Plant cell death occurring as a result of adverse environmental conditions is known to limit crop production. It is less well recognized that plant cell death processes can also contribute to the poor environmental footprint of ruminant livestock production. Although the forage cells ingested by grazing ruminant herbivores will ultimately die, the lack of oxygen, elevated temperature, and chall...

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) forage growth stage, forage allowance, time of day, and commercial condensed tannins (CT) on steer bloat dynamics and in vitro ruminal gas production. Twenty-six crossbreed steers (Angus x Hereford x Salers; average initial BW = 194 +/- 26 kg) were used. Wheat forage allowances were either 18 kg (high forag...

Developing alfalfa varieties with tolerance to salinity requires a multi-prong research approach. Because of the complexity of the plant by environment interaction a combination of laboratory, field and greenhouse selection techniques is most effective in addressing this complicated trait. At Forage Genetics our breeding strategy for salinity tolerance includes high throughput laboratory and gr...

Information on different rangeland plants’ nutritive values during variousphonological stages is of importance for the rangelands management. This information helpsrangeland managers to choose proper grazing times to achieve higher animal performancewith no detrimental effects on the rangeland vegetations. Effects of various plant parts’phenological stages and vegetation types on reserve carboh...

forage is the main product of rangelands. so, determining its economic value as one of the main important nonmonetary functions can help managers to improve planning and optimal utilization management of rangelands. the main purpose of this study is to estimate the economic valuation of the forage of summer rangelands in nour-roud watershed basin in mazandaran province. consequently, total fora...

In order to understand how silage additives can help, one must first understand the ensiling process. Silage fermentation can be divided into 4 phases. The first phase is characterized by the presence of oxygen after forage is chopped and packed in the silo. Plant respiration continues for several hours (and perhaps days if silage is poorly packed) and plant enzymes (e.g., proteases) are active...

species using herbicides can improve forage availability and enhance ranch profitability by increasing the livestock carrying capacity of native pastures. However, deciding how and when to control noxious plants is crucial, and is generally more profitable on more productive soils with less brush. Factors that contribute to brush encroachment on rangelands include: • Fewer fires because of huma...

It appears that ruminants such as cattle and sheep evolved as forage consumers. Plant cell walls, which we measure as fiber, cannot be digested by animals, but must be fermented by microorganisms. Fermentative digestion of fiber is slow and incomplete, and ruminants have developed many attributes that result in efficient digestion. They swallow large particles of forage and selectively retain t...