Publication Date
1997
Description
Grasslands provide the most basic and cheapest forage diet for cattle. The palatability studies were carried out on pure and mixed swards sown in 1990 on the GATE experimental farm. The studies involved the following 12 species: Lolium perenne, Trifolium repens, Festuca arundinacea, Festuca rubra, Poa pratensis, Festuca pratensis, Bromus inermis, Phalaris arundinacea, Lotus corniculatus, Agropyron crystatum, Dactylis glomerata and a mixed sward. During the study the morning and afternoon grazings were investigated with the involvement of 60 Limousin cattle. The following observations were made: 1. On the basis of our ethological observations regarding the bite rates the animals found the Agropyron crystatum, Trifolium repens, Dactylis glomerata, Bromus inermis, Poa pratensis and Festuca pratensis to be very palatable in the first part of the five-day observation period. Besides their favourite grass species the animals grazed mixed swards as well. 2. According to our observations the animals did not show preference to Lolium perenne, Festuca arundinacea, Phalaris arundinacea and Festuca rubra species. 3. The palatability was found to be affected by the following factors: • the general appearance and morphological characteristics of the plants (should not be rough) • the dry matter content of the plant should be appropriate the crude fibre content of the plant and the indigestible lignin accumulation • the favourable effect of tannic acid content in the plant 4. Besides the large herbage mass produced the grass should also be palatable.
Citation
Barcsak, Z; Kertesz, I; and Szeman, L, "Palatability of Grasses and Grazing on Hungarian Grassland" (2024). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 74.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1997/session29/74
Included in
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Palatability of Grasses and Grazing on Hungarian Grassland
Grasslands provide the most basic and cheapest forage diet for cattle. The palatability studies were carried out on pure and mixed swards sown in 1990 on the GATE experimental farm. The studies involved the following 12 species: Lolium perenne, Trifolium repens, Festuca arundinacea, Festuca rubra, Poa pratensis, Festuca pratensis, Bromus inermis, Phalaris arundinacea, Lotus corniculatus, Agropyron crystatum, Dactylis glomerata and a mixed sward. During the study the morning and afternoon grazings were investigated with the involvement of 60 Limousin cattle. The following observations were made: 1. On the basis of our ethological observations regarding the bite rates the animals found the Agropyron crystatum, Trifolium repens, Dactylis glomerata, Bromus inermis, Poa pratensis and Festuca pratensis to be very palatable in the first part of the five-day observation period. Besides their favourite grass species the animals grazed mixed swards as well. 2. According to our observations the animals did not show preference to Lolium perenne, Festuca arundinacea, Phalaris arundinacea and Festuca rubra species. 3. The palatability was found to be affected by the following factors: • the general appearance and morphological characteristics of the plants (should not be rough) • the dry matter content of the plant should be appropriate the crude fibre content of the plant and the indigestible lignin accumulation • the favourable effect of tannic acid content in the plant 4. Besides the large herbage mass produced the grass should also be palatable.
