Effects of Crop Maturity, Weather Conditions and Cutting Height on Yield, Harvesting Losses and Nutritive Value of Cereal–Legume Mixtures Grown for Hay Production

1987 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 451-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Rihawi ◽  
B. S. Capper ◽  
A. E. Osman ◽  
E. F. Thomson

SUMMARYThe introduction of forage or hay crops into fallow land represents a means of increasing feed supplies for small ruminants in north Africa and west Asia. Such fallows lie between zones planted with food crops and traditional grazing areas. Mixtures of vetch with barley, oats or triticale, and peas with barley, were cut at the 10% flowering, 100% flowering (100F) and full pod (FP) stages of the legume component. Effects of crop maturity, weather conditions and cutting height on yield, the chemical composition of the standing crop and re-growth were measured. Barley–vetch mixtures yielded 8147 kg dry matter ha−1 of standing crop at the FP stage in 1983 but only 2283 kg dry matter ha−1 in 1984 under drought conditions. Hay yields were 4377 and 1640 kg dry matter ha−1, respectively. The highest yielding mixture, grown in 1983, was oat–vetch which yielded 8670 kg dry matter ha−1 of standing crop and 4285 kg dry matter ha−1 of hay at the FP stage. Cutting at the 100F or FP stage maximized dry matter yield and minimized the risk of rainfall prolonging hay making. Rain caused slight damage to some hays cut at early stages of maturity. Voluntary intakes and digestibilities of field-cured hays were determined. The voluntary intakes of triticale–vetch hay at the FP stage and all barley–pea hays were low compared with other hays. Hays contained sufficient estimated metabolizable energy (ME) for use in sheep diets during pregnancy and middle or late lactation. ME values averaged 9.2 megajoules per kg dry matter in both 1983 and 1984.

1997 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. Degen ◽  
A. Blanke ◽  
K. Becker ◽  
M. Kam ◽  
R. W. Benjamin ◽  
...  

AbstractAcacia saligna and A. salicina phyllodes, harvested in autumn from young and mature trees, were fed as sole diets to goats (20·3 (s.d. 4·8) kg; no. = 16) and sheep (32·6 (s.d. 4·9) kg; no. = 16). Crude protein of phyllodes from mature trees was 111 g/kg dry matter (DM) and from young trees ranged between 121 and 132 g/kg DM. Condensed tannins and ash content were about twice as high in young trees as in old ones and gross energy was higher in old trees than in young ones. DM intakes by goats from both tree species were low: 24·8 and 13·7 g/kg M0·75 per day for mature and young trees, respectively. Corresponding intakes by sheep were 20·4 and 11·5 g/kg M0·75 per day. Metabolizable energy intakes were up to 125 and 99 kj/kg M0·75 per day for goats and sheep, respectively and were higher for phyllodes from mature trees than for young trees. Goats lost up to 219 glday and sheep up to 346 g/day and both species were in negative nitrogen balance. DM, organic matter and energy apparent digestibilities were low for all diets but were generally higher for goats than sheep. It is concluded that neither A. saligna nor A. salicina could be used as a sole food for small ruminants because of low intakes and negative nitrogen balances. This appears to be due to high tannin content.


2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 215-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Koidou ◽  
Ioannis Mountousis ◽  
Vassilios Dotas ◽  
Konstantinos Zagorakis ◽  
Maria Yiakoulaki

Abstract. Interannual and monthly variations of herbage production and nutritive value regarding grazing ruminants' needs and welfare were evaluated in three grasslands (semi-mountainous, mountainous and sub-alpine) located at different altitudes (480–900, 901–1500 and 1501–2334 m, respectively) in northern Greece during 2015–2016. Herbage biomass was collected from 30 experimental cages (10 per grassland), weighed, dried at 65 ∘C, milled and analyzed for crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), lignin, calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) content and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD). The sub-alpine grassland was the most productive (1031 and 1231 kg DM ha−1) with the highest mean annual herbage CP content (93 and 87 g kg−1 dry matter; DM) for 2015 and 2016, respectively. CP content was sufficient to meet small ruminants' and beef cattle maintenance requirements until April and May in the semi-mountainous and mountainous grasslands, respectively, while it could cover the above requirements in the sub-alpine grassland until June and August, respectively. The herbage Ca concentration was higher than the grazing ruminants' needs, while the phosphorus concentration was insufficient. Protein and phosphorus supplementation should be provided to animals to cover their maintenance requirements during the whole period and to reach high levels of welfare. Even though grazing is considered as a welfare-friendly procedure, it is uncertain whether all the welfare principals are satisfied in extensive production systems due to variations of forage availability and nutritive value as well as the lack of infrastructure in grasslands.


1951 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 282-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. Castle ◽  
A. S. Foot ◽  
S. J. Rowland

For three consecutive years American hybrid maize was grown, under replicated experimental conditions, in the south of England. Each season, the influence of the spacing of the plants and the use of nitrogenous fertilizer on the yield and composition of the crop and of its separate portions of leaf, stem and cob was investigated.The growth of the maize, and especially its yield of dry matter, were influenced by the weather conditions during the season. The weight of fresh crop varied, with season and treatment, from 126 to 278 (averaging 209), and of dry matter from 20 to 70 (averaging 50) cwt./acre.Thinning below the established plant populations of up to 30,000 plants per acre regularly reduced these yields. Top-dressing with sulphate of ammonia increased them in 1947 and 1949, but decreased them in 1948.The yield of crude protein varied from 2.2 to 5.0, and of soluble carbohydrates from 12 to 46 cwt./acre. The top-dressing increased the protein content of all portions of the plant.The cob contributed, on a weight basis, 46% of the fresh crop, 49% of its dry matter, 54% of its crude protein and 54% of its soluble carbohydrates. Details are given of the chemical composition of the whole plant, and of its separate leaf, cob and stem, for each season and treatment.A later paper will deal with the making of silage from the maize crops and with the yield, composition and nutritive value of the silage.


2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 309-316
Author(s):  
O. O. Olufayo ◽  
O. O. Falola

The effect of processing on proximate, mineral, anti-nutritional compositions, gasproduction characteristics, methane production, predicted metabolizable energy, organic matter digestibility and short chain fatty acids production of Delonix regia seeds incubated with Pennisetum purpureum were determined. Five treatments (T1: mixture of soaked Delonix regia seed and Pennisetum purpureum; T2: mixture of raw Delonix regia seed and Pennisetum purpureum; T3: mixture of roasted Delonix regia seed and Pennisetum purpureum; T4: mixture of boiled Delonix regia seed and Pennisetum purpureum and T5:100% Pennisetum purpureum which serves as control) were designed. In vitro gas production techniques for 24 hours were used to determine the nutritive value of processed 50% Delonix regia seed and 50% Pennisetum purpureum. The crude protein ranged from 13.38 to 15.71g/100g DM among the treatments while crude fibre was between 20.10 and 21.40g/100g DM, ether extract ranged from 1.90 to 3.12g/100g DM and ash 7.77 to 12.34g/100g DM. Calcium ranged from (2.34 - 3.61%), magnesium ranged (2.90 – 3.48%), sodium (2.05 – 2.91%) and phosphorus (0.88 – 1.12%). It was observed generally that T2 recorded the highest among the treatments while the values obtained for the heat treated seeds were lower than the raw. Oxalates ranged between (0.23% - 0.32%), phytates (0.29 – 0.43%), tannin (0.03 – 0.08%) and saponnin (0.36 – 0.49%). Methane (ml/200mg DM) production indicated T3 (50% roasted Delonix regia seed and 50% Pennisetum purpureum) was highest. The potential gas production 'a+b' ranged from 12.33 to 28.33mL/200mg DM). The highest potential gas production 'a+b' value of 28.33mL/200mg DM was obtained in T1 compared to other dietary treatment. Dry matter digestibility (DMD) ranged between 70.23 – 91.02% while the rate of fermentation was between 0.51 and 1.18ml/hr. The rate of fermentation was directly proportional to dry matter digestibility (DMD); the soaked recorded the highest value. Processing enhanced the nutritional contents of Delonix regia seeds. The result obtained showed that there were significant differences (p<0.05) among the treatments. In conclusion, soaking the seeds of Delonix regia had beter nutritional contents and has the potential for dry season feeding.  


2010 ◽  
Vol 148 (6) ◽  
pp. 723-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. KHALILVANDI-BEHROOZYAR ◽  
M. DEHGHAN-BANADAKY ◽  
K. REZAYAZDI

SUMMARYThe current study was conducted to determine chemical composition, nutrient content and availability, metabolizable energy (ME) content and nutritive value of sainfoin hay for ruminants. Three ruminally cannulated Holstein cows were used forin situandin vivoexperiments, to determine rumen degradability and digestibility of sainfoin hay. Apparent total tract digestibility of nutrients was determined with feeding of sainfoin hay as the sole diet to achieve 10% more than maintenance energy requirements. Six Zandi ewes were used in the palatability experiment. Means for dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and condensed tannins (CTs) of sainfoin hay were: 940·4 g/kg and 93·43, 12·13, 47·87, 43·33 and 2·13 g/kg DM, respectively.In situeffective degradability of CP and DM were 0·38 and 0·54 g/g with a ruminal outflow rate of 0·05/h, respectively. OM apparent digestibility was in the range of 0·592–0·689, respectively, for Tilley & Terry and total faecal collection assays. ME content of sainfoin hay, according to different methods (gas production,in vitroandin vivodetermined digestible organic matter in dry matter (DOMD)) was in the range 6·87–10·11 MJ/kg DM. Metabolizable protein (MP) content was 483·4 g/kg CP. Sainfoin was more palatable than alfalfa for sheep. It was concluded that sainfoin has a potential use in ruminant rations, especially if environmental conditions are not suitable for alfalfa production.


2012 ◽  
Vol 57 (No. 10) ◽  
pp. 454-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Homolka ◽  
V. Koukolová ◽  
M. Podsedníček ◽  
A. Hlaváčková

The aim of this study was to determine the nutrient and energy levels of red clover and lucerne forage. Investigation of forage at different maturity stages of three growths was carried out by chemical analysis, in vitro and in vivo digestibility methods.&nbsp; Generally, maturation caused a significant increase in fibre fractions. With the increasing maturity of forage samples the in vivo, in vitro, and calculated in vivo (in vivo<sub>calcul</sub>) digestibilities of organic matter (OM) linearly decreased. The in vitro and in vivo<sub>calcul</sub> digestibilities of OM averaged 0.754 and 0.708 for red clover and 0.717 and 0.667 for lucerne, respectively. The in vivo OM digestibility averaged 0.710 for red clover and 0.666 for lucerne. Gross energy (GE), digestible energy (DE), metabolizable energy (ME), net energy for lactation (NEL), and net energy for growth (NEG) averaged 18.12, 12.41, 9.60, 5.67, 5.50 and 18.09, 11.56, 9.01, 5.26, 4.99 MJ/kg of dry matter for red clover and lucerne, respectively. The effect of a vegetative stage on energy values of both forages was diverged for various growth times. When data were pooled across the estimated season, seven cutting-specific equations for descriptions of GE, DE, ME, NEL, NEG, in vitro, and in vivo OM digestibilities were obtained for red clover and lucerne, separately. The red clover model expression gave similar prediction equations for lucerne. It was possible to predict cutting-specific equations with coefficients of determination R<sup>2</sup> &gt; 0.719 for red clover and R<sup>2</sup> &gt; 0.400 for lucerne of the variation in GE, DE, ME, NEL, and NEG. The in vitro and in vivo OM digestibility equations were predicted with R<sup>2 </sup>being 0.840 (in vitro) and 0.707 (in vivo) for red clover, and 0.979 (in vitro) and 0.937 (in vivo) for lucerne. The parameters of these specific equations were statistically preferable than the general model expression which included both forages together. &nbsp;


1978 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. C. Kelly ◽  
P. C. Thomas

1. Two calorimetric experiments were conducted to study the utilization of energy in sheep given diets of grass silage or grass silage and barley. Three silages were investigated. One was made from first-harvest grass in the spring (S) and the others from regrowth cut either early or late in the autumn (E and L respectively). All were of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and preserved with formic acid. Each silage was given at two levels of feeding, the lower providing approximately a maintenance energy intake. The S and L silages were also given supplemented with barley.2. The digestibilities of organic matter, cellulose and energy in the silages were high. Measured at maintenance, digestible energy (de) contents (MJ/kg dry matter (dm)) were 11.83, 14.67 and 12.90 for S, E and L respectively. The de contents of the S and E silages were depressed at the higher level of feeding but the effect was offset by changes in the energy losses as methane and urine. Metabolizable energy (me) contents (MJ/kg dm) for the three silages, S, E and L were respectively 9.88, 12.54 and 10.73 at the low level of feeding and 9.91, 11.99 and 11.08 at the high level of feeding. The mean me content of barley calculated by difference was 13.76 MJ/kg dm.3. The mean efficiencies of utilization of me for maintenance (km) for the S, E and L silages were 0.69, 0.71 and 0.68 respectively. Corresponding values for fattening (kf) were 0.21, 0.57 and 0.59. Excepting the kf for the S silage which was low, observed efficiencies were in broad agreement with those predicted by the equations of the Agricultural Research Council (1965). Similar agreement was obtained with all diets consisting of silage and barley.


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