QTL Analysis of Mineral Content and Grass Tetany Potential in \u3cem\u3eLeymus\u3c/em\u3e Wildryes

Grass tetany is a metabolic ailment in ruminants, occurring when animals graze rapidly growing C3 grasses with a K/(Mg+Ca) ratio (KRAT) greater than 2.2. High KRAT values have been documented in several forage grasses including diploid Russian wildrye (Jefferson et al., 2001). The objective of this experiment was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling KRAT in allotetraploid wildryes

Border Effects on Cattle Grazing Preference

The objective was to examine the effect of row position on cattle grazing preference. Grazing preference of eight tall fescues [Festuca arundinacea (Schreb.)] was evaluated by ocular preference scores at 30 hr (PS30) and 48 hr (PS48). Six rows of a cultivar—numbered consecutively within each plot from left to right—formed one plot. Rows 1&6 were on the outside edges of the plot and rows 3&4 were in the middle. Within a replication, rows 1 and 6 were adjacent to rows 6 and 1 of adjacent plots, respectively. During the first year, row position was not a significant effect. However, in the second year, preference for middle rows was significantly higher than the outer pairs of rows—rows 2&5 and 1&6. This could have been a result of the animals’ ability to distinguish preferred cultivars in the middle of the plot because of more distinct olfactory and visual cues. Row position was important in experimental design because of an interaction with animal behaviour

How well do we currently care for our dying patients in acute hospitals: the views of the bereaved relatives?

Background The National Care of the Dying Audit—Hospitals (NCDAH) is used as a method to evaluate care for dying patients in England. An additional component to the 2013/2014 audit was the Local Survey of Bereaved Relatives Views using the ‘Care Of the Dying Evaluation’ (CODE) questionnaire. Aim Within the context of the NCDAH audit, to evaluate quality of care provided to dying patients and their families in acute hospitals from the perspective of bereaved relatives. Design Postbereavement survey to bereaved relatives. Setting/participants For acute hospitals wishing to participate, consecutive ‘expected’ adult deaths occurring between 1 May and 30 June 2013 were identified and the CODE questionnaire was sent to the next-of-kin. Results From 3414 eligible next-of-kin, 95 (2.8%) were excluded due to being involved in a complaint procedure and 1006 (29.5%) due to insufficient next-of-kin details. From the remaining 2313 potential participants, 858 returned a completed CODE questionnaire (37.1% response rate). Generally, symptoms were perceived to be well controlled with 769 (91%) participants reporting that either no pain was present or only there ‘some of the time’. Unmet information needs, however, was a recognised area for improvement, for example, 230 (29%) reporting having a discussion about hydration would have been beneficial. Conclusions Adopting a postbereavement survey to NCDAH appears to be feasible, acceptable and a valuable addition. On the whole, the majority of participants reported good or excellent care. A small but significant minority, however, perceived poor quality of patient care with clear and timely communication urgently needed

Near Infra-Red Measurement of Nonstructural Carbohydrates in Alfalfa Hay

Recently documented benefits from afternoon versus morning cut forage have encouraged laboratory reporting of total nonstructural carbohydrate (TNC) values as part of forage quality testing. Our objective was to determine if infra-red spectroscopy (NIRS), which is being used in many forage testing labs, could be reliably used to quantify forage sugars in hay samples. We used two alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) sample populations that were analyzed by wet chemistry for sugars and scanned by NIRS. The first set consisted of field-dried hay samples that were oven dried at 70oC and the second consisted of fresh, freeze-dried samples. TNC values were determined more precisely with NIRS than by wet chemistry

Herbivore Preference for Afternoon- and Morning-Cut Forages and Adoption of Cutting Management Strategies

Photosynthesizing forage plants accumulate total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC) during daylight, but then TNC concentrations are reduced during the night. Afternoon-cut forage (PM) has greater TNC value and thus economic value, than morning-cut (AM). Livestock prefer PM-cut hay and this can be readily demonstrated by offering animals a choice of hays cut in PM and AM. Alfalfa growers in the western United States are readily adopting PM-cutting technology to increase profits

Effects of a Fall Wildfire on Herbaceous Vegetation on Xeric Sites in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Idaho

Trends in productivity and mineral content of herbaceous vegetation in Ponderosa pine and montane grassland over a 4-year period are reported. Dry matter production on burned areas was 1.4, 1.3, 2.2 and 1.6 times that on unburned sites in the four successive years following the fire. Annual forbs and annual grasses contributed 56% of total dry matter the first year following fire. Perennial forbs contributed 40, 75, 75, and 77% of dry matter on the burned sites in successive years following the fire, compared with 66% on the unburned site. Herbage mineral concentrations did not change appreciably following fire, although low values for nitrogen and potassium were apparent in the first year

Performance of high-magnesium cultivars of three cool-season grasses grown in nutrient solution culture

Breeding for high magnesium (Mg) concentrations pas been conducted for several forage species. Mgwell, Magnet, and HiMag are the first experimental strains, bred for increased Mg concentrations of orchardgrass, Italian ryegrass, and tall fescue, respectively. This experiment compared the performance and genetic variability of these high-Mg cultivars grown in solution culture with other cultivars in each species. Three mineral absorption experiments were carried, out with one month aged seedlings. Seedlings were evaluated for shoot dry weight, uptake and concentration of Mg, calcium (Ca), and potassium (K), and also the density of these minerals in the shoot. The cultivars of different species behaved differently among the experiments even though the over all environmental condition was kept similar. The high-Mg cultivars showed higher Mg uptake per plant, but the differences were not so distinct. However, the trend in Mg concentration among the cultivars of different species was similar, and the difference between high-Mg cultivars and control cultivars was distinct. The Mg density in the shoot of these cultivars was significantly high. Also the high-Mg cultivars showed lower equivalent ratio, K/(Ca+Mg). Genotypic differences in high-Mg cultivars with others could be distinctly explained by differences in Mg concentration and Mg density in the shoot, which coupled with low K/(Ca + Mg) ratio. These common properties of high-Mg cultivars might be considered as a good parameter for screening

Nitrogen Efects on Crested Wheatgrass as Related to Forage Quality Indices of Grass Tetany

Nitrogen fertilization of forage is often accompanied by an increased incidence of grass tetany. A field experiment was established on two calcareous soils to evaluate the effects of N fertilizer on forage quality indices of grass tetany. Nitrogen, as NH?NO?, was applied at 0 and 150 kg N/ha in each of 2 years to separate plots. The crested wheatgrass [Agropyron desertorum (Fisch.) Schult] forage was harvested at regular intervals in the Spring tetany period during 1968 through 1971. Forage was analyzed for inorganic cations, N, total water-soluble carbohydrates (TWSC), aconitic acid, higher fatty acids (HFA), dry matter, and ash alkalinity — a measure of total organic acids. Nitrogen fertilizer increased the concentrations (equiv. basis) of forage Mg and Ca more than the increase in K, thus slightly reducing the K/(Ca + Mg) values when compared to the unfertilized forage. However, forage K/(Ca + Mg) values were usually less than the 2.2 value above which the incidence of grass tetany increases rapidly. The potential dietary benefits from the higher Mg concentrations may have been offset by increased concentrations of K, N, HFA, N/TWSC, and aconitic acid, since these parameters are associated with decreased Mg availability to cattle. Low values for hypothetical blood serum Mg (calculated from forage N, Mg, and K concentrations) coincided with the occurrence of grass tetany in the field. The calculated serum Mg values were lower in the N-fertilized forage than in the control. The aforementioned effects of N fertilization should not deter the judicious use of N for optimizing forage yields on semiarid ranges, since other research workers have found that grass tetany losses can be reduced by supplementing animals with Mg

Soil Ingestion by Cattle on Semiarid Range as Reflected by Titanium Analysis of Feces

Soil ingestion was determined for cattle grazing a Bromus tectorum range in southern Idaho by measuring titanium concentrations in animal feces collected at 2-week intervals during the droughty 1973 grazing season. The experiment was based on the premise that titanium, which is abundant in soils, is contained only in small quantities (less than 1 ppm) in plants not contaminated with soil. Fecal-soil values averaged 14%, with values ranging from 3 to 30% of fecal dry matter, increasing as forage availability decreased. Soil ingestion levels were estimated to range from 0.1 to 1.5 kg with a median of 0.5 kg soil/animal-day. This soil was ingested primarily with the roots of Bromus tectorum, which were often pulled up and consumed with the aboveground plant parts. Dust on leaves and stems accounted for only a small portion of the ingested soil. Measurements of acid-insoluble residue concentration in feces overestimated soil ingestion because of the probable presence of SiO? of plant origin. Large changes in forage SiO? concentrations of the diet reduce the effectiveness of this method compared to the Ti method. Ingested soil may be a possible source of trace minerals, pesticides, heavy metals, and radionucleides that may be sorbed to surface soil particles