Oregon produces 70% of the world supply of cool season grass seed, including tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) and perennial ryegrass (L. perenne). About 225,000 ha of grass seed are currently in production in Oregon. Traditionally, the seed was harvested in June and July and the straw residue in the fields was burned during July and August. Today, the straw is harvested and used for animal fee...

BACKGROUND This study was aim to observe the effects of feeding mixed local hay (MH) consisted of 55% orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata L.), 35% tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) and 10% red clover (Trifolium pratense) to Hanwoo steers on performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality (longissimus thoracis) compared with feeding imported timothy hay (TH) and local rice straw (RS). RESU...

Soils vary widely in mineral nutrient availability and physical characteristics, but the influence of this variability on plant responses to elevated CO2 remains poorly understood. As a first approximation of the effect of global soil variability on plant growth response to CO2, we evaluated the effect of CO2 on tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) grown in soils representing 10 of the 12 global s...

Mutualistic fungal endophytes infect many grass species and often confer benefits to the hosts such as reduced herbivory by insects and animals. The physiological interactions between the endophytes and their hosts have not been well characterized. Fungal-secreted proteins are likely to be important components of the interaction. In the interaction between Poa ampla and the endophyte Neotyphodi...

The objectives of these experiments were to characterize rumen motility patterns of cattle fed once daily using a real-time wireless telemetry system, determine when to measure rumen motility with this system, and determine the effect of ruminal dosing of ergot alkaloids on rumen motility. Ruminally cannulated Holstein steers (n = 8) were fed a basal diet of alfalfa cubes once daily. Rumen moti...

It is important to develop best management practices for novel tall fescue systems in the southern Great Plains of North America, especially since cool-season perennials are not well known or commonly utilized in this region. This review paper summarizes the research activities in this region of the southern Great Plains for developing new perennial tall fescue systems (establishment, legume-gr...

A 2-yr grazing experiment was conducted with crossbred steers (8 to 10 mo and with initial BW of 304 kg ± 34 kg in 2008 and 277 kg ± 24 in 2009) to evaluate animal performance and pasture responses of a late maturing tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh; KYFA9301] population infected with the AR584 novel, non-toxic endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum; NE9301) as compared with Ken...

A 2-yr pen experiment was conducted using 12 different crossbred Angus steers each year to determine if short-term changes in prolactin concentrations, body temperature, and vasoconstriction reflect recovery from fescue toxicosis after steers that previously grazed toxic endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum)-infected Kentucky 31 tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh] are placed on ...

Tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.)] is a cool-season perennial grass used in pastures throughout the Southeastern United States. The grass can harbor a shoot-specific fungal endophyte (Epichloë coenophiala) thought to provide the plant with enhanced resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Because alkaloids produced by the common variety of the endophyte cause severe animal health iss...

Hyphal anastomosis, or vegetative hyphal fusion, establishes the interconnection of individual hyphal strands into an integrated network of a fungal mycelium. In contrast to recent advances in the understanding of the molecular basis for hyphal anastomosis, knowledge of the physiological role of hyphal anastomosis in the natural habitats of filamentous fungi is still very limited. To investigat...