AgricultureAnimal SciencesPlant SciencesFarm ManagementLivestock ProductionPlant Hormone BiologyAnimal HusbandryPlant Hormone PhysiologySheep PhysiologySheep ReproductionAgronomic ManagementEndocrine Disruptions In ReproductionEwe Reproductive PhysiologyLivestock HusbandrySheep Husbandry
The oestrogenic activity of certain cultivars of subterranean (Trifolium subterraneum, L.) first became known through the observation of serious infertility in ewes in the early 1940's in Western Australia (Bennetts, Underwood and Shier-1946). The manifestations in commercial flocks of the syndrome clover have been dealt with in the preceding paper (Lightfoot 1974). The deleterious effects of phyto-oestrogens have been a major economic problem in livestock husbandry in Australia and to a lesser extent elsewhere (reviewed: Moule, Braden and Lamond 1963; Bickoff 1968; Braden and McDonald 1970; Lightfoot 1974). The main species affected by phyto-oestrogens is the sheep. The effects of disease have been much alleviated by agronomic developments and managerial changes (Lightfoot 1974), although there are some inherent restrictions to these approaches at present.