Eight single-flow, continuous culture fermentors were used in Exp. 1 to study the effects of forage source on ruminal bacterial N metabolism and carbohydrate digestion. Forages included alfalfa, cicer milkvetch, birdsfoot trefoil and sainfoin with respective CP concentrations of 26.0, 28.7, 26.3 and 20.0%. Each forage provided 100% of the substrate for microbial metabolism and supplied 2.6 g N/...

The Egyptian alfalfa weevil (alfalfa weevil in some areas) during most years is the most severe insect pest of alfalfa in California. These pests feed on alfalfa leaflets and stems, reducing hay yields. Several insecticides provide acceptable control of this pest. Historically, product choice has been driven by efficacy on the pest, cost, presence of other pests, i.e., aphids, days before harve...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of social relationships on the feed intake, eating behavior, and growth, upon exposure to a novel diet, in Hanwoo (Bos taurus coreanae) heifers during pregnancy. Twenty-four pregnant Hanwoo heifers, averaging 438 ± 27.8 kg in weight, 21 months in age, and 194 ± 8.5 days in pregnancy, were involved in a two-month (eight weeks) experiment. T...

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) persistence and forage and cow-calf production were evaluated on pastures containing smooth bromegrass with or without grazing-tolerant or hay-type alfalfa cultivars rotationally stocked in either a season-long or complementary system. In 1997, six 2.02-ha pastures were seeded with smooth bromegrass, a mixture of a grazing-tolerant alfalfa (Amerigraze variety) and s...

An experiment was conducted to study the effects of an emulsifier (glycerol polyethylene glycol ricinoleate: GPGR) and different sources of fat on the performance of Khaki Campbell ducks. Ducks were assigned into five groups with three replicates (10 ducks/replicate) in each group. Treatments were a control diet (C1: without added oil and emulsifier), control diet added with 2% soybean oil (C2)...

The fixed metabolizable energy (ME) values from the NRC do not represent the true ME values of the various feedstuff used in livestock rations. Therefore, a rapid and effective method for evaluating the ME value of forage crops is required for proper ration formulation to improve production efficiency. Dairy goat digestion trials were conducted as the in vivo reference using the method of Menke...

The aim of this paper was to study of the effect of fenugreek seed (Trigonella foenum-graecum) and asparagus root (Asparagus officinalis) on in vitro digestibility and kinetics of gas production of alfalfa hay. Fenugreek seed (FS) and asparagus root (AR) were added at different levels (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20% of DM). Total phenolic components of alfalfa hay (AH), fenugreek seed (FS) and asparagus ...

The effect of pH on rumen fermentation and microbial population was studied in a continuously cultured rumen ecosystem. A marked decrease in the production of volatile fatty acids and methane from alfalfa hay occurred when the cultures were maintained at pH values below 6.0. The decrease in acetate and methane production was greater than that of propionate production. The culture maintained at ...

Six steers (BW = 436 +/- 15 kg) were assigned randomly to alfalfa, bromegrass, or prairie hay diets in a replicated 3 x 3 Latin square design to evaluate the efficacy of different internal markers for estimating OM digestibility (OMD). Internal markers used to estimate OMD included ADL, alkaline peroxide lignin (APL), AIA, and indigestible ADF (IADF), which consisted of a 144-h in vitro incubat...