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This research was conducted to determine some silage quality traits of silage alternatives prepared in different mixture rates of sorghumsudangrass hybrid [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench x Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Stapf] which is more drought tolerant than maize, and sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) which has a high protein content, under Mediterranean ecological conditions. Different silage alternatives (sorghum-sudangrass hybrid % - sunn hemp %; 100-0, 80-20, 60-40, 50-50, 40-60, 20-80, 0-100, based on fresh matter) were prepared in a randomized design with four replications in both years. Silage weight loss and pH, dry matter, Flieg score, crude protein, crude ash, ADF, NDF, metabolizable energy, dry matter intake, digestible dry matter and relative feed value were determined at the end of 8 weeks ensilage. According to results, good quality silages can be made from all silage alternatives of sorghum-sudangrass hybrid and sunn hemp without affecting the fermentation process. In addition, silages made by adding sunn hemp to sorghum-sudangrass hybrid at different rates have more nutritional value than pure sorghum-sudangrass hybrid silage without sacrificing quality. Ensiling the sorghum-sudangrass hybrid on a fresh matter basis with up to 50% sunn hemp can be recommended for optimum quality. In animal nutrition, it would be best to choose one of the silage alternatives according to the need in the rations

Mob stocking is a type of livestock management method where high densities of animals are restricted to a small area of grassland for short periods of time (e.g., 12–24 hr.) before being moved to new forage. Use of mob stocking has generated considerable interest among forage-livestock professionals in recent years, but questions remain about its purported benefits to cattle and forage plants. To address questions about the possible benefits of mob stocking, a 3-yr study (2014–2016) was conducted in Virginia, USA comparing mob, rotational, and continuous stocking methods in a temperate grassland common to that region. The main objective of this study was to evaluate how mob-stocking management affected selected forage variables, cattle performance, and legume/weed abundance. Herbage mass and nutritive value were measured monthly. Cow and calf weights and body condition score (BCS) were used as indicators of animal performance. Legumes (red and white clover) were over-seeded prior to the study, and their abundance along with weeds were evaluated annually thereafter. Mean herbage mass and forage nutritive values were similar across mob, rotational and continuously stocked systems despite extra-long rest periods that allowed grasses to grow tall and over-mature under mob stocking. Cow weights going into winter were lower (P < 0.05) under mob stocking (619 kg) compared with continuous stocking (688 kg) possibly because many tall grasses were trampled and not grazed. Lastly, we found mob stocking can favor establishment of erect-growing red clover (Trifolium pretense L.), but it had no effect on weed abundance. Overall, we found few compelling reasons why mob stocking should be adopted for season-long forage and livestock production over other stocking methods in this environment. Published version

The aim of the study was to compare three types of meat snacks made from ostrich, beef, and chicken meat in relation to their nutrients content including fat, fatty acids, heme iron, and peptides, like anserine and carnosine, from which human health may potentially benefit. Dry meat samples were produced, from one type of muscle, obtained from ostrich (m. ambiens), beef (m. semimembranosus), and broiler chicken meat (m. pectoralis major). The composition of dried ostrich, beef, and chicken meat, with and without spices was compared. We show that meat snacks made from ostrich, beef, and chicken meat were characterized by high concentration of nutrients including proteins, minerals (heme iron especially in ostrich, than in beef), biologically active peptides (carnosine—in beef, anserine—in ostrich then in chicken meat). The, beneficial to human health, n-3 fatty acids levels differed significantly between species. Moreover, ostrich jerky contained four times less fat as compared to beef and half of that in chicken. In conclusion we can say that dried ostrich, beef, and chicken meat could be a good source of nutritional components.

The effects of 4 diploid perennial ryegrass cultivars that differed in water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentrations on milk yield and nitrogen (N) utilization in dairy cows were evaluated in a 2-yr grazing experiment. Twelve lactating dairy cows were assigned to 1 cultivar for a 2-wk period in a 4 x 4 Latin square design with 3 replicates. Each year, the experiment lasted 8 wk. Swards were in a vegetative stage throughout the experiment. Herbage constituents were determined, and DM intake was estimated with the n-alkane technique. Nitrogen utilization was calculated as N excreted in milk divided by N intake, assuming a zero N retention. Two cultivars had consistently higher WSC concentrations and slightly lower neutral detergent fiber concentrations than the other 2 cultivars. The ranking of the cultivars in chemical composition traits in both years was rather consistent. Cows grazing the cultivar with the lowest concentration of WSC had the lowest herbage DM intake, N intake, milk yield, and milk N yield in 2002, but with a similar difference in WSC concentration, no differences among cultivars were found in 2003. In both years, milk urea N concentration was slightly higher for cows grazing the cultivar with the lowest WSC concentration, although it was significant only in 2003. Nitrogen utilization (N milk:N intake, g/g) varied between 0.241 and 0.246 in 2002 and between 0.190 and 0.209 in 2003, and in both years there was no effect of cultivar. At relatively high N concentrations in grass and only small differences among cultivars in neutral detergent fiber concentrations, cultivars with an elevated WSC concentration did not increase N utilization in grazing dairy cows.

This study enables us to indicate that the oligosaccharide raffinose family, phytate, saponin and lectin contents of P. vulgaris are clearly influenced by both environmental and genetics factors. The results also indicate no relationship between the antinutritional factors analysed. From a nutritional point of view, these results would help investigators to select dry bean varieties with a high nutritive value (with a low content of α-galactosides, inositol phosphates, saponins and lectins) for human consumption and large-scale cultivation. © 1999, FAC UNIV SCIENCES AGRONOMIQUES GEMBLOUX. All rights reserved.