Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-wzw2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-15T00:15:12.451Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Nitrogen response and stocking rate of Pennisetum clandestinum pastures: II. Cattle growth

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

P. T. Mears  and
L. R. Humphreys
P. T. Mears
Affiliation:
New South Wales Department of Agriculture, Research Station, Grafton, 2460, Australia
L. R. Humphreys
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4067, Australia
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Individual live-weight gain (LWG) of Angus weaner cattle continuously grazing (Pennisetum clandestinum) pasture was negatively and linearly related to stocking rate (SR) and independent of ammonium nitrate (N) application rate at similar grazing pressures.

Live-weight gain varied from 380 to 1056 kg/ha according to N rate in 1970–1 and from 637 to 1477 kg/ha in 1971–2. Calculated SR giving maximum LWG/ha was 3·4, 4·7, 7·6 and 9·8 animals/ha for the 0, 134, 336 and 672kg N/ha treatments respectively in 1970–1 and 6·1, 5·7, 9·1 and 10·6 animals/ha for the same treatments in 1971–2. Highest response to applied N (1·9 and 3·4 kg LWG/kg additional N in successive years) occurred between N131 and N336; response was greater at low and intermediate SR than at high SR. Carcass weight, quality score, depth of subcutaneous fat and area of eye muscle were negatively related to SR; SR's giving maximum output per unit area caused a reduction of ca.25% in production per head and adversely affected carcass quality at 18 months of age.

LWG/head was independent of feed availability in spring and summer and was positively related to availability of green kikuyu up to 600 kg D.M./head in the autumn/winter period.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 83 , Issue 3 , December 1974 , pp. 469 - 478
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1974

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.)

References

Alder, F. E., Cowlishaw, S. J., Newton, J. E. & Chambers, D. T. (1967). The effect of level of nitrogen fertilizer on beef production from grazed perennial ryegrass/white clover pastures. Part 2. Animal production from irrigated swards. Journal of the British Grassland Society 22, 230–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anon. (1965). The Nutrients of Farm Livestock No. 2. Ruminants. Summaries of estimated requirements. London: Agricultural Research Council.Google Scholar
Anon. (1971). Australian Beef Carcass Appraisal System. Publication of the Australian Meat Board.Google Scholar
Browne, D. (1966). Nitrogen use on grassland. 1. Effect of applied nitrogen on animal production from a loy. Irish Journal of Agricultural Research 5, 89–101.Google Scholar
Browne, D., Walshe, M. J. & Conniffe, D. (1970). Irish research on problems in animal production experiments comparing legumes with fertilizer as the source of pasture nitrogen. Proceedings of the Eleventh International Grassland Congress, p. A101–7.Google Scholar
Bryan, W. W. & Evans, T. R. (1971). A comparison of beef production from nitrogen fertilized pangola grass and from a pangola grass-legume pasture. Tropical Grasslands 5, 89–98.Google Scholar
Cowlishaw, S. J. (1969). The carrying capacity of pastures. Journal of the British Grassland Society 24, 207–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Doran, W. J., Bowman, G. H. & Walker, D. R. (1963). The productivity of fertilized pastures in central Alberta. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 43, 188–94.Google Scholar
Evans, T. R. (1968). Beef production from nitrogen fertilized pangola grass (Digitaria decumbens) on the coastal lowlands of southern Queensland. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 9, 282–6.Google Scholar
Harlan, J. R. (1958). Generalised curves for gain per head and gain per acre in rate of grazing studies. Journal of Range Management 11, 140.Google Scholar
Holder, J. M. (1967). Milk production from tropical pastures. Tropical Grasslands 1, 135–41.Google Scholar
Jeffery, H. J. (1971). Effect of nitrogen fertilizer application on nutritive value of kikuyu. Wollongbar Annual Report, 1970–1.Google Scholar
McMeekan, C. P. & Walshe, M. J. (1963). The interrelationships of grazing method and stock rate in the efficiency of pasture utilization by dairy cattle. The Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 61, 147–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mears, P. T. (1970). Kikuyu – (Pennisetum clandestinum) as a pasture grass – A review. Tropical Grasslands 4, 139–52.Google Scholar
Mears, P. T. & Humphreys, L. R. (1974). Nitrogen response and stocking rate of (Pennisetum clandestinum) pastures. I. Pasture nitrogen requirement and concentration, dry matter distribution and botanical composition. The Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 83, 451–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milford, R., Haydock, K. P. (1965). The nutritive value of protein in subtropical pasture species grown in south-east Queensland. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 5, 13–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minson, D. J. (1972). The digestibility and voluntary intake by sheep of six tropical grasses. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 12, 21–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Molony, D. & Murphy, W. E. (1963). The effect of different levels of nitrogen on a grass clover sward under grazing conditions. Irish Journal of Agricultural Research 2, 1–12.Google Scholar
Morris, J. G. & Gartner, R. J. W. (1971). The sodium requirements of growing steers given an all-sorghum ration. British Journal of Nutrition 25, 191.Google Scholar
Mott, G. O. (1961). Grazing pressure and the measurement of pasture production. Proceedings of the 8th International Grassland Congress, pp. 606–11.Google Scholar
Nuthall, P. L. & Whiteman, P. C. (1972). A review and economic evaluation of beef production from legume based and nitrogen-fertilized tropical pastures. Journal of Australian Institute of Agricultural Science 38, 100–8.Google Scholar
Owen, J. B. & Ridgman, W. J. (1968). The design and interpretation of experiments to study animal production from grazed pasture. The Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 71, 327–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Riewe, M. E., Smith, J. C., Jones, J. H. & Holt, E. C. (1963). Grazing production curves. 1, Comparison of steer gains on Gulf ryegrass and tall fescue. Agronomy Journal 59, 367–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, C. A. (1970). The feeding value of tropical grass pastures evaluated by cattle weight gains. Proceedings of the Eleventh International Grassland Congress, pp. 839–42.Google Scholar
Sparke, E. J. & Lamond, D. R. (1968). The influence of supplementary feeding on growth and fertility of beef heifers grazing natural pastures. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 8, 425–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Standen, B. J. (1970). Changes in land use in the Richmond-Tweed region of New South Wales 1958–1967. New South Wales Department of Agriculture, Division of Marketing and Economics Miscellaneous Bulletin 77.Google Scholar
Tamini, Y. N., Sherrod, L. B., Ishizaki, S. M. & Izuno, T. (1968). The effects of level of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilization upon beef production on kikuyu grass. Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin, no. 76.Google Scholar
Tayler, J. C. & Rudman, J. E. (1960). The production of fattening cattle and extension of the autumn grazing following three rates of application of nitrogenous fertilizer to a ryegrass/white clover sward. The Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 55, 75–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tayler, J. C. & Wilkinson, J. M. (1972). The influence of level of concentrate feeding on the voluntary intake of grass on live weight gain by cattle. Animal Production 14, 85–96.Google Scholar
Yates, J. J., Edye, L. A., Davies, J. G. & Haydock, K. P. (1964). Animal production from Sorghum almum pasture in south-east Queensland. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 4, 326–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar