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The objective was to evaluate the characteristics of the pasture and the behavior of grazing goats under continuous stocking in a silvopastoral system (SPS) of Andropogon grass (Andropogon gayanus Kunth cv. Planaltina) in comparison to its monoculture (MC). The treatments consisted of two cropping systems: monoculture of Andropogon grass and silvopastoral system—SPS of native trees mixed with Andropogon grass, evaluated in five grazing periods using goats (February, March, April, May and June). Pasture height, leaf/stem ratio and the dry mass of forage, leaf, stem and dead material were evaluated. The grazing behavior of the goats was also assessed. Significant effect of interaction was observed (p 0.05). The Andropogon grass has the potential to be used in SPS with grazing goats under continuous stocking, positively affecting the pasture and animal behavior.

An experiment to compare the effects on digestibility of alkali treated Gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus) straw was conducted with four Borno white male goats (22.25 ± 1.0kg body weight) in a 4 x 4 Latin square design. Treatments were (A) untreated straw (control), (B) Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) treated straw, (C) Kanwa-treated and (D) Kantu-treated straws. Straw was treated separately with solutions (8%) of NaOH, Kanwa and Kantu for 10 minutes prior to ensiling for 20 days. In treatment A, straw was soaked in water before ensiling. Alkali treatment increased the ash and crude protein, but decreased the crude fibre, nitrogen free extract and energy contents of the silage diets. The ether extract content of the diets was not affected by treatment. Dry matter intake (g/day/Wkg ) of alkali treated diets was significantly higher (P

Zinc is an essential dietary mineral for growth and pregnancy in livestock. However, its requirement for indigenous livestock has not been given adequate attention. Therefore, zinc requirement for energy and nitrogen utilization in West African dwarf (WAD) kid was investigated. Forage crops and commercial rations from four different feed mills, were analyzed to provide baseline zinc levels to which goats were exposed. Twenty-one weaned WAD female kids, aged 5-6 months and weighing 4.8-5.6kg were randomly assigned to seven dietary treatments and were further replicated three times. in a completely randomized design. Animals were transferred to individual metabolic cages for separate collection of feaces and urine 14 and 15 weeks later. Parameters determined were dry matter intake (DMI), energy utilization and nitrogen utilization. The mean±SE of Panicum maximum , Andropogon gayanus , Pennisetum purpureum , Leucaena leucocephala and Gliricidia sepium , contained 31.2±5.0; 29.1± 3.0;34.6± 6.0; 45.0± 5.0 and 47.1± 4.0mg Zn/kg DM respectively. Growing WAD kids fed 134.0 mg/kg DM had significantly (p

The study was conducted with the field grown gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus) and Centro (Centrosema pascourum) to examine the nutritional quality of gamba grass ensiled with graded levels of Centrosema pascourum. The forages were harvested separately chopped into 2-3cm length manually and mixed thoroughly as follows: (100:0, 90:10, 80:20,70:30, 60:40, 50:50 and 40:60% of Andropogon gayanus: Centrosema pascourum, respectively) and designated as T1 , T2 , T3 , T4 , T5 , T6 and T7 respectively. The treatments were ensiled in a laboratory using bottle silos in triplicates per treatments and kept for 30 days fermentation period. The silages were evaluated for quality characteristics, proximate composition, fibre fractions, volatile fatty acids composition and ammonia nitrogen concentration (NH3 -N) using standard procedure. The results obtained showed that the silages were adequately fermented with pleasant and fruity odour, greenish-yellow colour, firm and dry texture. The pH, ether extract (EE), nitrogen free extract (NFE), organic matter (OM) and Ash contents of the silages were similar across the treatments (P

Our goal was to determine the digestion rates of carbohydrate fractions A (sugars, oligosaccharides and organic acids), B1 (starch and soluble fiber), NSC (non-structural carbohydrates) and B2 (available NDF) in four tropical grasses using the gas production technique. Samples of whole forage (WF), residue insoluble in 90% ethanol (EIR) and isolated NDF (ND) were fermented in vitro and gas production measured. Gas volumes determined from the following fractions, A = WF minus EIR; B1 = EIR - ND; NSC = WF - ND; and B2 = ND. Grasses were Andropogon gayanus, Urochloa brizantha, Cynodon plectostachyus, and Megathyrsus maximum each grown in Veracruz, Mexico on four plots (5×5 m), fertilized (relationship equivalent to 0 and 100 kg N/ha) and clipped 35 d after the N fertilization. A complete randomized block design with factorial arrangement 4×2 and two replicates per treatment was used. Factors were grass species and N fertilization. Data were fit using a single-pool exponential model with lag. The volume (mL gas/100 mg OM), rate (%/h) and lag (h) were: WF (22.8; 5.3; 2.1); A (3.2; 15.7; 0.5); B1 (1.5; 15.7; 0.2); and B2 (18.3; 6.6; 5.2). Andropogon and Urochloa had higher NSC content compared to Megathyrsus and Cynodon but lower gas yield per unit of NSC. Rates of digestion for the B2 fraction ranged from 4 to 8 %/h; and NSC digestion rate averaged 15.7 %/h. Nitrogen fertilization reduced carbohydrate pool sizes but did not affect rates of digestion. It is concluded that ruminally available energy from SC and NSC in tropical forages should be revised more extensively.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the production and chemical composition of three forage species at different regrowth intervals. A 3 x 4 randomized-block factorial design with three forage species (Andropogon, Buffel, and Massai) and four regrowth intervals (21, 35, 49, and 63 days) was used. There was no interaction (p > 0.05) between forage species and regrowth interval on any of the chemical components evaluated. The crude protein content decreased but the contents of neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber and hemicellulose increased with increasing regrowth interval (p > 0.05). Only the contents of crude protein and ether extract were similar (p > 0.05) among grasses. A significant interaction was observed (p < 0.05) between forage species and regrowth interval on forage mass. Andropogon grass had the highest forage mass at 63 days (3,270.1 kg ha-1 DM cut-1) and the highest productivity regardless of the regrowth interval (19.1 t ha-1 DM year-1). Therefore, Andropogon grass was the most productive forage among the tested species. Pastures should be managed with shorter growth intervals due to the highest crude protein level and the lowest contents of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber. The objective of this study was to evaluate the production and chemical composition of three forage species at different regrowth intervals. A 3 x 4 randomized-block factorial design with three forage species (Andropogon, Buffel, and Massai) and four regrowth intervals (21, 35, 49, and 63 days) was used. There was no interaction (p > 0.05) between forage species and regrowth interval on any of the chemical components evaluated. The crude protein content decreased but the contents of neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber and hemicellulose increased with increasing regrowth interval (p > 0.05). Only the contents of crude protein and ether extract were similar (p > 0.05) among grasses. A significant interaction was observed (p < 0.05) between forage species and regrowth interval on forage mass. Andropogon grass had the highest forage mass at 63 days (3,270.1 kg ha-1 DM cut-1) and the highest productivity regardless of the regrowth interval (19.1 t ha-1 DM year-1). Therefore, Andropogon grass was the most productive forage among the tested species. Pastures should be managed with shorter growth intervals due to the highest crude protein level and the lowest contents of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber.

The cereal-cattle conservation-based agroecosystems in neotropical savannas are based on the introduction of a forage of better quality than that of the native pasture. This forage acts as a soil protective coverage under non-tillage managements and like green manure to the maize culture. In order to evaluate how the consumption by bovine, digestibility and animal condition changes in these agroecosystems, we study, during a grazing cycle (110 days in the dry season), the following: total aerial biomass (TAB), green leaf biomass (GLB), fiber content of the leaves (lignin, ADF and NDF), botanic composition of the cattle excreta by microhistological analysis, N-NH3 content in the cattle rumen and the presence of urea in blood. The introduced species were Brachiaria dyctioneura grass (Bd) and Centrosema macrocarpum legume (Cm), both perennials, associated to maize for 4 years of non-tillage management and alternative phosphorus sources. During the grazing period, the level of N-NH3 in the rumen was 12.1 mg/L and 16.6 mg/L in the animals of the agroecosystems Bd and Cm, respectively. In the case of urea in blood, the concentration was significantly higher under legume (24.6 mg/dL) compared to the grass (9.7 mg/dL). Daily weight gain favored Bd (0.68 kg/d) > Cm (0.29 kg/d) > NS (−0.006 kg/d). Body condition was significantly higher in introduced pastures compared to NS. At this time, the microhistological studies of the cattle excreta showed a significant variation of the Bd and Cm consumption, selecting as second option Andropogon gayanus and maize (Zea mays) residues in a higher percentage, depending of the dominant cover crop. Thus, the digestibility was related to the appearance frequency of these species (p < 0.01). The GLB of Cm decreased significantly during the grazing. At the same time, the lignin content increased in both cover crops, influencing the consumption, digestibility and daily weight gain (DWG) of the cattle in the agroecosystems, compared to savanna ecosystem.

Made available in DSpace on 2021-06-25T11:44:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-01-01 The objective of this study was to evaluate the grazing of goats in a grass monoculture system and in intercropping systems of grass + legumes. A randomized block design was adopted, with the treatments arranged in a split-plots scheme. The plots consisted of three cropping systems: monoculture-Andropogon gayanus cv. Planaltina; mixture I-A. gayanus cv. Planaltina +Stylosanthes cv. Campo Grande; and mixture II-A. gayanus cv. Planaltina +Calopogonium mucunoides. The subplots consisted of two grazing cycles. The highest (P=0.04) total forage mass (TFM) was recorded in the mixture I (A. gayanus cv. Planaltina+Stylosanthes. cv. Campo Grande), which was 2.6 +/- 0.1 tons DM/ha. The crude protein (CP) was lower in the monoculture which also showed the highest content of neutral detergent fiber (NDF). The grazing time in the monoculture was the longest (8.23 +/- 1.14 h). The goats used a longer time for rumination (P

The objective was to determine the regression equation to estimate the volume of gases for the implementation of the semi-automatic technique of in vitro gas production and to evaluate the correlation between ruminal fermentation parameters and chemical composition of tropical forages. The species evaluated were Urochloa brizantha cv. MG-5, Andropogon gayanus, Urochloa humidicola and Digitaria umfolozi. Forages were evaluated for chemical and kinetic composition of ruminal fermentation using the semi-automatic in vitro gas production technique. The minimum gas pressure obtained was 0.09 psi, with the maximum recorded pressure being 4.8 psi, the minimum registered gas volume was 0.30 ml and the maximum 20 ml. The linear equation is the one that best predicts gas volume data in relation to pressure, as it has an R2 value and a correlation ranging from 0.94 to 1.00, respectively). The increase in dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and lignin content reduces the total volume of gases produced. The chemical-bromatological composition correlates with some ruminal fermentation parameters, reflected in the degradation kinetics of forages. KEYWORDS: Degradability, digestibility, forage, grass, gas production, semi-automatic technique. RESUMO: Objetivou-se determinar a equação de regressão para se estimar o volume de gases para implantação da técnica semiautomática de produção de gases in vitro e avaliar a correlação entre os parâmetros de fermentação ruminal e de composição bromatológica de forrageiras tropicais. As espécies avaliadas foram Urochloa brizantha cv. MG-5, Andropogon gayanus, Urochloa humidicola e Digitaria umfolozi. As forrageiras foram avaliadas quanto a composição química e cinética de fermentação ruminal pela técnica de produção de gases in vitro semiautomática. A pressão mínima de gases obtida foi de 0,09 psi, sendo a pressão máxima registrada foi de 4,8 psi, o volume mínimo de gases registrado foi de 0,30 ml e o máximo de 20 mL. A equação linear é a que melhor prediz os dados de volume de gases em relação a pressão, por possuir valor de R2 e correlação variando de 0,94 a 1,00, respectivamente). O aumento no teor de matéria seca, matéria orgânica, proteína bruta e lignina reduzem o volume total de gases produzido. A composição químico-bromatológica correlaciona-se com alguns parâmetros de fermentação ruminal, refletido na cinética da degradação das forrageiras. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Degradabilidade digestibilidade, forrageiras, graminea, produção de gás, técnica semiautomática.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the morphogenic and structural characteristics, and demographic patterns of Andropogon gayanus subjected to different cutting frequencies and intensities. A completely randomized design was adopted in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement, corresponding to three cutting heights (50, 70, and 90 cm), and two cutting intensities (50 and 70%) with four repetitions, totaling 24 plots of 7.50 × 6.25 m. For morphogenesis, there was no interaction effect (P ≤ 0.05) of treatments on stem elongation rate, leaf appearance rate, and phyllochron rate. The highest rate of leaf elongation was observed at a height of 90 cm and cut intensity of 50%, with 1.69 and 0.84 cm tiller-1 d-1 of leaf elongation at heights of 50 and 70 cm, respectively. For forage production, there was no interaction (p > 0.05) between cutting intensity and cutting height. When the pasture was managed to a cutting height of 90 cm, there was a greater increase in dry leaf mass, stalk dry mass, dead forage dry mass, and total dry forage mass, which was 50.89% and 53.29% higher than pasture heights of 50 and 70 cm, respectively. There was no interaction between factors on demographic characteristics (p > 0.05). A cutting height of 70 cm with a cutting intensity of 50% is recommended when handling this grass.

Objetivou-se fracionar os carboidratos e proteínas forrageiras submetidas ou não a irrigação. Foram avaliadas: Panicum maximum, Urochloa brizantha, Andropogon gayanus, Urochloa humidicola e Digitaria umfolozi, submetidas a dois níveis de irrigação. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi em esquema fatorial 5x2, com 4 repetições. As forrageiras foram plantadas em parcelas com 4 m², foram realizados dois cortes com intervalo de 45 dias. As forrageiras foram avaliadas quanto aos teores de proteína bruta (PB) e proteína bruta digestível (PBd), fibra em detergente neutro (FDN), hemicelulose, fibra em detergente ácido (FDA), celulose e lignina. O fracionamento da PB e CHO foi feito segundo o CNCPS. Observou-se interação significativa para PB e PBd (P0,05). O U. brizantha apresentou maior teor dos componentes da parede celular e das frações dos CT. Observou-se que a irrigação aumentou o percentual de CT das forrageiras, não houve efeito da irrigação (P>0,05) nas frações dos CT.

The objective was to determine in vitro the NDF insoluble protein (NDIP) extension and degradation rate of four tropical grasses by the potential effect of N fertilization. The grasses ( Andropogon gayanus , Brachiaria brizantha , Cynodon plectostachyus and Megathyrsus maximus ) that grow in Mexico were used. Each grass was grown in four plots (5×5 m), fertilized (relationship equivalent to 0 and 100 kg N/ha) and clipped 35 d after the N fertilization. A complete randomized block design with factorial arrangement 4×2, and two replicates per treatment was used, where the factors were grass species and N fertilization. Non-protein nitrogen (NPN), buffer insoluble protein (IP), NDIP and acid detergent insoluble protein (ADIP) were performed. Freeze-dried samples were incubated at 0, 1.5, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 48 and 96 h. After fermentation, the CP content of the NDF residues was determined. An exponential equation was used to determine the rate of the NDIP disappearance. There was no detectable interaction between type of grass and fertilization level. The NDIP (as %CP) averaged 35 % with a range of 10 to 60 %. The NDIP variation was primarily due to species. The extent and rates of degradation of the NDIP were 70.6 % and 7.1 %/h respectively, with no N-fertilization effect. The NDIP was degraded faster ( P ≤0.05) than NDF (7.7 vs 5.0 %/h). These data show that the NDIP is ruminally degraded and that this fraction significantly contributes to the rumen nitrogen supply.

In Nigeria, the major feed resource for ruminant production is the natural grazeland. However, most forage found on such lands cannot absolutely support ruminant production. Therefore, there is need to ascertain the nutritive values of predominant forages in Afe Babalola University before setting up a ruminant farm. Wet season forages: grasses, legumes, forbes and tresses were sampled and analysed for proximate composition and in-vitro gas production using standard techniques. It was found that crude protein ranged between 12.2 and 27.3% in Terminalia catappa and Leucaena leucocephala respectively. The ash content varied from 6.0-22.0% in Andropogon gayanus and Asclepias syriaca respectively. Crude fibre of the forages was between 12.5 and 28.0% in L. leucocephala and Centrosema pubescens respectively. Gas production was measured for 24hrs at 3hr intervals. At mid-fermentation, gas production ranged between 4.0 and 13.3ml/200mgDM (T. catappa and A. syriaca respectively). While at termination, it was from 9.0 - 22.67ml/200mgDM in T. catappa and A. syriaca respectively. Significant differences (P

Avaliou-se a composição química e a cinética de fermentação ruminal de quatro espécies forrageiras submetidas ou não à irrigação. As espécies avaliadas foram Urochloa brizantha cv. MG5 (MG-5), Andropogon gayanus (Andropogon), Urochloa humidicola (Humidicola) e Digitaria umfolozi (Digitaria umfolozi). O experimento foi conduzido na fazenda experimental Campus Rural, São Cristóvão, SE. Observou-se diferença significativa (P

Resumo Este experimento teve como objetivo avaliar o consumo e a digestibilidade aparente da matéria seca, proteína bruta, frações fibrosas, energia e balanço do nitrogênio do feno de Andropogon gayanus colhido em três diferentes idades (56, 84 e 112 dias). O delineamento estatístico utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado com três tratamentos e seis repetições. As digestibilidades aparentes da matéria seca, das frações fibrosas e da energia bruta foram maiores para os fenos colhidos aos 56 e 84 dias (P0,05). Os valores de consumo e digestibilidade aparente apontam as idades de 56 e 84 dias como as melhores dentre as estudadas para o corte do capim A. gayanus para fenação. Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the voluntary intake and apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, fiber fractions, energy, and the nitrogen balance of Andropogon gayanus hay at three different stages (56, 84 and 112 days). The statistical design was completely randomized, with three treatments and six replicates. Dry matter, fiber fractions, and energy apparent digestibility were higher (P

A 12-week trial was conducted to investigate the effect of incorporating Eggshell meal(ESM) at graded levels into West African Dwarf(WAD) bucks diet. Haematological parameters were evaluated. Twenty (20) growing WAD bucks weighing 5.7kg on the average were caged individually inside a conventional open-sided house. The bucks were randomly divided into four (4) groups, each group consisting of five (5) animals. The animals in groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 were provided with diets containing 0.0%, 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5% ESM respectively with group 1 serving as the control. The animals were given known quantity of supplementary feed, forage (Andropogon gayanus) and water between 8 and 9 am every morning. Initial blood samples were collected and analysed after the acclimatization period of 7days. The same procedure was repeated at the 6th and 12th week marking the end of the experiment. Haematological parameters were compared by weeks, significant difference (P

Objetivou-se com este trabalho determinar a degradabilidade ruminal e os parâmetros da cinética de degradação da matéria seca, matéria orgânica, proteína bruta e frações fibrosas dos fenos de Andropogon gayanusproduzidos a partir de 56, 84 e 112 dias de idade. O delineamento estatístico utilizado foi o deblocos ao acaso em esquema de parcelas subdivididas, sendo cinco animais utilizados como blocos, as três idades como parcelas e sete tempos (0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48 e 96 horas) de incubação como subparcelas. As médias foram comparadas pelo testeSNK ao nível de 5% de significância. O desaparecimento ruminal médio da matéria seca, matéria orgânica, proteína bruta e das porções fibrosas, após 96 horas de incubação ruminal, foram maiores (P, In this study were evaluated Andropogon gayanus hays produced at different ages of growth (56, 84 and 112 days) to assay in situ dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), and fiber fractions degradability. The statistical design was randomized blocks with split plots. The ages of growth were parcels and degradation time (0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 96 hours) were subparcels with five repetition by treatment (blocks). The different ages showed the same degradation kinetic behavior. A. gayanus hays produced with plant between 56 days are different from the 84 and 112 days of growth and had higher degradation for DM,OM,CP, NDF and ADF. Theobserved results indicated that the best A. gayanus hays are obtained from plants cut in between 56 days., Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of castration on carcass characteristics and fatty acid profile of visceral fat and meat from lambs. Eighteen six-month-old Santa Ines male lambs (18.9 ± 2.4 kg of body weight (BW)) were used. Animals were assigned to two treatments according to their sexual condition: uncastrated (U) or castrated (C). During a 98-day experimental period, animals were kept on an Andropogon gayanus grass pasture area of 1 ha and supplemented with 200 g/animal/day of concentrate mixture. Water and mineral salt were available ad libitum. The lambs were weighed fortnightly, and at the last day of the trial, they were slaughtered for evaluation of carcass characteristics and fatty acids profile of perirenal fat and longissimus lumborum muscle samples. Castrated lambs showed higher BW than U during most part of the experiment (p 0.05) (U, 0.74 and C, 0.76%). The cis-9, cis-12 C18:2n-6 (U, 10.6 and C, 6.86%) fatty acid and the PUFA:SFA (saturated fatty acids) ratio (U, 0.36 and C, 0.25) were higher in the muscle of U lambs (p

Context: Sustainable utilization of abundant forage grass species in Nigeria is very crucial in grasscutter domestication programme. Objective: This study evaluates comparative effects of Elephant grass ( Pennisetum purpureum ) and Gamba grass ( Andropogon gayanus ) parts on growth performance of captive-bred juvenile male grasscutters. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted inside Grasscutter Domestication Unit of Federal College of Wildlife Management, New Bussa, Niger State, Nigeria. The experimental animal comprised of twenty-four juvenile males (JM) with mean live-weight of 410±2.11g fed four basal dietary treatment combinations: Elephant grass stem (EGS), Elephant Grass Leaf (EGL), Gamba Grass Stem (GGS) and Gamba Grass Leaf (GGL) in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement for 120 days to obtain data which includes feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), weight gain (WG), nutrient digestibilities of dry matter (DM) and crude fibre (CF). Results: Average daily feed intake (FI) in JM was significantly (p

In vitro batch cultures were used to screen four fibrolytic enzyme mixtures at two dosages added to a 60 : 40 silage : concentrate diet containing the C4 tropical grass Andropogon gayanus grass ensiled at two maturities – vegetative stage (VS) and flowering stage (FS). Based on these studies, one enzyme mixture was selected to treat the same diets and evaluate its impact on fermentation using an artificial rumen (Rusitec). In vitro batch cultures were conducted as a completely randomized design with two runs, four replicates per run and 12 treatments in a factorial arrangement (four enzyme mixtures×three doses). Enzyme additives (E1, E2, E3 and E4) were commercial products and contained a range of endoglucanase, exoglucanase and xylanase activities. Enzymes were added to the complete diet 2 h before incubation at 0, 2 and 4 μl/g of dry matter (DM). Gas production (GP) was measured after 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h of incubation. Disappearance of DM (DMD), NDF (NDFD) and ADF (ADFD) were determined after 24 and 48 h. For all four enzyme mixtures, a dosage effect (P0.05) DM, N, NDF or ADF disappearance after 48 h of incubation nor daily ammonia-N, volatile fatty acids or CH4 production. However, enzyme application increased (P

A idade ao corte é considerada o principal fator a afetar o valor nutritivo das forragens. Objetivou-se avaliar e comparar a cinética de degradação ruminal da matéria seca (MS), proteína bruta (PB) e fibra insolúvel em detergente neutro (FDN) das silagens de capim Andropogon gayanus obtidas em três diferentes idades de corte (56, 84 e 112 dias). As amostras das silagens secas e trituradas (5 mm) foram incubadas em sacos de nylon no rúmen por 0, 6, 12, 24, 48 e 72 h. Os parâmetros da cinética de degradação das silagens de cada tratamento (3 silagens) em cada animal (5 vacas) foram determinados pelo modelo: y = a + b(1 − e−c(t−L)). Os parâmetros gerados pela equação foram analisados como blocos inteiramente ao acaso, sendo que as idades de corte foram inseridas como efeito fixo e os animais como efeito aleatório (blocos). A silagem da planta aos 56 dias de rebrote apresentou maiores (P

BACKGROUND Plants from West Africa commonly used in both human and veterinary medicine contain various secondary metabolites. However, their potential in mitigating ruminal methane production has not been explored. This study examined the effects of seven essential oils (EOs) from plants acclimated to Benin at four dosages (100, 200, 300 and 400 mg L−1), on in vitro rumen microbial fermentation and methane production using Andropogon gayanus grass as a substrate. RESULTS Compared to control, Laurus nobilis (300–400 mg L−1), Citrus aurantifolia (300–400 mg L−1) and Ocimum gratissimum (200–400 mg L−1) decreased (P < 0.05) methane production (mL g−1 DM) by 8.1–11.8%, 11.9–17.8% and 7.9–30.6%, respectively. Relative to the control, reductions in methane (mL g−1 DM) of 11.4%, 13.5% and 14.2% were only observed at 400 mg L−1 for Eucalyptus citriodora, Ocimum basilicum and Cymbopogon citratus, respectively. These EOs lowered methane without reducing concentrations of total volatile fatty acids or causing a shift from acetate to propionate production. All EOs (except M. piperita) reduced (P < 0.05) apparent dry matter (DM) disappearance of A. gayanus. CONCLUSIONS The current study demonstrated that EOs from plants grown in Benin inhibited in vitro methane production mainly through a reduction in apparent DM digestibility. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry

Twenty-five 5-month-old Red Sokoto male goats of 7.50 ± 0.52 kg live weight (LW) were used to investigate the feeding value of Pterocarpus erinaceus (PE) and its combinations with Andropogon gayanus (AG) grass as feed to goats using completely randomized design. The treatments were five PE:AG ratios: 0:1000 (solely AG), 250:750, 500:500, 750:250 (forage combinations) (FC) and 1000:0 (solely PE). Intake of AG (199.7 g/day) decreased linearly, while intake of PE (197.1 g/day) and condensed tannins (CT) increased linearly (P 0.75 ) had linear and cubic (P 0.75 ) of CP, NDF, lignin(sa), hemicellulose, cellulose, CT and DCP (P

Neste estudo, foram utilizados fenos de Andropogon gayanus cv. Planaltina produzidos em diferentes idades de crescimento (56, 84, 112 e 140 dias) para ensaio de degradabilidade in vitro da matéria seca (DEIVMS), por meio da técnica in vitro semi-automática de produção de gases. Os dados de DEIVMS foram utilizados para confecção de equações que foram comparadas pelos testes de paralelismo e identidade de curvas. O teste de paralelismo não demonstrou diferença entre as equações e curvas, ou seja, as diferentes idades apresentaram o mesmo comportamento cinético de degradação. Contudo, pelo teste de identidade de curvas, observou-se que as equações e curvas dos fenos de A. gayanus colhidos com as plantas cortadas aos 56 e 84 dias são idênticas entre si, mas diferentes das demais, ou seja, apresentaram maior DEIVMS. Os fenos de A. gayanus nutricionalmente superiores são obtidos de plantas cortadas nos intervalos de 56 a 84 dias. In this study Andropogon gayanus cv. Planaltina hay produced at different ages of growth (56, 84, 112 and 140 days) were used for degradability assay of in vitro dry matter using semi-automated in vitro gas production technique. The data of in vitro dry matter degradation was used for the fabrication of equations and used for parallelism and curve identification comparison tests. The comparison between the A. gayanus hays harvested at different ages of growth by parallelism test showed that degradability in vitro dry matter curves are parallel. The similar curves showed kinetic behavior for in vitro dry matter degradability. When compared, the A. gayanus hays harvested at different ages of growth through the curve identification test, showed that A. gayanus hays harvested between 56 and 84 days are similar and had higher in vitro dry matter degradability. Nutritionally superior A. gayanus hay cut plants are obtained at intervals of 56 to 84 days.

This study was conducted to investigate effects of increasing doses: 0 (control), 6 (low), 12 (medium) and 24 (high) mg/g DM of ZADO ® enzyme preparation mixture (ENZ) on in vitro gas production (GP) and some ruminal fermentation parameters of the fibrous feeds Saccharum officinarum (leaves), Andropogon gayanus (leaves), Pennisetum purpureum (leaves) and Sorghum vulgare (straw). Rumen liquor was obtained from two Brown Swiss cows fitted with permanent rumen cannulae fed a total mixed ration of a 500:500 commercial concentrate and alfalfa hay ad libitum . The GP was recorded at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h of incubation. After 96 h, the incubation was stopped and the pH of the mixture was determined and filtrate used to determine dry matter degradability (DMD), partitioning factor (PF 96 ), gas yield (GY 24 ), in vitro organic matter digestibility (OMD), metabolizable energy (ME), short chain fatty acids (SCFA), and microbial crude protien production (MCP). In general, the crude protein (CP) content of the fibrous feeds was low and ranged from 23 g/kg DM ( S. officinarum) to 44 ( A. gayanus ). The fibre contents ( i.e. , NDFom and ADFom) were highest (P S. officinarum . Increasing ENZ dose linearly increased (P P. purpureum and S. vulgare and rate of gas production in S. officinarum and S. vulgare. Addition of ENZ also quadratically increased (P S. officinarum and S. vulgare , and A. gayanus , but only at 72 h in A. gayanus . The parameters of ruminal fermentation of OMD, ME, GY 24 and SCFA linearly increased (P

Submitted by Vitor Silverio Rodrigues (vitorsrodrigues@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2014-05-27T11:26:26Z No. of bitstreams: 0Bitstream added on 2014-05-27T14:42:11Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 2-s2.0-84865798950.pdf: 218343 bytes, checksum: a41dd8524f2eeb420b7f29d7cb5ffd11 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-27T11:26:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-04-01 The knowledge of interaction between infective larvae setting and the type of grass is important to epidemiological studies and the control of gastrointestinal nematodes in sheep. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of three species of forage grasses on pasture characteristics and the vertical distribution of infective larvae (L3) of gastrointestinal nematodes of woolless sheep on the grasses during the rainy season. Sixty non-periparturients ewes were used, naturally infected, equally distributed on 2ha paddocks sowed with Tanzania, star, and gamba grasses, managed under continuous grazing system, from October 2003 to March 2004, at Santa Bárbara farm, Barreiras-Bahia-Brazil. Data of three samples between December 2003 and March 2004 were analyzed by SAS, using split-plot design, with 10 replications. Infective larvae of Haemonchus spp. and Trichostrongylus spp. were observed on forage in all stratus of vertical layer of the grasses without a defined pattern. Pastures with different characteristics under continuous grazing system had good conditions for developing infective larvae of sheep. Universidade do Estado da Bahia Campus IX, Barreiras, BA Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias UNESP, Jaboticabal, SP Universidade do Estado da Bahia (UNEB) Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas em Produção Animal (NEPPA), Barreiras, BA Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias UNESP, Jaboticabal, SP

Cow–calf operations constitute the main land-use system in the 18 million ha of well drained tropical savannas of Colombia located in the Orinoco basin. There, numerous sex and age animal categories are present, ranging from suckling calves to old cull cows and steers, which in variable proportions are stocked at one animal unit (AU)/5–10 ha, depending on the ranch and distance from markets. In parallel, early-on farm observations showed that when sown pastures are introduced, graziers recur to opportunistic partial fattening of cull animals for a rapid economic return. The paper reports animal weight gains of cull cows, old steers, and young heifers and yearlings over seven consecutive years grazing on a low fertiliser-input well managed Andropogon gayanus-based pasture and four contemporary years on Brachiaria humidicola. The first 2 years involved three stocking rates (SR; 1.38, 1.85 and 2.32 animal units/ha), whereas a single SR of 1.33 animal units/ha was used for the remainder. A large database that included chemical, and in vitro and in vivo digestibility, values for all forages involved, was used as an input to a mathematical model to estimate methane (CH4) emissions. Estimations were compared with weight-based predictions derived from chamber measurements recorded recently in tropical Australia. Faecal mineral concentration varied little (not significantly) among SR and animal categories. Weight gains of old steers were 4–24% larger than those of cull cows, which, in turn, were larger than those of young steers and heifers (P < 0.01). Excepting one year, the performance of cull cows and old steers did not differ between pastures, confirming earlier on-ranch observations of reasonable weight gains of adult cattle on both pastures. The predicted carcass composition of cull cows and old steers did not differ between pastures either. Over the length of the experiment, cull cows emitted significantly less CH4 than did old steers (129 vs 141 g/day) on A. gayanus, while emissions on B. humidicola amounted to 128 and 137 g/day respectively. Despite between-year differences in animal performance, they are indicative of well managed pasture sustainability. They also show some of the trade-offs involved in the use of contrasting animal categories and pastures in terms of weight performance and predicted carcass composition and CH4 production. The authors expect that the present results will contribute to a rational, science-based discussion of the role of beef systems vis-à-vis environment in a region with limited production alternatives.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition and protein and carbohydrate fractions in three forage species (Andropogon gayanus Kunth, Cenchrus ciliares L. and Panicum maximun x Panicum infestum) at four cutting ages: 21, 35, 49 and 63 days. Experiments were carried out at the Federal Institute of Education Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Norte - IFRN, located in the municipality of Apodi- RN, Potiguar West Meso-region. Materials collected in the field were analyzed in the Laboratory of Animal Nutrition (LANA), Federal Rural Semiarid University (UFERSA), Campus Mossoró, RN. Samples were processed, phenated, and analyzed. The analysis conducted included fractionation of nitrogen compounds and carbohydrates and chemical composition (dry matter, mineral matter, crude protein, lipids and fibers) was determined. The forages evaluated showed decreasing crude protein content with increasing cutting age, ranging between 14.9 and 6.2%. Andropogon grass showed the highest crude protein content. The fiber content increased with age. Fiber consisted of 62.4%–70.0% NDF and 30.07%–33.03% ADF. Highest fiber content was recorded for Massai grass, in which case, these two component species showed the highest fractions of intermediate degradation protein (B2), while Andropogon and Buffel Capins showed higher fractions of non-fibrous carbohydrates (A and B1). An increase in the concentration of cell-wall material in the detriment of the cellular content with increasing plant age was observed in the fodder studied. We also observed an increase in the indigestible fraction (C) of proteins and carbohydrates in the species studied.

L’influence du niveau de supplémentation avec Mucuna pruriens sur les performances de croissance des boucs et la digestibilité des rations pendant la saison sèche au Nord Cameroun a été étudiée à la station polyvalente de l’Institut de recherche agricole pour le développement de Garoua entre novembre 2004 et juillet 2005. Au total, 24 boucs Nains de Guinée ont été divisés en trois groupes de huit boucs chacun, nourris à base d’Andropogon gayanus, de Ficus sycomorus, et supplémentés avec 0, 100 et 150 g de Mucuna pruriens. L’évaluation du poids vif, du gain moyen quotidien et de la note d’état corporel a été effectuée tous les 14 jours pendant 90 jours. Au terme de cette phase, l’évaluation du poids carcasse et le rendement carcasse ont été effectués sur deux boucs abattus par lot. Ensuite, neuf boucs ont été répartis en trois groupes de trois animaux chacun et chaque groupe a été soumis à l’un des trois traitements précédents, afin d’étudier l’influence du niveau de supplémentation de M. pruriens sur la digestibilité de la ration de base. Les résultats ont indiqué qu’en l’absence de M. pruriens dans la ration, le poids vif, le gain moyen quotidien et la note d’état corporel ont été respectivement de 10,44 kg, - 10 g et 1,87. En présence de 100 g de M. pruriens dans la ration, le poids vif, le gain moyen quotidien et la note d’état corporel ont été respectivement de 12,16 kg, 9 g et 2,94, contre 12,98 kg, 18 g et 3,56 avec une ration contenant 150 g de M. pruriens. Le poids carcasse, le rendement carcasse et le poids avant abattage ont augmenté significativement (P < 0,05) avec l’accroissement du niveau de M. pruriens dans la ration. La digestibilité apparente de la matière organique a été de 45,25, 62,34 et 70,97 p. 100 respectivement avec les rations contenant 0, 100 et 150 g de M. pruriens. La digestibilité de l’azote a été de 38,46, 55,29 et 60,95 p. 100 respectivement avec les mêmes rations. Il apparaît ainsi que la supplémentation des rations avec M. pruriens pendant la saison sèche permet d’améliorer la digestibilité de la ration et les performances de croissance des boucs.

The effects of feeding different levels of wilted cassava foliage (Manihot esculenta, Crantz) on growth and diet digestibility were studied using local male growing goats with an average body weight of 14.5 kg. Thirty-two animals were randomly allocated to four groups of eight animals in a growth experiment, and four animals were assigned to a 4 × 4 Latin Square design to study digestibility. The four diets in both the growth and the digestibility studies were Gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus) as a sole diet offered ad libitum (control) or supplemented with wilted cassava foliage (WCF) at 20%, 30% and 40% of an expected daily DM intake of 3% of BW. Dry matter (DM) intake was significantly lower in the control group and increased with the level of WCF in the diet, while the DM intake of Gamba grass was not significantly changed. Total DM intake and DM intakes from Gamba grass were 472, 546, 584 and 616 g/d and 472, 457, 457 and 470 g/d for the control and treatments with 20%, 30% and 40% of WCF in the diet, respectively. The inclusion of WCF in the diet increased the apparent digestibility of DM, organic matter, N, Neutral detergent Fibre and Acid Detergent Fibre, and resulted in a higher N-retention. The average daily gains of animals fed diets with WCF were significantly higher than in the control group. The highest gain was recorded in goats with 40% of WCF in the diet (55.0 g/d) and lowest for the control (28.9 g/d). In conclusion, supplementing a basal diet of Gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus) with WCF improved DM intake, digestibility, N-retention and weight gain. The inclusion level of WCF in the diet can be up to 30%–40% of diet DM (21%–24% of total DM intake).

Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a técnica de incorporação de 32P pelos eritrócitos de ovinos jovens, mantidos em pastejo de Andropogon gayanus, como método de diagnóstico da deficiência de fósforo. Vinte ovinos, com peso vivo inicial de 13,88±2,51 kg, foram divididos em dois tratamentos de dez animais cada; num dos tratamentos, os animais foram suplementados com 3 g de P por animal por dia e, no outro, os animais não receberam suplementação de P. Foram realizadas cinco pesagens dos animais, coletas de sangue e fezes nos 8º, 29º, 43º, 57º e 71º dias do experimento, para avaliar a incorporação de 32P pelos eritrócitos, determinar as concentrações de Ca, glicose e P no soro e a porcentagem de P nas fezes. Foi encontrada diferença significativa na concentração de Ca no 57º dia. Na concentração de glicose, porcentagem de P nas fezes e peso vivo não foram observadas diferenças significativas entre os tratamentos. A partir da segunda coleta, a concentração de P no soro foi mais elevada e a incorporação de 32P foi menor no grupo de animais suplementados com P. A incorporação de 32P pelos eritrócitos é uma técnica adicional para avaliar o status de P e identificar sua deficiência subclínica em ovinos jovens. This work had the objective of evaluating the method of 32P uptake by the erythrocytes of young sheep, supplemented with phosphorus and kept at pasture of Andropogon gayanus, as a tool for phosphorus deficiency diagnosis. Twenty lambs, initially weighing 13.88±2.51 kg, were divided in two treatments of ten animals each. In one of them, animals were supplemented with 3 g of phosphorus per animal per day and, in the other, animals did not receive supplementation of phosphorus. Weighing, and blood and faeces collection were carried out in the 8th, 29th, 43rd, 57th e 71st days of the experiment, to evaluate the incorporation of 32P by the erythrocytes, to determine calcium, glucose and phosphorus concentrations in the serum and percentage of P in the faeces. Significant difference for the concentration of Ca was found in the 57th day. For the glucose concentration, the percentage of phosphorus in faeces, and the weight, significant differences between the treatments were not observed. From the 29th to the 71st day, the concentration of phosphorus in the serum was higher, and the incorporation of 32P was lower in the group of animals supplemented with phosphorus. The analysis of 32P incorporation by the erythrocytes is an additional tool to evaluate the status of P, with identification of the subclinic deficiency in lambs.

We evaluated carcass traits from twenty 6-month-old Santa Ines lambs under tropical grazing (Andropogon gayanus) receiving condensed tannin from Acacia mearnsii once a week for 13 weeks to control endoparasites. Ten animals were treated with tannin (TG) and the remainder (10 animals) received a diet without tannin (CG). At slaughter, the following measurements were taken: live weight, carcass weight, half-carcass weight, carcass length, fat cover, skin weight and thickness, weight of thoracic and abdominal organs, scrotum and commercial cuts. The 12 th rib was removed for determination of muscle, fat and bone percentages, as well as their chemical analysis. Skin thickness was greater and commercial cuts (loin and rib/belly) were lower in TG. Animals that received tannin had a lower percentage of ether extract and higher protein in the 12 th rib. Condensed tannin from

Brachiaria spp. are the most important grasses for ruminants in central-western Brazil. However, the use of these pastures is limited by their toxicity due to steroidal saponins. This experiment was conducted for 60 days to demonstrate the resistance of sheep raised on Brachiaria spp. pastures to steroidal saponin poisoning. The experiment was composed by 48 animals randomly divided into four groups (n = 12). Among them, 32 4- to 5-month-old castrated male crossbred Santa Ines sheep, originating from flocks that had been grazing on Brachiaria spp. for more than three consecutive years, and 16 were non-adapted (naive) sheep from flocks that never had prior contact with pastures of Brachiaria spp. were randomly divided into four groups. Each of the four experimental groups was composed by eight adapted and four non-adapted animals. The four experimental groups were introduced into paddocks, each of which contained a single grass: either Brachiaria decumbens, Brachiaria brizantha, Panicum maximum, or Andropogon gayanus. The addition of the naive sheep to the groups was designed to detect pastures' toxicity to naive sheep and to adjust the stocking rate to optimize the use of forage. The weight gains of sheep grazing on B. decumbens, B. brizantha, and P. maximum were similar; however, the A. gayanus group showed lower weight gains compared with the other groups (P

The objective was to study effects of groundnut hay (GNH) supplementation and trypanosomosis infection on diet selection and grazing behaviour of N'Dama cattle in the late dry season in The Gambia. Twenty multiparous lactating cows were allocated to two groups: infected and control. The 10 cows in the infected group were intradermally injected with a Trypanosoma congolense clone known as ITC 84. Supplementary feeding with GNH commenced 14 days after infection and continued for 10 weeks. The start of supplementation coincided with peak parasitaemia, when the infected and control groups were each divided in two sub-groups of five. Animals received either 0 or 2 kg per day of fresh GNH. Each of the 10 infected cows (five supplemented and five non-supplemented) were paired with a comparable control for the duration of the trial and followed at least three times (range 3–5). Every 5 min, throughout the 9–10 h grazing day, a record was made of four activities and, if the animal was feeding, the food item identified. The distance travelled was also measured. The cattle spent 78% of their time feeding on grasses, of which Hyparrhenia rufa and Andropogon gayanus were the dominant species. Neither infection nor GNH supplementation had any effect on the diet selected. Based on the mean distance travelled, the energetic cost of walking was estimated to be 10% of the metabolizable energy (ME) required for maintenance. Trypanosomosis infection had no significant effect on grazing behaviour. However, cows supplemented with GNH spent a greater proportion of the day resting ( P P

The use of tropical grass–legume mixtures containing the grasses Brachiaria decumbens or Andropogon gayanus associated with a mixture of several herbaceous legumes was tested on farms in the rainforest area of Pucallpa, Peru. Pastures were established by farmers using manual labour and without fertilizer in previously deforested areas covered with secondary growth. The pastures, together with their grass-alone control, were incorporated by farmers into the normal paddock rotation, and were grazed by dual-purpose cattle of mixed breeding. Cows were milked once daily by hand and with their calves at foot. Following a training period, farmers kept records of milk yields. Frequent and unannounced visits at milking time by the research team were used to verify milk yields and to annotate events such as calving, drying out, sales and others. Across farms and years, grass–legume mixtures significantly outyielded grass-alone pastures by 9%. Milk yields on the mixed pastures were examined further by stepwise regression. A positive and significant effect of the proportion of crossbred cows in the herd was established, whereas soil quality (evaluated by the percentage of aluminium saturation) had a negative impact on milk yields. Two of the farms, which for different circumstances had poorer than average animal and pasture management, also had a significantly negative effect on milk yield. The interactions between animal and pasture management, and regional infrastructure are discussed. It is concluded that grass–legume mixtures increased milk yields on farms. Nevertheless, it is also hypothesized that they may have a more restricted niche than anticipated and that their adoption may be highly sensitive to the overall economic context of the region.

An experiment was conducted in a semi‐arid region located in the State of Zulia, western part of Venezuela (10°32'N and 71°42'W, 600 mm average annual rainfall), to evaluate dry matter (DM) yield and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), and crude protein (CP) content of Andropogon gayanus Kunth as affected by three frequencies of defoliation (every 42, 63, and 84 days) and fertilization with three levels of nitrogen (N) (0, 100, and 200 kg N ha‐1‐year‐1) and two levels of phosphorus (P) (0 and 75 kg P2O5 ha‐1.year‐1) in a factorial array using a split‐split‐plot experimental design with frequencies in the main plots, N in the sub‐plots, and P in the sub‐subplots with three replications. Soil was a sandy loam Aridisol with a pH of 5.5. Average soil calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), potassium (K), and P contents were 0.6, 0.3, 0.1 and 0.17 meq‐100g‐1 soil, and 6 ppm, respectively. Data from six, four, and three cuttings for the frequencies of 42, 63, and 84 days were analyzed ove...

An experiment was conducted in a semi‐arid region located in the State of Zulia, western part of Venezuela (10°32'N and 71°42'W, and 600 mm average annual rainfall), to evaluate ash and macroelement concentrations of Andropogon gayanus Kunth as affected by two frequencies of defoliation (every 42 and 63 days) and fertilization with three levels of nitrogen (N) (0, 100, and 200 kg N ha‐1‐year‐1) and two levels of phosphorus (P) (0 and 75 kg P2O5 ha‐1#lbyear‐1) in a factorial array using a split‐split‐plot experimental design with frequencies in the main plots, N in the sub‐plots, P in the sub‐sub‐plots, and two replications. Soil was a sandy‐loam Andisol with pH 5.5. Average soil calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), potassium (K), and P contents were 0.6, 0.3, 0.1, and 0.17 meq#lb100 g‐1 soil and 6 ppm, respectively. Data from six and four cuttings for the frequencies of 42 and 63 days were analyzed over the total duration of the study (252 days) as well as separately for periods with “high”...

Overliming and excessive application of superphosphate caused a zinc deficiency in the soil and so reduced the uptake of zinc by fodder plants. Bucks reared on such fodder had significantly (p

In tropical pastures which are generally underutilized, nutrients are returned to the soil mainly via plant litter. The release and recycling of nutrients from litter is known to be a function of climate and litter composition. However, little is known about the decomposition of tropical forage species in pastures. We compared rates of above ground litter decomposition and changes in nutrient contents of six legume and four grass species in litter bags over the wet and dry season of a well-drained isohyperthermic savanna of Colombia. Decomposition constants and litter half-lives were estimated by fitting a single exponential model to the data. Litter production was measured monthly in pure stands using matched quadrats. Of the six legume species studied, rates of decomposition of organic matter (OM) were fastest in Stylosanthes capitata and Arachis pintoi and slowest in Desmodium ovalifolium. The remaining legumes, Centrosema acutifolium, Pueraria phaseoloides and Stylosanthes guianensis, decomposed at rates similar to the grasses Andropogon gayanus, Brachiaria decumbens, B. dictyoneura and B. humidicola. Rates of litter decomposition decreased and litter half-lives increased during the onset of the dry season. Rates of release of nutrients (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) generally followed a pattern similar to that of OM, although the absolute amounts of N, K and Ca released were greater in the legumes than in the grasses due to higher initial concentrations in legumes. Immobilization of N occurred only in litter with high C:N ratios (> 109) and high lignin:N ratios (> 25). Of the chemical variables studied the lignin:N and (lignin+polyphenol):N ratios were linearly correlated with the loss of OM from grass and legume litter (r = 0.66). Losses of N were best correlated with the % lignin + (C:N ratio) (r = 0.67) but lignin:N, (lignin + polyphenol):N and C-to-N ratios also gave similar correlations (r = 0.61−0.67). The linear relationship between the lignin-to-N ratio and the loss of OM was improved when rainfall was included in a multiple regression (r = 0.82). The use of polyphenols as an indicator of litter decomposition is discussed but not recommended using the current simple methodologies available. The rates of N released were estimated from the litter decay equations and the mean monthly rates of litter production from pure stands of each species and were related to the N requirements of a tropical pasture producing 0.85–1.7 kg DM m−2yr−1. The estimates indicated a slow and inadequate rate of N release from grasses and a wide variation in rate of release amongst the legumes and hence a variable, species-dependent, ability to supply a substantial proportion of a pasture's requirements from leaf litter decomposition.

The effect of feeding foliage from Afzelia africana, Pterocarpus erinaceus or Khaya senegalensis on growth performance was evaluated using 32 West African Djallonke rams of about 8 months of age and with a mean initial body weight (BW) of 16.1 kg. The animals were randomly assigned to four groups of 8 animals and the experiment lasted for 13 weeks. All the animals received the same amount of hay from Andropogon gayanus and maize bran (200 g/day each) and dried foliage ad libitum. The control group was fed cottonseed cake in restricted amounts. The animals were able to consume higher amounts of A. africana than of P. erinaceus and K. senegalensis. There was no significant difference in growth rate between sheep offered A. africana or P. erinaceus, 62.9 and 58.8 g/d, respectively, but sheep offered K. senegalensis had a lower average daily gain, 48 g/day (P < 0.05) due to lower consumption of both energy and crude protein. Animals in the control group had the highest growth rate, 95.8 g/day. Sheep offered P. erinaceus and K. senegalensis had similar carcass characteristics and dressing percentage but lower fasted BW, empty BW, carcass weight and dressing percentage (P < 0.05) than sheep offered A. africana. These tree species can provide valuable feed during periods of feed shortage in the humid and sub-humid zones.

Twenty four 10-week old crosses of (New Zealand White X Chinchila) rabbits was used to determine relative palatability differences in leaves of Calopogonium mucunoides (Calopo), Elaeis guineensi (Oil palm), Musa sapientum (Banana) and Andropogon gayanus (Gamba). Centrosema pubescens (Centro) was included as control. Significant diferences (P < 0.01) in relative palatability index (RPI) were detected among the diferent forages offered. Based on their RPI rabbits preferred in descending order of magnitude Centrosema pubescens, Calopogonium mucunoides and Elaeis guineensi (RPI > 95 %) toMusa sapientum (RPI > 70 %) and Andropogongayanus (RPI > 40 %). The preference of Oil palm leaves to Banana leaves according to the RPI ranking in this study is an interesting observation from the study. Keywords: Forage plants, Relative palatability, RabbitAnimal Research International Vol. 4 (1) 2007 pp. 608-610

Effect of four levels of N-application on field swards of Northern gamba ( Andropogon gayanus ) and Guinea grasses ( Panicum maximum c.v S112) were studied during 20 and 30-weeks period in 1985 and 1986 respectively. Northern gamba grass was compared with Guinea grass c.v S112 during the two periods, July – November, 1985 and April to October, 1986. The application of N-fertilizer significantly (P -1 was applied, and in 1986, it took 12.6 days without days without N-application and 9.9 days were 450KgN/ha -1 was applied. Guinea grass took 10.0 days and 7.8 days in 1985 and 1986 to produce a leaf on the average, with 450Kg/N/ha -1 compared with 12.7 and 9.4 days for 1985 and 1986 respectively with no N. The study on leaf extension rate was undertaken for 1986 only because that was the longest growing season that had 30 weeks in this study. Species differences in terms of N-application on leaf extension rate was significant (P -1 was applied. The effect of N application on leaf longevity for the two study periods, 1985, (20 weeks) and 1986 (30 weeks) was not significant (P Keywords : nitrogen fertilizer, leaf production, leaf extension rate and leaf longevity of two grass species Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences Vol. 12(1) 2006: 45-49

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of sheep supplemented with phosphorus (P) using carcass traits and analysis of 12th rib. Twenty male lambs weighing 13.88 ± 2.51 kg and grazing Andropogon gayanus pasture were divided in two treatments of 10 animals each. In group P, animals were supplemented with 3 g phosphorus/animal/day, while in group NP no P supplementation was given. After 82 days the animals were slaughtered and carcass measurements were taken. The 12th rib was also removed for analysis. No significant differences in body weight, carcass yield, or commercial cut weights were found between both treatments, except for liver and kidneys that were heavier in the supplemented group (p=0.0954). The 12th rib analysis showed that the group P had higher rib, bone, and muscle weights when compared to animals not supplemented with P. Other measurements such as carcass fatness and rib eye area were not significantly affected by treatments as well as contents of crude protein, ether extract, ash and P. It was shown that P supplementation improved performance in young sheep, including bone and muscle tissue and liver and kidney weights. _______________________________________________________________________________ RESUMO Este trabalho foi realizado com a finalidade de avaliar o desempenho de ovinos suplementados com fósforo (P), utilizando-se as análises das características de carcaça e da 12ª costela. Foram utilizados 20 ovinos com 13,88 ± 2,51 kg de PV, mantidos em pastagem de Andropogon gayanus, distribuídos em dois tratamentos com dez animais: um com suplementação de 3g/fósforo/animal/dia e o outro sem suplementação. Após 82 dias, os animais foram abatidos, tomando-se as medidas da carcaça e da 12ª costela, para posterior análise. Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre os valores de peso vivo, rendimento de carcaça, cobertura de gordura e cortes comerciais entre os dois tratamentos, exceto os pesos do fígado e dos rins, que foram superiores (p=0,0954) no grupo suplementado. Na análise da 12ª costela, o grupo com suplementação demonstrou maior peso da costela, do osso e do músculo em comparação aos animais que não receberam P suplementar. As demais medidas, como gordura e área de olho-de-lombo, não foram afetadas, assim como os níveis de PB, EE, CIN e P. A suplementação de fósforo melhorou o desempenho, a formação dos tecidos ósseo e múscular e os pesos de fígado e rins.

The comparative decomposition of tropical leaf litters (e.g. Andropogon gayanus, Casuarina equisetifolia, Faidherbia albida) of different qualities was investigated under laboratory conditions during a 60-day incubation period conducted with a typical oxisol. Total CO2-C, soil inorganic N, microbial biomass (fumigation-extraction), β-glucosidase and dehydrogenase activities were determined over the incubation to assess how they responded to the addition of inorganic N (+N). Cumulative CO2-C evolved from the litter-amended soils was higher than that recorded for the unamended control soil. For the unfertilized treatment (0 N), correlation coefficients calculated between initial chemical data and CO2 flux during the first day of incubation were r =0.963 for water soluble-C and 0.869 for soluble carbohydrates (P

The influence of supplementary inclusion of Parkia filicoidea Welw. hay in a cassva-peel diet for goats was evaluated by a digestibility study. Eighteen Sokoto red goats, 6·0–7·5 kg, were involved. There were six diets comprising unsupplemented cassava peels; 25, 50 and 75% replacements with Parkia hay; whole Parkia hay; and the control. The control diet was of 60% Andropogon gayanus and 40% yellow maize and soybean meal mixed in a 1·5:1 ratio. Dry matter (DM) intake (g/head per day) was better (P 200 g/head per day) on the supplemented diets. Acceptabilities were enhanced at (cassava peel/Parkia hay) 25/75 and 50/50 mixtures. DM digestibilities were higher on unsupplemented cassava peels, 25 and 50% replacements than with Parkia hay. Nutrient digestibilities were higher (P

The aim of this study was to evaluate infection by gastrointestinal parasites in Santa Ines and Bergamasca sheep kept on cultivated pastures (Andropogon gayanus and Panicum maximum cv Vencedor) in the Federal District. Sixty adult ewes (30 of each breed) with mean body weight 46.2 kg were used, distributed randomly in pastures of 1 hectare. Fecal Egg Count (FEC) was obtained individually every 15 days making a total of 480 FECs. Feces were tested for Strongyloides sp., Strongyle, Moniezia sp. and Eimeria sp. All animals with FEC above 3000 were dewormed. The proportion of variance explained by the model was low, indicating that other factors are involved in parasite infection level. Higher FEC was seen in Bergamasca compared to Santa Ines. Strongyle level depended on month and pasture type. FEC for Bergamasca on Andropogon was significantly higher than Santa Ines on the same pasture and significantly higher than both breeds on Vencedor. This reflects a genotype environment interaction.

Morphophysiology of Andropogon gayanus Kunth with organic and mineral fertilization in three vertical layers. The morphophysiological characteristics of the andropogon grass, Andropogon gayanus Kunth cv. Planaltina (Poaceae) with four manure treatments (control; 25 kg N/ha/cutting date; 50 kg N/ha/cutting date and 20 t/ha of cattle manure applied after each cut), were evaluated. There were 28 and 42-day cut intervals within two evaluation periods (84 and 168 days), sampled in three layers (0.20-0.40 m; 0.40-0.60 m; >0.60 m). Complete randomized block design in a split-split-plot arrangement has been used. Highest values of total dry mass and dry mass of stem were reported in the lowest layer (0.20- 0.40 m). The upper layers had higher leaf dry mass (0.40-0.60 m and >0.60 m), higher leaf area and consequently higher leaf/stem ratio. The four fertilization treatments were not significantly influential on the characteristics of the grass analyzed in this research.

Sendo o capim gambá (Andropogon gayanus Kunth, var. bisquamalatus (Hochst) Hack) uma espécie promissora para a pecuária brasileira, este trabalho foi conduzido a fim de se determinar o peso de matéria seca, concentração e acúmulo de macronutrientes a partir dos 20 dias após a germinação até o florescimento. Foi plantada uma area de meio hecta-situada em uma terra roxa estruturada, convenientemente adubada. Em intervalos de 20 dias após a germinação até aos 140 dias, plantas foram coletadas e sub-divididas em folhas e caules. O material seco a 80°C foi analizado para N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S. A produção maxima de matéria seca foi verificada aos 80 dias representada, por 13,82 g/planta, correspondendo a 50.000 kg por hectare. Aos 80 dias de idade, a gramínea extraiu as seguintes quantidades dos nutrientes: 156,85 mg de N; 16,23 mg de P; .....278,70 mg de K; 38,45 mg de Ca; 22,92 mg de Mg; 7,76 mg de S. Verificou-se que a concentração em P, K diminui nas folhas com a idade da planta; sendo que a concentração em N, Ca, Mg, S nas folhas não foi afetada. No caule houve uma diminuição em N, P, K, Ca e Mg com o aumento da idade, sendo que a concentração de S não foi afetada. As gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus Kunth var. bisquamulatus (Hochst) Hack) is a promising species for raising cattle, this work was carried out to determine weight of dry matter, concentration and accumulation of macronutrients from the 20 th day after germination up to flowering. For this purpose, an area comprising half a hectare of "Terra Roxa Estruturada" at Piracicaba, State of São Paulo, Brazil (latitude 20º41'31"S, longitude 47°38'01" WG, elevation 540m) suitably fertilized, was planted. At intervals of 20 days after germination up to 140 days, plants were collected and subdivided into leaves and stem. The dry matter at 80°C was analysed for N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S. The maximum production of dry matter was checked at 80 days represented by 13.82 g/plant corresponding to 50,000 kg per plant. At the age of 80 days, the following quantities of nutrients were extracted by the grass: 156.85 mg of N; 16.23 mg of P; 278.70 mg of K; 38.45 mg of Ca; 22.92 mg of Mg; 7.76 mg of S. It was found that the concentration of P and K diminished as the age of the plant advanced; the concentrations of N, Ca, Mg and S in the leaves were not affected. In the stem, there was a decrease in N, P, K, Ca and Mg as the age of the plant increased; the concentration of S was not affected.