Behavioural responses of beef cattle to different grazing systems and the influence of these responses on water productivity of livestock in a tropical savannah

• Published in: Animal (Cambridge, England) England), 2024-04, Vol.18 (4), p.101117, Article 101117
• Main Authors: Pereira Barsotti, M., de Almeida, R. Giolo, Motta Macedo, M.C., Zawada, P., Werner, J., Dickhoefer, U.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agroforestry; Animal Feed - analysis; Animals; Behaviour; Cattle; Diet - veterinary; Drinking Water - analysis; Eating; Feeding Behavior; Female; Livestock; Mixed crop-livestock systems; Pasture; Poaceae; Seasonality; Seasons
• ISSN: 1751-7311; 1751-732X; 1751-732X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2024.101117

•Shading in agrosilvopastoral systems affects the daily pattern of animal behaviour.•Pastures in agrosilvopastoral contain less structural foraging deterrents.•High proportions of dead biomass increase selectivity and reduce feed intake rate.•Animal behaviour, feed intake and performance greatly influence water productivity.•Agrosilvopastoral systems enhance feed conversion efficiency and water productivity. Environmental conditions and available forage on pastures greatly differ between different farming systems, which can affect the behaviour of grazing cattle. The interplay between environment-, forage-, and animal-related variables may affect the use of feed and water resources in grazing-based systems. Hence, our objectives were (i) to study the differences between grazing-based systems and seasons in environment- and pasture-related variables as well as the behaviour, feed intake, performance, and water productivity of Nellore heifers, and (ii) to understand the interrelationships between these variables. The measurements were performed in a conventional grazing system (CON), an integrated crop-livestock (ICL), and a crop-livestock-forestry (ICLF) systems in the Brazilian Cerrado during the rainy and dry seasons. Ambient temperature and relative air humidity were hourly measured in both seasons. Forage biomass and sward height were determined every month. Forage samples were taken to determine the proportions of alive leaves, alive stems, and dead plant material and to analyse their nutritive value. Forage intake, drinking water intake, and liveweight changes were quantified in 12 Nellore heifers per system and season. Feeding behaviour was recorded by chewing sensors on nine continuous days in each season. Drinking water intake was measured by water meters attached to drinking water troughs, whereby trial cameras at the troughs recorded the frequency of drinking events of individual animals. Feed conversion efficiency and water productivity were estimated. The ICLF reduced the exposure time to high ambient temperatures so that heifers even grazed during the hottest hours. Forage biomass in ICL and CON had greater proportions of stem and dead plant material than in ICLF. Forage intake rate was greater and grazing events were longer for animals in ICLF than those in CON, whereas the daily number of grazing events was greater in CON. Feed conversion efficiency and water productivity were greater in integrated systems than in CON. Amongst studied variab