Abstract
Keynote paper presented at the International Leucaena Conference, 1‒3 November 2018, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.The impacts of leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) feeding systems on cattle production, environmental services and animal welfare in Mexico are discussed. A total of about 12,000 ha of leucaena have been established in the tropical regions of México, where most of the information for the current review was obtained. Incorporating leucaena in a grass pasture increases dry matter intake of grazing cattle and reduces the level of methane produced. This results in improved liveweight gains and milk yields as well as a reduction in the level of greenhouse gas released. Additional benefits are increases in soil carbon and nitrogen levels and less stress on animals as the leucaena plants provide shade and reduce environmental temperatures. While these benefits are substantial, the area developed to leucaena represents less than 0.1% of the area which could potentially be developed. Strategies to increase adoption of these grass-legume systems by farmers need to be developed to make effective use of the systems for increasing beef and milk production while reducing the undesirable environmental outcomes normally associated with ruminant production.
Highlights
In Mexico, animal production systems which utilize leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) can increase productivity, improve animal welfare and mitigate environmental impacts relative to grass-only systems (Figure 1), but adoption of these systems by commercial farmers is limited
Strategies to increase adoption of these grass-legume systems by farmers need to be developed to make effective use of the systems for increasing beef and milk production while reducing the undesirable environmental outcomes normally associated with ruminant production
Production, as percentage of gross energy intake (Ym), fell from 5.2% for the grass-only ration, to 3.6%, when leucaena was fed at 20% of ration dry matter (DM), and it continued to fall as legume levels were increased
Summary
In Mexico, animal production systems which utilize leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) can increase productivity, improve animal welfare and mitigate environmental impacts relative to grass-only systems (Figure 1), but adoption of these systems by commercial farmers is limited. We discuss the Mexican experience in terms of animal productivity, energy supplementation and environmental services This analysis provides an understanding of the achievements that have been made and challenges facing the system. In the tropical regions of Mexico, environmental temperatures and relative humidity are high, and at certain times of the day (during summer), above the physiological capacity of livestock to dissipate body heat. This condition leads to low animal productivity due to elevated body temperature and respiratory rate, leading to reduced voluntary feed intake. A strategy to improve animal comfort is the inclusion of woody species in monocrop-grass systems (Figure 2)
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