Managing Grazing Intensity Linked to Forage Quantity and Quality Trade-off in Semiarid Rangelands

Knowledge of herbivory tolerance of dominant plant species and their responses to varying grazing intensity is required for sustainable grazing management in semiarid rangeland ecosystems. In a field experiment, we studied the effects of simulated grazing 0%, 30%, 50%, and 80% leaf removal (control, partial, intermediate, and heavy leaf removal) of three dominant perennial legumes: Astragalus cyclophyllon, Astragalus effuses, and Hedysarum criniferum in semiarid rangelands of southwestern Iran for 2 yr and tested 1) differential herbivory tolerance in terms of regrowth ability of belowground and aboveground biomass (AGB), fecundity, and nonstructural carbohydrate reserves; and 2) trade-off between forage quantity and quality—less defoliated plants produce larger amount of biomass with less forage quality and vice versa. The results showed a reduction in AGB and reproduction in each of the three plants. However, three forbs exhibited some sort of variations in shoot and root growth, reproduction and forage quality under intermediate and heavy leaf removal. Leaf removal in individuals of A. effusus and H. criniferum are more likely to compensate for tissue loss by allocating the available resources to the expansion of root biomass, at the cost of AGB and reproductive effort. Leaf removal also led to an increase in forage quality in each of the three forb species, depending on the level of height removal. The control plant had a higher amount of biomass production and lower amount of crude protein compared with heavy leaf removal treatments (i.e., 80%), by contrasting responses of acid detergent fiber and neutral detergent fiber, indicating a trade-off between forage quality and forage quantity. The results indicate that there is a balance among forage quantity, quality, and regrowth ability of belowground and aboveground tissues in intermediate leaf removal treatments of these forb species. This balance is used to develop principles for grazing management of steppe rangelands because such a regime meets different criteria including forage quantity, quality, and nonstructural carbohydrate reserves.     

The palliative efficacy of modified Mohs paste for controlling canine and feline malignant skin wounds

In veterinary medicine, the management of malignant skin wounds is highly challenging. We conducted a study on seven case animals (four dogs and three cats) which presented with malignant skin wounds. All seven animals had signs and symptoms which were controlled following treatment with a modified Mohs paste. Upon obtaining informed consent from their owners, the animals requiring management of malignant wounds were enrolled in this study. The modified Mohs paste was prepared by mixing zinc chloride, zinc oxide starch powder, glycerin, and distilled water. The modified Mohs paste was topically applied to and left to remain on the malignant wounds for one hour, under controlled conditions. Once the paste was removed, the wounds were irrigated with a solution of sterile saline. At the first examination, the wounds of each animal were observed for signs of exudate, malodor, and bleeding. In every case, visible improvement was observed immediately after the modified Mohs paste treatment. Specifically, the size of the malignant wounds, and the number of times the dressing gauze required changing, significantly decreased (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). The open malignant skin wounds caused by mammary gland tumors disappeared in two cases. The Mohs paste has been shown to be a viable option for the palliative treatment in canine and feline malignant skin wound management.     

牧草种质库的建立与管理

通过纵观种质研究在国内外的发展及现状,本文主要就牧草种质库类型、工作程序、资料登记与管理及种质干燥与贮藏技术进行了讨论。     

The Use of Faecal Progestin Measurements to Monitor Reproductive Activity in Mashona Cows in a Smallholder Farming Area of Zimbabwe

The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationship between the concentrations of progesterone (P₄) in the peripheral circulation and progestins in the faeces of cows in a smallholder farming area and to monitor the ovarian activity of such cows. The study was carried out in Sanyati smallholder farming area, located 250 km southwest of Harare. Blood and faecal samples for P₄ and progestin determination, respectively, were obtained once a week from 35 Mashona type cows that belonged to farmers from three different villages. The cows were weighed once every month and all births were recorded. The concentrations of progestins in faeces and P₄ in plasma were positively correlated (r = 0.72, p<0.01). Most of the non-pregnant cows (65%) cycled during the rainy season. Most of those that were acyclic at this time were undergoing post-partum anoestrus. During the dry season, most cows (58%) became acyclic as forage became scarce and of poor quality. Thirty-two calves were born during the study period, mostly during the first or last two months of the year, when there was enough forage. The mean calving to first oestrus in 14 cows that recalved was 71±49 days. Eight of these 14 cows conceived again, the calving to conception interval being 173±94 days. The cows' liveweights were highest in April, at the end of the rainy season. By the end of the dry season, the cows had lost, on average, 15% of their peak weight.     

蒙古族草原游牧文化（Ⅳ）——蒙古族的游牧管理技术

通过查阅资料和调查,总结了蒙古族草原畜牧业生产技术。蒙古族在畜牧业生产时对牲畜的种畜选育、选种选配、抓膘保膘、接羔育羔、剪毛收绒,种畜去势,大畜调驯、烙印标记、防灾保畜等诸方面都有一套完整有序的饲养管理办法。     

Collective management on communal grazing lands: Its impact on vegetation attributes and soil erosion in the upper Blue Nile basin,northwestern Ethiopia

Collective action, on communal grazing land, has evolved in the highlands of northwestern Ethiopia to mitigate the problems of feed shortage and land degradation due to overgrazing. The exercise is liked by farmers for improving the availability of natural pasture during the long dry season when other feed sources get depleted. However, large portions of the communal grazing lands are still managed under free grazing throughout the year. This study was undertaken in Maynet village in the upper Blue Nile basin, northwestern Ethiopia, to assess the impacts of three different types of grazing land management (GLM) and two slope gradients (<10%; 15–25%) on aboveground herbaceous biomass yield, ground cover, species richness, runoff, soil loss and soil bulk density of grazing lands. The GLMs include (a) freely open communal GLM, (b) restricted communal GLM – collective management of communal grazing land locally named as ‘yebere sar’ and (c) private holding GLM. Stocking density was more than carrying capacity of grazing lands across all GLMs. However, the extent of overstocking problem was exceptionally severe in freely open communal GLM. The interaction between GLM and slope was significant (P<0.05) for runoff, soil loss and runoff coefficient. The average runoff coefficient was close to 50% in freely open communal GLM on steeper slopes (15–25%). Freely open communal GLM on steeper slopes resulted in consistently highest cumulative runoff and soil loss amounting to 491 mm and 32 t/ha per year, respectively. Polynomial regression analysis showed that quadratic relationship (r²=0.87) existed between soil loss and runoff. But, soil loss was close to nil when runoff did not exceed 2 mm per rainfall event. As expected, restricted communal GLM appeared to reduce surface runoff by more than 40% and curb the rate of soil erosion by more than 50% compared to freely open communal GLM. Its vegetation cover persisted above 70% throughout the year, meeting the threshold level recommended to keep surface runoff and soil loss to minimum. Reducing the problem of overstocking and pasture resting in August–November are important components to improve ground cover and aboveground herbaceous biomass yield, which in turn reduce land degradation on grazing lands.     

耕地上建立放牧型人工草地及其管理利用初探

在耕地上建立放牧型人工草地并进行了观测分析，以探讨其利用方法。结果表明，推迟播种期可减轻一年生杂草的危害，但当年产草量较低；草地建植初期，草地质量较在原有草地上重建的草地差，但通过 放牧或刈割后，草地质量迅速提高；第二年播种牧草长势好，杂草少，成为一片优质高产的放牧型人工草地。     

Anthelmintic resistance and management of nematode parasites on beef cattle-rearing farms in the North Island of New Zealand

AIM: To provide information on current farmers’ opinions and farming practices thought to be related to anthelmintic resistance, and to test for associations between the presence of anthelmintic resistance and management practices on beef cattle- rearing farms in the North Island of New Zealand.

METHODS: A study using an interview-based questionnaire about management of internal parasites was conducted on 62 beef cattle-rearing farms in the North Island of New Zealand, using case-control analyses to test for associations between management practices and the presence or absence of resistance to ivermectin or albendazole. Resistance was inferred from faecal nematode egg count (FEC) reduction (FECR) tests (FECRTs) when there was <90% reduction in FEC 7-10 days after treatment of calves <12 months of age.

RESULTS: Of the 59 farmers who completed the questionnaire, most (n=40) ranked parasites highly, and at about the same level as quality and quantity of feed, as important production-limiting factors for their enterprises. In contrast, anthelmintic resistance was not perceived to be a problem on 13 farms, and its importance was rated low on 24, moderate on 15, and high on only six farms. Despite all farms having planned parasite control programmes, there was heavy reliance on clinical signs of parasitism to determine frequency of treatments. About one in three farmers with beef breeder cows routinely treated their calves at marking, one in five treated mixed-age cows, and almost half treated rising 2-year-old cows before calving. One in four farmers used anthelmintics on calves on 8–12 occasions in their first year of life. Co-grazing with other species was rare, but follow-on grazing within 3 months after older cattle or sheep was common. On most farms, grazing cattle was restricted to part of the farm, a finding with implications for parasite control and persistence of larvae in refugia. Macrocyclic lactone (ML) anthelmintics or their combinations with other action families were currently, and for the past 5 years, used more frequently than benzimidazoles and levamisole, and benzimidazole-levami- sole combinations. The prevalence of resistance to ivermectin was high (82%) and no plausible model of associations could be constructed from the data. The prevalence of resistance to albendazole was 60%, and the risk of resistance increased as the number of rising 1-year-old cattle present mid-winter increased, and decreased as the number of breeding cows >2 years old present mid-winter increased.

CONCLUSION: It is clear that in practice anthelmintic resistance is a secondary consideration to obtaining productivity advantages from the use of anthelmintics in beef cattle. Farmers’ opinions were divided on many issues and the overall impres- sion was of confused and diverse thinking regarding the principles of the use of anthelmintics. The overall outlook regarding anthelmintic resistance in cattle is bleak unless the need for integrated and long-term research activities is acted upon soon.     

A mail survey of factors affecting performance in 627 selected sheep flocks in south-eastern Norway

Abstract

Factors influencing rate of barren ewes, number of lambs born per pregnant ewe, and autumn live weight of the lambs were studied in 627 Norwegian sheep flocks based on herd level data from the Norwegian Sheep Recording System and a mailed questionnaire to the sheep farmers. The following factors were significantly associated (P<0.05) with rate of barren ewes: breed, herd average lambing date, type of production/age of farmer, routines for treatments for parasites, and housing type. Number of lambs born per pregnant ewe was significantly associated with rate of barren ewes, herd average lambing date, breed, percentage grass silage of total roughage, and no separation of gimmers during the housing period. Corrected autumn live weight of the lambs was significantly associated with breed, flock size, lambs born per pregnant ewe, no separation of gimmers during the housing period, and type of summer pasture.     

贵阳市高尔夫俱乐部草坪基地建植与管理

通过贵阳市高尔夫球场草皮基地的建植和养护管理 ,从中总结了过渡气候带建植草坪应注意的一些问题。根据所建草坪的功能 ,选择相适应的草种应用于高尔夫球场。并对其适应性进行了研究