scholarly journals Grazing Preference of Dairy Cows and Pasture Productivity for Different Cultivars of Perennial Ryegrass under Contrasting Managements

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 253 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Jordana Rivero ◽  
Oscar L. Balocchi ◽  
Fabián L. Neumann ◽  
Juan A. Siebald

The objective of this study was to evaluate the pasture performance of different cultivars of perennial ryegrass, two “high sugar” and two standard cultivars, under two contrasting agronomic managements (aimed at either decreasing or increasing water soluble carbohydrates concentration), and their effects on the grazing preference of dairy cows. Eight treatments arising from the factorial combination of four cultivars and two managements were randomly applied to 31-m2 plots in three blocks. Pasture dry matter production and growth rate were measured for one year. Three grazing assessments were performed to establish the grazing preferences of six dairy cows in spring, summer and autumn. High sugar cultivars produced less dry matter per hectare than the standard cultivars. Cows consumed more grass and harvested a greater proportion of the pasture under the agronomic management aimed at decreasing sugar concentration, i.e., with a greater nitrogen fertilization rate and under a more frequent defoliation regime, which could be explained by the greater crude protein concentration achieved under this management. The results suggest that the genetic selection for greater levels of sugars was at the expense of herbage yield, and that cows preferred to graze herbage with a greater crude protein level instead of a greater sugar concentration.

1966 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Ellis Davies ◽  
G. ap Griffith ◽  
A. Ellington

The primary growth of eight varieties of three species–white clover (3), red clover (4) and lucerne (1)–was sampled at fortnightly intervals and the percentage dry matter, in vitro digestibility, crude protein, water soluble carbohydrates, P, Ca, K, Na and Mg were determined.Differences between species were nearly always significant and the general order of merit was white clover, red clover and lucerne. The exceptions were for dry-matter percentage where this order was reversed, and red clover had the lowest Na and highest Mg content.


2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 1043 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Jonker ◽  
G. Molano ◽  
E. Sandoval ◽  
P. S. Taylor ◽  
C. Antwi ◽  
...  

Elevated water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentration in the diet may affect rumen fermentation and consequently reduce methane (CH4) emissions. The objective of the present study was to determine CH4 emissions from male sheep (8 per treatment) in respiration chambers for 48 h and fed either a conventional diploid (CRG), a high-sugar diploid (HSG) or a tetraploid (TRG) perennial ryegrass cultivar, each offered at 0.7 or 1.0 kg dry matter (DM)/day during periods in early spring 2013 (P1), early autumn 2014 (P2) and late spring 2014 (P3). There was a significant (P < 0.001) interaction between cultivar and period for CH4 yield (g/kg DM intake). In P1 yield was 9% lower (P = 0.007) for sheep fed HSG than for sheep fed CRG or TRG, in P2 yield was 16% lower (P < 0.001) for sheep fed TRG than that for sheep fed CRG or HSG, and in P3 yield was 15% lower (P < 0.001) for sheep fed TRG than that for sheep fed CRG, with HSG-fed sheep being intermediate and not significantly different from either CRG or TRG. Despite there being a cultivar × period interaction, overall, CH4 yield was lower for sheep fed HSG or TRG than for sheep fed CRG (P < 0.001). There were no cultivar × level of feed offer interactions and, overall, yield of CH4 was 9% higher (P = 0.003) for sheep offered 0.7 than for sheep offered 1.0 kg DM/day. In each period, one or other of the high-WSC diploid (HSG) or tetraploid cultivars (TRG) gave lower CH4 yields than did the control diploid (CRG), suggesting that CH4 yield is reduced by characteristics of these cultivars. However, the effect was not consistently associated with either cultivar and could not be attributed to higher forage water-soluble carbohydrate concentrations.


1996 ◽  
Vol 127 (4) ◽  
pp. 517-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. H. Aagnes ◽  
A. S. Blix ◽  
S. D. Mathiesen

SUMMARYReindeer calves(Rangifer tarandus tarandus) were used in parallel feeding trials with two different qualities of round-bale timothy silage in September 1992 (summer) and April 1993 (winter) in northern Norway, to determine the effect of season on their food intake and ability to utilize silage of different fibre contents. The silages were prepared from first-cut (FC) and regrowth (RG) timothy. The FC silage contained (on a dry matter (DM) basis) 12·3% crude protein, 30·4% cellulose and 6·2% water soluble carbohydrates (WSC), whereas the RG silage contained 14·3% crude protein, 18·7% cellulose and 30·0% WSC. For each trial, six male calves were taken directly from a natural range and divided into two groups of three animals. One group was offered FC silage and one RG silagead libitum, for 46 days. Mean daily DM food intake (g/kg liveweight) was not significantly different in summer compared to winter(P> 0·05), but significantly higher in the animals fed RG silage compared to the animals fed FC silage (P< 0·0001). The apparent digestibility coefficient of DM was high for both silages both in summer and winter, ranging from 74·4 to 86·6%. However, the digestibility in winter was significantly higher than in summer(P< 0·002) and the digestibility of RG silage was higher than that of the FC silage (P< 0·009). The ruminal VFA concentration was significantly higher in winter than in summer (P< 0·03) and in the animals fed RG silage (range 55·3–104·9 mM) compared to the animals fed FC silage (range 35·2–61·7 mM) (P< 0·002). In spite of the high digestibility of both the FC and RG silages, the nitrogen balance was significantly higher in the animals in winter compared to summer(P< 0·0001) and in the animals fed RG silage compared to the animals fed FC silage(P< 0·0001). Thus, utilization of grass silage in reindeer appears to be influenced both by season and by plant quality.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marzenna Olszewska ◽  
Stefan Grzegorczyk ◽  
Anna Bałuch-Małecka

A field experiment was performed in 2011–2013. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of different proportions of Medicago media in mixtures with Festulolium braunii on the yield and feed value of green fodder, including the content of crude protein (CP) and water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC), and the carbohydrate-to-protein ratio. It was found that alfalfa had a high competitive advantage over Festulolium. In the second and third year of full utilization, alfalfa was the predominant species in the tested mixtures regardless of the proportion of sown seeds. The mixtures with alfalfa were characterized by high and stable dry matter yields and high protein content, whereas Festulolium significantly increased the content of WSC and improved the WSC:CP ratio. The evaluated mixtures had a higher feed value than pure-sown components. The results of the study indicate that Festulolium mixtures with a lower proportion (30% and 50%) of alfalfa are characterized by a higher feed value.


2003 ◽  
Vol 19 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 61-69
Author(s):  
Jan Pyś ◽  
Wladislaw Migdal ◽  
Branislav Zivkovic ◽  
Olga Kosovac ◽  
Mihal Fabjan ◽  
...  

In the experiment, forage from the 1st cut of meadow grasses mown at the heading stage of dominant grasses was ensiled. The control silages were made from fresh forage (dry matter 223.5 g?kg-1) and wilted forage (dry matter 351.9 g?kg-1). The experimental silages were made from fresh forages supplemented with a 5% water solution of lactic acid (0.5 and 0.7 l?100 kg-1 of forage) and 8% water solution of lactic acid (0.4 and 0.6 l?100 kg-1 of forage). The highest contents of crude protein, water-soluble carbohydrates and energy were found in silages supplemented with 5% lactic acid applied at 0.7 l?100 kg-1 of forage and in silages supplemented with 8% lactic acid applied at 0.6 l?100 kg-1 of forage. The above silage variants were also characterized by the lowest content of NH3-N in total-N, butyric acid and acetic acid, as well as the highest contents of lactic acid and the best indicators of fermentation quality. No important differences were found between silages made from wilted forage and silages made with lactic acid supplement.


1982 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 547-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. B. Norris ◽  
H. Thomas

SUMMARYThe effect of drought on the growth and subsequent recovery growth of containergrown perennial ryegrass plants was assessed in a glasshouse. Dry-matter production and percentage of water-soluble carbohydrates were measured, and non-destructive measurements of growth components (leaf extension, leaf appearance and tillering) were made.Drought had an effect upon all the variables recorded. Selecting for improved recovery growth was considered to be of more economic importance than selecting for improved growth during drought and the implications of defoliation are discussed in relation to drought recovery.It was concluded that subjecting pot-grown plants to drought was a useful technique when screening selections for response to drought.


2002 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 541 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Jacobs ◽  
F. R. McKenzie ◽  
G. A. Kearney

A study determined the effects of differing rates of nitrogen fertiliser [0 (N0), 25 (N1), 50 (N2) and 75�kg N/ha (N3)] during late autumn (T1) and mid- (T2) and late (T3) winter on the nutritive characteristics of perennial ryegrass over a 28-day period after each application. All nitrogen applications were made to pastures with a post-grazed residual mass (dry matter) of 1400 kg/ha. Changes in metabolisable energy followed similar patterns for all treatments within a given period. Metabolisable energy was highest in T1, ranging from 11.8 to 13.1 MJ/kg dry matter, followed by T2 (11.5-12.3 MJ/kg dry matter) and T3 (10.6-11.5 MJ/kg dry matter). Changes in crude protein for all treatments at each application time were similar, irrespective of rate of nitrogen application. At the commencement of treatment application times, the existing crude protein content (%DM) was highest in N3 (T1�19, T2 23, T3 22), followed by N2 (T1 18, T2 21, T3 21), N1 (T1 17, T2 20, T3 20) and N0 (T1 16, T2 17, T3 18). During both T1 and T2, neutral detergent fibre content decreased by 4 percentage units and increased by a similar amount during T3. Generally, neutral detergent fibre content (%DM) was highest during T3 (53-58%), followed by T2 (45-54%) and T1 (43-49%). Water-soluble carbohydrate content (%DM) increased during all treatment periods with the highest level observed during T1 (18-31%) followed by T2 (3-14%) and T3 (1-6%). Nitrate content (measured as nitrate-nitrogen) decreased throughout T1, primarily due to dry conditions, while during T2, levels for N3 and N2 were significantly (P<0.05) higher than for N1 and N0 following nitrogen fertiliser application. During T3, nitrate content increased for all treatments throughout the 28-day period, with highest nitrate levels being observed during T3. The effect of applied nitrogen on mineral content was variable within and across treatment periods. The study indicates that nitrogen fertiliser did not affect metabolisable (apart from N3 elevating metabolisable energy during T3), neutral detergent fibre or water-soluble carbohydrate contents of perennial ryegrass during the 28 days after nitrogen application, but increased crude protein content. Also, nitrogen fertiliser elevated nitrate content in perennial ryegrass. While the elevated nitrate content observed may result in subclinical effects, these levels are not considered fatal for dairy cows. Crude protein content was generally above 20% of dry matter throughout the study and close to 30% of dry matter for short periods during T2. Minimising the effect of excess nitrogen ingested by the grazing animal may require appropriate supplementation of low crude protein containing feeds such as cereal grains. It is argued that the effects of rain and temperature, which impact on soil nitrogen mineralisation, may have a greater influence on perennial ryegrass nitrate content than nitrogen fertiliser.


Author(s):  
G.R. Edwards ◽  
A.J. Parsons ◽  
S. Rasmussen ◽  
R.H. Bryant

There has been mounting interest over the proposed production and environmental benefits from using perennial ryegrass cultivars bred to have higher water soluble carbohydrate content (high sugar grasses). Here, we objectively review published evidence, from the EU and New Zealand, of the effects of these on milk yield per cow, liveweight gain in sheep, N utilisation and wider trophic interactions. The literature reveals substantial variation in animal responses, though some of the uncertainty in interpretation can be resolved by combining the data from multiple trials, and showing this forms a continuum of response to diet quality. It also reveals variation in the degree to which the sugar trait has been expressed, possibly reflecting a gene x environment interaction. Achieving a more consistent, and probably greater than current, expression of the high sugar trait would be a valuable goal. We suggest 'proof of concept' has been shown, notably for the potential for improving N utilisation in the rumen, and so reducing the proportion of N intake lost in urine. The evidence suggests that this may be a greater challenge, albeit a more valuable goal, because of the relatively high N (crude protein) content forages that predominate in the New Zealand pasture industry. Keywords: animal performance, high sugar grass, Lolium perenne, perennial ryegrass, nitrogen utilisation, trait expression, water soluble carbohydrates


2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 1507 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Chen ◽  
R. H. Bryant ◽  
G. R. Edwards

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of perennial ryegrass cultivar and timing of herbage allocation on herbage nutritive value and milk production of mid-lactation dairy cows. An autumn grazing trial using 48 Friesian × Jersey spring-calving cows was conducted over 10 days. Twelve groups of four cows were allocated to three replicates of four treatments, namely, two perennial ryegrass cultivars (AberMagic or Prospect) offered either after milking in the morning (0830 hours) or afternoon (1630 hours). Cows were offered a daily herbage allowance of 30 kg DM/cow above ground level. There were no significant differences in sward structure and morphological characteristics between cultivars, except for Prospect having a lower average tiller mass (43.1 mg) than AberMagic (48.4 mg). The concentration of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) and organic matter digestibility in DM (DOMD) was greater in AberMagic (180 g/kg, 74.2%) than in Prospect (153 g/kg, 71.4%). Herbage DM percentage, WSC concentration and DOMD were lower in the morning than in the afternoon (18.8% vs 22.3% DM; 154 vs 179 g/kg WSC; 72.1% vs 73.5% DOMD). Herbage DM intake (12.0 kg/cow.day), milk yield (17.2 kg/cow.day) and milksolids yield (1.60 kg/cow.day) did not differ significantly among treatments. Cultivar choice and timing of allocation influenced herbage WSC concentration and digestibility, but did not alter milksolids production.


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