Tropical Livestock Production

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal System and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2022) | Viewed by 16404

Special Issue Editors

Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
Interests: small and large ruminants; nutrition and management; dryland livestock production

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Guest Editor
Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
Interests: ruminants; nutrition and management; grazing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Livestock systems are enormously important for food security and livelihoods in low-income countries (i.e., tropical areas). However, the productivity is low in small-scale systems compared with richer countries, and livestock production is often constrained by feed shortage (both quality and quantity), lack of breeding, and animal diseases, among many factors. The demand for livestock products is expected to increase by some 50–60% until 2050, putting greater pressure on the environment but on the other hand giving poor small-holder farmers the potential to improve their livelihoods. Although agriculture and livestock production are major sources of greenhouse gases, they also hold a large potential to be part of the mitigation. There is thus a need to improve livestock production systems so that they are both economically and environmentally sustainable, and the aim of this Special Issue is to publish original research papers or reviews concerning livestock production in the tropics.

Areas of interest include nutrition and feeding; management and animal health in, for example, mixed crop–livestock systems; rangeland-based livestock systems; adaptation and coping strategies of livestock production due to climate change effects; the innovative use of technology; and value chain development.

Dr. Ewa Wredle
Dr. Horacio Leandro Gonda
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • livestock
  • low-income countries
  • food security
  • pastoralism systems
  • crop–livestock systems

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 331 KiB  
Article
Low-Intensity, High-Frequency Grazing Strategy Increases Herbage Production and Beef Cattle Performance on Sorghum Pastures
by Thales Baggio Portugal, Leonardo Silvestri Szymczak, Anibal de Moraes, Lidiane Fonseca, Jean Carlos Mezzalira, Jean Víctor Savian, Angel Sánchez Zubieta, Carolina Bremm, Paulo César de Faccio Carvalho and Alda Lúcia Gomes Monteiro
Animals 2022, 12(1), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12010013 - 22 Dec 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4021
Abstract
We assessed the effects of high-intensity and low-frequency (HILF) vs. low-intensity and high-frequency (LIHF) grazing on herbage production and performance of beef cattle grazing sorghum pastures. The experimental design was a complete randomized block with two treatments and four replicates (paddocks), carried out [...] Read more.
We assessed the effects of high-intensity and low-frequency (HILF) vs. low-intensity and high-frequency (LIHF) grazing on herbage production and performance of beef cattle grazing sorghum pastures. The experimental design was a complete randomized block with two treatments and four replicates (paddocks), carried out in 2014/15. The management target of 50 and 30 cm for pre- and post-grazing, respectively, a LIHF grazing management strategy oriented to maximize beef cattle herbage intake per unit time, was compared with a HILF grazing management strategy of 80 and 20 cm for pre- and post-grazing, respectively, aiming to maximize herbage accumulation and harvest efficiency. Sixteen Brangus steers of 15-month-old and 265 ± 21 kg of live weight (LW) were randomly distributed to paddocks (experimental units). The LIHF resulted in shorter rest periods when compared with the HILF. The greater leaf lamina mass in LIHF allowed greater sward light interception at post-grazing, resulting in greater total herbage production than HILF (7581 and 4154 kg DM/ha, respectively). The average daily gain (ADG) of steers was greater for the LIHF than for the HILF treatment (0.950 and 0.702 kg/animal, respectively); however, even with a greater stocking rate in the HILF, there was no difference for LW gain per ha, with an average of 4 kg LW/ha/day. Our findings demonstrated that the LIHF strategy that is based on offering to the animals an optimal sward structure to favor the maximum herbage intake rate fosters greater herbage production, harvesting efficiency, and ADG without compromising LW gain per area of beef steers, despite the lower herbage harvested per stocking cycle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tropical Livestock Production)
14 pages, 309 KiB  
Article
Effect of Silage Diet (Sweet Sorghum vs. Whole-Crop Corn) and Breed on Growth Performance, Carcass Traits, and Meat Quality of Lambs
by Pu Wu, Xiaoyue Fu, Hucheng Wang, Mingjie Hou and Zhanhuan Shang
Animals 2021, 11(11), 3120; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11113120 - 31 Oct 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2339
Abstract
Diet and breed directly affect ruminant carcass traits and meat quality. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate the effect of silage diet and breed on growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of lambs. A total of 28, 3–4 months old female lambs [...] Read more.
Diet and breed directly affect ruminant carcass traits and meat quality. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate the effect of silage diet and breed on growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of lambs. A total of 28, 3–4 months old female lambs consisting of 14 Dorper lambs (DP) and 14 Thin-tailed Han lambs (TH) were allocated in a 2 × 2 factorial design and offered two experimental diets (sweet sorghum silage: SS; whole-crop corn silage: WS) for 90 days. Lambs fed the WS diet had a higher growth performance (p < 0.01), intramuscular fat content (p < 0.05), and bright meat color (p < 0.01) than lambs fed the SS diet. The lambs fed the SS diet showed a higher polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content than the lambs fed the WS diet (p < 0.01); there was no significant difference in growth performance and carcass characteristics between DP and TH lambs (p > 0.05). The meat of the DP lambs showed lower values of initial pH, shear force, lightness (L*), redness (a*), and saturated fatty acid (SFA) content (p < 0.05). The lamb breed influenced fewer variables of growth performance and carcass characteristics compared to the diet. The lambs fed the SS diet had higher nutritional quality meat than lambs fed the WS diet. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tropical Livestock Production)

Review

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13 pages, 326 KiB  
Review
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Forage as a Potential Feed for Animals: A Review
by Manuel Valdivié and Yordan Martínez
Animals 2022, 12(3), 288; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12030288 - 25 Jan 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 8643
Abstract
This review summarized for the first time the nutritional benefits of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis in animal feed. the agronomic characteristics for the hyperproduction of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis were reported, as well as the chemical composition of the forage meal (leaves + petioles + stems), with [...] Read more.
This review summarized for the first time the nutritional benefits of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis in animal feed. the agronomic characteristics for the hyperproduction of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis were reported, as well as the chemical composition of the forage meal (leaves + petioles + stems), with emphasis on crude protein, amino acids, minerals, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, lignin detergent acid, secondary metabolites, and metabolizable energy for ruminants and non-ruminants. Additionally, their medicinal properties such as antimicrobial, antifungal, antiparasitic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiarrheal, and antipyretic properties were detailed. Its use as a source of protein in ruminant feeding is attractive and can be combined with grasses. In rabbits, fresh forage in high concentrations in the diets reduces the feed palatability, which causes a decrease in animal response, although it depends on the forage quality. In addition, limits for Hibiscus rosa-sinensis forage were recommended in diets or feeding systems for poultry, pigs, rabbits, goats, and sheep. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tropical Livestock Production)
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