Publication Date
1993
Description
The utilisation of forages by ruminants for the synthesis of meat and milk is often below expectations both in terms of the quantity and the composition of the product. Recognising that the nutrition of the ruminant is complicated by the need to meet the requirements of the host animal and its rumen ecosystem, it is now possible to identify the causes of some of these inefficiencies and to develop suitable strntegies to overcome them. This paper attempts, through a review of the mechanisms of carbohydrate and protein utilisation in the rumen and in the animal tissues, and identification of the importance of energy and nitrogen synchronisation, to establish n number of target areas for future initiatives in forage breeding, which if successful would undoubtedly lead to substantial improvements in the efficiency of ruminant production. It encourages breeders to abandon existing criteria which are now inappropriate to current objectives in animal production and calls for caution to be applied to some of the exploits currently being pursued by molecular biologists, where it is most unlikely that tangible benefits in terms of improved animal performance will ever be achieved, Finally the paper urges the plant breeder and those who manage pastures and the animals that graze upon them to recognise the constraints that each work in and to develop closer dialogue.
Citation
Beever, David E., "Ruminant Animal Production from Forages: Present Position and Future Opportunities" (2024). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 32.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1993/session14/32
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Ruminant Animal Production from Forages: Present Position and Future Opportunities
The utilisation of forages by ruminants for the synthesis of meat and milk is often below expectations both in terms of the quantity and the composition of the product. Recognising that the nutrition of the ruminant is complicated by the need to meet the requirements of the host animal and its rumen ecosystem, it is now possible to identify the causes of some of these inefficiencies and to develop suitable strntegies to overcome them. This paper attempts, through a review of the mechanisms of carbohydrate and protein utilisation in the rumen and in the animal tissues, and identification of the importance of energy and nitrogen synchronisation, to establish n number of target areas for future initiatives in forage breeding, which if successful would undoubtedly lead to substantial improvements in the efficiency of ruminant production. It encourages breeders to abandon existing criteria which are now inappropriate to current objectives in animal production and calls for caution to be applied to some of the exploits currently being pursued by molecular biologists, where it is most unlikely that tangible benefits in terms of improved animal performance will ever be achieved, Finally the paper urges the plant breeder and those who manage pastures and the animals that graze upon them to recognise the constraints that each work in and to develop closer dialogue.
