Effect of pasture allowance, season, and breed on the mineral content and rate of mineral uptake by wool

摘要

Abstract The effects of pasture allowance and season on the mineral content and rate of mineral uptake by wool of Cheviot, Drysdale, and Romney hoggets were compared. The hoggets were offered pasture at either 1.5 or 3.0 kg dry matter (DM)/hogget per day from December until February, and 2.0 or 4.0 kg DM/hogget per day respectively until the following February. The mineral content of the pasture was highest during the winter and spring except for Ca and Zn for which the season effect was small. There was no significant breed X allowance effect in terms of the mineral content of wool. In the high allowance group the Na, K, and S content of wool was greater, the Mg, Ca, Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn content was lower, and the P content was similar to the low allowance group. The mineral content of wool was lowest during the winter and spring except for S which was at its lowest during the autumn. Breed ranking for the mineral content of wool was: Drysdale > Romney > Cheviot for Na, K, and Mg; Drysdale > Cheviot > Romn...