Foraging behaviour and performance of steers from two local breeds (Asturian Valley and Asturian Mountain) grazing in Cantabrian (N Spain) summer pastures

Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research

Alicia Román-Trufero¹  Antonio Martínez²  Luis M. M. Ferreira³ 

[1] Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario (SERIDA), 33300 Villaviciosa, Asturias;Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario (SERIDA), 33300 Villaviciosa, AsturiasGobierno del Principado de Asturias, Consejería de Agroganadería y Recursos Autóctonos, 33001 Oviedo;Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Centro de Investigação e Tecnologias Agroambientais e Biológicas (CITAB), Dept. de Zootecnia, 5001-801 Vila Real

关键词: beef;    body weight;    grazing behaviour;    mountain pasture;    rustic breed;   

DOI  :  10.5424/sjar/2019171-13541

学科分类：农业科学（综合）

来源: I N I A

【 摘 要 】

Steer meat production in northern Spain is deficient to attend market demand. This research aimed to compare the foraging behaviour and production of yearling steers from two local breeds differing in body weight (BW), Asturian Valley (AV, 372 kg) and Asturian Mountain (AM, 307 kg), grazing in summer pastures consisting of 70% grassland and 30% heathland. Bodyweight gains from a total of 42 steers were recorded during four grazing seasons (from June to October). In two years, in July and September, plant community selection and diet composition were estimated by direct observation and using faecal markers, respectively. Grazing time increased from July to September (488vs . 557 min/day;p <0.001) as sward height in the grassland decreased. Although AV steers grazed proportionally for longer on herbaceous pastures than AM steers (81.3vs . 73.3%;p <0.05), no differences between breeds were found in diet composition. AM steers showed greater mean daily BW gains than AV steers (252vs . 133 g/day;p <0.01). From June to August, steers from both breeds gained BW (487vs . 360 g/day for AM and AV, respectively;p <0.01), but thereafter BW gains decreased (120vs . –12 g/day for AM and AV, respectively;p <0.05), because of reduced availability of grassland herbage. Yearling steers from AM breed seem to be better suited to mountain conditions than those from AV breed, probably because of their smaller body size and lower total nutrient requirements for maintenance.

【 授权许可】

Free