Cattle performance and production when grazing Bermudagrass at two forage mass levels in the southern Piedmont

Performance and production of growing cattle (Bos taurus) on Coastal Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] pasture are affected by forage allowance, but possible interactions with fertilizer nutrient source (i.e., inorganic vs. organic) and time have not been well described. We evaluated the effects of 3 nutrient sources with equivalent N rates: 1) inorganic, 2) crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) cover crop plus inorganic, and 3) chicken (Gallus gallus) broiler litter, factorially arranged with 2 residual forage mass levels [grazing to maintain high (4,528 +/- 1,803 kg/ha) and low (2,538 +/- 1,264 kg/ha) forage mass], on cattle stocking density, ADG, and BW gain during 5 consecutive summer grazing seasons. Across grazing seasons, residual forage mass and nutrient source both affected response variables, but interactions between these variables were rarely significant (P < or = 0.10). Across grazing seasons and nutrient sources, increasing grazing pressure to maintain a lower forage mass reduced ADG (0.67 vs. 0.88 kg/d; P < 0.001) but increased BW gain/ha (726 vs. 578 kg/ha; P < 0.001) due to greater stocking density (8.7 vs. 5.8 steers/ha, P < 0.001; mean BW of growing Angus steers of 212 kg). Inorganic fertilization led to greater stocking density than other nutrient sources (8.2 vs. 6.8 steers/ha, P < 0.001) because of greater forage production. Stocking density to achieve the 2 targeted forage mass levels was widely different during the initial grazing seasons of the study but nearly similar at the end of 5 yr. Cattle performance tended to decline with time during each grazing season under both residual forage mass levels, perhaps as a result of declining forage quality, because performance was positively associated with grazing season precipitation under high forage mass. Steer BW gain/ha was greater (P < 0.05) with lower forage mass early in the grazing season of all years but not necessarily later in the grazing season. Steer BW gain/ha was also greater (P < 0.05) with a lower forage mass during the early years of the study but was similar during the later years of the study. Significant variations in cattle performance and production with time confirmed the short-term seasonal effects but suggested that the long-term effects may also be of importance in maintaining productivity and environmental quality of grazed pastures.     

林,草,畜生态系统生物生产力及其相互关系

阐述了林、草之间和草、畜之间的关系。林草互相竞争,又互相受益。森林影响光照,从而影响草地产草量,但一定密度的森林对含蓄土壤水分,减少牧草蒸发,保持草地气温、土温稳定,对牧草生长有益。而草地的管理、施肥、放牧牲畜的粪尿、牧草的固氮作用等,又促进了森林的生长。草地产草量的季节性变化,可影响放牧牲畜的增重与繁殖。草地的载畜量取决于草地的产草量,草地负荷过重,可导致草地退化,放牧牲畜的生产性能下降,但适宜的载畜量可提高放牧牲畜的生产性能,保持草地的良性演替,延长草地的利用年限。     

夏季模拟放牧对青藏高原冬春草场牧草品质和土壤养分的影响

为探索青藏高原地区草畜高效管理模式,本试验采用刈割模拟家畜采食的方式在夏季牧草生长季（8月初,称作青草期）利用冬春草场,并在牧草生长季末（10月初,称作枯黄期）采集牧草和土壤样品,研究不同利用强度对牧草再生、生物量、品质以及土壤养分的影响。试验结果表明：3种不同利用强度对牧草枯黄期地上生物量、牧草酸性洗涤纤维（Acid detergent fiber,ADF）和中性洗涤纤维（Neutral detergent fiber,NDF）没有产生显著影响;不同草地利用强度处理组枯黄期粗蛋白（Crude protein,CP）含量均显著低于青草期,而ADF和NDF的结果刚好相反（P<0.05）;枯黄期重度利用草场牧草CP含量显著高于不利用组（P<0.05）,中度利用强度0~10 cm土壤速效磷含量显著高于对照组（P<0.05）。本试验结果表明,青藏高原在牧草生长季利用冬春草场（留茬2~4 cm）,家畜不仅能够摄取优质的青绿牧草,而且不会降低牧草生育期总生物量。     

ASAS Centennial Paper: utilization of pasture and forages by ruminants: a historical perspective

Pastures, forages, and grasslands dominate the landscape across the United States and support a large ruminant population that supplies the nation with value-added animal products. A historical perspective is presented of the innovations as they occurred in the Journal of Animal Science over the past 100 yr in pasture and forage research. Consideration was given to both animal and pasture perspectives. Areas given consideration from the animal perspective were schemes for feedstuff analysis, experimental design and statistics, forage sample preservation, indirect methods of measuring intake and digestion, TDN and energy, nutritive value, harvested forage, and innovations in the grazing environment. Areas given consideration from the forage perspective were a framework for forage-animal interface research, determining pasture yield, choice of stocking method, grazing management, partitioning of forage DM, near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy technology, antiquality constituents, and forage sample preservation. Finally, the importance was discussed of applying research results from the forage-animal interface to general ruminant nutrition research beyond the interface that is focused on altered diets.     

Grazing methods and stocking rates for direct-seeded alfalfa pastures: II. Pasture quality and diet selection

A 2-yr study was conducted to determine the effects of two grazing methods (GM) and two stocking rates (SR) on alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. var. WL225) pasture quality and diet selection by Holstein steers. Eight pasture plots (.76 ha) were seeded in 1988 and divided into two blocks of four pastures each. Pastures were managed to allow a 36-d rest period with an average grazing season of 105 d. Before steers entered the next paddock, canopy heights (CH) of alfalfa plants were determined and pasture-forage samples were collected. Forage samples were analyzed for DM, OM, CP, and in vitro OM digestibility (IVOMD). At 12-d intervals beginning with the second grazing cycle, extrusa samples were collected from steers with esophageal fistulas. Extrusa samples were frozen, freeze-dried, and analyzed for OM, CP, IVOMD, in situ ruminal DM degradation, and ruminal undegradable protein. There were no effects of GM on alfalfa CH or pasture DM, OM, CP, and IVOMD. Increasing the SR increased pasture CP content in both years and increased DM, OM, and IVOMD in the 2nd yr. There was no effect of GM or SR on the quality of forage selected by esophageally fistulated steers. Esophageally fistulated steers selected forage that had greater OM, CP, and IVOMD than the average nutrient content of the forage. Although forage quality was greater when stocking rates were increased, the quantity of forage available per animal may have limited gains.     

Evaluation of hay-type and grazing-tolerant alfalfa cultivars in season-long or complementary rotational stocking systems for beef cows

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) persistence and forage and cow-calf production were evaluated on pastures containing smooth bromegrass with or without grazing-tolerant or hay-type alfalfa cultivars rotationally stocked in either a season-long or complementary system. In 1997, six 2.02-ha pastures were seeded with smooth bromegrass, a mixture of a grazing-tolerant alfalfa (Amerigraze variety) and smooth brome-grass, or a mixture of a hay-type alfalfa (Affinity variety) and smooth bromegrass to be used in season-long stocking systems. Four 2.02-ha pastures were seeded with smooth bromegrass on 1.21 ha of each pasture, and mixtures of either the grazing-tolerant or hay-type alfalfa cultivars and smooth bromegrass on the 0.81 ha of each pasture to be used in complementary stocking systems. All 10 pastures were divided into 10 paddocks and rotationally strip-stocked at 1.98 cow-calf units/ha with crossbred cows and calves for 120 and 141 d starting May 18, 1998 (yr 1), and May 6, 1999 (yr 2), respectively. Each year, first harvest forage was harvested as hay from 40% of all 10 pastures, this being the portions of the pasture seeded with the alfalfa-smooth brome-grass mixtures for pastures with the complementary stocking systems. In yr 1 and 2, the remaining 60% of each pasture was grazed for the first 44 and 54 d, and 100% of each pasture was grazed on d 45 to 120 and d 55 to 141, respectively. Proportions of alfalfa in the live dry matter of pastures seeded with the grazing-tolerant and hay-type alfalfa cultivars decreased by 70 and 55% in paddocks stocked season-long and by 60 and 42% in paddocks used for complementary stocking (alfalfa cultivar, P < 0.05; stocking system, P < 0.05) in yr 1, but decreased by 72% across cultivars and stocking systems in yr 2. Total (P < 0.08) forage masses in September of yr 1 and in August of yr 2 were greater in pastures in which alfalfa paddocks were stocked season-long than in those with complementary alfalfa stocking. Grazing of alfalfa in grass mixtures increased calf and total cow/calf weight gains in comparison with grazing of smooth bromegrass, but alfalfa persistence, measured as a proportion of the live dry matter, was not affected by alfalfa cultivar.     

不同载牧量对苜蓿放牧地植被的影响

研究于１９９２年在甘肃河西半荒漠地区杂花苜蓿型人工草地进行，试验采用单因子设计，衣载牧量分轻牧、中牧、重牧３个处理６个重分区轮牧。结果表明，试验当年，草地类型未发生演变，披碱草随放牧加强而衰退，无芒雀麦和红豆草在中牧下得到促进，紫羊茅在重牧下受抑。由牧草产量和质量的分析表明，在西北干旱地区，苜蓿型草地可于６月初刈草后，连续放牧３次，且载牧量以中等为宜。     

补饲与不补饲条件下3种放牧率对高寒草地牧草与家畜生产的影响

通过补饲和不补饲条件下放牧率对高寒草地牧草和家畜生产影响的研究,结果表明,3种放牧率对草地牧草产量影响不大,组间差异不显著(P>0.05)。放牧率影响羯羊体重。在补饲条件下,羯羊日增长量随放牧率减小而增加,组间差异显著(P<0.05);不补饲使羯羊减重,羯羊日减重量随放牧率减小而降低。同时,放牧率影响羯羊肉用性能和肉的品质。在补饲条件下,草地生物学效率明显高于不补饲组,且中组比低、高组高,草地生产能力最大。由此得出,高寒草地以中等放牧率为最佳,即1.8只/hm~2,且补饲效果最明显。     

阿勒泰地区草地生产力变化及对策

通过遥感技术、地理信息技术和地面实地调查技术的结合运用,将阿勒泰的历史资料(1985年前草地类型图、草地等级图、放牧利用图)与2002年遥感影像资料、野外测产资料进行对比分析,确定了阿勒泰地区可利用草地系数、可食牧草系数、草地利用系数,建立了各季节牧场产量模型,计算出阿勒泰地区的产草量、理论载畜量、季节牧场载畜量和草地分级资料,对理论载畜量、临界载畜量和实际载畜量进行了对比分析,提供阿勒泰地区草地生产力变化的信息和相关对策.     

放牧强度对山羊采食行为的影响

南方地区水热条件好,草地资源丰富且放牧家畜种类和数量较多,为充分利用当地草地资源,促进草畜平衡,本试验研究了我国西南地区人工草地不同牧压下山羊放牧行为的变化。试验采用野外群体观察法对2种牧压(重牧H和轻牧L)下山羊放牧行为及其参数进行观测记录。结果表明,2种牧压下放牧山羊采食时间都极显著(P<0.01)大于其他行为时间;鸭茅、黑麦草、白三叶的采食时间分别占总采食时间的29.2%,29.0%,25.4%,3种牧草的采食时间之和极显著(P<0.01)大于杂草的采食时间,但3种牧草之间无显著差异(P>0.05);随牧压增加与时间推移,山羊采食速度逐渐降低,但差异不显著(P>0.05);山羊采食速度与口食量呈现负相关的关系。本研究表明,放牧载畜量作为草地管理手段之一,可用来调控草地组成,增加家畜有效采食量,提高山羊放牧系统的经济效益与当地农民收入。