The Fescue Toxicosis Story - An Update
نویسنده
چکیده
Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) is the most important cultivated pasture grass in the USA, occupying over 35 million acres. It is a native of Europe but is of minor importance there. It is not known when tall fescue was first introduced into the USA but it was being tested in several states by the late 1800s (Buckner et al., 1979). However, tall fescue usage remained low until release of the Kentucky 31 cultivar. It is an ecotype found growing in a steep mountain pasture of eastern Kentucky which was known to have been there prior to 1890. Dr. E.N. Fergus, a professor at the University of Kentucky, saw this pasture in 1931 and was impressed that the grass remained green all winter so obtained seed for trials. Kentucky 31 was released as a cultivar in 1943 (Fergus, 1952). This grass was dependable, adapted to a wide range of soils, and provided grazing over much of the year. As news spread that this wonder grass persisted across the southern USA where no other cool season perennial grass was adapted, demand for seed exploded as it was widely planted during the 1940's and 1950's. This was a remarkable ecological change as tall fescue transformed the landscape which was previously mostly barren and brown during the winter season. In addition to the widespread planting of tall fescue for pasture and hay, it also became popular for roadside and turf use.
منابع مشابه
Influence of protein supplementation and implant status on alleviating fescue toxicosis.
Heat stress is a major problem in transporting stocker calves with symptoms of fescue toxicosis. Removing calves from tall fescue pastures and offering diets devoid of endophyte-infected tall fescue could reduce the severity of toxicosis and precondition calves for transport to the feedlot. In the present experiment, a pasture phase was used to condition yearling steers to grazing tall fescue a...
متن کاملThe Development of a Genetic Marker for Resistance to Fescue Toxicosis in Beef Cattle
Fescue Toxicosis is currently one of the most costly diseases that beef producers in the eastern United States are facing. The syndrome is caused by a fungal endophyte that infects tall fescue, the predominant forage in Tennessee. Fescue Toxicosis in cattle can cause fescue foot, rough, thick hair coat in the summer, decreased feed intake, and decreased serum prolactin levels, which drastically...
متن کاملInfection of Tall Fescue Cultivars with Non-toxic Endophytes
For tall fescue in the southeastern USA, long term persistence, competitiveness, yield, and summer survival are directly related to the presence of a fungal endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum; formerly called Acremonium coenophialum) living in the fescue plant. However, cattle grazing forage from the predominant USA tall fescue cultivars infected with their naturally occurring endophyte strai...
متن کاملDifferences between progeny of beef sires in susceptibility to fescue toxicosis.
Fifteen progeny of two Polled Hereford sires were fed endophyte-infected tall fescue seed (E+) to investigate variability in susceptibility to fescue toxicosis. One sire, bred in Missouri, was reputed to produce calves that were resistant to fescue toxicosis. The Control sire, from Virginia, had unknown merit for susceptibility. There were two phases in which E+ was included in the diet (2 and ...
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