• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.556-562
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• 2010

The objective of the present study was to compare feed and water intakes, growth performance and carcasscharacteristics of indigenous lamb fed diets containing various levels of halophyte Sporobolus grass hay. Forty male and female lambs were randomly and equally allotted with 5 lambs of each sex per treatment to four dietary treatment groups, which were initially formulated to have 100, 70, 30 or 0.0% Sporobolus grass hay, as a source of forage replacement for conventional Rhodes grass commonly used in the region. The lambs receiving 0.0% Sporobolus grass hay (100% Rhodes grass hay) served as the control. Feed and water were offered ad libitum. Male lambs were slaughtered at the end of the feeding trials. The average daily feed intake was significantly (p<0.05) higher for the animals fed different levels of Sporobolus grass hay than for the control animals. Feed conversion ratio (FCR), i.e., kg feed/kg BW, was similar in all treatment groups. Although lambs fed the diet with 70% Sporobolus grass hay had heavier carcass weights, the differences were not significant. In conclusion, growth performance or carcass characteristics of fattening indigenous lambs were not influenced by the inclusion of different levels of Sporobolus grass hay in the diet. Because of this, Sporobolus grass hay represents an alternative forage resource for sustaining small ruminant production in the saline coastal and subcoastal areas of the world.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.61-65
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• 1977

To select some salt tolerant pasture species for grassland establishment on the west coastal saline land in Korea, this work was carried out from March to October in 1976 with 5 pasture seeds mainly were introduced from Australia. On the soil salt content was 0.4%, all seeds germination were failure, but all species were survived on the 0.2% salt content land. The yield of forage were much better from Kikuyu grass and Pearl millet but poor from other species. The Meadow grass could be used for protect soil erosion by lot of tillers. By the result from this experiment, only Kikuyu grass and Pearl millet were possible to use for forage crops. But to continue this work, it is suggested to introduced more effective species such like Saltwater couch, Saltshore ryegrass, Puccinella, Salt bush, Blue buch, Samphire and so on.