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Soil and plant factors limiting the availability of copper to a beef suckler herd

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

S. C. Jarvis  and
A. R. Austin
S. C. Jarvis
Affiliation:
The Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berks., SL6 5LR
A. R. Austin
Affiliation:
The Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berks., SL6 5LR
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Summary

Hypocuprosis has been diagnosed for 4 years in calves of a beef suckler herd at Warren Farm, Berkshire. The copper (Cu) contents and distribution in the soil at that site, as well as changes in herbage Cu throughout the 1979 grazing season, were examined. The herbage Cu concentration was always less than 7·5 μg/g and decreased markedly to 3·0 μg/g during July. Serum Cu contents of both untreated cows and untreated calves also decreased markedly, but at a much earlier stage than the decrease in herbage concentration. One untreated calf developed severe anaemia, but recovered when treated with Cu Ca EDTA. Although changes in the coefficient of absorption of dietary Cu were caused by changes in S and Mo contents, the calculated availability of Cu was dominated by the Cu content per se. Thus the calculated availability remained relatively high during the period when serum concentration decreased.

The decrease in serum Cu may have occurred as the result of a differing availability of Cu in ensiled and grazed herbages. However, coincident with the decrease in serum Cu was a high concentration of Fe in the grazed herbage which was largely associated with the surfaces of the leaves. It is therefore possible that the development of Cu deficiency immediately after the animals started to graze was precipitated either through an interaction between Cu and Fe in the animal, or because of a reduced availability of Cu through an interaction with ingested soil.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 101 , Issue 1 , August 1983 , pp. 39 - 46
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1983

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