Ingestive behavior and short-term intake rate of cattle grazing on tall grasses

Tall grasses (>1 m tall) are an important forage resource for grazing ruminants. Understanding the ingestive behavior and short-term intake rate of cattle grazing on tall grasses will help facilitate grazing management of tall grass pastures. The aim of this study was to determine the allocation of jaw movements in grazing cattle in relation to tall grasses and to assess whether such allocations of jaw movements are effective for maintaining a short-term intake rate. Four plants were used as test plants: bahiagrass ( Paspalum notatum Flugge; a short grass), Sudangrass ( Sorghum × drummondii ; a typical tall grass) and two growth forms of a dwarf bamboo ( Sasa senanensis ; a semi-woody form of tall grass): a naturally growing form (NGDB, approximately 2 m tall) and a form that is under grazing (DBUG, P P P >0.05), except for Sudangrass. Cows ingested Sudangrass at a lower intake rate than observed for the other plants ( P