Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand abstracts
The nutritional value of cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.),
midribbed snow-tussock (Chionochloa pallens Zotov), and red
tussock (Chionochloa rubra Zotov) for the takahe (Porphyrio
hochstetteri Meyer)
Kerry A. C. James1
Peter J. Moore2
James A. Mills2*
John P. Koolaard1
Roger B. Lavers3*
Christine A. Butts1†
Bryan P. Treloar4
Neville D. Grace4
Lynne M. Bang1
1New Zealand Institute for Crop and Food Research Ltd,
Private Bag 11 600, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
2Science and Research Unit, Department of Conservation, P.O.
Box 10 420, Wellington, New Zealand.
3New Zealand Wildlife Service, Department of Internal
Affairs, Private Bag, Wellington, New Zealand.
4New Zealand Pastoral Agriculture Research Institute,
Private Bag 11 008, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
*Present addresses: J. A. Mills, 10527a Skyline Drive, Corning, New
York 14830, USA. R. B. Lavers, 50 Rocking Horse Road, South New
Brighton, Christchurch, New Zealand.
†Author for correspondence. Email: buttsc@crop.cri.nz
Abstract A feeding trial was carried out to
determine the nutritional value of midribbed snow-tussock (Chionochloa
pallens Zotov), red tussock (Chionochloa rubra Zotov), and
cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.) for the takahe (Porphyrio
hochstetteri Meyer), an endangered flightless herbivorous rail
endemic to New Zealand. Three captive-reared birds were fed each of the
diets for 11 days, during which food intake, faecal plus urinary
output, nutrient balances and coefficients of absorption/retention of
energy, nitrogen, soluble sugars, starch, and mineral elements were
determined. The mean dry matter (DM) intake was of the order cocksfoot
> midribbed snow-tussock > red tussock. The proportions of total
soluble sugars absorbed from all grasses were in the range 0.8–0.96,
whilst the proportions of energy absorbed (0.24, 0.17, –0.29) and
nitrogen retained (0.19, 0.15, –0.04) from all grasses were low.
Cocksfoot was nutritionally superior to the tussocks for most
parameters measured, suggesting that islands with pasture habitat
should adequately meet the requirements of takahe.
Keywords takahe (Porphyrio hochstetteri
Meyer); midribbed snow-tussock; red tussock; cocksfoot; nutrient
balance; nutrient absorption/retention; conservation
R04007; Received 18 June 2004; accepted 14 October 2004; Online
publication date 6 December 2004
Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand Volume 34, Number 4,
December, 2004, pp 333–345
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