Abstract
An important disadvantage of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) is its low voluntary intake, resulting in low performances under a grazing management. Our breeding objective was to relate animal preference with leaf morphology and mechanical characteristics. Sixteen different clones were selected from a breeding programme and cloned to be planted in mini swards grazed by sheep and rabbits. In 2012 we measured leaf blade length, width, shear breaking load, shear strength, pre-grazing sward height, leaf harshness, dry matter content and rumen degraded organic matter. Leaf harshness, pre-grazing sward height and rabbit preference were the best estimators for sheep preference.
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Cougnon, M., De Koker, J., Fievez, V., Reheul, D. (2014). Factors Influencing Animal Preference of Tall Fescue Genotypes. In: Sokolović, D., Huyghe, C., Radović, J. (eds) Quantitative Traits Breeding for Multifunctional Grasslands and Turf. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9044-4_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9044-4_17
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