Rumen protozoa population is reduced when ruminant are feed with foliage from some tropical trees an effect attributed to both saponins (Diaz et al., 1992) and tannins (Odenyo et al., 1997a). As PEG binds to tannins, it has been used to reduce its deleterious effect in animals feed tanniferous trees (Makkar et al., 1998). In a companion summary (Monforte et al., 2005) we showed that using PEG the defaunating capacity of a tanniferous tree is reduced. The objective of the present study was to assess if adding PEG to a protozoa culture will help to separate the tannin and saponin effect upon the protozoa population.

Forage trees are commonly use for livestock feeding in the tropics. It is known that some species can affect the rumen protozoa population (Odenyo et al., 1997). However, little is known about the potential effect upon rumen protozoa of several species which are also use as feed in tropical systems. The objective of the experiment was to assess the defaunating capacity of forage trees. In companion reports (Monforte et al., 2005) we reported plants with a potential defaunating effect as evaluated under an in vitro batch culture system (Sandoval et al., 2005). Here we present those plants which did not have or had low effect on protozoa population in an in vitro culture.

Pomegranate by-products (peel and seed) contain about 40-45 percent of the fruit’s weight, but little information is available on their nutritive value. Chemical analysis of the pomegranate seed (PS) show that it contains average of 10-12 percent of crude protein. PS also contain a little amount of tannin (about 2.7 percent). Since feed accounts for 75-85% of the total costs of meet production and the use of them in feeding ruminant may decrease the cost of feeding. The objective of this experiment was also to determine nutrients digestibility of PS.

Pomegranate by-products (peel and seed) contain about 40-45 percent of the fruit’s weight. The rind of the fruit (peel),when dried, is brown outside, yellow inside, hard, dry, brittle, in irregular fragments, inodorous, and with a very astringent, somewhat bitter taste. Analysis of pomegranate peel (PP) is shown that it contains 18.8 percent of tannin, 17.1 of mucilage, 10.8 of extractive matter, 30 of lignin, a trace of resin, and 29.9 of moisture. However, little information is available on PP nutritive value for ruminants. It is poor in protein and rich in tannins. Tannins components of the peel prevents its optimal use. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of different levels of urea (U) on in vitro gas production with and without added polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVP) to ensiled pomegranate peel (EPP).

Rhinanthus minor is a facultative hemiparasitic plant of the Scrophulariaceae family native to the British Isles. It is typically found in meadows associated with a high floristic diversity, but it can also be found in pasture, where it is susceptible to heavy grazing. Containing the iridoid glycoside rhinanthin (C29H52O20), R. minor is strongly suspected of being poisonous, but it is not clear how harmful this is to livestock (Long 1924). Through parasitism, particularly of the grasses, R. minor is also associated with a loss of grazing. Consequently, the presence of R. minor in a sward is often viewed negatively. However, through reductions in productivity of grasses, R. minor may have a role in the restoration of species-rich grasslands. As a result, the probability of cattle consuming R. minor might be expected to increase. This paper aims to evaluate the degradation of R. minor and discusses the implications of R. minor inclusion in the diet.

As part of the EU Framework 5 project “Rumen-Up”, plants were screened for their effect on the in vitro fermentation medium pH. Common lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) were identified as having a positive effect, maintaining a higher pH when fermented with wheat over 48 hours. It was considered that the rumen microflora may adapt to the inclusion of either plant in the diet, leading to negation of the effect, and therefore reducing the opportunities for use as a supplement to prevent acidosis. This study was designed to investigate the persistency of the anti-acidosis effect using the Rumen Simulation Technique (RUSITEC), together with batch in vitro fermentation using inoculum harvested from RUSITEC.

As part of “Rumen-Up”, an EU Framework 5 project, a total of 500 plants and plant extracts were screened in vitro for their effect on general rumen fermentation parameters, in particular their ability to influence microbial protein production, protozoal numbers, methane production, bloat and acidosis. Many of the plants investigated were found to have potentially beneficial effects with respect to ruminant production. The activities of 25 plants were patented, including two that The University of Reading identified as maintaining a significantly higher fermentation medium pH - common lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and stinging nettle ( Urtica dioica) with the aim that these plants (or their derivatives) would be incorporated as feed supplements to reduce the incidence of rumen acidosis. The results reported here are from an in vitro dose titration study conducted to identify possible dietary inclusion levels prior to conducting a large-scale animal production study.

The Less Favoured Areas (LFAs), which occupy almost half of the agricultural land in the UK, can be divided into two categories: rough grazing (semi-natural) and grassland (improved permanent pasture and temporary grass). Although rough grazing accounts for two-thirds of the land, it contributes only 15% to total output. However, it is this category that requires more sympathetic grazing management if its environmental value is to be maintained or enhanced. While some information exists on the impact of grazing by cattle on semi-natural vegetation communities such as Molinia caerulea (Grant et al., 1996) there is a lack of information on the effects that grazing with cattle or sheep over the summer months might have on animal performance. The underlying hypothesis for this experiment was that grazing in summer would have beneficial effects on animal performance through changes in the short term in the structure of the vegetation, and in the long term through changes in both structure and species composition.

Spiranthes romanzoffiana (Orchidaceae: specialist orchid form of mycorrhiza present) flowers in July and August. Plants also occur above ground in the non-flowering state but are hard to detect. Established plants can spend up to 6 years in the underground (U: sometimes called dormant) phase; Dr J. Robarts, personal communication. Both vegetative (V) and flowering (F) plants produce lateral buds which appear above ground in summer or early autumn. Current data indicate that it is in decline in Britain and Ireland, (UK Biodiversity Action Group, 1999). However numbers detected in study populations have increased over the 2 or 3 year periods of investigation, (Gulliver, Gulliver and Sydes, 2003). Most sites in Scotland are grazed by sheep and/or cattle. Plants are also grazed by wild vertebrates and by invertebrates, especially slugs. Plants are often defoliated by domestic stock. Stock modify sites by dung production. Their trampling activities can damage individual plants, can tear open swards and can create small to medium scale bare patches (especially in damp ground). Each of these activities may have some negative and some positive elements. For example, defoliation results in a loss of tissue; but, on balance, S. romanzoffiana with its second source of organic carbon, may be less disadvantaged than potential competitors. The objective was to investigate survival over a 4-year period at a heavily grazed and at a lightly grazed site.

Sheep systems on upland permanent pastures sown with Lolium perenne/Trifolium repens, have typically been relatively intensively managed, relying on inorganic fertilizers to maintain or increase animal output. However changes in the Common Agricultural Policy have resulted in the development of agri-environment schemes to deliver environmental goals from grasslands. These schemes encourage more extensive grazing systems, and change the emphasis from animal output to issues such as increasing biodiversity. Lower stocking densities provide increased opportunities for diet selection, the development of a heterogeneous habitat and associated changes in species composition. However, will more extensive management increase botanical diversity in upland sown swards? The experiment reported here describes the effect of more extensive management combining cessation of fertilizer and lower grazing intensity on vegetation change, stocking density and lamb output over 14 years.

The UK Biodiversity Action Plan identifies upland heath and blanket bog as priorities for conservation. Heavy grazing by livestock has damaged these habitats in many parts of the UK. Agri-environment schemes have partly addressed the problem by encouraging farmers to reduce sheep stocking levels on degraded moorland. This can prevent further loss of dwarf shrub cover, but the increased biomass of moorland grasses can inhibit regeneration of dwarf shrubs and other desirable species. The objectives of this system-scale study are to assess the impact on plant species composition and animal performance, of sheep-only and mixed grazing regimes with both cattle and sheep on degraded wet heath vegetation. It is being carried out as part of a wider project to determine environmentally sustainable and economically viable grazing systems for heather moorland.

Changing management in UK lowland pasture systems has lead to larger fertiliser inputs, increased intensity and frequency of cutting and a movement towards silage rather than hay based systems. This has lead to changes in both floral diversity and the seasonal characteristics of sward architectural complexity, which include the loss of key vegetation structures at critical times of the year. e.g., seed heads. This has had large impacts on invertebrate communities in pasture systems and is thought to be the cause of large-scale declines in both the abundances and diversity of invertebrates (Duffey et al., 1974). This decline in invertebrate abundance has also been linked to a concomitant decline in farmland bird populations reliant on invertebrates as a food sources (Vickery et al., 2001). By manipulating cattle grazing, cutting and fertiliser regimes in intensively managed pasture systems the role of vegetation structure for a variety of invertebrate communities has been investigated.

English Nature has negotiated substantial stocking reductions (up to 60%) on a number of upland Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cumbria with the objective of restoring their vegetation quality. Because concerns were raised about possible socio-economic effects of these conservation regimes English Nature asked stakeholders to set out their concerns. Consultants were then requested to review and assess these for English Nature action. This paper summarises specific aspects of the conclusions of this research and the conclusions of a workshop to whom the report was presented.

Appropriate grazing management is essential to help maintain the wildlife conservation and biodiversity value of most semi-natural grasslands. Stocking requirements are influenced both by the specific sward requirements of the site and by factors such as climate, location, topography and soil wetness. A study, funded by the Countryside Council for Wales, English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Environment and Heritage Service for Northern Ireland, aimed to provide conservation site managers and agri-environment project officers with updated guidance on stocking levels. Current grazing prescriptions from all UK agri-environment schemes were also reviewed.

Livestock farming is a traditional and important contributor to the rural economy in the hills and uplands of the UK. However, significant areas of the uplands have seen a decline in the condition of heath and mire habitats and the loss of dwarf shrubs as a result of over-grazing. Attempts to halt the decline and improve the condition of upland heath and mire habitats have been undertaken by the introduction of agri-environment schemes. In the main, such schemes rely on the reduction of sheep numbers. However, recent Defra funded research (LS1508) has indicated that this can result in dominance by competitive and/or unpalatable species such as purple moor-grass (Molinia caerulea ) or mat-grass (Nardus stricta ), leading in time to a reduction in the physical and financial performance of the flock. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of cattle grazing on Nardus stricta dominated pasture on sheep and cattle performance. It is being carried out as part of a wider project to determine environmentally sustainable and economically viable grazing systems for heather moorland.

The Grazing Animals Project (GAP) is a partnership between most of the major conservation organisations, governmental as well as non-governmental, working alongside key groups from the livestock sector. Its main aim is to promote and facilitate effective and sustainable livestock grazing systems that will directly benefit wildlife and landscape conservation.

Grassland management practices, such as grazing, strongly affects the biodiversity of grassland arthropods; increasing grazing intensity causes a general decline in species richness (Morris, 2000). One of the aims of the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) is to conserve and enhance biodiversity within Irish agricultural land (Feehan et al., 2002). In order to determine the effectiveness of this aspect of REPS, one must compare the relative biodiversity of grassland under REPS with that of conventionally managed grassland. Aiming to determine whether species richness was higher in REPS-compatible compared with a standard system of management, we measured the species richness of grassland arthropods within two contrasting grassland treatments within an experimental study of suckler beef production.

Genetic evaluations have come a long way during the past decades, where the development and implementation of Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) was undoubtedly the most notable achievement. The most important advances during the past 10 years were probably the direct use of test-day data in the BLUP model, ie. test-day models, the correction for heterogeneous within herd variances, multiple across country genetic evaluations (MACE), and the inclusion of more and more functional, and often difficult, traits in the evaluations. This paper will review the developments in test-day models, and the future of the genetic evaluations field, namely the inclusion of genomic information in the evaluations.

The theory of quantitative genetics is used to predict certain outcomes in a dynamic population undergoing selection. The goal of this review is to demonstrate the value of the mouse as a model to test quantitative genetic selection theory.

Heritablity estimates in a base population are used to predict selection response. How good is this prediction? Sheridan (1988) reported discrepancies between predicted and realized heritabilities in selection experiments with laboratory and farm animals. An updated summary of single-trait selection experiments for different traits in mice indicates good agreement between predicted and realized heritabilities (r = 0.81, P < 0.01), with no suggestion of upward or downward bias in the base estimates (Eisen, 2005).

The similarities between the mouse and farm livestock at the genetic and functional level make it a useful model for farm livestock breeding and indeed for human genetic research, taking the opportunities presented by its short generation interval, the development of inbred lines, and the ability to do gene knock-outs. Genetic similarities apply both at the molecular level, in gene structure and sequence, and at the quantitative level, for example genetic parameters of growth. We discuss here what can be learnt about the action and interaction of genes that influence traits of growth and body composition and contribute to genetic changes in them from work on the mouse, concentrating particularly on candidate genes and experiments conducted in our laboratory. As a resource we have developed highly divergent selection lines for growth, body composition and food intake, brought together lines of mice selected for growth from around the world, and inbred them both for stability and to facilitate their use for molecular genetic analysis. These lines differ greatly as a consequence of selection not only in growth and degree of fatness, but also in efficiency, as assessed by food intake corrected for body weight.