List of experimental programmes 1970 - 1971

L.T. Jones, Vines and vegetables. J.E.L. Cripps, Fruit tree management. R.N. Glencross, Nutrition of pastures and cereals in higher rainfall areas. M.D. Carroll, Fertility changes mineral deficiencies. D.L. Chatel, Soil Microbiology. C.M. Francis, Agronomy and adaptation of lupins. A.E. Oakley, Radioisotopes studies. J.W. Gartrell, Trace element nutrition of cereals and pastures. M.G. Mason, Nitrogen nutrition of cereals. D.A. Nicholas, Evaluation of perennial and annual pasture cultivars in higher rainfall areas. M.L. Poole, Agronomy of crops in high rainfall areas, oilseed and other new crops. D. Tennant, Soil-plant water relations and root growth of cereals. G.H. Walton Evaluation of pasture cultivars in the lower rainfall areas. A.C. Devitt, Ecology of subterranean clover strains; Evaluation of annual legumes. T.O. Albertsen, Phosphorus and sulphur nutrition of crops and pastures. I.C. Rowland, crop rotations for the wheatbelt. R.N. Weir, Phytotron and glasshouse management, wheat physiology

Organic broilers in floorless pens on pasture

This thesis investigates different aspects of rearing broilers organically in floorless pens on pasture. The birds and pens were moved daily to fresh pasture. The interdisciplinary studies comprise the birds' growth performance and carcass quality, health, behaviour, leg condition and the birds’ effect on pasture. In the final study, on-farm diets were tested in a feeding experiment indoors. The data are based on four experiments carried out during 2000 to 2003. In 2000 and 2002, restricted-fed conventional broilers (ROSS 208) were reared in floorless pens on pasture and in control groups outdoors on straw. In 2001, two genotypes, ROSS 208 and the slow-growing ISA 657 were reared on three ground types, pasture, outdoors on straw and indoors on wood shavings with either an ad libitum or restricted feeding level. In 2003, a feeding experiment with slow-growing broilers fed on-farm diets in a choice feeding system was conducted indoors. Most birds were reared to 12 weeks of age, but ad libitum-fed ROSS birds were reared to 6 weeks. The experimental phase was from ca. 3 weeks to slaughter. The experiments indicate that under the given conditions - access to pasture does not offer sufficient protein and metabolizable energy to allow considerable feed savings in the farm enterprise (Paper I) - moving the floorless pens daily provides favourable conditions to prevent infections with Campylobacter and Eimeria in outdoor broilers (Paper II) - access to pasture as such appears to play no major role for the broilers' physical activity (Paper III) or leg condition (Paper IV) - broiler chickens on pasture can sustain white clover in a mixed grass/white clover pasture (Paper V) - with access to high-quality protein during the first three weeks there is a good potential to produce organic broiler meat with feed produced on-farm in northwestern Europe (Paper VI)

Control of internal parasites in organic livestock without the use of pharmaceutical anthelminthics

Organic systems seek to reduce reliance on external inputs, and develop sustainable methods of production which balance output with high standards of animal welfare. The standards for organic production emphasise preventive control strategies based on grazing management, appropriate breeding and good nutrition. The ultimate goal is to eliminate dependence on anti-parasitic drugs, however this is rarely achieved in practice. The overall objective of this research was to develop organic farming systems, which do not rely on pharmaceutical control of roundworm parasites. Focussing on management and nutrition, the approach was to combine on-farm epidemiological studies, with replicated experiments, in order to develop and demonstrate better systems of control applicable to UK organic farms. The project was a collaborative study involving ADAS, Institute of Rural Science (IRS), Moredun Research Institute (MRI) and Scottish Agriculture Colleges (SAC). Specific objectives: 1. To study the epidemiology of parasitic gastro-enteritis (PGE) on selected 'focus' farms, representing a range of organic systems 2. To quantify the effect of dietary manipulation, novel crops, and drenching with tannins, on the development of PGE in organic sheep and cattle systems 3. To evaluate the role of crop type and pasture larval ecology on the development of PGE 4. To develop the application of alternative approaches on 'focus' farms, under best management practice 5. To ensure effective technology transfer Five commercial organic farms, reflecting a range of production systems (specialist hill sheep, upland beef and sheep, lowland specialist sheep, specialist dairying, and lowland mixed arable / livestock) were selected for detailed epidemiological study. The aim was to assess the level and pattern of parasite challenge, critical points for disease control, and the degree of success achieved with current management practices. The study combined the use of standard epidemiological techniques, with close collaboration of the researchers, participating farmers and their veterinary advisers. Comprehensive epidemiological data were collected over two contrasting seasons (2002 and 2003). Without recourse to routine anthelmintic, control was generally underpinned by grazing management, within the constraints of land/crop resources and diversity of enterprises available for each farm. Role of nutrition: Previous studies, using tightly controlled nutritional protocols and a known parasite challenge, developed a nutritional hypothesis for understanding nutritional influences on the host response to parasites. A replicated experiment was set up to test whether this framework could be extended to organically managed ewes carrying a mixed naturally-acquired infection. Novel crops: A series of experiments were undertaken to determine the potential of several novel crops for parasite control. Parasite pasture ecology: Nematode larvae populations have also been shown to differ between herbage species, potentially due to differences in crop morphology or microclimate beneath the sward (which may affect larval development and survival, or the number of coprophagous or nematophagous organisms at soil level). Several small plot and pot experiments were undertaken to assess the effect of crop type on larval survival, rates of faecal degradation, and soil dwelling invertebrates. Overall, the results from this study indicate that with sufficient diversity of cropping and stocking, it is possible to virtually eliminate anthelmintic usage. However, many farms still face significant difficulties, particularly those systems dominated by sheep. The extent to which control can be achieved by management alone, depends on the farming system, with the greatest opportunity for control in the more mixed, or very extensive production systems. Many of the issues faced by the organic sector are increasingly relevant to conventional farmers where anthelmintic resistance is becoming increasingly prevalent. More integrated strategies are required, not only for organic producers, but also to prolong the life of drenches currently used in conventional farming. Practical recommendations have been derived from this research, and promoted to organic and conventional farmers, based around key messages of system planning, parasite monitoring and maintaining biosecurity

Biofortification of UK food crops with selenium

Se is an essential element for animals. In man low dietary Se intakes are associated with health disorders including oxidative stress-related conditions, reduced fertility and immune functions and an increased risk of cancers. Although the reference nutrient intakes for adult females and males in the UK are 60 and 75 μg Se/d respectively, dietary Se intakes in the UK have declined from >60 μg Se/d in the 1970s to 35 μg Se/d in the 1990s, with a concomitant decline in human Se status. This decline in Se intake and status has been attributed primarily to the replacement of milling wheat having high levels of grain Se and grown on high-Se soils in North America with UK-sourced wheat having low levels of grain Se and grown on low-Se soils. An immediate solution to low dietary Se intake and status is to enrich UK-grown food crops using Se fertilisers (agronomic biofortification). Such a strategy has been adopted with success in Finland. It may also be possible to enrich food crops in the longer term by selecting or breeding crop varieties with enhanced Se-accumulation characteristics (genetic biofortification). The present paper will review the potential for biofortification of UK food crops with Se

ICROFS news 1/2012. Newsletter from ICROFS

International organic research theme: Organic Farming in Brazil: Organic milk production in Brazil Mokichi Okada Research Center - Agricultural research and development Effect of alternative fertilization: Productive and qualitative per-formance in recovering degraded pastures in Brazil CORE Organic: Preventing disease and parasites in european organic pi

The importance of some Sahelian browse species as feed for goats

Browse species contribute substantially to the availability of feed for livestock in the Sahelian zone of Burkina Faso. This study aimed to identify the most appreciated and utilized browse species, to evaluate their potential for fodder production and nutritive value, and to test the possibility of using them in intensive animal production. In the first experiment the behaviour of cattle, sheep and goats was studied and a survey was undertaken in the study area to estimate the indigenous knowledge of browse species and their utilisation by ruminants. In the second experiment, Acacia senegal, Guiera senegalensis and Pterocarpus lucens, species that were found to be well utilized, were studied by estimating the phenological variation over time and the edible biomass production, total and directly accessible to sheep (0.87 m), goats (1.65 m) or cattle (1.47 m). Biomass production was also estimated using dendrometric parameters. The chemical composition of biomass (leaves and green pods) was determined in the third experiment, followed by measurement of the voluntary intake and apparent digestibility of the leaves and pods (except for G. senegalensis) using goats. Their effect (except for A. senegal leaves) on growth, carcass characteristics and parasite resistance was evaluated in the fourth experiment, feeding the browses ad libitum with a fixed amount of bran and hay and compared with a control diet containing cottonseed cake. The farmers classified the browse species according to their availability, their nutritive value, and several other usages. The feeding activities of all animal species decreased from rainy to dry season, with the decline in fodder availability, while resting and ruminating activities were increasing at the same time. Cattle browsed (leaves and litter) during the whole the study period for around 5% of the time spent on pasture. Sheep and goats made a shift in their feeding activities from grazing to browsing (28% and 52% of the time spent on pasture, respectively, for sheep and goats) when the herbaceous biomass decreased. A. senegal, G. senegalensis and P. lucens started the foliation phase as soon as the rains started, while A. senegal lost leaves earlier. The proportion of accessible biomass was higher for G. senegalensis, but P. lucens had higher total edible biomass. Goats browsing at higher height had more edible biomass at their disposal than cattle and sheep, although the chemical composition was similar for biomass accessible by all three animal species. The crown diameter predicted well the total edible biomass production of the three browse species. The crude protein (CP) content was 114, 157 and 217 g/kg dry matter (DM) and the neutral detergent fibre content 604, 534 and 412 g/kg DM for G. senegalensis, P. lucens and A. senegal, respectively. The highest intake was of the P. lucens leaves diet (864 g) and the lowest of the G. senegalensis diet (397 g). Pods from A. senegal were more consumed than pods of P. lucens. The leaves of A. senegal and P. lucens had similar digestibilities of CP, while A. senegal pods had higher digestibility of all nutrients than P. lucens pods. Goats fed A. senegal pods showed higher growth rate (56 g/day) and the goats on P. lucens pods had the lowest (24 g/day). The carcass weight, dressing percentage and weight of the primal cuts were higher for goats fed A. senegal pods, P. lucens leaves and the control diet. In conclusion, A. senegal pods and P. lucens leaves can be recommended as supplemental feed to poor quality roughages

Effects of winter feeding strategies with alternative feeds on the performance of mature suckler cows and their progeny

The present study evaluated the effects of feeding strategies with alternative feeds on the performance of mature suckler cows and their progeny during indoor feeding and subsequent grazing. In both experiments, a 2 × 2 factorially arranged design consisted of two feeding strategies (Step-up, S; Flat-rate, F) and two diets (Control, C; Alternative, A). The aim of Strategy F was to offer the cows the same amount of energy as offered on Strategy S, but at a constant daily level. In Experiment 1, cows on Diet C were offered grass silage and straw and on Diet A grass silage and a fl our-mill industry by-product. On Strategy S, feeding was stepped with barley (0, 1.5 and 3.5 kg d-1). On Strategy F, barley was offered 1.43 kg per head daily. In Experiment 2, cows were offered either grass silage (C) or whole-crop barley silage (A) as a sole feed. Strategy S was carried out by offering 68, 95 and 119 MJ metabolizable energy (ME) per cow daily. On Strategy F, roughage was given daily 97 MJ ME. In both experiments, there were no signifi cant differences between treatments in the cow live weight, body condition score, calf pre-weaning live weight gain and cow reproduction. Strategy F can be practised in the nutrition of mature suckler cows in marginal circumstances. Flour-mill industry by-product can partly replace grass silage and straw in the winter diet. Wholecrop barley silage can be offered as a sole feed to suckler cows with good body condition score in autumn