We monitored pasture biomass on 20 permanent plots over 35 years to gauge the reliability of rainfall and NDVI as proxy measures of forage shortfalls in a savannah ecosystem. Both proxies are reliable indicators of pasture biomass at the onset of dry periods but fail to predict shortfalls in prolonged dry spells. In contrast, grazing pressure predicts pasture deficits with a high degree of accu...

Crabgrass overview Crabgrass was introduced to the United States in 1849 for use as a forage species. The majority of its forage production in Georgia occurs between mid June and early September. Crabgrass can produce relatively large amounts of high quality forage, but is an annual and must produce seed to persist. Pure stands of crabgrass have reportedly produced three to five tons of forage ...

Bermuda grass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] is a major forage for grazing and hay production in the southern United States. The objectives of this study were to determine effects of nitrogen (N) fertilization rate (0, 112, 224, 336, and 448 kg ha−1), split spring and summer applications of N at the 224 and 448 kg ha−1 rates, and harvest periods (spring and summer) on forage yield, crude protein...

To generate a forage crop with increased biomass density that retains forage quality, we have genetically transformed lines of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) expressing antisense constructs targeting two different lignin pathway biosynthetic genes with a construct for down-regulation of a WRKY family transcription factor that acts as a repressor of secondary cell wall formation in pith tissues. P...

California sea lions increased from approximately 50 000 to 340 000 animals in the last 40 years, and their pups are starving and stranding on beaches in southern California, raising questions about the adequacy of their food supply. We investigated whether the declining sea lion pup weight at San Miguel rookery was associated with changes in abundance and quality of sardine, anchovy, rockfish ...

Many field experiments require the collection of forage yields in addition to grain yield (small grains). ln smal! plot research, mechanized grain harvest is common. However, forage harvest is often accomplished by hand which is time consuming and labor intensive. Sample heterogeneity increases when forage harvest is obtained by hand. The objectives of this study were to construct a mechanized ...

Forages that accumulate excessive molybdenum (Mo) from excessive land application of Mo can cause molybdenosis, a copper (Cu) induced deficiency in ruminants. Limited information is available on the effect of land-applied biosolids, Mo content, and quality of winter wheat forage (Triticum aestivum L.). The objectives of this study were (1) to determine the effect of biosolids application on tis...

Forage availability is sometimes limited because of poor growing conditions or because of insufficient land base on individual farms. In addition, forage fiber can limit feed intake, particularly for high producing cows, and forage quality is highly variable. Therefore, there is continual interest in alternatives to forages in diets for dairy cows. Decreasing the forage content of diets require...

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) is used as medicinal plant in many Asian countries and has been reported to have forage quality similar to alfalfa. Fenugreek is an annual crop and may have the potential to diversify forage production systems in the central High Plains. This study evaluated forage dry matter (DM) production and the nutritive value of three fenugreek cultivars as influen...