In total, 20 multiparous Holstein-Friesian dairy cows received one of four diets in each of four periods of 28-day duration in a Latin square design to test the hypothesis that the inclusion of lucerne in the ration of high-yielding dairy cows would improve animal performance and milk fatty acid (FA) composition. All dietary treatments contained 0.55 : 0.45 forage to concentrates (dry matter (D...

Understanding the relationships between vegetative and environmental variables is important for revegetation and ecosystem management on the Loess Plateau, China. Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) has been widely used in the region to improve revegetation, soil and water conservation, and to enhance livestock production. However, there is little information on how environmental factors influence lon...

Foliar and root symptoms are described for Australian lucerne yellows (ALuY), a disease common in Australian lucerne seed crops. A phytoplasma was detected in plants exhibiting symptoms, but not in symptomless lucerne plants. Oligonucleotide primers specific to the phytoplasma 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region (SR) were used in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays on DNA extracted from lu...

1. Five rumen-fistulated cows were given freshly cut ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and lucerne (Medicago sativa L.), on separate occasions, to compare rates of particle breakdown and aspects of rumen fermentation. 2. Cattle were required to consume their daily allowance (offered ad lib.) in two 2 h feeding periods daily. 3. During the first 2 h feeding period, dry matter (DM) intakes of ryegrass...

Dry matter production data for pure lucerne, overdrilled lucerne and pasture ark presented for 14 sites on pumice soils. On average, the annual dry matter yield of lucerne, harvested at early basal shoot movement, was 50% higher than from pasture, ranging froti 128% higher on a drought-prone soil where the pasture was dominant browntop to 33% on a more moisture-retentive soil type where the pas...

A series of experiments was conducted to determine the effects of a fibrolytic enzyme preparation (enzyme 1; E1) on the in vitro fermentation of lucerne incubated with equine faecal inocula. In experiment 1, high-temperature-dried (HT) lucerne was treated with five levels of E1 (0 to 2.4 ml/g DM) and incubated at 50 degrees C for 20 h. Samples then received a simulated foregut digestion (SFD) t...

Abstract. The clearing of trees and native vegetation over the past 160 years has caused deep drainage to groundwater in the Broken Plains area. Predictions are that continuing recharge will bring the water-table to within 2 metres of the surface over the next 30 years. This will lead to water-logging and dryland salinity. A solution is to introduce deep-rooted perennial species such as lucerne...

In a trial at Wairakei Research Station, the effect of three spring grazing managements on subsequent summer and early autumn hay product ion of lucerne was assessed re la t ive to hay management over the entire period. Overall the two rotational grazing treatments where the lucerne was grazed at an immature stage of growth (grazed at 12 to 15 cm, and at 25 to 30 cm) reduced subsequent produc t...

A report of mammary development in 6-month-old ewe lambs grazing lucerne on a commercial farm in North Otago provided an opportunity to investigate the possibility to use this as a tool to detect oestrogenic lucerne pastures. Of the 36 ewe lambs grazing lucerne at this farm, protruding mammary glands were visible in 19. In contrast, none of the 22 ewe lambs grazing grass had protruding mammary ...

I . In four feeding experiments with sheep the utilization of proteins contained in lucerne hay and of those in toasted soya-bean meal (SBM), representing a roughage and concentrate feed respectively, were examined. The ration of one group of animals contained lucerne hay as sole source of digestible protein and that of the other SBM. 2. Measurements of the nitrogen balance showed clearly the s...