We examined a mixture of lysine and threonine fermentation by-products (Sirional, a commercial product of Ajinomoto Inc., SFB) as a silage additive, for improving the fermentation quality, aerobic stability, and nutritional values of corn silage (Zea mays L.) at different levels (0.2, 0.5, 1, 2 and 3% (v/w)). The effect of SFB treatment was pronounced at a level of 0.5% (v/w) with significantly (p<0.05) promoting lactic acid fermentation and increasing in situ dry matter and neutral detergent fiber digestibility. Higher levels of SFB treatment also significantly (p<0.05) showed the additional effects of lowering acetic production and greater improvement of the measurements described above. The stability of corn silage under the aerobic conditions after opening the silos was also evidenced by the lowered lactic acid consumption and pH in the corn silages ensiled with SFB additive, although the colony numbers of yeast and mould in the silages increased with showing no differences.

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It is known that the perennial temperate grasses are difficult to establish in the grazing paddy field because of wetland condition. We attempted to introduce the pasture with a combination of Echinochloa utilis and Lolium multiflorum -annual grasses that have wet endurance- in the grazing paddy field. E. utilis was sown in May and L. multiflorum was sown in September. In the grazing paddy field, the vegetation and dry matter production of the annual pasture in which E. utilis and L. multiflorum were grown in combination were compared with those of a perennial pasture comprising 4 perennial temperate grasses. The annual pasture was dominated by E. utilis in summer and L. multiflorum in spring and fall. The extended summed dominance ratio (E-SDR) of the perennial temperate grasses was lower than that of the annual grasses. The annual dry matter production of the grazing paddy field that comprised E. utilis and L. multiflorum was higher than that comprising the perennial temperate grasses. It was suggested that the combination of E. utilis and L. multiflorum in the grazing paddy field was an effective system.

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Feeding trial of six lactating dairy cows, plotted by the crossing-over experimental design, was carried out to investigate effects of whole crop rice silage and its total mixed ration (TMR) with either timothy or alfalfa hay on the lactation performance. The digestion trial, using two dry dairy cattle plotted by a random block experimental design, was also carried out to investigate effects of the two roughages on the utilization and digestion of the TMR and whole crop rice silage in the TMR. The compositional rates of whole crop rice silage and the roughages were adjusted to 20% of the TMR. Digestibility of the rice grain in the timothy-containing TMR was higher than that in the alfalfa-containing TMR because of a higher roughage value index (RVI) and a lower passage rate of the timothy hay in the TMR. Milk production and voluntary dry matter intake, however, were not different between the two TMR. The results suggest some possibility of improving the feeding value of whole crop rice silage by adding roughage of high RVI.

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It is important to improve the nutritive value of timothy (Phleum pratense L.) by breeding for enhancing animal productivity. In order to estimate the heritability in the broad and narrow senses of the nutritive value in first crop of timothy, the samples of 15 clones and their polycross progeny lines, both of which had been cultivated in the same environment, were analysed by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS). The results suggested that (1) the heritability in the narrow sense is high in three nutritive indices, low digestible fiber (Ob)/ organic cell wall (OCW) ratio, Ob and water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) contents, (2) the genetic correlations among the indices are effective for simultaneous improvement or weak, and (3) the genetic correlations between the dry matter weight and the indices are weak on the condition that the materials have been selected in yield and as long as they belong to the same maturity. Therefore, it was concluded that the nutritive value of timothy not only can be improved effectively by individual selection procedures with the indices but also can be improved simultaneously among the indices and with yield.

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Three experiments were carried out to examine the changes in nitrogen fractions and in vitro nitrogen degradability of forage resulting from silage and hay making and their effects on nitrogen utilization by sheep. Timothy, orchardgrass and alfalfa were used as test forages in experiment-1, -2 and -3, respectively. Forage nitrogen was partitioned into four fractions : Fl, F2, F3 and F4 which is rapidly, intermediately, slowly, and no degraded in the rumen, respectively. In all the experiments, silage making led to an increase in F1, but a decrease in F2 and F3. F4 remained unchanged. Hay making decreased in Fl, but increased in F3 and F4. In vitro nitrogen degradability increased with silage making, but declined with hay making. Sheep fed silage excreted more nitrogen in their urine, resulting in lower nitrogen retention than those fed material herbage. Adding glucose to the silage tended to increase nitrogen retention, with decreased nitrogen excretion in the urine. There was no significant difference in nitrogen retention between hay-fed and material herbage-fed sheep. In experiments 2 and 3, hay-fed sheep excreted more nitrogen in their feces than those fed material herbage, but it was offset by decreased nitrogen excretion in their urine.

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A study of living mulch cultivation with maize (Zea mays L.) sown in spring was carried out to select the most effective plants for weed control, and to clarify their influence on maize growth. Oats (Avena sativa L.), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), and white clover (Trifolium repens L.) were tested as living mulch plants to be observed. The study revealed that living mulch plants and weeds had a greater effect on the diameter, rather than the length, of the maize culm and this affected the overall maize yield. Living oat mulch controlled weeds at an early growth stage ; however, it caused a decrease in overall maize yield. Moreover, weeds started to grow again after the oats had died. Hairy vetch was highly effective as living mulch weed control though it had little influence on maize yield. Due to its low height, White clover had no effect at all as a living mulch plant in controlling weed growth. In conclusion, the result of the study showed that hairy vetch was the most suitable species for use as a living mulch plant with spring-sown maize. Oats may, still be used commercially as living mulch with adjustments to seeding time and cultivar.

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Feeding habits on sour sorrel (Rumex acetosa L.), which frequently appears in abandoned arable fields and pastures, were compared between goats and cattle under grazing conditions. The frequency of grazing on each plant species, including sour sorrel, was measured in the fields. Observations were made for two periods (0-15 and 15-30 min) immediately after an initial spring grazing began. In addition, the number of sour sorrel individuals with and without grazing marks was measured immediately after the grazing period (20 days for goats and 14 days for cattle), using the belt transect method. Grazing frequency on sour sorrel was higher than that on all the other plant species for goats (P<0.001), but lower for cattle (P<0.001). There was a significant difference between goats and cattle for the number of sour sorrel individuals with and without grazing marks (P<0.001). It was concluded that goats ex-hibit a marked preference for sour sorrel, while cattle show very little preference. Therefore, grazing goats seem to be an effective management tool for the selective suppression of sour sorrels, which frequently appear on cattle grazing lands.

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To conserve Japanese grassland butterflies, the potential risk of endemic species and ecological characters of threatened species were examined by analyzing red lists in 47 local prefectures and literature data. Sixty-five percent of endemic butterfly species appeared in the red lists. Grassland -and forest-species were found to be equally threatened when the numbers of the both species in red lists were compared to their numbers (ratio) in endemic species. However, the highest threatened butterflies were grassland-species when evaluated by the Extinction Risk Index (ERI) that was the sum of scores given to red list categories in the red lists weighted by distribution range. The relationship between the ERI and ecological characters of butterflies was analyzed by generalized linear models and the results indicated butterflies that were grassland-species and monophagous with a narrow distribution range tended to be most threatened. The ERI could be used to evaluate potential risk of butterflies and also the ecological value of grasslands hosting threatened butterflies.

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This study investigated buried seeds in pastures converted from paddy fields and grazed for various grazing years with cattle : Pastures T1 (grazed at the first year from the conversion), T2 (at the second year), N3 (at the third year) and N8 (at the eighth year), so as to predict the extent of weed damage in rice when the converted pastures were reconverted again to paddy field. Buried seed species were found at 15, 18, 21 and 29 species in pastures T1, T2, N3 and N8, respectively, and paddy field weed species were at 9, 8, 11 and 11 in each of pastures. The number of buried seed of paddy field weeds was the largest in pasture T2 (5,640 seeds/m^2 in the 0 to 10cm layer), followed by pastures T1 (2,534), N3 (2,394) and N8 (2,012). The numbers of buried seed of non-paddy-field weeds and of whole weed communities were larger in pasture N8 than in pastures T1, T2 and N3. In all the pastures, the number of seed of non-paddy-field weeds was larger than those of paddy field weeds and sown herbage. From the results, we concluded that the risk of weed damage would not always decrease as increase of grazing years when pastures converted from paddy fields are reconverted to paddy field again.

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There is a serious problem in Japan due to vast contamination by exotic weeds causing immature compost in the forage crop fields and grasslands. It is also reported that exotic weed seed could be inactivated in compost fermentation kept more than 60℃. Hence, we investigated the effects of vacuum and heat drying, that might reach more than 60℃ of the inner temperature during the vacuum and heat drying procedure, on the viability of weed seed by Niron mesh bag method. Weed seed of 6 species mingled with cow feces were died in a vacuum heat dryer at TOKPa and 66.8℃ for 165 minutes. This result show the safety of weed seed contamination in feces drying by vacuum heat dryer.

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Monosodium glutamate fermentation by-product (MSG) was investigated on the improvement of fermentation quality of round-baled whole rice crop silage (WCS). Feeding trial, using 5 lactating dairy cattle, was also carried out to examine the digestion of the ration containing 65% WCS (% fresh matter) ensiled either with none or with MSG additive. The higher fermentation quality in the WCS treated with MSG was obtained by the higher concentration of lactate and the lowers of acetate and butyrate. The digestibility of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber of the ration and rice grains were also significantly improved by ensiling with MSG, while there were no effects on the voluntary intake, milk yield and compositions, and physiological index in blood.

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