Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-01T09:03:16.006Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Inter-relationships between pasture growth and senescence and their effects on live-weight gain of grazing beef cattle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

J. P. Ebersohn
Affiliation:
Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Animal Research Institute, Yeerongpilly, Brisbane, Australia, 4105
K. W. Moir
Affiliation:
Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Animal Research Institute, Yeerongpilly, Brisbane, Australia, 4105
F. Duncalfe
Affiliation:
Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Animal Research Institute, Yeerongpilly, Brisbane, Australia, 4105

Summary

On 13 pastures grazed by beef cattle live-weight gain (range, 0·34–1·12 kg/head/day) was significantly correlated with non-green grass content of pasture. In turn, non-green grass in pasture was not significantly correlated with non-green grass in oesophageal extrusa. Live-weight gain was largely explained (adjusted R2 = 0·91) by non-green grass content of pasture, cell-wall content of green-grass leaf and pasture dry matter on offer in a quadratic model. The quadratic form was best understood in terms of pasture growth with which non-green grass content of pasture was significantly and negatively correlated.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ebersohn, J. P. & Mont, K. W. (1984). Effect of pasture growth rate on live-weight gain of grazing beef cattle. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 102, 265268.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hodgson, J. (1982). Influence of sward characteristics on diet selection and herbage intake by the grazing animal. In Nutritional Limits to Animal Production from Pastures (ed. Hacker, J. B.), pp. 153166. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux.Google Scholar
Moir, K. W. & Ebersohn, J. P. (1983). Evaluation of pasture for beef cattle from measurements of cell wall in separated leaf and stem fractions. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 100, 513518.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moir, K. W., Ebersohn, J. P. & Evans, J. (1982). Validation of intake estimates in grazing beef cattle. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 99, 209213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seber, G. A. F. (1977). Linear Regression Analysis. New York: John Wiley and Sons.Google Scholar