Forage Quality and the Environment

The influence of environmental factors on forage quality of temperate and tropical grasses has been reviewed by several authors, who summarized how light, temperature, drought and soil nutrients influence chemical composition, and digestibility of forages grown in contrasting areas of the world. The effects of season of the year on forage growth, grazing behavior and animal performance have also been the subject of numerous papers and reviews. However, there are few recent reviews that summarize how changes in climatic and edaphic factors influence forage quality of legumes with variable levels of condensed tannins (CT), which are important secondary compounds in some temperate and tropical legume species adapted to acid infertile soils. In this paper we summarize properties of CT and their positive and negative effects on forage quality of legumes. We also review published work on the effect of temperature, drought, CO2 concentration, season of the year and soil fertility on the accumulation of CT in temperate and tropical legumes. Results from experiments under controlled conditions indicate that high temperature alone can significantly increase the accumulation of CT in some temperate legume species (i.e. Lotus pedunculatus) but not in others (i.e. L. corniculatus). However, the effect of low or high temperature on accumulation of CT is considerably greater when accompanied with other environmental factors such as drought, high CO2 concentration and soil nutrient deficiencies. Soil nutrient deficiencies can have a major effect on elevation of CT concentration and overall feed value of temperate and tropical legumes, but only when deficiencies are such that they affect plant growth. Soil fertility and climatic conditions affect not only the concentration of CT but also their monomer composition and MW (molecular weight), as was observed in a tropical legume species well adapted to acid infertile soils. The nutritional significance of these findings are not all that well understood, but it would seem that CT in forage legumes are not a uniform chemical entity given that they can change with edaphic and climatic factors. Finally we suggest that there is a need to investigate alternatives to enhance the feed value of legumes with tannins adapted to acid soils through selection of genotypes with less CT and /or through manipulation of environmental factors such as soil fertility. For this we need to better understand how edaphic and climatic factors affect not only accumulation of CT but also their chemical structure and biological activity and relate these changes to forage intake, digestibility, N utilization, and, ultimately, to performance of ruminant animals

Adoption of \u3ci\u3eBrachiaria\u3c/i\u3e Grasses in Mexico and Central America: A Successful Story

In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) there has been a major effort to develop new pastures technologies, to increase livestock productivity for the extensive systems prevailing in the tropical lowlands. This multi-national and inter-institutional effort was initiated through the International Network for the Evaluation of Tropical Pastures (RIEPT, by its name in Spanish), which operated from 1976 to 1996 under CIAT leadership. This network became a platform for institutions to train technicians, share forage material from existing gene banks, study the behaviour of new germplasm under different environments, and established the exchange of scientific information to extrapolate research results (Toledo, 1982). Six hundred and forty five agronomists from 24 countries in LAC were trained by RIEPT, in subjects related to forage agronomy and pasture evaluation. Training was key for the success of RIEPT, because these professionals carried out evaluations of new and improved forages under contrasting ecosystems and provided feedback. In addition, during this period participating institutions in RIEPT released 11 selected grasses as commercial cultivars, most of them from the Brachiaria genus, as well as 16 forage legume cultivars (CIAT, 2003). In Central America and Mexico these cultivars were released between 1990 and 1996. Forage evaluation activities in this region continues at present through a joint research agenda between CIAT and ILRI, as well as between CIAT and the private seed sector. Of all pasture cultivars released; grasses from the Brachiaria genus currently dominate the market – accounting for approximately 84% of all grass seed sales in Mexico and Honduras, 90% in Nicaragua, 85% in Costa Rica, and 97% in Panama during the last 5 years (Holmann et al., 2004). The objective of this paper is to estimate the impact of the adoption of Brachiaria grasses released through RIEPT during the period 1990-2003 on milk and beef production and to describe how this was achieved

Evaluation of \u3ci\u3ePaspalum\u3c/i\u3e spp. with Adaptation to Poorly Drained Soils in the Tropical Americas

A collection of Paspalum accessions obtained from Brazil was tested for their adaptation to poorly drained soils. Three accessions were selected based on their DM production and nutritive value. Productivity and quality of these three accessions was stable over the periods of maximum and minimum rainfall, giving potential for continuous forage supply throughout the year in the tropical Americas. Grazing trials for the selected accessions are underway

Condensed Tannins in Tropical Legumes: Concentration, Astringency and Effects on the Nutrition of Ruminants

A feeding trial was carried out to determine the effect of extractable condensed tannins (ECT) concentration and tannin astringency in tropical legumes on nitrogen (N) digestion by sheep. Test legumes were Desmodium ovalifolium (Do) and Flemingia macrophylla (Fm) which had similar concentrations of Extractable CT (9% DM) but tannins with different degree of astringency (Do, 0.6 and Fm, 0.3 g protein bound/g of ECT). Chopped sun-dried forage of each legume was sprayed with either water (control) or polyethylene glycol (PEG, 3.5% DM) to reduce ECT and fed to 8 sheep with ruminal and duodenal canulas arranged in a replicated 4 x 4 Latin Square changeover design. Greater (P\u3c0.05) N flow to duodenum, and fecal N were observed with Fm than with Do. Estimates of escape N were similar (58 to 61%) for both legumes. Reduction of ECT with PEG in both legumes (9.0-9.4 to 4.7-5.4%) resulted in lower (P\u3c0.05) proportion of N reaching the duodenum. Results indicate that concentration of ECT had a greater effect on N digestion by sheep than tannin astringency

Validation of Arachis pintoi as a Forage Legume in Commercial Dual Purpose Cattle Farms in Forest Margins of Colombia

An on-farm pilot project was initiated in the Andean piedmont of the Amazon basin in Caquetá, Colombia to determine the contribution of the forage peanut Arachis pintoi (CIAT 17434) introduced in degraded pastures to animal production and soil improvement. Early results show that milk production in dual purpose cattle farms can be increased by 20% with A. pintoi-based pastures. However, to enhance adoption of the legume by farmers there is a need to make adjustments on pasture management and assure supply of high quality seed in the region

The Use of Cafeteria Trials for the Selection of \u3ci\u3eDesmodium ovalifolium\u3c/i\u3e Genotypes

For the selection of tropical legumes which contain anti-nutritive components such as tannins, relative acceptability of genotypes to ruminants is of particular importance, since these plant components may influence selective grazing behaviour and subsequent animal productivity. Plant-animal interactions are not predictable from laboratory analyses. Involving grazing animals through the conduction of relative-acceptability (=cafeteria) trials at early stages of the germplasm selection process might therefore provide a convenient tool to adjust and confirm genotype selection based on laboratory quality analyses data. As part of a multilocational germplasm evaluation project, cafeteria-experiments were conducted at two contrasting environments in Colombia with a core collection of Desmodium ovalifolium, a tropical legume species containing tannins. The objective of these experiments was to assess the usefulness of such acceptability trials in the selection of D. ovalifolium genotypes. Relative acceptability indices for the 18 accessions confirm genotype selection based on a series of laboratory quality analyses during earlier stages of the project and indicate pronounced genotype-environment interactions. Moreover, animal activity profiles confirm the influence of plant-environment-animal interactions and thus the usefulness of cafeteriatrials for germplasm selection projects

Identificação e composição química de espécies de invasoras consumidas por bovinos em pastagens cultivadas em Paragominas, Pará.

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Effect of the tropical tannin-rich shrub legumes Calliandra calothyrsus and Flemingia macrophylla on methane emission and nitrogen and energy balance in growing lambs

The objective of this study was to test whether the use of tannin-rich shrub legume forage is advantageous for methane mitigation and metabolic protein supply at unchanged energy supply when supplemented in combination with tannin-free legumes to sheep. In a 6 × 6 Latin-square design, foliage of two tannin-rich shrub legume species (Calliandra calothyrsus and Flemingia macrophylla) were used to replace either 1/3 or 2/3, respectively, of a herbaceous high-quality legume (Vigna unguiculata) in a diet composed of the tropical grass Brachiaria brizantha and Vigna in a ratio of 0.55 : 0.45. A Brachiaria-only diet served as the negative control. Each experimental period lasted for 28 days, with week 3 serving for balance measurement and data collection inclusive of a 2-day stay of the sheep in open-circuit respiration chambers for measurement of gaseous exchange. While Vigna supplementation improved protein and energy utilisation, the response to the partial replacement with tannin-rich legumes was less clear. The apparent total tract digestibilities of organic matter, NDF and ADF were reduced when the tannin-rich plants partially replaced Vigna, and the dose-response relationships were mainly linear. The tannin-rich plants caused the expected redistribution of more faecal N in relation to urinary N. While Flemingia addition still led to a net body N retention, even when fed at the higher proportion, adding higher amounts of Calliandra resulted in body protein mobilisation in the growing lambs. With respect to energy, supplementation of Vigna alone improved utilisation, while this effect was absent when a tannin-rich plant was added. The inclusion of the tannin-rich plants reduced methane emission per day and per unit of feed and energy intake by up to 24% relative to the Vigna-only-supplemented diet, but this seems to have been mostly the result of a reduced organic matter and fibre digestion. In conclusion, Calliandra seems less apt as protein supplement for ruminants while Flemingia could partially replace a high-quality legume in tropical livestock systems. However, methane mitigation would be small due to associated reductions in N and energy retentio

The Effects of Cultivation Site on Forage Quality of Calliandra calothyrsus var. Patulul

An in vitro experiment was performed to compare the forage quality of foliage of Calliandra (Calliandra calothyrsus Meissner var. Patulul) cultivated on either low or medium-fertility soils in Colombia and Kenya, respectively. A grass-alone diet, with and without urea supplementation, and five legume-supplemented diets (1/3 of dietary dry matter) were tested with the rumen simulation technique (Rusitec) (n=4). The legume supplements consisted of Cratylia (Cratylia argentea), Calliandra from Colombia or Kenya, or 1:1 mixtures of Cratylia with Calliandra Colombia or Kenya. The tannin content of Calliandra Colombia was almost twice as high as that of Calliandra Kenya. Supplementation with urea or Cratylia alone, but not with Calliandra alone, increased ammonia concentration in the fermenter fluid. Unlike Calliandra Colombia, Calliandra Kenya in mixture with Cratylia increased ammonia concentration. The apparent degradation of organic matter increased with all types of supplementation, except with Calliandra Colombia alone. Although the foliage of Calliandra from the two cultivation sites had similar contents of organic matter, crude protein and neutral detergent fibre, they differed in␣nearly all fermentation properties. The material from Kenya showed a higher apparent nutrient degradability. These results indicate that C. calothyrsus var. Patulul cultivated at the Kenyan site had a clearly higher forage quality than foliage from the same variety cultivated in Colombia. However, both materials had a much lower forage quality than Cratylia. The Cratylia-related effects on ruminal fermentation were mainly the results of an increased supply of fermentable nitrogenous compounds as was obvious from the comparison with the urea-supplemented gras

Basal and Frontal Accretion Processes versus BSR Characteristics along the Chilean Margin

Multichannel seismic reflection data recorded between Itata (36°S) and Coyhaique offshores (43°S) were processed to obtain seismic images. Analysis of the seismic profiles revealed that weak and discontinuous bottom simulating reflectors were associated to basal accretion processes, while strong and continuous bottom simulating reflectors were associated to frontal accretion processes. This can be explained considering that during basal accretion processes, extensional tectonic movements due to uplifting can favour fluid escapes giving origin to weaker and most discontinuous bottom simulating reflectors. During frontal accretion processes (folding and thrusting), high fluid circulation and stable tectonic conditions however can be responsible of stronger and most continuous bottom simulating reflectors. Along the Arauco-Valdivia offshores, steep accretionary prisms, normal faults, slope basins, and thicker underplated sediment bed were associated to basal accretion, while along the Itata, Chiloe and Coyhaique offshores, small accretionary prisms, folding, and thinner underplated sediment bed were associated to frontal accretion