This study was undertaken in order to examine whether any connection existed between the amounts of iron in forage and the sporadic occurrence of scrapie observed in certain parts of Iceland. As iron and manganese are considered antagonistic in plants, calculation of the Fe/Mn ratios was also included by using results from Mn determination earlier performed in the same samples. Forage samples (...

Forage crops are the staple ingredients of dietary rations fed to ruminant animals. They provide the animal with a large source of dietary fiber, critical for normal functioning of the rumen and its associated microenvironment (Driehuis and Oude Elferink, 2000). The preservation of forage crops into a fermented feedstuff known as silage has been an important practice in agriculture, especially ...

1. Foraging range is a key aspect of the ecology of 'central place foragers'. Estimating how far bees fly under different circumstances is essential for predicting colony success, and for estimating bee-mediated gene flow between plant populations. It is likely to be strongly influenced by forage distribution, something that is hard to quantify in all but the simplest landscapes; and theories o...

Sixteen Holstein cows in midlactation were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design to determine the effect of replacing alfalfa neutral detergent fiber (NDF), with NDF from a combination of whole linted cottonseed, dried distillers grains, and wheat middlings. The four diets were a basal control diet that was low in forage and fiber [(5.9 g of corn silage NDF and 6.1 g of alfalfa NDF/100 g of dry m...

Grass tetany is a nutritional disease of ruminants caused by low dietary Mg. Previous research has shown that early spring P-fertilization increases the leaf Mg concentration of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) hay. However, little is known about how P-fertilization alters the mineral concentration of tall fescue under grazing. Our objective was to compare, under grazing, the Mg, K, Ca...

Plant Species and Variety Forage quality refers to digestible nutrient content (i.e., energy, protein), palatability and digestibility of the forage plant. Legumes (alfalfa, medics, cloves, vetch) are the highest quality group of forage grown in pastures. They are high in protein, energy (digestibility), and minerals. They also “fix” nitrogen fertilizer, making them very economical to grow. Inc...

Bumble-bee declines across Europe have been linked to loss of habitat and forage availability due to agricultural intensification. These declines may have severe ecological and commercial consequences since bumble-bees pollinate a range of wildflowers and crops. In England, attempts are being made to reintroduce forage resources through agri-environment schemes, yet there are few data on how th...

Forage chicory is a productive forage resource for eastern North America; however, many soils in the region are acidic and deficient in P and might restrict the widespread use of forage chicory. There is no published information on response of forage chicory to P, or P acquisition strategies for morphologically different chicory cultivars. The literature suggests the following null hypothesis: ...

Traditionally, heat damage in forages has been associated primarily with alterations in forage protein quality as a result of Maillard reactions. A Maillard reaction is a heat-induced chemical reaction between protein (amino acids) and sugars. Maillard products produce a range of odors and colors in forages, but generally are poorly characterized nutrients in ruminant nutrition. Terms such as h...

Recent research in range ecology has emphasized the importance of forage quality as a key indicator of rangeland condition. However, we lack tools to evaluate forage quality at scales appropriate for management. Using canopy reflectance data to measure forage quality has been conducted at both laboratory and field levels separately, but little work has been conducted to evaluate these methods s...