IJAFR, volume 48, 2009
http://hdl.handle.net/11019/427
Irish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research, Volume 48, 20092024-03-28T18:20:43ZSoil cover of tubers and the percentage of green tubers at various inter-row widths
http://hdl.handle.net/11019/658
Soil cover of tubers and the percentage of green tubers at various inter-row widths
Bernik, R.; Godesa, T.; Dolnicar, P.; Vucajnk, F.
In the years 2002, 2003 and 2004, a field trial was conducted involving three inter-row
widths (66, 75 and 90 cm) and three potato cultivars (Agria, Bright and Carlingford).
Increasing the inter-row width (IRW) increased both the cross-sectional area of the
ridge and ridge height measured before the harvest. With an IRW of 66 cm the majority
of tubers were located directly under the ridge surface (at a depth of < 5 cm), which
resulted in the highest percentage of green tubers among the three IRW values. At
the 90 cm IRW, in particular, the vast majority of tubers was distributed deeply in the
ridge (at a depth of > 5 cm), thus generating the smallest percentage of green tubers.
Compared to the other two cultivars, Carlingford produced tubers distributed at a
larger ridge depth and subsequently yielded the lowest percentage of tubers covered
with less than 5 cm of soil. On the other hand, Agria had a wider horizontal span of
tubers than the other two cultivars.
peer-reviewed
2009-01-01T00:00:00ZPrediction of cull cow carcass characteristics from live weight and body condition score measured pre slaughter
http://hdl.handle.net/11019/657
Prediction of cull cow carcass characteristics from live weight and body condition score measured pre slaughter
Minchin, William; Buckley, Frank; Kenny, David A.; Keane, Michael G.; Shalloo, Laurence; O'Donovan, Michael
A study was conducted to provide information on the degree of carcass finish of Irish
cull cows and to investigate the usefulness of live animal measurements for the prediction beef breeds (albeit with a moderate R2 value compared to the carcass weight prediction)
using objective, non-intrusive and easily measured live animal measurements, should
be of benefit to farmers finishing cull cows in Ireland.
of cull cow carcass characteristics. Live weight (LW) and body condition score
(BCS) were recorded on cows entering an Irish commercial slaughter facility between
September and November, 2005. Data pertaining to sire breed, age and carcass characteristics
were collected and subsequently collated for each cow. For analysis, cows
(n = 2163) were subdivided into three breed categories: dairy breed sired by Holstein/
Friesian (FR), sired by early-maturing beef breeds (EM) and sired by late-maturing
beef breeds (LM). The proportion of cows slaughtered at the desired (TARGET)
carcass standard (cold carcass weight ≥ 272 kg, carcass conformation class ≥ P+ and
carcass fat class ≥ 3) was low (on average 0.30), but did differ (P < 0.001) between the
dairy and beef breed categories (0.22, 0.47 and 0.53 for FR, EM and LM categories,
respectively). Regression procedures were used to develop equations to predict cold
carcass weight, carcass conformation score, carcass fat score and proportion in the
TARGET category from LW and BCS. Equations predicting cold carcass weight had
high R2 values for all breed categories (0.81, 0.85 and 0.79 for the FR, EM and LM,
respectively). Equations predicting carcass fatness had moderate R2 values for the beef
breed categories (0.65 and 0.59 for the EM and LM, respectively). Equations predicting
carcass conformation and the TARGET category yielded lower R2 values. The successful
prediction of carcass weight for all breed categories and of carcass fatness for the
peer-reviewed
2009-01-01T00:00:00ZPotential food production from forage legume-based-systems in Europe: an overview
http://hdl.handle.net/11019/656
Potential food production from forage legume-based-systems in Europe: an overview
Peyraud, J.L.; Le Gall, A.; Luscher, A.
Intensification of EU livestock farming systems has been accompanied by the development of maize silage and intensively fertilised grasses at the expense of forage
legume crops. However in the new context of agriculture, the development of forage
legumes constitutes one of the pillars for future livestock farming systems with high
environmental and economical performances. Yield benefits of grass-clover mixtures
are equivalent fertiliser N inputs of 150 to 350 kg/ha, and productive grass-clover
mixtures can fix 100 to 380 kg N per hectare symbiotically from the atmosphere.
Animal intake of legumes is high and the rate of decline of legume nutritional
quality with advancing maturity is less than for grasses, especially in the case of
white clover, which makes mixed pastures easier to manage. Animal performances
at grazing are identical or higher on clover-enriched pastures. Due to their high
protein concentration, conserved forage legumes fit well with maize silage. Forage
legumes increase the concentration of beneficial α-linolenic acid in ruminant products.
Environmental balance of forage legumes is positive. Increasing the proportion
of white clover at the expense of mineral N fertilisation can reduce the risk of
nitrate leaching. Because forage legumes only require solar energy to fix N from the
air, they also reduce energy consumption and associated impacts. They contribute
to reduce the global warming potential of livestock systems by reducing emission
of enteric methane and nitrous oxide from pasture and crop production. As an
element of arable crop rotations, grass-clover leys suppress pests, diseases and
weeds, improve soil structure and prevent soil erosion and nitrate leaching.
Nevertheless, forage legumes have some limitations: expensive to harvest, difficulties of conservation, management of the associations. To take full advantage of forage legumes in the future, new research and development are required as well as financial support from the EU.
peer-reviewed
2009-01-01T00:00:00ZNutritive value of forage legumes used for grazing and silage
http://hdl.handle.net/11019/655
Nutritive value of forage legumes used for grazing and silage
Dewhurst, Richard J.; Delaby, Luc; Moloney, Aidan P; Boland, T. M.; Lewis, Eva
Legume forages have an important position in ruminant production in Western Europe
and with further development can play an even larger role. Red clover for silage and white
clover in grazed swards lead to enhanced growth rate and milk yield in comparison with
pure grasses. Much of the production benefit of these legumes relates to enhanced intake
since digestibilities are not markedly different to grasses. The higher intake of legume
silages reflects differences in the cell structure of legume plants which combined with
high fermentation rates means that they break down into small particles in the rumen,
and leave the rumen more rapidly than perennial ryegrass. Ease of ingestion leads to
high rates of intake, which explains higher intakes for grazed legumes. A further benefit
of legumes is the reduced rate of decline in digestibility with advancing maturity. Whilst
legumes have limited effects on gross milk composition or carcass characteristics, there
are marked increases in levels of beneficial n−3 PUFA. Legumes have often led to a reduction
in methane production from the rumen and again, this relates to both physical and
chemical differences between forage species. The high rates of release of soluble protein
and of breakdown to small particles from clovers and lucerne is associated with susceptibility
to bloat, which is a limitation to further exploitation in grazing systems. The high
concentration of rapidly degraded protein in legumes also leads to inefficient utilisation
of dietary N and increased urinary N output. Research with tanniniferous forages, such
as birdsfoot trefoil and sulla, demonstrates the potential for future legumes with reduced
environmental and health effects, though these particular forage legumes are not well
adapted to temperate regions of Western Europe that are the focus of this review.
peer-reviewed
2009-01-01T00:00:00Z