Search results for "forage shrub"
showing 3 items of 3 documents
Productivity and canopy modification of Medicago arborea as affected by defoliation management and genotype in a Mediterranean environment
2004
Medicago arborea is one of the most potentially valuable fodder shrubs in a Mediterranean environment because of its high preference by small ruminants and its nutritive value. Edible biomass production is affected by agronomic and environmental factors. A study, carried out in an inland area of Sicily in the growing seasons of 1994/95, 1995/96 and 1996/97, evaluated the forage production and canopy modification in a M. arborea plantation after (i) commencing defoliation 1 or 2 years after transplanting and (ii) defoliating only in autumn (A), only in early summer (S) or in both seasons (A and S). Six clones derived from five different Mediterranean populations were used. Plant age at the f…
Technical Note: Comparison of Techniques for Evaluating the Relative Preference by Sheep Among Saltbush Clones
2004
This research compared 4 field methods of evaluating the relative preference by sheep of 28 clones of saltbush (Atriplex halimus L.). The methods were as follows. 1) Leaf dots (LD): 8 leaves per shrub were marked on the lower surface with a small dot using a water-resistant, nontoxic ink. 2) Twig marks (TM): 2 current-year twigs per shrub were marked with 3 lines using the same ink approximately in the middle of the basal, median, and apical thirds. 3) Branch length (BL): 2 branches per shrub were marked with ink at the base of the current year's growth. The twigs were measured from the marked point to the top, before and after sheep browsing. 4) Ocular estimation (OE): the percentage of th…
Productivity of an Atriplex halimus shrubbery and effects of grazing on lambs
2009
The objectives of this study were to 1) evaluate the productivity and forage quality of Atriplex halimus, 2) investigate modifications to shrub structure induced by grazing, and 3) assess live weight changes in lambs grazing on A. halimus with and without a feed supplement (wheat straw ± barley grain). The results showed that A. halimus had low productivity (approximately 1000 kg DM ha–1) but high tolerance to grazing by lambs, although minor modifications in plant structure due to grazing were observed. Lambs grazing A. halimus as a sole diet lost weight (about 60 g lamb−1 d–1; P < 0.01), probably as a consequence of the high salt content of the forage reducing bot…