Pasture Production Research Articles

Pasture Management to Reduce the Risk of Acer pseudoplatanus Poisoning While Preserving Ecological Sustainability

In spring, grazing equids may suffer from a severe rhabdomyolysis syndrome named atypical myopathy. This environmental intoxication results from ingestion of toxins contained in Acer pseudoplatanus seedlings. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of herbicide spraying and mowing to reduce the toxic pressure of sycamore seedlings. In a first experiment, the efficacy of three herbicides to eradicate seedlings was compared to mowing. In a second experiment, the influence of the mowing timing on pasture productivity was determined. In both experiments, sycamore seedling counting, grass height and botanical composition were determined. In experiment 2, the final harvest biomass and its nutritional value were also determined. Herbicides and mowing both reduced the number of seedlings, which nevertheless disappear naturally over time without intervention (i.e., in control areas). As opposed to mowing, herbicide spraying altered the composition of the pasture flora. Both sprayed and mowed seedlings remain toxic until full decomposition. Early mowing (i.e., early April) did not affect the harvest yield. Late mowing (i.e., end of April) reduced the harvest yield but its nutritional value fitted the horses’ need. In conclusion, mowing is the best strategy to reduce the risk of Acer pseudoplatanus poisoning in grazing equids while preserving ecological sustainability and nutritional value of pastures.

Bridging Ecology and Agronomy to Foster Diverse Pastures and Healthy Soils

Renovating pastures to increase forage species diversity is a burgeoning practice among producers. Over a century of grassland and small-plot research suggests that increasing plant diversity can lead to improved pasture productivity, resilience, and soil health. However, it remains hard to decipher how these benefits translate to grazed production systems given the limited experimentation in realistic grazing systems. There is a disconnect between ecological and agronomic research regarding what qualifies as a “diverse” grassland or pasture. This review aims to examine the current state of research regarding plant diversity and its potential benefits for soil health in pasture systems, and outlines how we can improve our understanding and implementation of this practice in production systems.

The Physiological Role of Abscisic Acid in Regulating Root System Architecture of Alfalfa in Its Adaptation to Water Deficit

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a perennial leguminous plant, with a strong tap root system that plays an important role in alfalfa’s adaptation to drought stress. However, a better understanding of root functional traits and how these root traits are related to whole plant responses in order to improve pasture productivity under water deficit. Two greenhouse experiments were conducted: Experiment 1 used three alfalfa cultivars and four levels of soil water content treatments to investigate herbage productivity, growth point density, residual shoot weight, and root weight. Experiment 2 assessed relationships among root-sourced abscisic acid (ABA), root system architecture and plant biomass in response to water deficit. The results demonstrated that root system was used as a useful tool to improve tolerant and adaptation when alfalfa copied with lower levels of soil water content. On average, maintaining 60–65% soil water-holding capacity alfalfa had the highest herbage accumulation (6.7 g DM pot-1), growing point density (46.5 pot-1), and residual shoot biomass (1.8 g DM pot-1). At the level of water stress, Medicago sativa L. cv Zhaodong (ZD) and cv Aohan (AH) tended to exhibit a herringbone branching pattern with less root tips, root forks, altitude, and magnitude than cv Golden empress (GE). Principal component analysis and structural equation modeling revealed that root-sourced ABA positively regulated the altitude and magnitude of root system architecture, root tips and root forks, and was closely associated with plant root biomass and herbage biomass. It was concluded that these findings can contribute to developing optimum irrigation strategies and help alfalfa breeders in the development of new cultivars with improved drought tolerance based on root system architecture, plant hormone, and plant growth.

Productive Characterization of Dairy Farms in the Central-Westerm Province of Chaco - Argentina

It is possible to produce efficiently in areas that are considered inadequate, as long as all the technologies are not transferred from the temperate zones in which the most important dairy basins of the country are located. The objective of the work was to identify and productively characterize the dairy farms in the center-west of the province of Chaco - Argentina. 11 dairy farms were identified and visits were made between September 2021 and April 2022 located in the center-west of the province of Chaco. The results show that the median and age ranges of the owners surveyed was 47 (36-67) years old, the area used for milk production was 50 (20-275) hectares, of which 78% is natural forest and 22% are dedicated to the production of cultivated pastures. The median and ranges of the milking cows were 9 (2-20) cows and 12 (3-15) dry cows, total milk production per day: in warm months 30 (14-300) liters and in cold months 30 (6-300) liters, the duration of lactation 200 (150-270) days. Dairy farms in the center-west of the Chaco province were identified and characterized, showing that there is dairy production in the region and that this forces the need to generate attention policies for them.

Irrigation and nitrogen fertilization influence on alfalfa yield, nutritive value, and resource use efficiency in an arid environment

In arid regions, water and nitrogen are the two most limiting factors for sustainable pastoral production systems. In this study, we determined the potential effects of irrigation and nitrogen application on forage yield, nutritive values, and resource use efficiency of alfalfa in arid agro-climatic conditions. Field experiments were carried out using three irrigation regimes (W1, 300; W2, 450; and W3, 600 mm) and three nitrogen application rates (N1, 150; N2, 225; and N3, 300 Kg N ha−1). Alfalfa seeds were sown in fall 2014, uniformly managed for crop establishment, and subjected to different treatments in spring 2015–2016. Results indicated that irrigation, nitrogen, and their interaction (W × N) significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected alfalfa forage yield, quality, irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Forage yield followed an increasing trend with increasing the irrigation amount at each harvest in both growing seasons. However, crude protein (CP), relative feed values (RFV), and IWUE were significantly decreased while neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents were increased at the high irrigation level (W3). The maximum forage yield was achieved with W3 treatment (25.9 and 23.1 t ha−1), followed by W2 (25.8 and 21.7 t ha−1) in 2015 and 2016. In both years, the highest IWUE (57.3 and 48.2 kg mm−1), CP (16.1 % and 17.7 %), and RFV (197.1 % and 186.2 %) values were achieved with W2 treatment. Moreover, increasing N application resulted in a linear decline in alfalfa forage yield, nutritive quality, and resource use efficiency. The maximum forage yield (24.4 and 21.2 t ha−1), CP (15.5 % and 16.4 %), RFV (210.3 % and 198.8 %), IWUE (54.3 and 47.0 kg mm−1), and NUE (169.9 and 141.2 kg kg−1), and lower ADF (25.7 % and 24.9 %) and NDF (31.0 % and 33.1 %) was obtained with application of 150 kg N ha−1 in 2015 and 2016. The regression equations of irrigation and nitrogen application indicated a quadratic relationship between yield and forage nutritive values. Overall, 450 mm irrigation coupled with 150 kg N ha−1 (W2N1) showed the most promising effects in terms of achieving optimal forage yield consistent with enhanced forage nutritive values, and greater resource use efficiency of alfalfa in the arid region of North China.

The effects of self‐regenerating annual clovers on plant species composition and heifer performance in an irrigated pasture in western Oregon, USA

AbstractThe addition of self‐regenerating annual legumes into permanent pastures can benefit rapid forage growth in early spring, leading to increased pasture production and animal live weight gain (LWG). The objective of this 2‐year grazing study was to evaluate the effects of balansa clover (Trifolium michelianum) and subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) on pasture and animal production in an irrigated dairy system in western Oregon, USA. Study results showed that balansa clover has a high potential to increase legume content of establishing pastures in early spring. Legume content of pastures sown with annual legumes increased by 25.3% in early spring compared to pastures sown without annual legumes. However, no significant increase in legume content was observed past the initial year of establishment. The persistence of balansa clover and subterranean clover was low in 2021, at <1% of the botanical composition. The overall benefits of balansa clover in early spring in 2020 were offset by reduced perennial forbs, white clover (Trifolium repens) and chicory (Cichorium intybus), in paddocks that were sown with annual legumes. However, this did not negatively affect the LWGs of heifers. This study found no significant difference between pastures sown with and without annual clovers pastures on dry matter production and animal production. Balansa clover was competitive in the establishment year; however, further research into improving its persistence past establishment is warranted.

Adaptive multi-paddock grazing management's influence on soil food web community structure for: increasing pasture forage production, soil organic carbon, and reducing soil respiration rates in southeastern USA ranches.

BackgroundMeasurement of two grazing management’s influence on pasture productivity, soil food web structure, soil organic carbon and soil microbial respiration efficiency was conducted on five southeastern US, across-the-fence ranch pairs to compare adaptive multi-paddock grazing (AMP) management, using short grazing events with planned, adaptive recovery periods, to conventional grazing (CG) management, with continuous grazing at low stock density.MethodologyA point-in-time experimental field analysis was conducted to compare five AMP or CG ranch pairs to better understand the influence of grazing management on (a) standing crop biomass productivity; (b) soil food web community population, structure and functionality; (c) soil organic carbon accrual; and d) soil-C (CO2) respiration kinetics.ResultsAMP grazing systems outperformed CG systems by generating: (a) 92.68 g m−2 more standing crop biomass (SCB), promoting 46% higher pasture photosynthetic capacity (Two sample Mann-Whitney; Z = 6.1836; no DF in MW; p = 6.26 × 10−10; Effect size = 0.35) (b) a strong positive linear relationship of SCB with fungal biomass (R = 0.9915; F(1,3) = 175.35; p = 0.015); fungal to bacterial (F:B) biomass ratio (R = 0.9616; F(1,3) = 36.75; p = 0.009) and a soil food web proxy (R = 0.9616; F(1,3) = 36.75; p = 0.009) and a concurrent very strong inverse relationship with bacteria biomass (R = −0.946; F(1,3) = 25.56; p = 0.015); (c) significant predator/prey interactions with an inverse relationship with bacterial population biomass (R = − 0.946; F(1,3) = 25.56; p = 0.015) and a positive relationship with total protozoa enumeration (R = 0.9826; F(1,3) = 83.68; p = 0.003) when compared to SCB; (d) a 19.52% reduction in soil C (CO2) respiration rates (Two sample t-test; T = −2.3581; DF = 52.3541; p = 0.0221; Effect size = 0.59); and (e) a 20.6% increase in soil organic carbon (SOC) in the top 10 cm of soil profile (Two sample Mann–Whitney; Z = 2.6507; no DF in MW; p = 0.008; Effect size = 0.24). Rancher conversion to AMP grazing strategies would appear to regenerate soil food web population, structure, diversity and biological functionality helping to improve: carbon flow into plant biomass, buildup of soil carbon, predator/prey nutrient cycling and soil microbial respiration efficiency while offering improved climate resilience and a strategy to increase the capture and storage of atmospheric CO2 in soils of the world’s rangeland.

Kānuka Trees Facilitate Pasture Production Increases in New Zealand Hill Country

‘Tree-pasture’ silvopastoral systems have the potential to become transformative multifunctional landscapes that add both environmental and economic value to pastoral farms. Nevertheless, no published study has found increased pasture production under mature silvopastoral trees in New Zealand hill country. This study takes a novel approach to silvopastoral research in New Zealand, and investigates a genus that has similar bio-physical attributes to other global silvopastoral trees that have been shown to increase pasture production under their canopies, with the aim of finding a silvopastoral genera that can increase pasture production under tree canopies compared to open pasture in New Zealand. This study measures pasture and soil variables in two pasture positions: under individually spaced native kānuka (Kunzea spp.) trees (kānuka pasture) and paired open pasture positions at least 15 m from tree trunks (open pasture) at two sites over two years. There was 107.9% more pasture production in kānuka pasture positions. The soil variables that were significantly greater in kānuka pasture were Olsen-P (+115.7%, p < 0.001), K (+100%, p < 0.001), Mg (+33.33%, p < 0.01), Na (+200%, p < 0.001) and porosity (+8.8%, p < 0.05), and Olsen-P, porosity and K best explained the variation between kānuka pasture and open pasture positions. Volumetric soil moisture was statistically similar in kānuka pasture and open pasture positions. These results are evidence of nutrient transfer by livestock to the tree-pasture environment. Furthermore, as there was a significantly greater porosity and 48.6% more organic matter under the trees, there were likely other processes also contributing to the difference between tree and open pasture environments, such as litterfall. These results show that kānuka has potential to increase pasture production in New Zealand hill country farms and create multifunctional landscapes enhancing both production and environmental outcomes in pastoral farms.

DAIRY CATTLE REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE UNDER DIFFERENT PRODUCTION SYSTEM IN ETHIOPIA: NIGERIA’S BILATERAL TRADE RELATIONS WITH CHINA: AN ASSESSMENT, 2010 – 2019

Reproductive performance of dairy cattle in terms of age at first service (AFS), age at first calving (AFC), calving interval (CI), day open (DO), and a number of service preconceptions (NSPC) in the different production system in Ethiopia is reviewed. The reproductive performance parameter of dairy cattle like age at first serves (AFS), age at first calving (AFC), calving interval (CI), Day opens (DO), and the number of service preconceptions (NSPC) under different production system is quite different. Age at first calving (AFC) in pastoral and agro-pastoral and intensive dairy production systems were 43.5±1.5months and 33.2 months, respectively. Days open (DO) in pastoral and agro-pastoral, smallholder dairy production, and urban and dairy products for local cows were 141±7 days, 185±51.2days, and 199.8±11.60 days, respectively. 85 to 115days considered as optimum for a dairy herd, 116 to 130 days indicate slight problems, 131 to 145 days moderate problems. This, indicated that days open in the different production system is not within the normal range. Similarly, for cross dairy cows in an intensive dairy production system was157.8 days. The calving interval (CI) in pastoral and agro-pastoral, smallholder dairy production systems, urban and pre-urban for local cows were 14.63±10 months, 14.36± 1.03 months, and 22.17±0.79 months, respectively. Whereas urban and pre-urban and intensive dairy production for cross dairy cows were12.42±5.9 months, 15.820±.41months, and 14.56 months, respectively. NSPC for Horro x Jersey (1.8) and Horror (2.1) are not within the normal range, But for Borana (1.6), Fogera (1.28), Friesian x Zebu (1.56) were within the normal range. This difference might be due to poor management in terms of nutrition, health care, housing, heat detection, timely insemination, and breeding as well as environmental factors. It could be concluded that proper management in terms of nutrition, health care, housing, heat detection, and timely insemination would improve reproductive performance under different production systems. Besides this, to boost dairy cattle reproductive performance, intensification of dairy cattle production should be promoted in Ethiopia to meet the increasing demand for dairy products and to reduce imports of dairy commodities. Thus, all coordinated works of all concerned bodies should be in place to boost production and productivity and thereby enhance the livelihood of the dairy farmers.

Linking Cultural and Marketing Practices of (Agro)pastoralists to Food (In)security

Many pastoralist communities around the world rely on the traditional livestock farming sub-sector for a living and to meet their food consumption needs. Food insecurity, on the other hand, is a growing concern in these communities, and the reasons for this must be understood in order to implement appropriate policy measures to improve food security. Based on data collected from Aramis-Adaar and the Asale pastoralist and agro-pastoralist (hereafter (agro)pastoralist) communities in Afar, Ethiopia, this study investigates the relationship between social–cultural–economic characteristics and food (in)security. To measure the severity of food insecurity and assess the associations, we used the household food insecurity access score (HFIAS) and ordered logistic regression, respectively. Our findings show that food insecurity in the study area is persistent where improvement in food security is significantly constrained by some culture elements (the (agro)pastoralists’ cultural orientation). It has also been found that the (agro)pastoralists’ market exchange practices, as well as the centuries-old practice of guro (livestock mobility as a traditional coping strategy), help to reduce food insecurity. These findings contribute to our understanding of food insecurity in the (agro)pastoralist context and thereby add to the ‘move-up’ or ‘move-out’ pastoralist development policy debate. Therefore, the results suggest that there is a need for a combination of approaches that combine pastoral production services and market production orientation and capitalize on (agro)pastoralist traditions, such as mobility, to promote sustained (agro)pastoral livelihoods and ‘move-up’ the pastoral production system.

Produktifitas Hijauan Pakan Ternak Di UPT. Agroscience Teknopark Fakultas Peternakan Universitas Islam Lamongan

Abstract Grazing with a free range system uses a forage cropping pattern aimed at providing feed throughout the year. This study aims to study forage quality and pasture productivity managed by UPT. Agroscience Teknopark Faculty of Animal Husbandry Lamongan Islamic University by taking forage samples from 3 pastures. Forage samples in fresh form were collected at 3 different sampling points in each paddock by using a metered quadrant plate measuring 0.5x0.5 m. Fresh samples were weighed and then sorted by plant species for identification of the botanical composition. The sample is then mixed again, to be dried. Parameters measured include forage mass production, botanical composition, and capacity. The results showed that there are 7 types of species that grow in the pasture, namely 5 gramineae, 1 leguminosae and 1 type of weed. The average mass production of forage in fresh form is around 22.70 t/year, and forage in dry form is around 20.25 t/year, with a capacity of 6.52 AU Keyword : Fresh Forage Production, Dry Forage Production and Holding Capacity.

Environmental filtering rather than dispersal limitation dominated plant community assembly in the Zoige Plateau.

Identifying the mechanisms that underlie the assembly of plant communities is critical to the conservation of terrestrial biodiversity. However, it is seldom measured or quantified how much deterministic versus stochastic processes contribute to community assembly in alpine meadows. Here, we measured the decay in community similarity with spatial and environmental distance in the Zoige Plateau. Furthermore, we used redundancy analysis (RDA) to divide the variations in the relative abundance of plant families into four components to assess the effects of environmental and spatial. Species assemblage similarity liner declined with geographical distance (p < .001, R 2 = .6388), and it decreased significantly with increasing distance of total phosphorus (TP), alkali‐hydrolyzable nitrogen (AN), available potassium (AK), nitrate nitrogen (NO3 +–N), and ammonia nitrogen (NH4 +–N). Environmental and spatial variables jointly explained a large proportion (55.2%) of the variation in the relative abundance of plant families. Environmental variables accounted for 13.1% of the total variation, whereas spatial variables accounted for 11.4%, perhaps due to the pronounced abiotic gradients in the alpine areas. Our study highlights the mechanism of plant community assembly in the alpine ecosystem, where environmental filtering plays a more important role than dispersal limitation. In addition, a reasonably controlled abundance of Compositae (the family with the highest niche breadth and large niche overlap value with Gramineae and Cyperaceae) was expected to maintain sustainable development in pastoral production. These results suggest that management measures should be developed with the goal of improving or maintaining suitable local environmental conditions.

Trickster, Comrade, Citizen: The Adventures of Aldar Köse in Kazakh Folktales and Mass Culture

AbstractThis paper traces the path of Motif K111.1, Alleged gold-dropping animal sold, through a series of tales in which the trickster Aldar Köse works his way to wealth through ruses that exploit the norms and institutions of mobile pastoral production. Comparison of the motif across eras reveals the ways in which a trickster figure who embodied a disorderly anarchy of appetite was improbably reborn as an apostle of order.

English

Range pastures constitute the major source of livestock feeds throughout the year in the grazing areas of Uganda. However, pasture yields have been declining overtime, yet there is limited information on efforts of improving pasture productivity through soil moisture conservation and nutrient management. This study assessed soil moisture conservation and nutrient management practices used by livestock farmers, sources of information, and constraints hindering adoption of the potential practices in range pasture management. Through simple random sampling, semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 250 livestock farmers in five districts in South-western Uganda. Agroforestry was the dominant soil moisture conservation and nutrient management practice used in the range pastures (87.6%). Farmers&rsquo; own knowledge was the major source of information (49.1%) while lack of information (67.2%) and lack of funds (61.1%) were the major constraints for farmers&rsquo; adoption of soil moisture conservation and nutrient management practices. Therefore, this study recommends farmer participatory testing and adaptation of alternative practices alongside agroforestry, inclusion of soil moisture conservation and nutrient management practices for range pastures in extension programs for livestock production and financial incentives to livestock farmers to boost their capacity to invest in soil management practices for sustainable production of range pastures.&nbsp;&nbsp; Key words: Agroforestry, farmers&rsquo; knowledge, range pastures, soil management, sedentary pastoralism.

Shrub Expansion is Mainly Affected by Climate-Dominated Functional Traits in Alpine Meadow

Shrub expansion has been reported mostly in dry and semi-arid ecosystems worldwide. Shrub expansion is also a serious ecological issue in alpine and cold regions. Multiple drivers, including anthropogenic and environmental factors, contribute to this phenomenon. However, the relative effects of climate and soil factors on shrub expansion are incompletely quantified or understood in the alpine meadow, and quantifying how these factors result in variations in functional traits associated with shrub expansion is crucial considering that functional traits are tightly related to ecosystem processes. In this study, we investigated the vegetation of an alpine shrub meadow composed of Potentilla fruticosa L. In the Zoige Plateau, along an elevation gradient. We assessed the direct and indirect effects of climate and soil factors on functional traits, shrub expansion strength (measured as the total biomass), and relative abundance (via functional traits). We found that climate factors, namely, the mean temperature of the warmest quarter (bio10), mostly affected specific leaf areas and specific lobe volume, which were the most important traits related to shrub expansion. Soil factors, except soil water content (SWC), had weak effects on functional traits closely related to shrub expansion. Our partial least square path modeling model explained 99% of the variation in shrub biomass. Results suggest that climate change not only affected functional traits but also influenced shrub expansion in the Zoige Plateau. Thus, management measures to control expansion should consider these drivers for more accurate forecasting and cost effectiveness. Understanding the mechanism of alpine shrub expansion contributes to the delaying of the expansion process and ensures steady pastoral production.

Rotational grazing and multispecies herbal leys increase productivity in temperate pastoral systems – A meta-analysis

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with ruminant livestock production is important for climate change mitigation. Regenerative Agriculture (RA) practices are increasingly promoted to improve forage production and livestock performance in temperate livestock systems. These practices include i) rotational grazing (RG) of livestock around multiple subunits of pasture to achieve ungrazed periods of ‘rest’, and ii) herbal leys (HL), where perennial forbs such as chicory, lucerne and trefoils are included as components in multi-species swards. While there are plausible mechanisms for adoption of these practices to improve agricultural productivity, quantitative syntheses of their impacts are required. Here, we conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of RG and HL practices on herbage dry matter (DM) production, animal daily liveweight gain (DLWG), and sheep wool growth in temperate oceanic regions. We use quantitative predictors in our Bayesian hierarchical models to investigate the role of rest period and stocking density in RG systems, and specific plant traits and sward diversity in HL. We found that herbage DM increased by 0.31 t.ha−1 over a growing season as the proportion of rest in an RG grazing system increased from 0 to 1. Stocking density significantly moderated the effect of rest period on sheep and cattle DLWG; at higher stocking densities, longer rest periods were required to maintain livestock growth rates. In HL studies, herbage DM yielded 1.63 t.ha−1 more per metre of increased sward root depth and a sward entirely comprised of legumes yielded 2.20 t.ha−1 more than when no legumes were present. Sheep DLWG increased by 3.50 g.day−1 per unit increase in leaf nitrogen concentration (mg.g−1), but we could not determine an effect of leaf condensed tannin content on animal performance. Although there remain differences between the RG and HL study treatments meta-analysed here and RA in practice, our results provide empirical support for some of the mechanisms attributed to increased pasture and livestock productivity following adoption of selected RA grazing practices.

Thermal comfort and behavior of beef cattle in pasture-based systems monitored by visual observation and electronic device

Understanding how the bioclimatic factors influence the animals homeothermy and behavior is essential to implement good practices for tropical livestock. Thus, the objective of this work was to study the effect of the incorporation of the arboreal component in pasture production systems in a tropical environment on thermal comfort and to analyze the influence of the integrated crop-livestock-forestry system on the behavior of beef cattle. The study was carried out in São Carlos-SP, Brazil, region of tropical altitude subtype, for 13 months. Sixty-four Nelore (Bos indicus) and Canchim (5/8 Bos taurus x 3/8 Bos indicus) non-castrated males (26 months; 358 kg LW) were allocated to production systems with pastures in full sun (Group FS; n = 32) or with forested pastures (Group ICLF; n = 32). The microclimate of the pastures was permanently monitored by weather stations. The behavior of the animals was assessed through an observational method in monthly campaigns and a continuous electronic monitoring method based on the use of an accelerometer and acoustic sensor coupled to collars. Higher means of the black globe temperature index were registered in the morning and the afternoon, with a very challenging condition for the animals during the spring and summers, especially for the Group FS. The observational results showed that animals in the Group FS grazed longer in the morning than animals in the Group ICL, mainly in the warmer seasons (P < 0.05). The animals in FS remained lying down longer than the animals kept in the ICLF system, during rumination or resting (P < 0.05). The animals in the Group ICLF preferred the use of shaded areas within the forested system and their frequency of visits to the drinking fountain was reduced in the morning (−55 %) and afternoon (−26 %) shifts. Electronic monitoring showed that animals, regardless of the production system, spent 38.4 % of their time resting, 32.6 % in displacement, and 29.0 % in rumination. The animals in FS had a higher displacement time at night and dawn, and less time resting at night (22:00 h and 23:00 h) and dawn (2:00 h to 6:00 h), which affected their circadian rhythm and restricted the time devoted to restorative effects of rest. Therefore, the use of the arboreal component proved to be beneficial for obtaining a more favorable microclimate for raising cattle on pasture, being useful for increasing animal thermal comfort and for the expression of behavioral attitudes favorable to the maintenance of homeothermy in a tropical environment.

Effects of Climate Changes on the Pasture Productivity From 1961 to 2016 in Sichuan Yellow River Source, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Meteorological station data from 1961 to 2016 in the Sichuan Yellow River Source (SYRS) was used to analyze the trends in precipitation and temperature. The Thornthwaite Memorial model and GIS technology were used to calculate the response of pasture productivity to climate change. A climate prediction model of pasture productivity was established to predict its response to precipitation and temperature. The results showed that: (1) the annual precipitation presents a slight downward trend, at a rate of −10.16 mm⋅(10a)–1. The average annual temperature exhibited an upward trend, at (10a)–1, and the productivity of herbage exhibited a linearly increasing trend, with a rate of increase of 80.07 g⋅m–2⋅(10a)–1. (2) In terms of spatial distribution, the pasture productivity decreased from southwest to northeast. The influence of temperature on pasture productivity was greater than that of precipitation in the SYRS. (3) The “warm-wet” climate was conducive to increasing pasture productivity. The annual average temperature was predicted to increase by 1 or 2°C, and the annual average precipitation was predicted to increase by 10 or 20% with an average increase between 7.15 and 14.30%. (4) Grassland degradation continues to occur and ecological restoration measures should be implemented to control grassland degradation.

Vegetation Composition, Forage Biomass and Soil Seed Bank of a Continuously Grazed Rangeland Site in Tropical Sub-Humid Environment, Tanzania

Most rangelands along the agro-pastoral villages of Tanzania are yearlong grazed and at various states of degradation. These rangelands contribute to over 60% of the meat and milk production in the country. An inventory was conducted to assess the status of grazing resources in a typical agro-pastoral village of Tanzania having communal rangelands. Systematic random sampling techniques were employed whereby line transects and quadrat frame were used following standard procedures to collect samples and undertake field measurements for both vegetation and soil parameters. The vegetation cover for desirable pasture species, undesirable pasture species and litter were 67.7%, 10.5% and 9.4%, respectively. The soil bare patches covered 12.3 % of the surveyed rangeland site. The most dominant grass species were Enteropogon macrostachyus, Bothriochloa insculpta and Heteropogon contortus. Forage dry matter (DM) yield was 806.8 kg DM/ha. Tree density was 1500 trees/ha and the total canopy cover was 63.49%. Combretum collinum was the most dominant tree species. Soil bulk density, pH, organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were 1.4 g/cm3, 6.3%, 1.14%, 0.09%, 0.89 mg/kg and 0.33 g/kg, respectively. A total of 11 dicotyledonous species mainly forbs and 9 monocotyledonous species including two perennial grasses were revealed from the incubated soil samples. The findings of this study demonstrate that the communal grazing areas have low pasture productivity, poor soil seed-bank and high cover of woody plants mainly bushes. In order, to improve forage biomass at the study site and elsewhere with similar environments selective bush clearing and re-seeding should be considered.

Doses and Timing of 2, 4-D Application for Broadleaf Weed Control, Botanical Compositions, Productivity, and Nutritive Value of Natural Pasture

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is among the most common and inexpensive herbicides used to control broadleaf weeds in natural pasture. However, different studies have pointed out the risk of forage injury. Consequently, no research data on the productivity and nutritive value of natural pasture in response to different rates and times of 2,4-D application exists in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate natural pasture yield and nutritive response to 2,4-D application at different rates (1, 1.5, and 2 L·ha−1) and time (mid-July, early, and mid-August) with control. The experiment was designed as a factorial randomized complete block design with three replicates for two years. Grasses and legume proportions in the pasture were significantly influenced by the rate and time ( P &lt; 0.05 ) of 2, 4-D application and their interaction ( P &lt; 0.001 ). Interaction of rate and time of 2, 4-D application had a significant ( P &lt; 0.05 ) influence on dry matter yield of legumes and non-significant ( P &gt; 0.05 ) effect on forage portions (grasses + legumes) and grasses. Crude protein and in vitro dry matter digestible yield of pasture forage portions were not significantly ( P &gt; 0.05 ) influenced by the rate and time of 2, 4-D application and their interaction. Weed dry matter yield was significantly affected by the interaction of rate and time of 2, 4-D application and mid-July application at 1.5 and 2 L·ha−1 gave the lowest yield. Therefore, to produce optimum quality and quantity of forage from natural pasture, the application of 2, 4-D in mid-July at 1.5 L·ha−1 is recommended.