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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Plant Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #111652
Title: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIGESTIBILITY AND STEER DAILY GAIN IN TALL FESCUE AND BIRDSFOOT TREFOIL PASTURES

Author
item WEN, LIAN - UNIV OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
item WILLIAMS, JAMES - UNIV OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
item KALLENBACH, ROBERT - UNIV OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
item ROBERTS, CRAIG - UNIV OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
item MCGRAW, ROBERT - UNIV OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
item BEUSELINCK, PAUL
item THOMPSON, JOHN - UNIV OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
item GEBREHIWOT, LUSEDGED - UNIV OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
item BENEDICT, HEATHER - UNIV OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
item NAVARRO, EDUARDO - UNIV OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/5/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A grazing experiment was conducted to evaluate relationships between forage chemical components, forage digestibility, and steer performance under grazing. The experiment treatments consisted of tall fescue (TF) and TF + birdsfoot trefoil with (RBFT) and without (BFT) rhizomes in a continuous grazing system. In summer (May 11-July 1) and fall (Sep. 22-Nov. 17) 1998 grazing periods, steers were weighed every 14 days. Forage samples were collected every 28 days. Samples were used in an in situ study using two ruminally-cannulated heifers grazing TF+RBFT and TF+BFT. Dry matter disappearance (DMD) was determined. The average daily gain (ADG) of steers grazing TF+BFT or TF+RBFT (0.92 and 0.93 kg/d) were greater (P<0.05) than that of TF (0.64 kg/d) in summer; no differences (P>0.05) were observed for steers on fall pasture. Average daily gain was positively associated DMD (r=0.55, P<0.01). Dry matter dissappearance was correlated to neutral detergent fiber (r=0.89, P<0.01), acid detergent fiber (r=-0.96, P<0.01), and crude proteins (CP, r=0.67, P<0.01). In summer, NDF was 74.7, 72.7, and 69.5% for TF, RBFT+TF, and BFT+TF, respectively; CP was 9.1, 11.2, and 12.5%, correspondingly. The DMD for BFT+TF and RBFT+TF (39.8 and 40.5%, respectively) was greater (P<0.01) than that of TF (36.7%). Interseeding birdsfoot trefoil in TF pastures increased ADG and DMD in the summer, while differences in DMD among pure TF and mixed pastures did not contribute to differences in ADG among treatments in the fall.