Food imprinting in goats and its potential application to weed control on grazed sward

我们研究了山羊的食物印记是否适用于最有害的杂草之一，即。e.酸模（Rumex obtusifolius L.）控制放牧草地，使动物能够有效地落叶饲料。1月龄幼儿连续一个月食用切碎的饲料，其摄入量波动存在较大的个体差异，表明食物印记尚未完成。经历过食物印记的7个月大的山羊显示出对杂草的选择性放牧较少，即使动物被提供了生长在0.3升花盆中的植物，饮食偏好也没有改变。因此，山羊的食物印记不能导致杂草控制。

We studied whether or not food imprinting in goats was applied to one of the most harmful weed, i. e. broadleaf dock(Rumex obtusifolius L.) control on grazed sward so that the animals could defoliate the forage efficiently. When 1-month-old kids were offered the chopped forage for a month, there was a great individual variation in its intake fluctuation, indicating that food imprinting was not completed. Seven-month-old goats that had experienced food imprinting revealed less selective grazing for the weed, and dietary preference was not modified even if the animals had been offered the plants growing in 0.3-liter pots. Therefore, it was suggested that food imprinting in goats could not lead to weed control.