ABSTRACT
Objective
The objective of this research was to determine the effects of overseeding red clover
on cattle grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue (E+ TF) pastures.
Materials and Methods
A grazing study was conducted in the springs of 2016 (75 d) and 2017 (61 d). Before
the start of the study, four 3-ha pastures with cool-season grass (predominately E+
TF) were blocked and randomly assigned to a control treatment (TF CON) or a broadcasted
red clover treatment (TF+RC). Steers (n = 6 tester steers per pasture) were allocated
to each pasture by BW. Pastures were divided into two 1.5-ha paddocks to allow for
14-d rotational put-and-take stocking. Serum prolactin was assayed on the last day
of grazing, and selected tester steers from each pasture (n = 3) were moved to pens
for Doppler ultrasound measurements, 7 d after grazing. Data were analyzed by repeated
measures using the mixed procedure of SAS.
Results and Discussion
Red clover was successfully established in TF+RC pastures (2016: 36% and 2017: 57%,
pasture ground cover). The TF+RC pastures had less ADF and NDF and more true in vitro
digestible DM than TF CON pastures after grazing (P < 0.01, in all cases). However, there was no effect of TF+RC on forage mass (P = 0.08) or pasture carrying capacity (P = 0.19). Steers grazing TF+RC pastures had 53% and 58% greater ADG (P = 0.03) and BW gain per hectare (P = 0.01) than TF CON steers, respectively. Serum prolactin at the termination of grazing
was almost 3 times greater in TF+RC steers than in TF CON steers (P = 0.01). Additionally, 7 d after grazing, TF+RC steers had 44% larger caudal artery
luminal areas than TF CON steers (P < 0.01).
Implications and Applications
Overseeding red clover in E+ TF pastures is an effective strategy for reversing the
adverse effects of fescue toxicosis and improving cattle performance.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
August 30,
2021
Received:
January 30,
2021
Footnotes
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
