Sustainable Intensification of Livestock Systems Using Forage Legumes

Global human population is increasing and expected to reach 9.7 billion people by 2050. Sustainable intensification (SI) of agricultural systems is key to increase food production while minimizing impact on global natural resources. Forage legumes provide a myriad of ecosystem services (ES) and represent an important tool for promoting SI in livestock systems. Forage legumes associate with soil microorganisms to reduce atmospheric N2. This N input represents a valuable contribution to increase net primary productivity with reduced C footprint. In addition, forage nutritive value generally increases, resulting in greater animal performance. When forage legumes are integrated into livestock systems, they complement the essential role of grasses by adding N to the system, improving forage quality, sharing resources with the companion grass, and enhancing soil organic matter. Soil C:N ratio is typically in a narrow range; therefore, input of N is essential to increase C sequestration and maintain the soil C:N ratio. Additional ES provided by forage legumes include enhanced efficiency of nutrient cycling, improved pollinator habitat, medicine/food for humans, timber, wildlife habitat, and shade for livestock (tree legumes). There are options of herbaceous and arboreal legumes, as well as annuals and perennials. In temperate regions, herbaceous legumes are used widely (e.g., Medicago sp, Trifolium sp.) while arboreal legumes are often found in tropical regions. There are a few options of herbaceous perennial warm-climate legumes, and some of them are still underexploited (e.g. Arachis pintoi, Arachis glabrata). Documented examples of forage legumes increasing livestock productivity are available in different regions of the world, and recent progress has been made in developing and managing forage legume germplasm adapted to biotic and abiotic stresses in tropical America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Learning past lessons and applying the knowledge to shape the future is essential to achieve SI of livestock systems

Warm-Season Legumes – Challenges and Constraints to Adapting Warm-Season Legumes to Transition Zone Climates with Examples from \u3ci\u3eArachis\u3c/i\u3e

Grass pastures in monoculture are the predominant system in transition zone climates, where warm-season perennial grasses are usually cultivated. Mixed grass-legume pastures are worldwide recognized for having advantages over pure stands, including pasture longevity, N input from biological fixation, efficient nutrient cycling, and greater animal production. The genus Arachis encompasses important and successful warm-season forage legume species cultivated in mixed pastures or in pure stands. Arachis pintoi and Arachis glabrata are potential tropical forage species that can be used in transition zone climates. Mixed pastures with these legumes have been shown to be resilient systems, able to withstand short-term perturbations, like pests, diseases, drought, or flooding. Wide adoption of A. glabrata is constrained by its high cost and slow establishment period. This species has low potential to produce seeds, and rhizomes are required for propagation. Although great seed production is verified in some A. pintoi genotypes, vegetative propagation is also most often used, since seeds are produced underground, and a large-scale commercial seed production depends on the development of an efficient seed harvester. Developing new cultivars with persistent link between seed and peg is a great challenge for breeders. A. pintoi spreads faster than A. glabrata in tropical regions, and the genetic variability for lateral expansion and ground cover in mixed stands must be better understood in humid subtropical climates. The evaluation of Arachis wild germplasm has already shown genetic variability for traits of interest for use in mixed pastures. Studies have also shown that there is genotype x environment interaction considering tropical and subtropical climates. The greatest chances of success in obtaining more adapted, productive, and faster establishing Arachis cultivars for transition zone climates seems to be no longer in the identification of superior wild accessions but in the hybridization and selection through specific breeding programs

Nutrient Movements through Ruminant Livestock Production Systems

Considerable attention has been paid to reducing nutrient emissions from ruminant livestock in the last few decades. This area will continue to attract considerable research in the future due to increasing farm sizes in some developed countries as well as the increasing demand for meat and dairy products, particularly in developing countries. This paper discusses the deposition and losses of carbon and nitrogen in soils and plants in grazed and harvested forage systems as well as utilization and losses of both nutrients by ruminants in both systems. The paper also outlines several soil, plant, and animal-focused strategies that can be used to reduce carbon and nitrogen losses from ruminant livestock systems. These strategies will become increasingly important due to the need to feed the growing population of the world while reducing environmental pollution from ruminant livestock systems

Pastos e manejo do pastejo de áreas dependentes de chuva.

Sistemas pecuários de produção em condições de sequeiro. Manipulação da vegetação da caatinga para exploração pecuária. Caatinga rebaixada. Caatinga raleada. Caatinga rebaixada-raleada. Caatinga enriquecida. Caatinga desmatada. Sugestões de modelos de exploração e de tecnologias com potencial para manter a sustentabilidade da produção agropecuária. Sistemas sem uso da caatinga e com espécies forrageiras cultivadas. Sistemas com uso da caatinga para produção animal. Sistemas com uso da caatinga para produção animal. Espécies de forrageiras apropriadas para exploração em áreas de sequeiro

Nutritive Composition and \u3ci\u3eIn Vitro\u3c/i\u3e Dry Matter Digestibility of the Most Browsed Forage Species by Lactating Camels

Camels are both grazers and browsers of a broad spectrum of forages. The objective of this study was to identify and to determine the chemical composition of the most preferred forage species by lactating Somali camels in Laikipia County, Kenya. Lactating Somali camels and their calves were observed during the wet and dry seasons while browsing for a period of two weeks. The forage species were ranked based on the bite count. The most browsed forages identified through observation were sampled for identification by the local and scientific names and laboratory analysis. They were analyzed for proximate composition, detergent fiber fractions, and in vitro dry matter digestibility. The most browsed forage species were Acacia nubica, Acacia seyal, Cucumis aculeatus, Euclea divinorum, Hibiscus parrifolia in the wet season and Barleria acanthoides, Balanites aegyptiaca, Cynodon dactycon, Lycium europium, Pollichia campestris in the dry season. Shrubs constituted 60%, trees 30%, and grasses 10% of the most preferred forage species. The preferred browsed species had high crude protein (7.1±0.4 to 25.7±1.2%) and low neutral detergent fiber concentrations (29.1±2.7 to 74.0±7%). The results of the study show camels fed on different types of forage species and that the forage nutritive value affected the selection

New Insights for Benefit of Legume Inclusion in Grazing Systems

The benefits and challenges of legume inclusion in grazing systems have been well documented over time and across different regions. Recent investigations have provided novel insights into the benefits of legume inclusion in grazing systems. Our objective is not to provide a wide overview of the benefits of legume inclusion but to explore novel insights of recent advancements made from studies evaluating legume inclusion in grazing systems. Efficiency of resource use through legume inclusion in grazing systems can reduce the water footprint associated with beef production through improvements in forage nutritive value and animal performance. These efficiencies also translate into improvements in nutrient cycling and nutrient transfer, which are critical for sustaining productivity of grazing systems. Moreover, evidence exists highlighting the importance of root contact between grasses and legumes for sharing N. Provisioning of floral resources from legumes has also been shown to be important for providing habitat for pollinator species. Lastly, soil microbial abundance of microorganisms associated with N2 fixation can be altered according to species present within a pasture, especially when legumes are present. Insights derived from such recent studies continue to provide evidence for the need to continue to develop legume-based grazing agroecosystems

Enhancing Milk Production of Lactating Camels in Kenya via Supplementation of the Invasive Cactus (\u3ci\u3eOpuntia stricta\u3c/i\u3e) In the Diet

Climate change leading to prolonged and recurrent droughts, changes in land use, primarily settlement of pastoralists, followed by overgrazing and subsequent land degradation, has made the highly drought resistant opuntia flourish and be aggressively invasive in the Kenya’s rangelands. Camel keeping has increasingly replaced cattle as a climate adaptation strategy and also as a result of a steady increase in demand for camel milk due to the associated nutritional and health benefits,To address the challenge of lack of pasture during prolonged drought, there is the need to utilize the invasive cactus as fodder. The invasive cactus can be a kind of \u27Drought-Insurance\u27 in these regions due to its ability to retain its nutrition and productivity in water deficit conditions. This study reports on the incorporation of the invasive cactus together with a protein source in increasing the milk yield of lactating camels in one of the semi-arid land regions of Kenya

Weed Management Affects Pasture Productivity and Animal Performance

Weed can be defined as any plant growing in undesirable locations. Weeds are considered one of the main challenges in agricultural fields. Weeds affect pasture productivity mainly because of the competition for limited resources such as nutrients, water, and light with forage plants. Weeds encroach pastures spontaneously and spread quickly through the farm and neighboring areas, making their control difficult. In addition, weeds can affect forage nutritive value, grazing behaviour, voluntary forage intake, animal health, and consequently animal performance. The low efficiency of mechanical weeding and the global concern about indiscriminate use of herbicides impose challenges for producers in grazing systems. These factors justify the importance of proper weed management to minimize financial losses and environmental impacts and drive the research effort in this area. Currently, some strategies including grazing management, grass and legumes integration, and site-specific weed spraying have demonstrated potential to improve the efficiency of weed supression and increase the productivity and profitability of livestock systems. This review aims to discuss about the main effects of weed encroachment in grasslands regarding pasture productivity and animal performance, as well as emphasize potential strategies for weed management

Characterisation of Soil Organic Matter from Pensacola Bahiagrass Pastures Grazed for Four Years at Different Management Intensities

Soil fertility and agricultural system sustainability depend upon soil organic matter (SOM), particularly in the tropics, because of highly weathered soils and low fertiliser inputs. Because of the beneficial effects of SOM on chemical, physical, and biological soil properties, Greenland (1994) suggested that SOM is an indicator of agro-ecosystem sustainability. Pasture management may affect SOM by altering the production/decomposition ratio of residues (Johnson, 1995). The objective of this study was to characterise the SOM of Pensacola bahiagrass pastures grazed for four years at a range of management intensities

Herbage Responses and Performance of Mature Horses Grazing Warm-Season Perennial Grass-Legume Mixed Pastures

Legume-grass mixtures may be a useful alternative to nitrogen-fertilized grass monocultures, but pasture and animal responses have not been assessed for pastures grazed by horses in Florida. This 2-yr study compared pasture and horse responses of continuously stocked, mixed pastures of rhizoma peanut (RP, Arachis glabrata Benth) and bahiagrass (BG, Paspalum notatum Flüggé) receiving 30 kg nitrogen (N)/ha (RP-BG) compared with BG pastures fertilized with 120 kg/N ha (BG-N) or with no N (BG-No N). Herbage mass was similar among treatments in 2020 and for most evaluation days in 2019. In 2019, stocking rate (AU/ha) was greater in BG-N (3.9) than in RP-BG (3.7) and BG-No N (3.1). In 2020, BG-No N (2.6) had the lesser stocking rate compared with BG-N (2.9) and RP-BG (2.9), with RP-BG not differing from BG-N. Herbage crude protein (CP) and digestible energy were similar across treatments in 2020, but they were greater for BG-N and RP-BG than BG-No N at some evaluation days in 2019. Except for CP, treatment did not affect nutrient digestibility by horses. Digestibility of CP was greatest for RP-BG in the late season. In the RP-BG treatment, proportion of RP in the pasture (~29%) was not affected by sampling date, and RP comprised 18.4% of the diet. Nonetheless, no differences were observed among treatments for body weight and condition score. The results indicate that intercropping legumes into warm-season perennial pastures can improve some measures of nutritive value and maintain horses’ body condition with similar stocking rate as N-fertilized bahiagrass pastures, while contributing to development of sustainable grazing systems for horses with reduced off-farm nitrogen inputs