Publication Date
1985
Location
Kyoto Japan
Description
An experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of herbage mass and height on cattle ingestive behavior and herbage intake, when grazing Asiatic bluestem (Bothriocloa spp.) swards. Three levels of herbage mass were maintained under continuous grazing, corresponding to 1.8, 2.0 and 4.4 t dry matter/ha. Estimates of diet in vitro organic matter digestibility, rate of biting, grazing time and intake per bite were used to calculate digestible organic matter intake (DOMI). Differences in herbage mass led to significant differences in grazing time, intake per bite and DOMI but not in diet digestibility or rate of biting. The results suggest that the cattle respond to certain warm-season grasses in a manner similar to that recorded for animals grazing temperate indigenous and sown swards. The relationship between mass and intake per bite indicated that intake per bite would reach a maximum at about 5.0 t/ha. Intake per bite was the major influence on DOMI and there was no evidence of a compensatory role for rate of biting.
Citation
Forbes, T.D A. and Coleman, S W., "Influence of Herbage Mass and Structure of Warm-Season Grass Ingestive Behavior of Grazing Cattle" (1985). IGC Proceedings (1985-2023). 23.
(URL: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1985/ses11/23)
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Influence of Herbage Mass and Structure of Warm-Season Grass Ingestive Behavior of Grazing Cattle
Kyoto Japan
An experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of herbage mass and height on cattle ingestive behavior and herbage intake, when grazing Asiatic bluestem (Bothriocloa spp.) swards. Three levels of herbage mass were maintained under continuous grazing, corresponding to 1.8, 2.0 and 4.4 t dry matter/ha. Estimates of diet in vitro organic matter digestibility, rate of biting, grazing time and intake per bite were used to calculate digestible organic matter intake (DOMI). Differences in herbage mass led to significant differences in grazing time, intake per bite and DOMI but not in diet digestibility or rate of biting. The results suggest that the cattle respond to certain warm-season grasses in a manner similar to that recorded for animals grazing temperate indigenous and sown swards. The relationship between mass and intake per bite indicated that intake per bite would reach a maximum at about 5.0 t/ha. Intake per bite was the major influence on DOMI and there was no evidence of a compensatory role for rate of biting.
