Nutritive value of orchard grass for cattle and sheep
| dc.contributor.author | Madata, Gaspary S. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-02-03T12:19:01Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-02-03T12:19:01Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 1980 | |
| dc.description.abstract | A study was undertaken to examine seasonal and growth stage effects on intake and digestibility of orchardgrass by grazing cows and to determine effects of fertilization of orchardgrass with kieserite on its nutritive quality and on its mineral composition and utilization. A series of grazing and digestibility trials on orchardgrass were carried out in 1977 and 1978 using sheep and beef cows. In March, 1978, replicated orchardgrass pastures were treated with and without kieserite at the rate of 2240 kg/ha (equivalent to 390 kg Mg/ha). Chromic oxide was used as an external indicator to estimate the fecal output and regression techniques relating fecal N and DMD(Z) were used to estimate the nutritional value of orchardgrass. In grazing trials run in 1977, it was found that intake of first growth vegetative herbage was higher than intake of the pasture at later growth stages. However, in grazing trials run in 1978, intake of first growth vegetative herbage was not different from intake of herbage grazed in October. Dry matter digestibility (Z) was higher in the early first growth herbage than at other growth stages. The grazing cows on the whole had higher mean DMD(Z) coefficients than the indoor animals. Magnesium fertilizer had no effect (P>0.05) on DMD(Z) and intake of either cut or grazed herbage. ^fertilization significantly increased the concentration of sulfur in herbage, with no effect166 on the concentrations of other minerals. Magnesium fertilization caused a consistent but non-significant (P>0.05) inrrwmp in serum magnesium in grazing beef cows in the two week period after turning the cows out to pasture. Magnesium availability, as measured with wether sheep during the same period, was high and, unexpectedly, fertilization resulted in a depression in apparent absorption of magnesium, calcium and phosphorus. In conclusion, there were significant effects of growth stage and season on the nutritional quality of orchardgrass. Fertiliza tion with kieserite showed no differences in the .nutritional quality of orchardgrass. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://www.suaire.sua.ac.tz/handle/123456789/4914 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.publisher | West Virginia University | en_US |
| dc.subject | Cattle | en_US |
| dc.subject | Grazing beef cows | en_US |
| dc.subject | Sheep | en_US |
| dc.subject | Orchard grass | en_US |
| dc.title | Nutritive value of orchard grass for cattle and sheep | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |