The potential to increase beef production in tropical Nth Australia by including Desmanthus cv JCU 2 in a Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) dominant pasture

Musonda, V.;Gardiner, C.;Walker, G.

Abstract

The inclusion of an adapted and persistent legume in either native or improved grass pastures of tropical northern Australia should increase livestock productivity in the dry season, when pasture plants are in phase 3 or reproductive phase of growth, by supplying critically limitinr rumen degradable protein (RDP) to support optimal rumen function (Minson 1977; Poppi et al. 2018). The legume Progardes Desmanthus spp. is high in RDP compared with tropical grasses and has been shown to be b oth well adapted and persistent in buffel grass dominant pastures in tropical northern Australia (Gardiner & Parker 2012).The objective of this study was to determine the potential change in intake of RDP and model the potential increase in daily live weight gain (LWG) of steers consuming phase 3 buffel grass as the amount of phase 3 Desmanthus cv JCU 2 (JCU 2) in the diet increased incrementally from 0 to 45% of dry matter. Phase 3 buffel grass and phase 3 JCU 2 were produced at James Cook University, Townsville. Nutritive analysis using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIR) provided estimates of crude protein of 53 and 130 g/kg DM and RDP of 39 and 96 g/kg DM for buffel grass and JCU 2, respectively, and an M/D for buffel grass of 9MJ ME/kg DM. Modeling was performed u sing Australian feeding standards (MLA, 2015) for a 300kg Bos indicus st e er wa lking 7km/d with a maximum potential DMI of 2.8% of liveweight at intakes of JCU 2 of 0%, 10%, 15%, 30% and 45% in dry matter.

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Animal Production Science

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1836-5787

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Fremantle, WA

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CSIRO

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Freemantle, WA

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