Effect of sward attributes on legume selection by oesophageal-fistulated and non-fistulated steers grazing a tropical grass-legume pasture
A grazing trial was carried out in the Eastern Plains of Colombia to compare legume selection by transiently grazed oesophageal-fistulated steers and non-fistulated steers permanently grazing pastures. The 6 pasture types investigated were Arachis pintoi-Brachiaria humidicola mixtures which differed in legume and grass mass per hectare and grass:legume ratios. The sward attributes explaining the greatest variation in legume selection by fistulated and non-fistulated steers were legume percentage in the forage on offer (r2 = 0.67) and available legume mass (r2 = 0.56), respectively. Legume selection by both groups of steers was correlated with legume bulk density (kg DM/ha/cm). However, the relationship was linear (r2 = 0.53) for fistulated steers with maximum dietary legume proportion reaching 92% and exponential (r2 = 0.52) for non-fistulated steers with a plateau at 25% dietary legume with individual values never exceeding 35%. This study confirms that legume selection under grazing differs between oesophageal-fistulated steers transiently grazing the pastures and resident intact steers, and indicates that this difference is associated with their contrasting response to changes in sward attributes.
Main Authors: | , , , , |
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Format: | Journal Article biblioteca |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2002
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Subjects: | feed crops, arachis pintoi, brachiaria humidicola, grazing, pastures, feed legumes, feed grasses, selection, nutritive value, diet, botanical composition, pastoreo, pastizales, leguminosas forrajeras, gramíneas forrajeras, selección, valor nutritivo, dieta, composición botánica, |
Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/43391 http://www.tropicalgrasslands.asn.au/Tropical%20Grasslands%20Journal%20archive/PDFs/Vol_36_2002/Vol_36_04_02_pp227_238.pdf |
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