scholarly journals Endophyte and dairy production in New Zealand: experience at the Dairying Research Corporation

1999 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 39-44
Author(s):  
E.R. Thom ◽  
D.A. Clark ◽  
C.D. Waugh

Sixteen short term tests of the effects of ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) endophyte on milk production from dairy cows were carried out at Dairying Research Corporation (DRC) sites in Taranaki (1992/93) and Waikato (1993-1999). Increasing contamination of endophyte-free areas with volunteer endophyte-infected ryegrass could have modified milk production responses to endophyte in the first of two trials in the Waikato (1993- 1996). Test periods were in spring, summer and autumn. Significant effects of endophyte on milk production were detected on only 4 occasions. Small (

Author(s):  
C.D. Waugh ◽  
D.A. Clark ◽  
S.L. Harris ◽  
E.R. Thom ◽  
P.J.A. Copeman ◽  
...  

The 1997-98 season has seen a marked increase in the amount of chicory planted on dairy farms in New Zealand. However, no New Zealand data are available for milk production from dairy cows grazing chicory. As part of a larger trial examining the effect of summer forage crops on milk production, Grasslands Puna chicory was compared with Barkant turnips. In January and March 1998, grazing trials were conducted at No.1 Dairy, Dairying Research Corporation using 60 lactating twin cows. In January, chicory and turnips were break-fed at a constant allowance (4 kg DM/cow/ day) to supplement pasture offered at 3 allowances (15, 27.5 and 40 kg DM/cow/day). In March, these crops were fed at 3 levels (0, 4 and 8 kg DM/cow/ day) to supplement pasture offered at a constant allowance of 25 kg DM/cow/day. Chicory and turnips gave similar milksolids (MS) responses of 40-41 g MS/kg DM offered in January. Milksolids responses in March were higher for turnips, 34 g MS/kg DM vs 32 g MS/kg DM from chicory. In January and March the size of the milksolids response declined with increasing allowance. This could be attributed to an increasing amount of substitution at higher allowances. Chicory produced between 8.8 and 13.8 t DM/ha from 4 October to 10 March, offering a high quality summer-autumn forage crop and improved milk production when supplemented with pasture. Keywords: chicory, Cichorium intybus, pasture allowance, dairy cows, milk production, forage crops, turnips, milksolids


Author(s):  
N.A. Thomson

In a four year grazing trial with dairy cows the application of 5000 kg lime/ ha (applied in two applications of 2500 kg/ha in winter of the first two years) significantly increased annual pasture production in two of the four years and dairy production in one year. In three of the four years lime significantly increased pasture growth over summer/autumn with concurrent increases in milk production. In the last year of the trial lime had little effect on pasture growth but a relatively large increase in milkfat production resulted. A higher incidence of grass staggers was recorded on the limed farmlets in spring for each of the four years. In the second spring immediately following the second application of lime significant depressions in both pasture and plasma magnesium levels were recorded. By the third spring differences in plasma magnesium levels were negligible but small depressions in herbage magnesium resulting from lime continued to the end of the trial. Lime significantly raised soil pH, Ca and Mg levels but had no effect on either soil K or P. As pH levels of the unlimed paddocks were low (5.2-5.4) in each autumn and soil moisture levels were increased by liming, these factors may suggest possible causes for the seasonality of the pasture response to lime


1978 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. L. P. Le Du ◽  
R. D. Baker ◽  
J. M. Barker

SummaryTwo experiments with dairy cows and one with suckler cows and their calves were conducted to examine the use of secretion rate measurements for estimating total milk production. In the first experiment both 4- and 6- h intervals between measurements gave similar estimates of total 7-d milk yield. The second experiment compared estimated and measured milk composition as well as yield. Milk and solids-not-fat yields were underestimated with dairy cows as a result of an extended milking interval before measurement. However, fat yield was overestimated, indicating that all residual milk was not removed at the first oxytocinaided milking. It was concluded that for the beef cow, previous interval effects would be eliminated by the frequency of calf suckling, but that residual milk effects might cause a 3–6% and a 16% overestimation of milk and fat yields respectively.In the third experiment, the milk yield of suckler cows was estimated from measurements of secretion rate and from changes in calf weight; good agreement was obtained provided there were at least 3 consecutive controlled sucklings.


2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 370
Author(s):  
M. L. Douglas ◽  
M. J. Auldist ◽  
J. L. Jacobs ◽  
M. C. Hannah ◽  
S. C. Garcia ◽  
...  

Context The Australian dairy industry is characterised by pasture-based feeding systems, where grazed pasture is commonly supplemented with cereal grain to increase milk production of dairy cows. Perennial ryegrass (PRG; Lolium perenne L.) is the most commonly used pasture species, with a wide range of cultivars available. However, the nutritive characteristics and the degradation of nutrients in individual PRG cultivars grown in different environments in Australia are unknown, and significant variation between cultivars may impact on supplementary nutrient requirements. Aims The objective of this experiment was to quantify the extent of ruminal degradation of nutrients in three contrasting PRG cultivars (Bealey NEA2, Trojan NEA2 and Victorian SE) harvested during early spring and summer from Gippsland, northern Victoria and south-west Victoria in Victoria, Australia. Methods Degradation parameters were determined by in situ incubation in the rumens of non-lactating, rumen-fistulated Holstein–Friesian cows for 72 h using a nylon bag technique. Key results During both seasons, Bealey NEA2 had the greatest effective degradability of crude protein and neutral detergent fibre compared with Trojan NEA2 and Victorian SE. Cultivars harvested during early spring had greater effective degradability of crude protein and neutral detergent fibre, and a greater amount of rumen degradable protein compared with cultivars harvested during summer. Cultivars harvested from Gippsland had greater crude protein and neutral detergent fibre effective degradability, as well as a greater amount of rumen degradable protein, whereas cultivars harvested from northern Victoria had a greater amount of undegraded dietary protein. Conclusions These results demonstrate that the ruminal degradation of PRG cultivars declines with increasing maturity, and that there are differences between cultivars and regions; however, differences between seasons are of a greater magnitude and are more important to consider when formulating optimal supplementary grain rations. Implications This research has positive implications for farmers who will be able to understand the degradation of nutrients in PRG, and the amounts of rumen degradable protein and undegraded dietary protein available from pasture during each season. Farmers will be able to use this information to formulate supplementary grain rations that complement the nutrients from pasture and optimise milk production.


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