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Grass tetany—effects of environment and fertilisers on pasture histamine levels
Author(s) -
O'Sullivan M.
Publication year - 1968
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2740190104
Subject(s) - pasture , tetany , histamine , chemistry , agronomy , potassium , magnesium , zoology , biology , endocrinology , organic chemistry
The food consumed by animals suffering from grass tetany had as well as a low magnesium content, a high histamine content, and experiments were carried out to explain these high histamine values. Levels of ammonium sulphate and potassium chloride up to 8 and 6 cwt/ac, respectively, did not affect pasture histamine content which varied considerably, during the spring tetany period. Herbage histamine levels rose four to seven days after the start of a dry period, especially if temperatures were low during this period. The accumulation of histamine in the herbage appeared to be connected with the phenomenon of guttation. Suggestions are advanced to show how climate and pasture histamine content may contribute to the occurrence of grass tetany.