Relationship between liveweight change of cattle and forage supply in a young tree plantation in southern Kyushu, Japan

Abstract

Liveweight change (LWC) of cattle grazing a young Chamaecyparis obtusa (an evergreen conifer) plantation in southwestern Japan was investigated in relation to forage supply and diet selection by animals. While the animals ate 29-53 species or species groups (mean = 42; six herbaceous species or groups, 12 lianas, 23 shrubs and trees, one fern group) during a morning feeding bout, most bites (71-97%, mean = 85) were taken from 10 species or species groups, with Miscanthus sinensis as the most selected plant (27-74%, mean = 55). Reflecting this and the low defoliation-tolerance of the grass, live leaf mass of M. sinensis decreased drastically with time under grazing. Daily LWC of animals increased with increasing live leaf mass of M. sinensis to 45 kg dry matter (DM) ha -1 , and thereafter increased with increasing percentage bite count of three non-herbaceous species, Ficus erecta (tree), Broussonetia kaempferi (liana) and Mallotus japonicus (tree), with F. erecta being the most contributing species. The results highlight the importance of grasses (mainly M. sinensis) as the basal (major) diet and the importance of some non-herbaceous species (mainly F. erecta, B. kaempferi and M. japonicus) as the quality supplement in cattle foraging in the forest environment. The results also show that adjusting stocking rates to maintain live leaf mass of M. sinensis closely above the critical level (45 kg DM ha -1 ) is a criterion in the management of this forest grazing system, in terms of meeting the requirements of forest manager (effective control of herbaceous and woody weeds) and livestock producer (satisfactory level of animal performance).Cattle performance in forest grazing M. Hirata et al.

Plant species selection by free-ranging cattle in southern Bolivian tropical montane forests

“…Despite the broad spectrum of different plant species found to be selected by the cattle across the entire time and at both study sites, only a few key species made up a main proportion to overall plant selection. Consistent with other studies (Hirata et al 2008a(Hirata et al , 2008bMayer & Huovinen 2007), cattle tended to select mainly grasses when available. In a study conducted in a young conifer plantation in Japan the cattle were found to forage in total on 118 species or species groups, while only 10 species or species groups received the majority of the bites, and a grass species was the most-selected plant species (Hirata et al 2008a).…”

“…Consistent with other studies (Hirata et al . 2008a, 2008b; Mayer & Huovinen 2007), cattle tended to select mainly grasses when available. In a study conducted in a young conifer plantation in Japan the cattle were found to forage in total on 118 species or species groups, while only 10 species or species groups received the majority of the bites, and a grass species was the most-selected plant species (Hirata et al .…”