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Translational animal science2021; 5(4); txab208; doi: 10.1093/tas/txab208

Yield, nutrient composition, and horse condition in integrated crabgrass and cool-season grass rotational grazing pasture systems.

Abstract: Integration of warm-season grasses into traditional cool-season pastures can increase summer forage for grazing cattle. The aim of this study was to determine impacts of this practice on yield and nutrient composition of equine rotational pasture systems as well as horse body condition. Two 1.5 ha rotational systems (6 to 0.25 ha sections/system) were evaluated: a control system (CON) (all sections mixed cool-season grass [CSG-CON]) and an integrated rotational grazing system (IRS) (three CSG sections [CSG-IRS] and three Quick-N-Big crabgrass [Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.; CRB-IRS]). Three horses per system grazed in three periods: EARLY (mid-May to mid-July), SLUMP (mid-July to mid-September), and LATE (mid-September to mid-November). Herbage mass (HM) was measured prior to each rotation and samples were collected (0800 to 1000 h) for nutrient analysis. Grazing days were tracked to calculate carrying capacity (CC). Horse condition measures were assessed monthly. Over the full grazing season, 9,125 kg of forage was available for grazing in IRS versus 6,335 kg in CON. The CC was 390 horse d for IRS, while only 276 horse d for CON. Total HM/section did not differ during EARLY when CRB was not available (CSG-IRS: 2,537 ± 605; CSG-CON: 3,783 ± 856 kg/ha), but CC was greater in CSG-IRS (220 ± 37 horse d/ha) than CSG-CON (92 ± 26 horse d/ha; P = 0.03). In SLUMP, both HM and CC were greater in CRB-IRS (HM: 4,758 ± 698 kg/ha; CC: 196 ± 31 horse d/ha) than CSG-IRS (HM: 1,086 ± 698 kg/ha; CC: 32 ± 31 horse d/ha) or CON (HM: 970 ± 493 kg/ha; CC: 46 ± 22 horse d/ha; P < 0.02). While HM did not differ by section type in LATE (1,284 ± 158 kg/ha), CC was greater in CSG-CON (84 ± 9 horse d/ha) versus CRB-IRS (32 ± 13 horse d/ha; P = 0.03) and CSG-IRS (40 ± 13 horse d/ha; P = 0.06). During SLUMP, water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) were lower in CRB-IRS (4.46% ± 0.80%) than CSG-CON (7.92% ± 0.90%; P < 0.04), but not CSG-IRS (5.93% ± 1.04%); however, non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) did not differ (7.05% ± 0.62%). There were no differences in WSC (6.46% ± 0.54%) or NSC (7.65% ± 0.54%) by section type in LATE. Horses in IRS maintained a body condition score (BCS) of 5.78 ± 0.48, but BCS did not differ by system (CON: 6.11 ± 0.48). Thus, integrated grazing increased summer pasture yield and provided adequate nutrition to maintain horse condition, but further research is needed to improve late-season production. Integrated grazing may not, however, provide an advantage in limiting dietary NSC, as NSC remained low for all pasture sections.
Publication Date: 2021-10-26 PubMed ID: 34859200PubMed Central: PMC8633121DOI: 10.1093/tas/txab208Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research paper explores the impact of integrating warm-season grasses into traditional cool-season horse pastures on available grazing yield, nutrient composition, and horse body condition. The research supports the benefits of integrated rotational grazing systems in increasing summer pasture yield and adequately nourishing horses.

Research Setup

  • The research took place on two rotational pasture systems each of 1.5 hectares, divided into 6 sections/system. One was a control system (CON), entirely composed of cool-season grass (CSG-CON), while the other was an integrated rotational grazing system (IRS) consisting of three sections each of cool-season grass (CSG-IRS) and three sections of crabgrass (CRB-IRS).
  • Three horses per system grazed throughout three periods termed EARLY, SLUMP, and LATE, each spanning about two months. Prior to each rotation, the researchers measured the available pasture or herbage mass (HM) and collected samples for nutrient analysis.
  • The study tracked grazing days to find the carrying capacity of each system and assessed the condition of the horses on a monthly basis.

Findings on Forage Yield and Carrying Capacity

  • The integrated rotational grazing system (IRS) provided a significantly greater amount of forage than the control system. The IRS supplied 9,125 kg of forage over the grazing season, as compared to 6,335 kg by the control system.
  • Carrying capacity was greater for the IRS (390 horse days) than the control (276 horse days), indicating that the IRS can support more grazing livestock for a longer period.
  • Throughout the SLUMP period, the crabgrass in the IRS yielded a higher herbage mass and had a greater carrying capacity than the control system or the cool-season grass in the same IRS.
  • However, in the LATE period after the crabgrass was no longer available, the control system had a larger carrying capacity than either the crabgrass or cool-season grass sections in the IRS.

Findings on Nutrient Composition

  • During the SLUMP period, the crabgrass in the IRS showed a lower content of water-soluble carbohydrates than the control system but not the cool-season grass in the same IRS.
  • There were no significant differences in the content of non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) in either grass type during the SLUMP period. The concentration of these nutrients, which are vital for equine health, remained low across all sections in the LATE period.

Impact on Horse Condition

  • Horses grazing the IRS maintained healthy body conditions throughout the experiment, achieving a body condition score (BCS) of 5.78 (note that a BCS of 5 is generally considered optimal for horses).
  • However, the BCS didn’t significantly differ between the control and IRS systems, suggesting that both systems provided enough nutrition to sustain horse health.

Research Conclusion

  • The study concludes that integrated rotational grazing systems can increase summer pasture yields and provide adequate nutrition to maintain the condition of grazing equine populations.
  • Some challenges persist, such as optimizing late-season production. Furthermore, integrating warm-season grasses doesn’t seem to offer significant benefits in terms of reducing NSC intake.
  • This combination of warm-season and cool-season pastures may support healthier, more sustainable pasture and livestock management, although further research is needed.

Cite This Article

APA
Weinert-Nelson JR, Meyer WA, Williams CA. (2021). Yield, nutrient composition, and horse condition in integrated crabgrass and cool-season grass rotational grazing pasture systems. Transl Anim Sci, 5(4), txab208. https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txab208

Publication

ISSN: 2573-2102
NlmUniqueID: 101738705
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 5
Issue: 4
Pages: txab208

Researcher Affiliations

Weinert-Nelson, Jennifer R
  • Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.
Meyer, William A
  • Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.
Williams, Carey A
  • Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.

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