Mystery Deaths of Cattle Linked to Bermuda Grass
B. McPherson The deaths of 15 head of cattle in Texas touched off a firestorm of rumour and speculation, but it seems that the cause was a convergence of conditions creating a deadly result. Roping Corriente calves were turned out on a field of Trifton 85 Bermuda grass. They promptly died of what has turned out to be cyanide poisoning(prussic acid poisoning). Speculation circulated that the Trifton 85 was a genetically altered organism but that is not the case. This variety of Bermuda grass is the result of careful breeding and the forage crop has been used successfully since 1992 without any reported fatalities. The US Department of Agriculture is investigating whether this particular field and neighbouring fields that have tested high in prussic acid have undergone mutations. A variety of grass in the ancestry of Trifton 85, stargrass, is known to be able to produce prussic acid under some conditions. There have been some suggestions as to what has prompted the deaths o...