Hossein Arzani; Javad Motamedi (Torkan); Ali Nikkhah; Hossein Azarnivand; Mehdi Ghorbani
Volume 19, Issue 4 , March 2013, , Pages 557-570
Abstract
Information on animal requirements is essential to calculate rangeland grazing capacity. Therefore, animal weight and animal unit equivalent (AUE) of each breed should be determined independently. In this research, live weight of Kabodeh sheep was determined based on average live weight of 3 and 4 years ...
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Information on animal requirements is essential to calculate rangeland grazing capacity. Therefore, animal weight and animal unit equivalent (AUE) of each breed should be determined independently. In this research, live weight of Kabodeh sheep was determined based on average live weight of 3 and 4 years old ewes. For this purpose, two herds of Kabodeh breed were selected. In each herd, 15 three–year-old ewes, 15 four-year-old ewes, 5 three-year-old rams, 5 four year-old-rams, 10 three-month-old lambs and 10 six-month--old lambs were selected. They were weighed two times including at the time of grazing season in lowland and highland rangelands. For determination of dry matter requirement, forage quality was taken into consideration. According to the results, animal weight for herds (three and four years old ewe) was 52.66±0.86 kg. Therefore, animal unit equivalent (AUE) for rams, ewes, 3 and 6-month-old lambs were 1.07, 1.66, 0.38 and 0.51, respectively. According to MAFF equation (1984), daily metabolizable energy requirement for maintenance condition was calculated 9.89 and 10.60 Mj (including that multiplied by 1.4 and 1.5) by considering condition of rangelands and distances from watering points and plant density in lowland and highland rangelands. Dry matter requirement was calculated 1.98 and1.80 kgbased on forage quality in lowland and highland rangelands.
Hossein Arzani; Hossein Pouzesh; Javad Motamedi (torkan); Rasoul Mirakhorli; Seyed Ali Niknejad
Volume 19, Issue 3 , December 2012, , Pages 384-394
Abstract
In this study, five rangeland species including Festuca rubra, Astragalus glocucantus, Astragalus flocoffus, Acantolimon erinaceum and Acantophyllum sordidum were selected at three phenological stages of vegetative growth, flowering and seeding. These species are almost palatable and important in rangelands ...
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In this study, five rangeland species including Festuca rubra, Astragalus glocucantus, Astragalus flocoffus, Acantolimon erinaceum and Acantophyllum sordidum were selected at three phenological stages of vegetative growth, flowering and seeding. These species are almost palatable and important in rangelands of Jashlobar, Semnan. For each phenological stage, three replications and for each replication, five species were collected. Plant samples were analyzed to determine N percentage as well as acid detergent fiber (ADF). Crude protein (CP), dry matter digestibility (DMD) and metabolizable energy (ME), were estimated based upon N percentage and acid detergent fiber (ADF)., Split-plot design was applied for data analysis in a randomized complete design with 3 replication sand 15 treatments for each location. After collecting the data, combined analysis of variance was used in order to investigate the changes of forage quality index. According to the results, chemical composition of plants showed significant changes and phenological stages had a significant effect on forage quality. With the advance of growth, CP, DMD and ME decreased while ADF content increased. Obtained results are applicable for estimating daily required forage for grazing livestock and determining appropriate time for livestock entry to the rangeland.