Hostname: page-component-7dd5485656-zklqj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-30T10:03:23.509Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Impact of grazing intensity on herbage quality, feed intake and live weight gain of sheep grazing on the steppe of Inner Mongolia*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 May 2013

K. MÜLLER ,
U. DICKHOEFER ,
L. LIN ,
T. GLINDEMANN ,
C. WANG ,
P. SCHÖNBACH ,
H. W. WAN ,
A. SCHIBORRA ,
B. M. TAS  and
M. GIERUS
...Show all authors
K. MÜLLER
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Str. 9, 24118 Kiel, Germany
U. DICKHOEFER
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Str. 9, 24118 Kiel, Germany
L. LIN
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Str. 9, 24118 Kiel, Germany
T. GLINDEMANN
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Str. 9, 24118 Kiel, Germany
C. WANG
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Str. 9, 24118 Kiel, Germany
P. SCHÖNBACH
Affiliation:
Institute of Crop Science and Plant Breeding – Grass and Forage Science/Organic Agriculture, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Str. 9, 24118 Kiel, Germany
H. W. WAN
Affiliation:
Institute of Crop Science and Plant Breeding – Grass and Forage Science/Organic Agriculture, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Str. 9, 24118 Kiel, Germany
A. SCHIBORRA
Affiliation:
Institute of Crop Science and Plant Breeding – Grass and Forage Science/Organic Agriculture, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Str. 9, 24118 Kiel, Germany
B. M. TAS
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Str. 9, 24118 Kiel, Germany
M. GIERUS
Affiliation:
Institute of Crop Science and Plant Breeding – Grass and Forage Science/Organic Agriculture, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Str. 9, 24118 Kiel, Germany
F. TAUBE
Affiliation:
Institute of Crop Science and Plant Breeding – Grass and Forage Science/Organic Agriculture, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Str. 9, 24118 Kiel, Germany
A. SUSENBETH*
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Str. 9, 24118 Kiel, Germany
*
∥To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Email: susenbeth@aninut.uni-kiel.de
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The grassland steppe of Inner Mongolia is traditionally used for sheep grazing. However, overgrazing reduced vegetation cover in winter, thereby increasing soil erosion and consequently, degradation of the steppe vegetation. Grazing intensity (GI) is still the most important factor in pasture management. Hence, the aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of GI on grassland and sheep performance. A grazing experiment was conducted from July until September in 2005, 2006 and 2007 in which six different GI ranging from very light (GI 1), light (GI 2), light-moderate (GI 3), moderate (GI 4) and heavy (GI 5) to very heavy (GI 6) were tested. Each GI treatment comprised two adjacent plots that were alternately used for grazing or hay-making each year. Variables measured included herbage mass (HM) and chemical composition, digestibility of ingested organic matter (dOM), organic matter intake (OMI) and live weight gain (LWG) of sheep. The HM decreased significantly with increasing GI from 1·01 t (GI 1) to 0·45 t dry matter (DM)/ha (GI 6). There were only minor effects of GI on chemical composition and digestibility of standing herbage. Moreover, dOM, OMI and hence, digestible OMI did not differ between GI. Across all study years, LWG of sheep was not influenced by GI so that LWG per hectare increased with increasing GI, reaching a maximum of 730 g/d at GI 6 compared with 181 g/d at GI 1. However, a strong decrease in LWG per sheep with increasing stocking rate was found in 2005 when annual rainfall was less than half of the long-term average, resulting in a similar LWG per hectare across the range of tested stocking rates. The results therefore show that intensive grazing does not reduce growth of individual animals in most years, but increases LWG per unit of land area and thus, income of farmers. The alternating use of pastures for grazing or hay-making might have mitigated the negative effects of heavy grazing on herbage and animal performance. Nevertheless, high GI may negatively affect grassland productivity in the long term and the lack of HM on offer on heavy grazed pastures in dry years will require supplement feeding at the end of the vegetation period or the untimely sale of animals.

Information

Type
Animal Research Papers
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 152 , Issue 1 , February 2014 , pp. 153 - 165
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

Footnotes

*

This publication is dedicated to Dr Herbert Steingaß, University of Hohenheim, on his 60th birthday.

References

REFERENCES

Ackerman, C. J., Purvis, H. T., Horn, G. W., Paisley, S. I., Reuter, R. R. & Bodine, T. N. (2001). Performance of light vs heavy steers grazing plains old world bluestem at three stocking rates. Journal of Animal Science 79, 493–499.Google Scholar
Aiple, K., Steingass, H. & Menke, K. H. (1992). Suitability of a buffered fecal suspension as the inoculum in the Hohenheim gas test. 1. Modification of the method and its ability in the prediction of organic-matter digestibility and metabolizable energy content of ruminant feeds compared with rumen fluid as inoculum. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition 67, 57–66.Google Scholar
Allison, C. D. (1985). Factors affecting forage intake by range ruminants: a review. Journal of Range Management 38, 305–311.Google Scholar
Animut, G., Goetsch, A. L., Aiken, G. E., Puchala, R., Detweiler, G., Krehbiel, C. R., Merkel, R. C., Sahlu, T., Dawson, L. J., Johnson, Z. B. & Gipson, T. A. (2005). Performance and forage selectivity of sheep and goats co-grazing grass/forb pastures at three stocking rates. Small Ruminant Research 59, 203–215.Google Scholar
Bai, Y., Han, X., Wu, J., Chen, Z. & Li, L. (2004). Ecosystem stability and compensatory effects in the Inner Mongolia grassland. Nature 431, 181–184.Google Scholar
Bailey, D. W. (2004). Management strategies for optimal grazing distribution and use of arid rangelands. Journal of Animal Science 82, E147–E153.Google Scholar
Boval, M., Fanchone, A., Archimede, H. & Gibb, M. J. (2007). Effect of structure of a tropical pasture on ingestive behaviour, digestibility of diet and daily intake by grazing cattle. Grass and Forage Science 62, 44–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brandt, M. & Allam, S. M. (1987). Analytik von Titandioxid im Darminhalt und Kot nach Kjeldahlaufschluß. Archives of Animal Nutrition 37, 453–454.Google Scholar
Coleman, S. W. & Moore, J. E. (2003). Feed quality and animal performance. Field Crops Research 84, 17–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cordova, F. J., Wallace, J. D. & Pieper, R. D. (1978). Forage intake by grazing livestock – a review. Journal of Range Management 31, 430–438.Google Scholar
De Boever, J. L., Cottyn, B. G., Buysse, F. X., Wainman, F. W. & Vanacker, J. M. (1986). The use of an enzymatic technique to predict digestibility, metabolizable and net energy of compound feedstuffs for ruminants. Animal Feed Science and Technology 14, 203–214.Google Scholar
Fynn, R. W. S. & O'Connor, T. G. (2000). Effect of stocking rate and rainfall on rangeland dynamics and cattle performance in a semi-arid Savanna, South Africa. Journal of Applied Ecology 37, 491–507.Google Scholar
Garcia, F., Carrere, P., Soussana, J. F. & Baumont, R. (2003). The ability of sheep at different stocking rates to maintain the quality and quantity of their diet during the grazing season. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 140, 113–124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glindemann, T., Tas, B. M., Wang, C., Alvers, S. & Susenbeth, A. (2009 a). Evaluation of titanium dioxide as an inert marker for estimating fecal excretion in grazing sheep. Animal Feed Science and Technology 152, 186–197.Google Scholar
Glindemann, T., Wang, C., Tas, B. M., Schiborra, A., Gierus, M., Taube, F. & Susenbeth, A. (2009 b). Impact of grazing intensity on herbage intake, composition, and digestibility and on live weight gain of sheep on the Inner Mongolian steppe. Livestock Science 124, 142–147.Google Scholar
Han, G., Li, B., Wei, Z. & Li, H. (2000). Live weight change of sheep under 5 stocking rates in Stipa breviflora desert steppe. Grassland of China 38, 4–6.Google Scholar
Jones, R. J. & Sandland, R. L. (1974). The relation between animal gain and stocking rate – derivation of relation from results of grazing trials. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 83, 335–342.Google Scholar
Jung, H. G. & Sahlu, T. (1989). Influence of grazing pressure on forage quality and intake by sheep grazing smooth bromegrass. Journal of Animal Science 67, 2089–2097.Google Scholar
Kawamura, K., Akiyama, T., Yokota, H., Tsutsumi, M., Watanabe, O. & Wang, S. (2003). Quantification of grazing intensities on plant biomass in Xilingol steppe, China using terra modis image. In International Workshop on Monitoring and Modeling of Global Environmental Change, pp. 1–8. Kyoto, Japan: The International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Working Group VII/6.Google Scholar
Kawamura, K., Akiyama, T., Yokota, H., Tsutsumi, M., Yasuda, T., Watanabe, O. & Wang, S. P. (2005). Quantifying grazing intensities using geographic information systems and satellite remote sensing in the Xilingol steppe region, Inner Mongolia, China. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 107, 83–93.Google Scholar
Ketelaars, J. J. M. H. & Tolkamp, B. J. (1992). Toward a new theory of feed intake regulation in ruminants 1. Causes of differences in voluntary feed intake: critique of current views. Livestock Production Science 30, 269–296.Google Scholar
Langlands, J. P. & Bennett, I. L. (1973). Stocking intensity and pastoral production. II. Herbage intake of merino sheep grazed at different stocking rates. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 81, 205–209.Google Scholar
Li, L., Chen, Z., Wang, Q., Liu, X. & Li, Y. (1997). Changes in soil carbon storage due to over-grazing in Leymus chinensis steppe in the Xilin River Basin of Inner Mongolia. Journal of Environmental Sciences 9, 486–490.Google Scholar
Li, S. G., Harazono, Y., Oikawa, T., Zhao, H. L., He, Z. Y. & Chang, X. L. (2000). Grassland desertification by grazing and the resulting micrometeorological changes in Inner Mongolia. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 102, 125–137.Google Scholar
Li, W. J., Ali, S. H. & Zhang, Q. (2007). Property rights and grassland degradation: a study of the Xilingol pasture, Inner Mongolia, China. Journal of Environmental Management 85, 461–470.Google Scholar
Lin, L., Dickhoefer, U., Müller, K., Wurina, & Susenbeth, A. (2011). Grazing behavior of sheep at different stocking rates in the Inner Mongolian steppe, China. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 129, 36–42.Google Scholar
Ministry of Agriculture of the People's Republic of China, Beijing (1995). Laboratory Animal Managements in Agricultural Systems, 21 April 1995.Google Scholar
Minson, D. J. (1990). Forage in Ruminant Nutrition. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Moore, J. E. & Mott, G. O. (1973). Structural inhibitors of quality in tropical grasses. In Anti-Quality Components of Forages (Ed. Matches, A. G.), Special Publication No. 4, pp. 53–98. Madison, WI: Crop Science Society of America.Google Scholar
Roth, L. D., Rouquette, F. M. & Ellis, W. C. (1990). Effects of herbage allowance on herbage and dietary attributes of coastal bermuda grass. Journal of Animal Science 68, 193–205.Google Scholar
Schiborra, A. (2007). Short-term effects of defoliation on herbage productivity and herbage quality in a semi-arid grassland ecosystem of Inner Mongolia, P.R. China. Ph.D. thesis, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany.Google Scholar
Schlegel, M. L., Wachenheim, C. J., Benson, M. E., Ames, N. K. & Rust, S. R. (2000). Grazing methods and stocking rates for direct-seeded alfalfa pastures: II. Pasture quality and diet selection. Journal of Animal Science 78, 2202–2208.Google Scholar
Schönbach, P., Wan, H. W., Schiborra, A., Gierus, M., Bai, Y., Müller, K., Glindemann, T., Wang, C., Susenbeth, A. & Taube, F. (2009). Short-term management and stocking rate effects of grazing sheep on herbage quality and productivity of Inner Mongolia steppe. Crop and Pasture Science 60, 963–974.Google Scholar
Schönbach, P., Wan, H. W., Gierus, M., Bai, Y., Müller, K., Lin, L., Susenbeth, A. & Taube, F. (2011). Grassland responses to grazing: effects of grazing intensity and management system in an Inner Mongolia steppe ecosystem. Plant and Soil 340, 103–115.Google Scholar
Schönbach, P., Wan, H. W., Gierus, M., Loges, R., Müller, K., Lin, L., Susenbeth, A. & Taube, F. (2012). Effects of grazing sheep and precipitation on herbage production, herbage nutritive value and animal performance in continental steppe. Grass and Forage Science 67, 535–545.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sharrow, S. H., Krueger, W. C. & Thetford, F. O. (1981). Effects of stocking rate on sheep and hill pasture performance. Journal of Animal Science 52, 210–217.Google Scholar
Steel, R. G. D. & Torrie, J. H. (1980). Principles and Procedures of Statistics: A Biometrical Approach. New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Tong, C., Wu, J., Yong, S., Yang, J. & Yong, W. (2004). A landscape-scale assessment of steppe degradation in the Xilin River Basin, Inner Mongolia, China. Journal of Arid Environments 59, 133–149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Soest, P. J. (1994). Nutritional Ecology of the Ruminant, 2nd edn.Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Van Soest, P. J. & Robertson, J. B. (1985). Analysis of Forages and Fibrous Foods. Lab Manual for Animal Science 613. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Vavra, M., Rice, R. W. & Bement, R. E. (1973). Chemical composition of diet, intake and gain of yearling cattle on different grazing intensities. Journal of Animal Science 36, 411–414.Google Scholar
Wang, C. J., Tas, B. M., Glindemann, T., Rave, G., Schmidt, L., Weissbach, F. & Susenbeth, A. (2009). Fecal crude protein content as an estimate for the digestibility of forage in grazing sheep. Animal Feed Science and Technology 149, 199–208.Google Scholar
Wang, D., Han, G. & Bai, Y. (2005). Interactions between foraging behaviour of herbivores and grassland resources in the eastern Eurasian steppes. In Grassland: A Global Resource (Ed. McGilloway, D. A.), pp. 97–110. Wageningen, The Netherlands: Wageningen Academic Publishers.Google Scholar
Weissbach, F., Kuhla, S., Schmidt, L. & Henkels, A. (1999). Schätzung der Verdaulichkeit und der umsetzbaren Energie von Gras und Grasprodukten. Proceedings of the Society of Nutrition Physiology 8, 72.Google Scholar
Yu, M., Ellis, J. E. & Epstein, H. E. (2004). Regional analysis of climate, primary production, and livestock density in Inner Mongolia. Journal of Environmental Quality 33, 1675–1681.Google Scholar
Zhao, H. L., Zhao, X. Y., Zhou, R. L., Zhang, T. H. & Drake, S. (2005). Desertification processes due to heavy grazing in sandy rangeland, Inner Mongolia. Journal of Arid Environments 62, 309–319.Google Scholar
Zoby, J. L. F. & Holmes, W. (1983). The influence of size of animal and stocking rate on the herbage intake and grazing behaviour of cattle. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 100, 139–148.Google Scholar