Publication Date
1985
Location
Kyoto Japan
Description
Forage growth and consumption, and animal performance were estimated in two beef steer (Bos sp.) backgrounding experiments concurrently with several environmental, plant, and animal characteristics. This paper describes, evaluates and validates a technique that combines the dynamic changes in species composition of grass-legume pastures over time into a Species Composition Index (SCI). This index then can be related to the effects of year, season, grazing pressure, forage quality, precipitation, and air temperature on forage growth and consumption, and animal performance. The SCI was compared to the traditional classification variable 'treatment' to describe seven different pasture conbinations of forage species for three years in one experiment, and validated with six other combinations in a second three-year experiment. The SCI was superior to treatments in explaining total variation in forage growth and consumption, and animal performance, and appears to be a useful tool for describing dynamically changing sward compositions in introduced pasture situations.
Citation
Fribourg, Henry A. and McLaren, J B., "The Species Composition Index: A Tool for Explaining Variability in Steer Grazing Experiments" (1985). IGC Proceedings (1985-2023). 83.
(URL: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1985/ses6/83)
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
The Species Composition Index: A Tool for Explaining Variability in Steer Grazing Experiments
Kyoto Japan
Forage growth and consumption, and animal performance were estimated in two beef steer (Bos sp.) backgrounding experiments concurrently with several environmental, plant, and animal characteristics. This paper describes, evaluates and validates a technique that combines the dynamic changes in species composition of grass-legume pastures over time into a Species Composition Index (SCI). This index then can be related to the effects of year, season, grazing pressure, forage quality, precipitation, and air temperature on forage growth and consumption, and animal performance. The SCI was compared to the traditional classification variable 'treatment' to describe seven different pasture conbinations of forage species for three years in one experiment, and validated with six other combinations in a second three-year experiment. The SCI was superior to treatments in explaining total variation in forage growth and consumption, and animal performance, and appears to be a useful tool for describing dynamically changing sward compositions in introduced pasture situations.
