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Effect of recovery period of mixture pasture on cattle behaviour, pasture biomass production and pasture nutritional value

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2020

F. C. Pereira Open the ORCID record for F. C. Pereira [Opens in a new window] ,
L. C. P. Machado Filho Open the ORCID record for L. C. P. Machado Filho [Opens in a new window] ,
D. C. S. Kazama Open the ORCID record for D. C. S. Kazama [Opens in a new window] ,
R. Guimarães Júnior Open the ORCID record for R. Guimarães Júnior [Opens in a new window] ,
L. G. R. Pereira Open the ORCID record for L. G. R. Pereira [Opens in a new window]  and
D. Enríquez-Hidalgo Open the ORCID record for D. Enríquez-Hidalgo [Opens in a new window]
F. C. Pereira
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Applied Ethology (LETA), Department of Zootechny and Rural Development, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil
L. C. P. Machado Filho*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Applied Ethology (LETA), Department of Zootechny and Rural Development, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil
D. C. S. Kazama
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Applied Ethology (LETA), Department of Zootechny and Rural Development, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil
R. Guimarães Júnior
Affiliation:
Embrapa Cerrados, Rodovia BR-020, Km 18, PO Box 08223, Planaltina, DF, Brazil
L. G. R. Pereira
Affiliation:
Embrapa Dairy Cattle, Rua Eugênio do Nascimento, 610 – Dom Bosco, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
D. Enríquez-Hidalgo
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agronomy and Forestry Engineering, Department of Animal Science, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
*
†E-mail: pinheiro.machado@ufsc.br
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Abstract

Pasture management that considers pasture growth dynamics remains an open question. Conceptually, such management must allow for grazing only after the recuperation of the pasture between two separate timely grazing periods when pasture reaches optimum recovery, as per the first law of Voisin’s rational grazing system. The optimum recovery period not only implies a pasture with better nutritional value and higher biomass yield but one that also reduces the production of enteric methane (CH4) to improve the grazing efficiency of cattle. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate three different recovery periods (RP) of mixed grasses on the grazing behaviour of heifers, as well as herbage selectivity, herbage yield and nutritional value, in vitro degradability and CH4 production. Based on these criteria, three pasture RPs of 24 (RP24), 35 (RP3) and 46 (RP46) days were evaluated in six blocks using a randomized block design. At each predetermined RP, samples of the pasture were taken before the animals were allowed to graze. Right after collecting the pasture samples, heifers accessed the pasture during 4 h consecutively for grazing simulation and behavioural observations. We also measured the bite rate of each animal. The pasture growing for 24 days had the highest biomass production, best nutritional value, best efficiency of in vitro CH4 relative emission (ml) per DM degraded (g) and bite rate of the three RPs. Heifers all selected their herbage, irrespective of RP, but with different nutritional value and higher in vitro degradability. However, this did not change the production of in vitro CH4. Considering the growth conditions of the area where the study was performed, we recommend the shorter RP24 as the most suitable during the summer season. The study’s findings support the idea of management intervention to increase the quality of grazing systems.

Keywords

cattle behaviourenvironmental impactgrazingmanagementsustainability
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 14 , Issue 9 , September 2020 , pp. 1961 - 1968
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2020

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Footnotes

a

Present address: University of Bristol, Bristol Veterinary School, Langford, Somerset BS40 5DU, UK

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