Structural anti-quality characteristics of range and pasture plants
Issue Date
2001-07-01Keywords
shear strengthanimal injuries
wool
performance
tensile strength
foraging
habitats
plant morphology
duration
plant anatomy
pastures
digestibility
sustainability
botanical composition
quality
pasture plants
literature reviews
grazing
feed intake
bite size
chewing
canopy structure
intake rate
physical plant defenses
spines
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Laca, E. A., Shipley, L. A., & Reid, E. D. (2001). Structural anti-quality characteristics of range and pasture plants. Journal of Range Management, 54(4), 413-419.Publisher
Society for Range ManagementJournal
Journal of Range ManagementAdditional Links
https://rangelands.org/Abstract
Structural anti-quality characteristics are physical plant traits that reduce the performance and productivity of herbivores and quality of their agricultural products. Most structural anti-quality characteristics of plants affect the rate at which herbivores gather and ingest forages, reducing the total amount of food obtained or increasing the time necessary to obtain food. Structural anti-quality can substantially influence searching time (e.g., plant crypticity, distribution), cropping time (e.g., plant fibrousness, tensile and shear strength), and bite size (e.g., plant canopy structure, spinescence). Plant structural characteristics can also reduce digestion (e.g., silica), cause injury (e.g., spines, awns, burrs, calluses), or reduce the quality of animal products, such as wool (e.g., propagules). The effects of structural antiquality characteristics depend on the morphology of the herbivore, especially its size, the morphology of the focal plant, and their context within the habitat. Integrated grazing management plans should consider options to reduce the negative effects of structural anti-quality. Carefully selecting appropriate livestock species with previous experience, and the appropriate season of grazing can minimize anti-quality on rangelands. Because structural anti-quality may actually promote sustainability of grazing systems by preventing severe defoliation, or by providing refuges for highly desirable forages, it may not be desirable to completely counteract their effects.Type
textArticle
Language
enISSN
0022-409Xae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.2307/4003112
Scopus Count
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