Description
Feed is the most costly input for US ruminant livestock production systems, and increasing the utilization efficiency of irrigated forage systems can improve system profitability. This study assessed the production, utilization and quality of 22 intensively managed perennial grasses and legumes. Forages were cultivated as monocultures under irrigation and subjected to similarly intense clipping or mob stocking for two years at six-week intervals between May and September. Grasses and legumes were randomly assigned to 22 adjacent 1.5-m-wide by 9-m-long subplots within each whole plot, and pairs of whole plots were randomly assigned to grazing or clipping management. Seven grasses did not persist following the first harvest, and accumulation for three legume species could be evaluated only twice in Year 1. For the 12 remaining species harvested four times both years, harvest management did not affect dry matter accumulation or removal, but utilization was 10% greater under grazing than clipping (p = 0.0031). Given sufficient rest periods, numerous cool-season grasses and temperate legumes are tolerant of repeated mob grazing.
Author ORCID Identifier
Jennifer MacAdam https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2349-9863
Document Type
Dataset
DCMI Type
Dataset
File Format
.xlsx
Publication Date
5-31-2024
Funder
Utah Agricultural Experiment Station
Publisher
Utah State University
Embargo Period
9-1-2024
Methodology
Accumulation and removal were assessed using a non-destructive rising plate meter that was calibrated for each grass and legume species. The condensed tannin concentration of three legumes was assayed, and the nutritive value of each forage was determined using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and the grass or legume hay equation of the NIRS Forage and Feed Testing Consortium.
Start Date
2007
End Date
2008
Language
eng
Code Lists
See README
Disciplines
Climate | Plant Sciences | Soil Science
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Identifier
https://doi.org/10.26078/jdms-xg87
Recommended Citation
MacAdam, J., Maughan, B., & Dai, X. (2024). Production, Utilization and Quality of Irrigated Grasses and Legumes in the Mountain West USA Under Mob Stocking or Clipping [Data set]. Utah State University. https://doi.org/10.26078/JDMS-XG87
Additional Files
DATA_MacAdam_ALL_20240531.zip (875 kB)Fig 1 Preston Pptn ET Min Max T.xlsx (120 kB)
Fig 2, 3, 4 RPM Species Data.xlsx (687 kB)
README.txt (3 kB)
Species Dry Matter Data Cleaned.xlsx (32 kB)
Table 2 Tannin Data BFT CRV SAN.xlsx (34 kB)
Table 3, 4 Pre-Harvest NIRS Data.xlsx (89 kB)
Included in
Climate Commons, Plant Sciences Commons, Soil Science Commons