Corso di Laurea in Scienze e tecnologie agrarie - STA

The course has the objective of providing basic knowledge on: forage crops and cultivation, on the eco-physiology of forage species, forage systems in different sites of Italy, and the relationships between foragge production, quality and forage conservation issues in livestock farms.

The student acquires the basis for the management of cropping systems in dairy and meat farms. Optimization of the cultivation operations for agronomic management of the main forage crops. Evaluation of the nutritional quality, microbiological and safety of farm forages and their use in the ration for dairy cows.

The course provide a series of visits to livestock farms to transfer into practice the topics covered during the course. The activities carried out during these visits are the subject of a detailed written report to be delivered to the teacher before the exam. The oral examination will begin with a review of the written report and then a review of the main topics covered during the course.

The Forages: a breaf history and evolution of the production and storage of forage crops. Importance of forages fed to ruminants. Main forage species, crop types and their distribution on the national territory.

Morphology and physiology of forage grasses: morphology of forage grasses. The main stages of development of grasses. Vegetative stage, tillering and development of the crop in the vegetative stage. Transition from vegetative to reproductive stage and meristematic apex modifications. Crisis of tillering. Influence of time of cutting on regrowth.

Morphology and physiology of legumes: morphology of forage legumes. Requirements of temperature, light, soil and nutrients. Stage of development of forage legumes and growth rate in different types of legumes.

Agro-technical elements of forage crops: soil preparation, time and method of sowing, organic and mineral fertilization, irrigation.

Management of fertilization of crops in dairy farms

Nutritive value of forages: Methods for assessing the quality of fodder. Environmental and genetic factors of variation in the quality of feed. Influence of the stage of development of the plant on the characteristics of grass and timing of the cut.

Forage conservation: general conservation of fodder. Loss of conservation.

Haymaking: The drying process of forage in the field. Drying rate, amount of water present in the plant to be evaporated, resistance to the loss of water due to the plant and to the layer in drying. Mechanical conditioning of the crop. Breathing and mechanical losses during haymaking of grasses and legumes. Post-harvest deterioration of hay. The artificial drying of hay.

Silage making: Biochemical principles of silage. Ensilability of different forage crops: the case of maize silage of Italian ryegrass and alfalfa. Enzyme activities and fermentation. Microorganisms involved in fermentation and spoilage of silage. The cycle of clostridia. Losses during ensiling with particular reference to aerobic deterioration. Silage additives. Chemical analysis and nutritive value of silage. The practice of silage. Implications of the type of forage conservation on the dairy supply chain.

Intensive grassland systems

Quality of dairy products in relation to the forage component of the ration

PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES:

Recognition and analysis of the morphology and stage of development of the main forage grasses and legumes in different cropping systems in the field.

Visit of two to three dairy farms in the Piedmont. Study of forage crops  and forage conservation adopted by dairy farms.

The thermographic analysis of corn silage and of other forage crops conserved as silage. Taking forage samples for laboratory analysis.

Preparation and analysis of silage samples taken during farm visits

The course integrates and deepens the forage crops deepening the aspects related to the conservation, utilization of forage resources and forage systems in lowland areas of intensive animal husbandry and extensive animal husbandry in marginal areas. They will also discuss the possibility of reducing the dependence of the livestock from purchasing protein sources with the objective of improving the economic and environmental sustainability of livestock farms.

1) Articles of different Journal: Professione Allevatore, Anni 1999-2010; L’Informatore Agrario, 1999-2010 (the copies of the articles will be provided in class).

2) Borreani G., Tabacco E., 2007. Il Silomais: guida pratica. Regione Piemonte, Torino.

4) Baldoni, R., Giardini L., 2000. Coltivazioni erbacee: Foraggere e tappeti erbosi, III volume. Pàtron Editore, Bologna.

5) Fahey, G.C. (Ed.) 1995. Forage quality, evaluation and utilization. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Publishers, Madison, Wisconsin.

6) Barnes et al., 2003. Forages Vol. 1. An Introduction to grassland agriculture. Blackwell Publishing, Ames, Iowa.

7) Van Soest, P.J. 1994. Nutritional ecology of the ruminant. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York.