HONORARY LIFE MEMBERSHIP:

Marcus John Ulyatt

M Agr Sc, PhD, DSc, FNZIAS, FRSNZ

Life membership of the Society is bestowed on those who have given 'signal service' to animal production. Dr Marc Ulyatt has, in a long and distinguished career of over 40 years national and international research, contributed impressively toward our current understanding of the nutrition of ruminants. During his career Dr Ulyatt has published over 130 scientific papers in this area: specifically control of rumen digestion, protein digestion and metabolism, pasture plant evaluation, research and decision support models in ruminant nutrition and methane emission from ruminants. Much of this work was carried out in collaboration with leading international groups in the field of ruminant nutrition and as a result he has spent periods of study leave in Australia (Waite Institute), Scotland (Hannah Dairy Research Institute and Rowett Research Institute) and the USA (Universities of California and Ohio).

Marc's research career started in 1959 when as a graduate student at Massey University he took part in a series of collaborative experiments between Massey and DSIR known as the Pasture Strain Trials. It was shown that sheep grazed on the major improved pasture species then sown exhibited very different growth rates: on white clover (Trifolium repens: Grasslands Huia) growth was significantly greater than on short rotation ryegrass (Lolium perenne x L. Multiflorum: Grasslands Manawa), which in turn was greater than on perennial ryegrass (L. Perenne: Grasslands Ruanui). Differences were found in many production and physiological traits, and these differences suggested that the pasture species had induced changes in digestion in the animals resulting in lower retention times in the rumen and higher feed intakes on the higher feeding value treatments.

In 1961, Plant Chemistry Division, DSIR, employed Marc to undertake a PhD working on the regulation of feed intake in ruminants. After graduation in 1964 Marc won a NZ National Research Fellowship which took him to Scotland working with Sir Kenneth Blaxter, first at the Hannah Dairy Research Institute, Ayr, on feed intake regulation, methane emission and quantitative measurement of digestion, and subsequently at the Rowett Research Institute, Aberdeen working on glucose metabolism. Marc returned to NZ in 1967 to examine the cause of the large difference in live weight gain when sheep were fed perennial ryegrass or white clover. In collaboration with leading international scientists, including Ray Bailey, John MacRae, Adrian Egan, Lee Baldwin, Des Walker, and others, pioneering techniques were developed to measure the flow of digesta through the stomachs, small intestine and large intestine and these were used to show that the superior live weight gain of sheep fed white clover, compared to those fed perennial ryegrass, was primarily due to a larger amount of protein entering the duodenum. This was shown to result from the combined effects of a higher feed intake and higher dietary N content of white clover than perennial ryegrass. The lower feed intake of ryegrass was caused by its slower rate of clearance from the rumen: its high content of cellulose and hemicellulose resulted in a high leaf strength which made it difficult to break down by chewing and subsequent rumen digestion. Concepts developed in this work were to be successfully applied in much other later research, including work with grazing steers, where in 1979 Marc was invited to Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, where he collaborated with David Thomson and David Beever. Studies on the partitioning of digestion between the rumen and the intestines emphasised the wasteful nature of protein digestion of fresh pasture plants: up to 50% of protein can be lost during rumen digestion as ammonia. It was during this period of Marc's research career, that it was discovered that certain legumes such as Lotus species and sainfoin contain condensed tannins which were shown to spare protein from rumen digestion. This work led to other research to identify the active components of the condensed tannin fraction and to the breeding of tannin-containing plants. This research is continuing today.

During a period of ground breaking research in understanding the regulation of rumen digestion, Marc in association with his fellow researchers demonstrated that in the breakdown of ryegrasses, physical attributes of the diet can be very important in determining feeding value, and that long feed particles are broken down until they reach a threshold size that can be passed out of the rumen. The threshold is well regulated for it changes little with feed intake, the physical form of the diet, digestibility, or frequency of feeding. The relative importance of chewing during both eating and rumination in reducing particle size was assessed, and the fundamentals of rumination were elucidated and landmark models developed. In the early 1990's Marc developed a FRST funded programme to research protein utilisation. This was a key theme of pasture plant digestion that Marc continued to develop throughout his long research career, as earlier work had shown that protein was poorly utilised by ruminants fed fresh pasture and that protein supply to the small intestine was correlated with animal performance. Marc led and grew this programme for most of its lifetime (until the vagaries of FRST investment directed the research elsewhere). Marc's specific interests were to evaluate the metabolic cost of detoxifying ammonia in sheep fed fresh herbage. Overall outputs from the group were impressive.

During the course of the strategic research described above Marc also looked for opportunities to transfer any relevant technology to more practical problems in the area of feed evaluation. Initially in grazing experiments to assess the feeding value of DSIR Grasslands cultivars, then by evaluation through indoor feeding experiments. This work resulted in the feed back of ideas to the Grasslands plant breeding programmes. Most recently Marc played a major role, along with Julian Lee and others in setting up a commercial feed analysis service, "feedTECH", based on Near Infra-red Reflectance technology to evaluate feeds for researchers, consultants and farmers. This has been supported by the development of a decision -support model for use in feed management of pasture fed dairy cows, and more recently for sheep.

Marc's interests were also much wider. In the mid 1980s a project was initiated with Tricia Harris and Winsome Parnell (nee Harding) to establish the New Zealand Food Composition Tables. Data was obtained from the literature, by visiting food companies and by chemical analysis and a national food database created. This activity was promoted widely and supported by food companies, the New Zealand Dietetic Association, the Ministry of Health and hospital dieticians. The unit conducting this work lead by Barbara Burlingame was subsequently moved to the Crop and Food Crown Research Institute when DSIR was disestablished.

Marc also embraced Biotechnology, and in the early 1990's spent six months as visiting Professor at the Edison Animal Biotechnology Centre, Ohio University.

In the early 1990's, interest in greenhouse gases focused on ruminant methane as the major source of emission in New Zealand. Marc developed the first national inventory for ruminant methane, with a spreadsheet model of ruminant methane emission constructed in 1991 for the Ministry for the Environment for use in policy development. A very fruitful collaboration was entered with Keith Lassey of NIWA to develop a technique for measuring methane emission from grazing animals, based on the tracer gas sulphur hexafluoride. The work has evolved in two directions; methane emission measured in a number of field campaigns with grazing cattle and sheep to provide realistic numbers for inventory purposes; and, mitigation studies to determine the cause of differences between animals. A model of methane emission by grazing ruminants in New Zealand was developed that allows emission to be predicted from knowledge of animal numbers, land class and feed quality. Even in retirement, Marc, retains an involvement in this very important area of work for New Zealand pastoral agriculture, working with Dr Harry Clark in refining methodologies for the countries ruminant methane inventory to meet obligations under the Kyoto protocol.

Marc's contribution to agricultural research extended well beyond the bench, being heavily involved in developing and setting research directions in roles such as: Assistant Director of the DSIR Division of Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology; Science leader of the Establishment Unit of AgResearch; AgResearch National Science programme Leader, Foundation for Research, Science and Technology science programme leader and member of national committees such as Primary Production Sciences Standing Committee (1995-7). Many roles were of national significance - as chair "The Crisis in New Zealand Science" in 1988 (in his role as President of NZIAS) to raise public awareness of science through the media, by lobbying Members of Parliament and pressing the Royal Society to play a more active role, especially in raising the profile of agricultural science. The NZIAS umbrella group subsequently became a model used by the Royal Society to in setting up its collegiate structure. As Home Secretary from 1991 RSNZ, and subsequently an Interim Board Member and Academy councillor, Marc was heavily involved in driving changes within the Society.

Marc also used his considerable experience in project evaluation and peer review as a member of the AgResearch Fellowship Panel, the Trimble Agricultural Research Fund Selection Committee, the NZ Science and Technology Post-doctoral Fellowship Selection Panel, the Royal Society of NZ Fellowship Selection Panel and as convenor of the James Cook Research Fellowship Assessment Panel in Biological Sciences. Undoubtedly this list is not exhaustive.

Dr Marc Ulyatt served on the committee of the NZ Society of Animal Production, has been President of the Nutrition Society of NZ and the NZ Institute of Agricultural Science, and has been a Council Member and Home Secretary of the Royal Society of NZ. A snap shot of more recent honours and awards include: Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand (1988); Fellow of the NZ Institute of Agricultural Science (1989); Muriel Bell Lecturer, The Nutrition Society of New Zealand (1991); .and Livestock Improvement Corporation Lecturer, NZ Society of Animal Production (1996).

As outlined in this citation Dr Marc Ulyatt's contribution to animal production in New Zealand and to Agricultural research in its widest sense has been substantive and influential, and as such it has been relatively easy to support this nomination for Life membership of the New Zealand Society of Animal production.

Julian Lee
Neville Grace