Short-term Ingestive Behavior of Cattle Grazing Tropical Grasses

Short-term ingestive behavior of cattle was measured for two tropical grasses with contrasting growth forms, centipedegrass (CG; strongly prostrated) and bahiagrass (BG; more erect). Bite dimensions, bite weight and intake rate of animals increased as herbage mass increased in both grasses, showing a steeper initial increase and an earlier and lower plateau in CG than in BG. The results show that strongly prostrated grasses should be grazed when herbage mass is close to the point where the intake response plateaus, in order to maximize both quantity and quality of intake.