60 kg ha^–1) was applied as urea in mid-April, early May, mid-May, early June and mid-June 1996 to pastures grazed by dairy cows. At Site 1, N fertilizer resulted in a linear increase in P, K, S, Mg and Cl concentrations in herbage and a linear decrease in Ca concentration. For all times of application, concentrations of P, K, Ca, Mg and Cl in herbage increased by 0·0048, 0·08, −0·010, 0·0013 and 0·053 g kg^–1 dry matter (DM) per kg N applied respectively. For S concentration, maximum responses occurred in mid-May (0·012 g kg^–1 DM per kg N applied). At Site 2, N fertilizer resulted in a linear increase in P, S and Na concentrations in herbage, a linear decrease in Ca concentration and a curvilinear increase in K and Cl concentration. The maximum responses for P, S and K concentrations in herbage occurred for the N application in mid-June and were 0·015, 0·008 and 0·47 g kg^–1 DM per kg N applied respectively. For Cl concentration, the maximum response occurred for the N application in early June and was 0·225 g kg^–1 DM per kg N applied. Overall, applications of N fertilizer up to 60 kg ha^–1 did not alter herbage mineral concentration to levels that might affect pasture growth or animal health.     

The effect of herbage allowance on intake and performance of ewes suckling twin lambs

The effect of herbage allowance on the herbage intake and performance of ewes and their twin lambs at pasture was investigated. Daily herbage allowances of 40,80.120 and 160 g organic matter (OM) kg^-1 ewe live weight, based on herbage mass measured to ground level, were offered during the first 12 weeks of lactation.
The sheep were grazed rotationally around four paddocks of a perennial ryegrass pasture for 7-day periods and herbage mass, extended tiller length and digestibility of the herbage consumed by the animals were estimated. Herbage intake by the ewes was estimated during weeks two to twelve and live weights were recorded weekly: during the last two weeks of the experiment grazing behaviour of one ewe on each treatment was recorded continuously.
Herbage intakes by the ewes (164, 1–81, 2–42 and 268 ± 0153 kg d^-1) and live weight gains of the lambs (202, 245, 274 and 300 ± 7–3 g d^-1) increased with increasing herbage allowances. Herbage intakes by the ewes and growth rates of their lambs increased up to a herbage allowance which was over five times the amount of herbage eaten by the ewes.
As the animals reduced herbage mass and sward height, biting rates by the ewes during grazing increased by 4 (± 0·08) bites min^-1 cm^-1 and masticating rates decreased. Mastications reached a maximum of 90 (± 3·5) min^-1 at a sward surface height of 9 cm.     

The effect of herbage allowance upon the herbage intake and performance of suckler cows and calves

Twenty-four Hereford × Friesian cows and their South Devon cross calves were allocated to three herbage allowances allotted daily for three periods of 8 weeks in a Latin square design. The daily allowances were 17, 34 and 51 g dry matter per kg cow plus calf live weight. Milk production was depressed by 0·2 and 1·2 kg d^-1 at the medium and low allowances. The corresponding falls in liveweight gain were for cows 0·26 and 0·25, and for calves 0·27 and 0·24 kg d^-1. Residual sward height after grazing gave a better indication of the animals' reaction to sward conditions and the management imposed than actual herbage allowance. The quantity per unit area and the composition of material present were important factors influencing intake. Calves were unable to compete with their dams to maintain herbage intake at the lower allowances and therefore are likely to benefit from additional feeding or creep grazing when residual sward height falls below 6cm for periods in excess of 1–2 weeks.     

Herbage intake and liveweight gain of bulls and steers continuously stocked at fixed sward heights during autumn and spring

Two experiments were conducted to examine the relationship between sward surface height, herbage intake and liveweight gain in beef cattle grazed on pasture. In Experiment 1, two 'animal types' (18 Charolais × Angus steers and 18 Friesian bulls) were continuously grazed for 22 days during the late autumn on replicated swards maintained at sward surface heights of 6, 10 and 15 cm. Herbage intakes, assessed from the faecal concentration of chromium delivered from an intraruminal controlled release capsule and the in vitro digestibility of hand-plucked herbage samples, were curvilinearly related to sward height (r = 0·76, p <0·0·01). Average liveweight gains were 0·02, 0·61 and 1·31 kg d^-1 ( P <0·05) and increased linearly ( r = 0·84, P <0·001) with sward height. The maintenance organic matter intakes of the steers and bulls, with initial mean (± s.e.) live weights of 225 ± 15 kg and 172 ± 15 kg respectively, were estimated to be 3·6 and 3·5 kg d^-1 respectively. In Experiment 2 (spring) 36 cattle, including 35 of those used in Experiment 1, were reallocated to sward heights of 5, 10 and 15 cm using the same design as for Experiment 1. Average liveweight gains were 0·94, 1·57 and 1·68kg d^-1 ( p 0·05) and were curvilinearly related to sward height ( r = 0·093, p <0·05). Maintenance intakes could not be reliably extimated for the cattle in Experiment 2 because few animals had liveweight gains close to zero. These trials confirm that liveweight gain in continuously grazed finishing steers and bulls increases with sward surface height to maximum of 8–10cm with spring ryegrass/white clover pastures while, in autumn, swards of 12–15cm height are required to achieve maximum performance.     

The liveweight gain of Limousin × Friesian heifers grazing perennial ryegrass/white clover swards of different clover content and the effects of their grazing on sward botanical composition

An experiment was carried out in 1992 and 1993 to examine the effect of white clover content of perennial ryegrass/white clover swards on the performance of Limousin × Friesian heifers. Swards with low (L), medium (M) and high (H) white clover contents were established and managed by continuous variable stocking. A compressed sward height of 5·5 cm was maintained using a buffer fence to vary plot areas, with herbage surplus to grazing requirements cut, removed and yields measured. The mean white clover proportions for treatments L, M and H were 0·02, 0·19 and 0·18 in 1992 and 0·13, 0·16 and 0·31 in 1993 respectively. White clover contents of the swards reached a maximum in August and September, and differences between treatments diminished. There was no significant difference between treatments in the content of white clover in the swards in autumn 1993.
Liveweight gains of heifers increased asymptotically with increasing white clover content of the sward. Below a white clover herbage mass of 300 kg DM ha^–1, there was little effect on liveweight gain, which was 0·70 kg day^–1 over the grazing season. Between 400 and 450 kg DM ha^–1 white clover, liveweight gains were 0·85–0·90 kg day^–1. While clover content of the sward did not significantly affect utilized metabolizable energy output; the mean output over the grazing season in the two years from liveweight gain and herbage yield was 78 GJ ha^–1. It is suggested that, using this grazing system, white clover reached an equilibrium with a mean herbage mass of about 400 kg DM ha^–1 over the grazing season.     

Effects of concentrate supplementation and herbage allowance on the performance of grazing suckling lambs

An experiment was conducted to examine the effect of concentrate supplementation on the performance of suckling lambs while grazing at variable levels of herbage allowance. Twenty-four ewes suckling twin lambs were allocated 55 d after lambing between four grazing treatments (two levels of herbage allowance × two levels of supplementation) in a 2×2 factorial design. The sward consisted of Tall Fescue and was grazed rotationally.
Daily herbage organic matter (OM) allowances were 57.0 (H) and 38.5 (L) g OM kg LW⁻¹ above 1·5 cm cutting height. Lambs were either supplemented (S) ad libitum with high-moisture whole maize grain or unsupplemented (U).
Supplement intake during the 60-d grazing period was 16 kg DM and 17.5 kg DM respectively for LS and HS lambs. The effect of supplementation on lamb growth rate differed significantly between allowances: at the low allowance level, supplementation increased growth rate (287 g d⁻¹ vs 226 g d⁻¹), whereas it had no effect at the high level (277 g d⁻¹ vs 276 g d⁻¹). Growth rate of unsupplemented lambs was significantly reduced at the low level of allowance compared to the high level (226 g d⁻¹ vs 276 g d⁻¹). The effect of sward height on time spent grazing by unsupplemented lambs is described during the defoliation of a plot.     

Herbage potassium levels in a permanent pasture under grazing

Herbage potassium levels were measured in 1986 in a permanent pasture under continuous grazing with cattle and receiving 200 kg N ha⁻¹. In April, before grazing started, K concentration in the herbage was relatively uniform across the pasture, with a value of 1·9 ± 0·038% K in the herbage dry matter. In July, a significantly lower concentration of herbage K was found in the grazed areas of the pasture (1·8 ± 0·10%) compared with the level (2·4 ± 0·088%) found in the rejected areas of the sward. The difference between the grazed and rejected areas was similar in September, with 1·6 ± 0·087% and 2·2 ± 0·172% K, respectively, in the herbage dry matter. This result suggests that herbage growth in the grazed areas might have been limited by K supply and highlights the need for more information on the K requirements of grazed grassland.     

Effect of regrowth interval on the productivity of swards defoliated by cutting and grazing

Over three grazing seasons (1984-1986) a sward of perennial ryegrass, cv. Talbot, which received a total of 336 kg N ha^-1 each season, was cut or grazed with ewes at 3- or 4-week intervals on a rotational basis.
Sward productivity was higher under cutting than under grazing irrespective of the interval between defoliations. Under cutting, mean herbage organic matter (OM) yields over both intervals were 8·66, 9·62 and 8·17 t ha-¹ in 1984, 1985 and 1986 respectively while under grazing the corresponding yields were 7·65, 8·63 and 7·50 t ha^-1. The mean annual yield of herbage defoliated at 3-week intervals was 7·50, 8·64 and 7 ·20 t OM ha^-1 compared with 8·80, 9·60 and 8·46 t OM ha^-1 for swards defoliated at 4-week intervals in the three years respectively.
The nitrogen (N) content of both the available and the residual herbage was consistently higher under grazing than under cutting. Available herbage contained 31·3 and 27·7 g N kg OM^-1 and residual herbage 26·1 and 22·7 g N kg OM^-1 under grazing and cutting respectively.
The mean yield of N under cutting was 284 kg ha^-1 compared with 304 kg ha^-1 under grazing. Defoliation interval had no effect on N yield, the overall mean yield being 294 kg ha^-1 under both 3- and 4-week defoliation intervals. The effect of the treatments on tiller population was slight and inconclusive.
The process of grazing reduced yield probably as a result of damage to the sward through trampling; the positive effect of excretal N on yield was minimal on account of the short grazing periods.     

Supplementary feeding of forage to grazing dairy cows, 3. The effect of three daytime stocking rates on the performance of cows offered grass silage overnight

Over a 24-week period, three groups of dairy cows were continuously stocked at 8, 10 or 12 cows ha^-1 between morning and afternoon milkings, and overnight were housed and offered grass silage ad libitum. Due to a prolonged drought, sward heights only averaged 4·1 cm.
The increase in daytime stocking rate led to a decline in herbage intake, and increases in silage intake. At the highest stocking rate (12 cows ha^-1), the silage intake failed to compensate for the reduced herbage intake. Consequently the total dry matter and estimated metabolizable energy intakes were lower than for the 8 and 10 cows ha^-1 treatments. Milk yields and milk composition were not significantly affected by treatment but the 12 cows ha^-1 stocking rate gave the lowest milk and milk solids yields.
The utilized metabolizable energy (UME) on the grazed swards was greatest for the 10 cows ha^-1 treatment. The sward cut to provide the silage had a UME level (GJ ha^-1) 32% greater on average than the grazed swards during the same growth period. The total areas utilized for grazing and silage production for 8, 10 and 12 cows ha^-1 were 0·240, 0·224 and 0·215 ha respectively. Fat and protein yields per unit area were greatest for the 10 cows ha^-1 group.     

The intake and performance of cashmere goats grazing sown swards

An experiment was conducted to examine the relationships between sward surface height and the intake and liveweight gain of lactating female goats and their single kids and of 12-month-old castrated male goats continuously grazing grass pasture. Herbage intake was measured using the n -alkane marker technique. Goats grazed the experimental area from May to August at nominal sward heights of 3–4, 5–6, 7–8 and 9–10 cm. Sward heights achieved were variable but were consistently ranked in treatment order.
The herbage intake of females [57-140 g DM (kg LW^0.75)⁻¹ d⁻¹] and castrates [26-88 g DM (kg LW^0.75)⁻¹ d⁻¹] increased linearly with sward height over the range 3.2-11.0 cm. The liveweight change of females and castrates reflected the pattern of change in sward height.
The herbage intake of kids [17-41 g DM (kg LW^0·75)⁻¹ d⁻¹] was not related to sward height, but there was a consistent increase in liveweight gain with sward height from 98 to 129 g d⁻¹. The herbage intake of kids did not increase with age with means of 25–29 g DM (kg LW 0·75 d⁻¹ for kids aged 9–17 weeks.
There was evidence that all classes of goat selected green leafy material of high digestibility.     

The herbage intake and performance of set-stocked suckler cows and calves

Groups of eight Hereford × Friesian cows and their South Devon cross calves were set stocked over a 24-week grazing season at 3·23 (low), 3·21 (medium) or 4·24 (high) cows ha^-1 together with their calves. For the first 8 weeks only two-thirds of the total area was grazed. Increasing the stocking rate from low to medium reduced daily milk yield and cow and calf liveweight gains by 1·2, 0·24 and 0·29 kg d^-1 respectively, and from medium to high by 1·2, 0·24 and 0·23 kg d^-1. The main sward factor influencing faecal output and herbage intake was the quantity of organic matter on the pastures but the digestibility of the herbage selected also exerted a significant effect on the intake of cows. Major depressions in the herbage intake of cows occurred once the average sward height fell below 7 cm. Output of calf live weight was 628, 658 and 743 kg ha^-1 for the 3 stocking rates from low to high, and for cows 246, 179 and 30 kg ha^-1. It was concluded that decisions on pasture management should be taken in relation to the cow rather than the calf on set-stocked swards.     

Effect of long-term changes in relative resource availability on dietary preference of grazing sheep for perennial ryegrass and white clover

Three replicate paddocks, each of 0·235 ha, containing adjacent monocultures of perennial ryegrass or white clover [50:50 by ground area, 6 cm sward surface height (SSH) at start of experiment] were continuously stocked with three yearling and four mature non-lactating, non-pregnant Scottish halfbred ewes for 12 weeks. Herbage intake, grazing behaviour and dietary selection were measured on seven occasions. Clover SSH declined rapidly over the first 5 weeks then stabilized at 1·2–1·6 cm, whereas perennial ryegrass SSH rose slightly initially, then declined gradually. Animals initially included proportionately c . 0·6 white clover in their diet but, by the end of the experiment, this had fallen to 0·3. Total daily herbage intake declined over the 12 weeks from 1·8 kg dry matter (DM) day^–1 at the start to 1·0 kg DM day^–1. Total grazing time increased from 561 min day^–1 to 649 min day^–1 at the end of the experiment. The results suggest that, despite overall herbage depletion and a greater depletion of white clover than perennial ryegrass as a result of the initial partial preference for white clover, the animals traded-off a reduced total intake and an increased grazing time in an attempt to maintain their initial preferred dietary composition.     

Sward dynamics of a smooth-stalked meadowgrass dominantwhite clover sward rotationally grazed by cattle and/or sheep

This experiment was carried out to study the responses of sward components (particularly white clover, Trifolium repens ) to grazing management in a natural sward dominated by smooth-stalked meadowgrass ( Poa pratensis ) syn. Kentucky bluegrass. Treatments during two grazing seasons (1989–90) were: cattle grazing alone (C); cattle grazing followed by topping (CT); cattle grazing followed by sheep grazing (CS); and sheep grazing alone (S). Mean target pre- and post-grazing herbage masses were 2200 and 1100 kg DM ha⁻¹, estimated by single-probe electronic capacitance meter. Sward component dynamics were monitored using turf dissections, marked white clover stolons, and ring-toss white clover leaf counts. Component and sward data for the C, CT, CS and S treatments respectively, were: number of white clover leaves m⁻², 1295, 1384, 1408, 900 (s.e. ± 108); number of leaves per growing point, 3·2, 3·4, 3·0, 2·8 (s.e. ± 0·2); herbage accumulation (t DM ha⁻¹), 5·16, 5·02, 5·87, 8·28 (s.e. ±0 08); rejected herbage (% pasture area) 39·7, 7·7, 16·0, 0 (s.e. ± 75); and annual net herbage production (t DM ha⁻¹) 3·39, 4·35, 4·99, 8·28 (s.e. ± 0.07). Swards grazed by sheep alone contained less white clover, but regrew quicker and produced more herbage than other treatments. Close topping or grazing by sheep following dairy cattle grazing decreased sward rejection by cattle. These treatments maintained more of the pasture in better condition for subsequent cattle grazing, resulting in greater net herbage production than where no post-cattle grazing treatment was used.     

The implications of controlling grazed sward height for the operation and productivity of upland sheep systems in the UK. 1. Effects of two annual stocking rates in combination with two sward height profiles

The consequences of controlling sward height at two levels, around 5 cm (HS) and around 3·5 cm (LS), during spring and summer by adjusting weekly the proportion of the areas grazed in response to changes in rate of herbage production and utilizing the surplus pasture areas to conserve winter fodder were studied over three complete years for Greyface ewes with their lambs at 15ha⁻¹ (SR15) and 10ha⁻¹ (SR10). The rules used to control grazed sward height resulted in acceptable sward height control in three of four treatments and, by providing supplementary feed when sward height was below target, gave rise to similar levels of individual animal performance. Total output of lamb weaned was greater for the SR15 than for the SR10 flocks (607 vs 477 kg live weight ha⁻¹; P <0·001). Amounts of winter fodder produced were less for the SR15 than for the SR10 flocks [39 vs 213kg dry matter (DM) per ewe; P < 0·001]. Significantly more supplementary feed (10·0 vs 4·4kg DM per ewe; P < 0·01) and hay (13·7 vs 4·0kg DM per ewe; P7lt;0·05) were offered around mating to SR15 flocks than to SR10 flocks. It is concluded that, provided that sward height can be controlled between 3·5 and 5·0cm during the spring and summer and that supplementation is offered when the grazed sward is below 3·5 cm, flock performance will fall within acceptable and predictable limits.     

How does protein supplementation affect the selectivity and performance of Charolais cows on extensively grazed pastures in late autumn?

Management of beef cows grazing extensively grazed semi-natural pastures in temperate regions in late autumn can require supplements to be offered. The effects of supplementation with soya bean meal on the diet selected by Charolais cows and on their subsequent performance were examined for an 8-week period in late autumn in 2 years. Three groups of eight cows were compared: non-supplemented dry cows (D), non-supplemented (L) and supplemented (LS) lactating cows. The amount of soya bean meal supplement offered per cow was 250 g d⁻¹ in year 1 and 800 g d⁻¹ in year 2. Dietary choices were measured by direct observations and herbage intake was estimated in year 2. Supplementation affected neither diet selection (L: 0·42 vs. LS: 0·43 for the proportion of bites on green patches in year 1; 0·24 vs. 0·22 in year 2) nor daily organic matter intake of herbage (L: 15·6 vs. LS: 15·9 kg d⁻¹), which may have resulted from an adequate crude protein concentration of herbage. The higher total dry matter intake by cows offered the supplement reduced losses in live weight (L: −1212 vs. LS: −828 g d⁻¹; P  < 0·01) rather than increased milk production (L: 5·1 vs. LS: 5·0 kg d⁻¹). This may be linked to the low milk yield potential of the Charolais cows. The use of lactating cows rather than dry cows for pasture management in late autumn would increase the utilization of herbage but a reduction in liveweight losses of cows by supplementation is unlikely to be economic.     

Comparative studies of the influence of sward conditions on the ingestive behaviour of cows and sheep

Separate groups of non-lactating cows and wether sheep grazed at similar herbage allowances for two successive 5-d periods on swards that had previously been grazed frequently or infrequently with the intention of creating differences in canopy structure. Measurements were made of sward structure and composition, ingestive behaviour and diet composition. The preliminary treatments had little effect upon either sward conditions or animal behaviour.
Herbage mass was reduced from 4020 kg dry matter (DM) ha⁻¹ to 3290 kg DM ha⁻¹ on average over a 5-d grazing period as a consequence of the relatively low grazing pressure imposed. This resulted in a mean decline in intake per bite of 28%, and the changes for cattle and sheep did not differ significantly. However, there was a marked difference in the other behavioural responses of the two species; in the sheep biting rate fell and grazing time increased with declining herbage mass, particularly in the sward previously grazed infrequently, whereas the changes in the cattle were small.
Differences in the botanical composition of the herbage eaten by cattle and sheep were minor, but there was a small but consistent advantage to the sheep in the digestibility of the herbage eaten.
In the first of the two periods the variation in surface height after grazing was substantially greater for sheep-grazed than for cattle-grazed swards, indicating more patchy grazing by the sheep.
Estimates of daily herbage organic matter (OM) intake calculated from ingestive behaviour variables were high (means 38 and 32 g (kg LW) ⁻¹ for cattle and sheep respectively) and usually declined substantially over a grazing period.     

Frequency of defoliation of native and naturalized species of the Flooding Pampas (Argentina)

This study describes the effect of herbage mass of species on defoliation patterns in a multispecies temperate–subhumid natural grassland of the Flooding Pampas at low, medium and high sward herbage mass [761  ±  8·7, 989  ±  137 and 1591  ±  44·0 kg green dry matter (DM) ha^–1 respectively] maintained by continuous grazing of cattle at variable stocking rates. Four native and naturalized warm-season species were studied: the grasses Cynodon dactylon , Leersia hexandra and Paspalum dilatatum and the legume Lotus tenuis . Sward state of the four species was described in terms of sward surface height, herbage biomass and the number of individual grass tillers and legume stems per unit area. The defoliation pattern was monitored twice-weekly during an experimental period of 3 weeks on permanently marked individual plants. Proportions of individual plants defoliated and the ranking of species selected differed among sward treatments and species. The results showed that the density of the species was a major factor determining the pattern of species defoliation and suggest that, in continuously grazed mixtures, the pattern of defoliation might be more dependent on the abundance of a species in the plant community than on species preferences. The results show the importance of considering this structural characteristic of swards in understanding the process of species selection by large herbivores in multispecies vegetation.     

A comparison of quadrat, capacitance meter, HFRO sward stick, and rising plate for estimating herbage mass in a smooth-stalked, meadowgrass-dominant white clover sward

A single-probe capacitance meter (Pasture Probe), the Hill Farm Research Organization (HFRO) sward stick, a rising-plate meter, and cut quadrats were used to estimate herbage mass of swards that were rotationally grazed by cattle, cattle followed by topping, cattle followed by sheep, or sheep alone during 1989 and 1990 grazing seasons. Mean target pre- and post-grazing herbage masses were 2200 and 1100 kg dry matter (DM) ha⁻¹ respectively. Linear regressions, correlations and scatterplots were calculated relating meter and sward stick readings to herbage mass on an ash-free organic matter basis measured by cutting quadrats of herbage at ground level.
Mean coefficients of variation for quadrat, capacitance meter, sward stick and rising plate were 28·8, 15·5, 27·2 and 27·9% respectively for pre-grazing herbage mass measurements, and 20·2, 10·1, 21·4, and 18·4% respectively for post-grazing measurements. These coefficients indicate that the capacitance meter varied less in estimating pre- and postgrazing herbage mass than the other three methods.
Correlation coefficients relating cut quadrats to capacitance meter, sward stick and rising plate readings were 0·65, 0·70 and 0·72 for pre-grazing, and 0·36, 0·31 and 0·05 for post-grazing herbage mass measurements respectively.
The non-destructive methods provided quick herbage mass estimates at a level of precision adequate for making day-to-day grazing management decisions on farms.     

Matching grass supply to grazing patterns for dairy cows

Four groups of five spring-calving Holstein–Friesian cows were given a daily grass allowance in a strip-grazing system after either morning (AM; two groups) or afternoon (PM; two groups) milking over a 10-week period. The dry-matter (DM) concentration of the grass tended to be higher after afternoon milking [AM, 178 vs. PM, 197 g DM (s.e.d. 5·32) kg^–1 fresh matter], and water-soluble carbohydrate concentrations were significantly higher [AM, 175 vs. PM, 204 g kg^–1 DM (s.e.d. 6·67)]. Although the total times spent grazing (AM, 461 vs. PM, 462 min day^–1) were similar for both groups, cows receiving their allocation in the afternoon had a longer evening meal (>4 h duration) compared with those receiving their allocation in the morning (2–3 h), which also spent more time ruminating [AM, 454 vs. PM, 433 min day^–1 (s.e.d. 1·80)]. This short-term study demonstrated how a relatively simple change in management practice in strip-grazing systems could benefit milk yield and pasture utilization. This is because the DM and water-soluble carbohydrate contents of the herbage are higher in the evening than in the morning, and this is when grazing animals concentrate much of their daily grazing activity.