DESARROLLO PROCEDIMENTAL:

Mean (±SEM) serum total protein, albumin and globulin are presented in Figures 3.3 to 3.5, respectively. More data (mean and range) on serum total protein albumin, globulin and the AGR by forage treatment and sampling date is presented in Table 3.9 of the appendices.

Serum total protein ranged from 54-100g/litre with a mean of 70.4g/l across forage treatments and measurement occasions. The overall ranges for serum albumin and globulin were 21-39g/l and 22-72g/l with a mean of 29.6 and 40.8g/l, respectively. The mean serum AGR was 0.8 with a range of 0.3-1.6. There was significant correlation between albumin concentrations and LWG (r = 0.14, P<0.04) and between albumin concentrations and LW (r = 0.19, P<0.005). Also the correlation between globulin concentrations and LW, but not LWG, was significant (r = -0.16, P<0.02). However, there were no significant relationships between either FLC or FEC and deer serum total protein, albumin or globulin concentrations.

Serum total protein concentration increased with time (P<0.0001). There were no significant main effects of forage type on serum total protein concentration. However, there was an interaction (P<0.001) between forage type and time driven largely by fluctuations in total serum protein concentrations of the deer on control pasture and TSR-mix relative to other forages. Serum total protein concentration was similar for all treatment forages on March 7, March 21, April 4 and May 2. However, on April 19, control pasture-grazed deer had lower serum total protein concentrations compared to chicory-(P<0.001), TLR-mix-(P<0.01) and plantain-(P<0.05) grazed deer, but similar to the serum total protein concentration for TSR-mix-grazed deer. On May 15, TSR-mix-grazed deer had the highest serum total protein concentration compared to TLR-mix-(P<0.001), chicory-(P<0.001), control pasture-(P<0.01) and plantain-(P<0.01) grazed deer, all of which had similar concentrations of serum total protein.

55.0 60.0 65.0 70.0 75.0 80.0 85.0 90.0 95.0

7-Mar 21-Mar 4-Apr 18-Apr 2-May 16-May

Sampling dates

Serum total protein group m

ean (g/L)

TLR Chicory Control Plantain TSR

Figure 3.3: Mean (g/l±SEM) serum total protein concentration by sampling dates of stags grazing either permanent perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne cv. Grasslands Nui) pasture (control), a long-rotation tetraploid ryegrass (cv. Banquet) pasture mix (TLR-mix) and short- rotation tetraploid ryegrass (cv. Delish) pasture mix (TSR-mix), with both pasture mixes including the same chicory (Cichorium intybus cv. Choice), red (Trifolium pratense cv. Grasslands Pawera) and white clover (Trifolium repens cv. Bounty and Kopu II), pure chicory (cv Choice) (chicory) and narrow-leaved plantain (Plantago lanceolata cv Ceres Tonic) (plantain).

Mean serum albumin and globulin concentrations by sampling dates of the stags are presented in Figure 3.4. Mean serum albumin concentrations differed between stags grazed on different forage types (P<0.001) and reduced with time (P<0.0001) being lower on May 2, compared with March 7, with the converse true for globulin concentrations. The stags grazed on control pasture had low overall serum albumin concentrations compared with stags grazed on plantain (P<0.0001), TSR- mix (P<0.001) and TLR-mix (P<0.001) but was similar to the albumin concentrations of the stags grazed on chicory.

The interaction between forage type and sampling date was significant (P<0.0001) for serum albumin concentrations driven by fluctuations in albumin concentrations of stags grazing control pasture, TLR-mix and chicory relative to the other forages. The mean serum albumin concentrations was similar for stags grazing control pasture (P<0.02) and TLR-mix (P<0.01) but lower compared with stags grazing plantain, chicory was intermediate and the mean serum albumin concentrations of the stags grazing TSR-mix pasture was higher (P<0.05) than the mean concentration of the deer grazing TLR-mix pasture.

On April 4 the mean serum albumin concentrations was lower for stags grazing control pasture compared with stags grazing plantain (P<0.0001), TSR-mix (P<0.001) and TLR-mix (P<0.01) but similar to that of stags grazing chicory. Stags grazing plantain had higher mean serum albumin concentrations compared with stags grazing TLR-mix (P<0.05) and chicory (P<0.003), but similar to those grazing TSR-mix pasture. On April 19, control pasture-grazed stags still had the lowest mean serum albumin concentrations compared with stags grazing other forages (P<0.0001) while stags grazing plantain had the highest mean serum albumin concentration compared to stags grazing chicory (P<0.001), TSR-mix (P<0.05) and TLR-mix pastures (P<0.05) which were similar. On May 2, stags grazing control pasture and chicory had similar, but lower mean serum albumin concentrations compared with that of the stags grazing TSR-mix (P<0.001), TLR-mix (P<0.01) and plantain (P<0.01) which were similar. On May 15, the mean serum albumin concentrations were lower for the stags grazing control pasture compared with those of the stags grazing the other forages (P<0.001). Stags grazing TLR-mix, plantain and TSR-mix pasture had similar mean serum albumin concentrations, but higher than those of the stags grazing chicory (P<0.001).

Mean serum globulin concentrations did not differ significantly between deer grazing different forage types (Fig 3.4). However, the mean globulin concentration increased with time (P<0.0001) and there was a significant interaction between forage type and time (P<0.001), driven mainly by fluctuations in serum globulin concentrations of stags grazing control pasture, TLR-mix and chicory relative to the other forages. On April 19, stags grazing all forages had similar mean serum globulin concentrations, except for stags grazing chicory who had higher mean serum globulin concentrations compared with stags grazing plantain (P<0.02). On May 2, stags grazing control pasture and chicory had higher mean serum globulin concentrations compared with stags grazing plantain (P<0.05), which had similar concentrations to stags grazing both pasture-mixes.

On May 15, the mean serum globulin concentrations of the stags grazing control pasture (P<0.001), chicory (P<0.02) and TSR-mix (P<0.0001) were higher than those of the stags grazing TLR-mix pasture, while the mean serum globulin concentrations of the stags grazing TSR-mix was higher than that of the stags grazing chicory (P<0.02) and plantain (P<0.01). The mean serum globulin concentrations of the stags grazing control pasture, chicory or plantain were similar on May 15. 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0 45.0 50.0 55.0 60.0

7-Mar 21-Mar 4-Apr 18-Apr 2-May 16-May

Sampling dates Mean serum album in and globuli n g/L

Control alb Control glo Chicory alb Chicory glo

TLR-mix alb TLR-mix glo Plantain alb Plantain glo

TSR-mix alb TSR-mix glo

Figure 3.4: Mean (g/l±SEM) serum albumin (alb) and globulin (glo) concentrations by sampling dates of stags grazing either permanent perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne cv. Grasslands Nui) pasture (control), a long-rotation tetraploid ryegrass (cv. Banquet) pasture mix (TLR-mix) and short-rotation tetraploid ryegrass (cv. Delish) pasture mix (TSR-mix), with both pasture mixes including the same chicory (Cichorium intybus cv. Choice), red (Trifolium pratense cv. Grasslands Pawera) and white clover (Trifolium repens cv. Bounty and Kopu II), pure chicory (cv Choice) (chicory) and narrow-leaved plantain (Plantago lanceolata cv Ceres Tonic) (plantain).

Figure 3.5 presents the mean serum AGR from the stags grazing control pasture, TSR-mix, TLR- mix, chicory or plantain, with stags gazing control pasture or chicory having a lower overall AGR than that of the stags grazing plantain (P<0.01). The serum AGR of stags significantly differed between forage types (P<0.05) and decreased with time (P<0.0001) and the interaction between time and forage type grazed was also significant (P<0.001).

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4

7-Mar 21-Mar 4-Apr 18-Apr 2-May 16-May

Sampling dates M ean se ru m al b u m in :g lob u lin r a ti o

TLR-mix Chicory Control Plantain TSR-mix

Figure 3.5: Mean (g/l±SEM) serum albumin to globulin ratio (AGR) by sampling dates of stags grazing either permanent perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne cv. Grasslands Nui) pasture (control), a long-rotation tetraploid ryegrass (cv. Banquet) pasture mix (TLR-mix) and short- rotation tetraploid ryegrass (cv. Delish) pasture mix (TSR-mix), with both pasture mixes including the same chicory (Cichorium intybus cv. Choice), red (Trifolium pratense cv. Grasslands Pawera) and white clover (Trifolium repens cv. Bounty and Kopu II), pure chicory (cv Choice) (chicory) and narrow-leaved plantain (Plantago lanceolata cv. Ceres Tonic) (plantain).

On March 21, April 4 and 19 the AGR was similar and lower for the stags grazing control pasture (P<0.01), TLR-mix (P<0.0001) or chicory (P<0.01) compared with stags grazing plantain and TSR-mix pasture. However, on April 4 the AGR of the stags grazing the TSR-mix was higher compared with stags grazing chicory (P<0.05) and control pasture (P<0.02). On May 2, stags grazing all the forages had a similar AGR, except for stags grazing plantain which had higher values compared with stags grazing chicory (P<0.05). On May 15, the AGR was similar but lower for the stags grazing control (P<0.0001), chicory (P<0.05), and TSR-mix (P<0.01) compared with TLR-mix pasture, whilst stags grazing plantain had similar values to stags grazing chicory, TLR- and TSR-mix pastures, but higher values than stags grazing control pasture (P<0.05).