Coimbatore 3 (CO3 - \u3cem\u3ePennisetum perpureum\u3c/em\u3e X \u3cem\u3ePennisetum americarnum\u3c/em\u3e) Grass as an Intercrop under Coconut (\u3cem\u3eCocos nucifera\u3c/em\u3e)

The effect of cultivation of Coimbatore 3 (CO3; Pennisetum perpureum x Pennisetum americarnum) grass under coconut has not been researched in Sri Lanka. We examined the effect of different levels of nitrogen fertilizer and the spread of CO3 roots in the soil. CO3 root slips were cultivated under coconut in two rows with 1x2 m within and between row spacing in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replicates. Treatments were four Nitrogen (N) levels- 0, 14, 21 and 35 kg N/ha/year. There were sixteen effective palms per treatment. CO3 bushes were harvested at 15 cm height from ground level at 6 monthly intervals. Application of 21 and 35 kg of N/ha/year gave the highest (P \u3e 0.05) dry matter yield (DM) of 216 and 225 kg per ha per year respectively compared to other treatments. An average nut yield of 55, 53 and 56 nuts per tree per year were observed in plots receiving 14, 21 and 35 kg N/ha/year respectively. CO3 roots were spread in an area of 0.94 m (width) and 0.65 m (depth). Application of 21 kg of N/ha/year was determined as the best rate of nitrogen to be applied after each pruning of CO3 cultivated under coconut. It is advisable to cultivate only 3 rows of CO3 within a coconut square to avoid CO3 roots invading into the manure circle of the coconut palm

Plantain (\u3cem\u3ePlantago lanceolata\u3c/em\u3e) in Herb and Legume Pastures Increases Lamb Growth Relative to Perennial Ryegrass and White Clover Pasture

Increased use of plantain (Plantago lanceolata) by New Zealand farmers has created a demand for a more complete understanding of the performance and manage-ment of plantain by itself and in various combinations with chicory (Cichorium intybus) and legumes such as white clover (Trifolium repens) and red clover (T. pratense). The objective of this study was to evaluate lamb finishing on plantain by itself and combined with chicory, white and red clover as part of a research programme to develop a temperate perennial pasture superior in animal performance to perennial ryegrass and white clover pasture for sheep production systems (Kemp et al. 2010)

Feeding Patterns and Milk Production of Small-Scale Dairy Farmers under Semi-Intensive and Extensive Cattle Management Systems in Sri Lanka

The main objective of the present study was to determine the feeding pattern and milk production of small-scale dairy farmers under semi-intensive and extensive management systems in the intermediate zone of Sri Lanka. This region is sandwiched between the Wet and Dry Zones, receives a mean annual rainfall of 1750-2500 mm, and covers an area of about 1.2 million ha. A survey was conducted with 60 farmers and data on their herd size, herd composition and breeds, management system, breeding method, milk production, feeding costs and returns of raising animals were collected. The results indicated that the majority of farmers conducted dairying as a part-time business in both semi-intensive (80%) and extensive (66%) management systems in the study area. The highest (P \u3c 0.05) average herd size was observed under semi-intensive systems (3.7 animal units (AU)), compared to extensive systems (2.7 AU). The farmers under the semi-intensive system maintained better feeding levels compared with the extensive system. The majority of farmers in the area depended on tethering and stall feeding as their main source of animal feed. Grasses grown on roadsides, paddy fields, neighbours’ land, government estates and tree leaves were the main feed resources available for both management systems. Rice (Oriza sativa) bran and coconut (Cocos nucifera) poonac were the main concentrate feed ingredients in the study area. Jersey crosses were the most popular dairy animals among semi-intensively managed farms, whereas Sahiwal crosses were most popular in extensive management systems. The average milk production under extensive systems was significantly lower (P \u3c 0.01) at 3.9 l/AU/day, compared to 5.4 l/AU/day under semi-intensive systems. Semi-intensive management systems also had the highest average monthly return per AU

Seasonal Influence on Botanical Composition of Plantain, Chicory, White- and Red-Clover Based Herbage Mixes

Use of herb based sward mixes that are productive in different weather conditions could be an effective option to provide feed requirements for finishing lambs year round compared to ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)/white clover (Trifolium repens L.) sward in New Zealand (Kemp et al., 2010). Herbs such as plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) and chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) and the legumes such as white clover and red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) as pure swards are known to improve lamb performance compared to ryegrass/white clover. Therefore, there is scope to have herb-clover mixes to enhance post-weaning lamb performance. However, one significant limitation in the use of these herbages is the seasonality of their production. A further issue could be their persistence and poor winter growth (Moloney and Milne, 1993). Botanical composition of a sward mix changes depending on the grazing management system. Herbs such as plantain and chicory are susceptible to winter grazing and treading damage affecting their proportion in a sward mix. A sward’s botanical composition (legumes or grasses, leaf or stem materials, dead matter or weeds) and morphological composition (growth in different seasons), would likely affect the nutrient composition and lamb production (Lambert and Litherland, 2000). Therefore, it is essential to observe potential changes within and across seasons of the botanical composition in herb clover sward mixes

Herb and Clover Mixes Increase Average Daily Gain (ADG) of Finishing Lambs in Different Seasons

Approximately half of the usable land area in New Zealand is under grasslands (Saggar 2001). Production of lamb meat is seasonal in New Zealand (Fisher 2004) with the majority of lambs born in the spring and slaughtered in late summer and autumn depending on the international demand (Clemens and Babcock 2004) and pasture growth pattern. Finishing lambs outside this window using high quality pastures would help to facilitate a continuous supply of meat to the domestic and international markets. Charlton and Belgrave (1992) and Kemp et al. (2010) reported that the use of herb-clover mixes instead of perennial ryegrass/white clover swards would facilitate finishing lambs to a high carcass weight or in a shorter time period. Therefore, a research was undertaken in four different seasons: early spring, late spring, summer and autumn during 2011/2012 with the hypothesis that the average daily gain (ADG) and average live weight per ha per day of finishing lambs would be greater in herb-clover mixes than on a perennial ryegrass/white clover sward

Net Herbage Accumulation Rate (NHAR) of Plantain and Chicory Based Sward Mixes

The managed grasslands of New Zealand have a range of forage species comprising grasses and legumes that can be grown and utilised in a wide range of conditions (Saggar et al., 2007). Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and white clover (Trifolium repens) are the dominant grass and legume species found in these grasslands (Hodgson et al., 2005; Waghorn and Clark, 2004). Annual pasture production is affected by the soil moisture status, nutrient levels and temperatures (Valantine and Kemp, 2007). Therefore, monthly pasture production can vary from year to year. Net herbage accumulation rate (NHAR) is a measurement of pasture production (Valantine and Kemp, 2007). Net herbage accumulation rate can be used to help with livestock management by determining the carrying capacity of the land. Alternative forages such as plantain (Plantago lanceolata) and chicory (Cichorium intybus) are becoming popular in New Zealand. Kemp et al., (2010) suggested that farmers could achieve „marketable target weight‟ of lambs sooner by feeding a herb and legume mix consisted of plantain, chicory, white clover (Trifolium repens) and red clover (Trifolium pratense) compared to a ryegrass/white clover pasture. However, a significant potential limitation in the use of these herbages is the seasonality of their production. There is a dearth of knowledge on NHAR of these herb-clover mixes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine NHAR and NHAR curves for plantain and chicory based sward mixes

Effect of herb-clover mixes on weaned lamb growth : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science at Massey University, Palerston North, New Zealand

The quality and production of ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) /white clover (Trifolium repens) pastures are seasonal in New Zealand. Earlier research showed that a sward mix of plantain (Plantago lanceolata), chicory (Cichorium intybus L.), white- and red-clover (Trifolium pratense) resulted in greater lamb live weight gains in the late summer early autumn period. However, this has not been tested across all the seasons in New Zealand. Therefore, research was undertaken for two consecutive years (2011/2012 and 2012/2013) on three sward mixes; Pasture mix, Plantain mix and Chicory mix in early spring, late spring and early summer (late spring), summer and autumn. The Pasture mix consisted of perennial ryegrass and white clover. The Plantain mix consisted of plantain, white- and red-clover. The Chicory mix consisted of plantain, chicory, white- and red-clover. It was hypothesised that lamb performance (live weight, live weight gain (LWG) and carcass weight) and apparent carcass weight production per ha would be greatest in the Plantain and Chicory mixes in all four periods. Secondly it was hypothesised that Plantain and Chicory mixes would have lower feed conversion ratios (FCR) with higher herbage utilization efficiencies (EHU%) than the Pasture mix. In each period weaned lambs were reared in the three herbage treatments for a maximum of two months. Lambs were weighed fortnightly and they were slaughtered within 12 hours of being off the pasture at the end of the experiment. Carcass weights were obtained from the abattoir. The Plantain and Chicory mixes had a higher feeding value than the Pasture mix during early spring to autumn. Both Plantain and Chicory mixes produced heavier (P<0.05) lambs, higher (P<0.05) live weight gains (LWG) and carcass weights compared to the Pasture mix in all periods. Total apparent carcass weight production per ha were 407, 748 and 709 kg/ha in year one and 474, 607 and 642 kg/ha in year two in the Pasture mix, Plantain mix and Chicory mix, respectively. Both Plantain and Chicory mixes had lower (P<0.05) feed conversion ratios (FCR) and higher (P<0.05) herbage utilization efficiencies (EHU%) compared to the Pasture mix. This research has shown that sheep farmers in New Zealand can finish lambs at a faster rate for heavier carcasses using herb-clover mixes from spring to autumn than on ryegrass/white clover pastures

Selection by Lambs Grazing Plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.), Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.), White Clover (Trifolium repens L.), Red Clover (Trifolium pratense L.) and Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) across Seasons

Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) and chicory (Cichorium intybus) are now widely used in combination with clover species to provide greater annual lamb live weight gains than perennial ryegrass and white clover pasture. Reported selective grazing of the species in herb-clover mixes could potentially detrimentally change the relative abundance of species and decrease lamb production. Lambs were offered three herbage treatments: Pasture (perennial ryegrass and white clover) mix, plantain (plantain, red clover and white clover) mix and a chicory (chicory, plantain, red clover and white clover) mix in each of four seasons for two years. The experiment was a randomized complete block design with three replicates with 18&ndash;30 lambs per treatment replicate depending on the season. Lambs were rotationally grazed and fed ad libitum. Selection by the lambs of individually tagged plants within the pasture treatments was observed for three days on two occasions per season. Red clover was the most selected species on day 1, but by day 3 there was no difference in the selection of the species (p &lt; 0.05). Plantain and chicory in the plantain and chicory mixes were selected less on day 1 in autumn relative to the other seasons (p &lt; 0.05). It was concluded that three days of grazing before moving lambs maintained the relative abundance of species in the herb-clover mixes

Effect of TMR Briquettes on Milk Production, Nutrient Digestibility, and Manure Excretions of Dairy Cows in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka

We showed previously that TMR briquettes made with a variety of forages and industrial by-products had higher crude protein and energy concentrations than the conventional diet including fresh-cut Guinea grass and commercial cattle pellet (CTL). The study objective was to determine to what extent the nutritional advantages of TMR briquettes would be translated into the milk production of dairy cows in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. Nine Jersey × Sahiwal cows were assigned to CTL or two TMR briquettes in a 3 × 3 Latin square design with three periods each including 14 d for production measurement and 7 d for total faeces and urine collection. The TMR briquettes tended to increase milk yield (5.55 to 6.59 kg/d, p = 0.092), milk protein yield (0.170 vs. 0.203 kg/d, p = 0.091) and DMI (6.50 to 7.16 kg/d, p = 0.070), and decreased milk urea nitrogen (13.0 to 10.5 mg/dL, p p p = 0.149). In conclusion, the TMR briquettes can improve forage digestibility, milk production and environmental sustainability of dairy cows in the dry zone of Sri Lanka