Delayed harvest affects mineral and NDF concentrations, and digestibility of timothy

2008 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Pelletier ◽  
G. F. Tremblay ◽  
G. Bélanger ◽  
P. Seguin ◽  
R. Drapeau ◽  
...  

A 1-wk delay after late heading in the harvest of timothy spring growth reduced dietary cation-anion difference (-17%), in vitro digestibilities of dry matter (-7%) and neutral detergent fiber (-10%), and increased neutral detergent fiber concentration (+5%). In summer regrowth, the harvest delay tended to have similar effects, but variations (1-6%) were smaller. Key words: Nutritive value, stages of development, Phleum pratense L., metabolic disorders

2004 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 1101-1104 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Bélanger ◽  
A. Brégard ◽  
R. Michaud ◽  
G. F. Tremblay

Populations and half-sib families of timothy (Phleum pratense L.), contrasting in forage N concentration, were studied in two experiments conducted in growth rooms with varying N applications. They differed in leaf and stem in vitro true digestibility (IVTD) of DM and in vitro cell wall digestibility (IVCWD), and in stem neutral detergent fiber (NDF) concentration; this confirms the presence of genetic variability for leaf and stem nutritive value in timothy under both limiting and non-limiting N conditions. Key words: Digestibility, grasses, Phleum pratense, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber


1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Bélanger ◽  
R. E. McQueen

The nutritive value of herbage is a function of the nutritive value of its component leaves and stems and their proportion in the herbage. A previous study indicated that the proportion of leaves in the herbage did not explain entirely the differences in in vitro true digestibility and NDF concentrations between early and late-maturing timothy (Phleum pratense L.) cultivars. It was therefore hypothesized that the leaves and stems of early and late-maturing cultivars differ in nutritive value. The evolution of leaf and stem nutritive value of field-grown timothy cultivars differing in maturity, and the relationships between parameters of leaf and stem nutritive value, and the leaf to weight ratio (LWR) were studied during primary growth in two experiments. On a given date, stems of early-maturing cultivars had in vitro true digestibilities of dry matter and cell wall up to 61 g kg−1 DM and 71 g kg−1 DM lower that those of late-maturing cultivars, respectively. The NDF concentration of stems of early-maturing cultivars was up to 32 g kg−1 DM greater than that of late-maturing cultivars. There were no cultivar differences in leaf in vitro true digestibilities of dry matter and cell wall, and NDF concentration on a given date. At a given LWR, however, the leaves and stems of early-maturing cultivars had greater in vitro true digestibilities of dry matter and cell wall, and a lower NDF concentration than those of late-maturing cultivars. Our results indicate that differences in herbage nutritive value at a given stage of maturity between early- and late-maturing timothy cultivars is explained by a greater nutritive value of leaves and stems of the early-maturing cultivars. Key words: Phleum pratense L., timothy, cultivar, digestibility, cell wall, leaf, stem


1988 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 1121-1129 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. N. MASON ◽  
P. M. FLIPOT

Five timothy (Phleum pratense L.) cultivars, Clair, Champ, Milton, Climax and Bounty, were harvested at first flower stage during 2 consecutive years and in the regrowth for 1 yr. The forages were each offered as hay to 15 young rams to evaluate voluntary intake. Five animals were used to determine initial harvest dry matter digestibility. The cultivars varied significantly in voluntary intake at first flower stage. The highest intake (g kg−0.75 d−1) averaged for the years was obtained in the early cultivar Champ (65.9), which was 10% more than that of the medium-late cultivar Climax. The cultivars did not differ significantly in dry matter digestibility. In the regrowth, the relative intakes of the cultivars were essentially reversed from that of the initial harvest. The voluntary intake was substantially higher but the differences among forages were less marked. Climax regrowth voluntary intake was higher (P < 0.05) than all cultivars, except Bounty. A 15% range in digestible dry matter intake was present among cultivars. The ranking of the culivars for digestible dry matter was different than for dry matter yield. Key words: Timothy, Phleum pratense L., voluntary intake, dry matter digestibility


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.


1993 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 1017-1026 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Ames ◽  
A. R. McElroy ◽  
J. Erfle

Improving the nutritive value of timothy (Phleum pratense L.) through breeding is dependent on selecting for genetic traits which directly contribute to ruminant digestibility. The identification of these traits is the goal of many forage researchers. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the leaf and stem digestibility of six timothy genotypes under different temperature conditions using two methods of estimating digestibility. Correlations between leaf and stem digestibility were not significant, suggesting that separation of these components is nessessary to clearly evaluate genotypic differences. Temperature had an important effect on digestibility, particularly for the stem fraction. Isolating leaf from stem and evaluating genotypes individually across temperatures may permit the identification of more simple genetic factors which control digestibility in timothy. Genotypic differences were observed at all temperatures. The rumen fluid digestion resulted in a much greater range within and among genotypes for both stem and leaf fractions. Genotypes tended to follow the same trends with respect to temperature using both techniques suggesting that only a portion of the dry matter digested by rumen fluid is available to the cellulases used in these experiments. Lignin content was measured for two of the most variable genotypes and the results showed that while levels increased with higher growth temperature, differences between genotypes are more pronounced at 10 °C for both leaf and stem. Key words: Digestibility, forage quality, lignin, temperature, timothy, Phleum pratense L.


2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (9) ◽  
pp. 1045-1052
Author(s):  
Mateus Merlo Coelho ◽  
Lúcio Carlos Gonçalves ◽  
José Avelino Santos Rodrigues ◽  
Kelly Moura Keller ◽  
Gustavo Vinícius de Souza dos Anjos ◽  
...  

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of re-ensiling and bacterial inoculation on the quality of corn silage. The experiment was carried out in a 2x2 factorial design with or without inoculant (association of Lactobacillus plantarum and Propionibacterium acidipropionici), and with re-ensiling after 36 hours of aerobic exposure or only ensiling of the whole plant of 'BRS 1055' corn. The fermentative quality, nutritional parameters, dry matter losses, aerobic stability, and microbiological counts of silages were evaluated. Re-ensiling caused an increase of pH and in acetic acid and propionic acid concentrations, as well as in the dry matter (DM), crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, and neutral detergent fiber crude protein contents. Conversely, there was a reduction in the nonfiber carbohydrates concentration and in in vitro dry matter digestibility for the re-ensiled material. All changes were explained by the higher-effluent production and DM loss of re-ensiled material that was subjected to two compactions. Microbiology was not altered by the treatments. The use of inoculant altered ash content, but it did not influence other parameters. In contrast, re-ensiling after 36 hours of aerobic exposure caused a reduction in the nutritive value of corn silage and accentuated the DM losses.


1999 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Bélanger ◽  
R. E. McQueen

Nitrogen fertilization is known to have a limited effect on the digestibility of grasses. In a previous paper, however, we reported that N deficiency increased the proportion of leaves in the shoot biomass, and hence, indirectly increased the digestibility of timothy (Phleum pratense L). This was mitigated by the direct negative effect of N deficiency on the digestibility of leaves or stems or both early in the regrowth. The objective of this study was to determine the direct effect of N deficiency on three parameters of nutritive value of leaves and stems of timothy cv. Champ. The evolution of leaf and stem in vitro true digestibility (IVTD), in vitro cell wall digestibility (IVCWD), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) concentration of field-grown timothy fertilized with four rates of N was studied during a spring and summer regrowth cycle by sampling at weekly intervals. The rate of decline in leaf nutritive value in spring was greater than that in summer, and was less than the rate of decline in stem nutritive value during spring. Nitrogen deficiency consistently increased the NDF concentration of leaves but had a lesser effect on the NDF concentration of stems. Nitrogen deficiency decreased leaf IVCWD when the leaf-to-weight ratio (LWR) was high early in the spring and summer regrowth cycles. At the end of regrowth when LWR values were low, leaf IVCWD was greatest when no N was applied. As a result, the negative effect of N deficiency on the leaf IVTD during the early part of the spring and summer regrowth cycles diminished as the regrowth cycles progressed. Nitrogen deficiency had a limited effect on stem IVCWD. We concluded that the direct negative effect of N deficiency on the digestibility of the timothy shoot biomass can be attributed primarily to its effect on the NDF concentration and cell wall digestibility of leaves. Key words: Phleum pratense L., grasses, digestibility, cell wall, nitrogen


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2392
Author(s):  
Rayanne Thalita de Almeida Souza ◽  
Mércia Virginia Ferreira dos Santos ◽  
Márcio Vieira da Cunha ◽  
Geane Dias Gonçalves ◽  
Valdson José da Silva ◽  
...  

This two-year study evaluated the effect of Pennisetum purpureum genotypes under rainfed or irrigated conditions, during the dry and rainy seasons, on herbage, leaf, and stem dry matter (DM) accumulation rates, nutritive value, and carbohydrate and protein fractionation. Treatments were tall (Iri 381 and Elefante B) or dwarf (Mott and Taiwan A-146 2.37) genotypes under rainfed or irrigated conditions. Taiwan A-146 2.37 (146 kg DM ha per day) showed similar herbage accumulation rate (HAR) to tall genotypes during the rainy season (124 and 150 kg DM/ha per day, respectively). Dwarf genotypes showed differences in leaf accumulation rate (LAR) (66 and 49 kg DM/ha per day). Mott leaf had less neutral detergent fiber (NDF) (589 g/kg DM) than Taiwan A-146 2.37 (598 g/kg DM), and tall genotypes had generally greater NDF (668 g/kg DM) than the dwarf genotypes. Irrigation increased fiber deposition in the leaf. Stems of all genotypes had lower in vitro digestible dry matter (IVDDM) (378 g/kg DM) under rainfed conditions in the rainy season. Leaf from irrigated plots had 23% more carbohydrate C fraction (160 g/kg CHO) than those from rainfed plots (122 g/kg CHO). Dwarf genotypes had generally greater nutritive value than tall genotypes. These genotypes show promise under irrigation to fill forage gaps during dry periods.


PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12204
Author(s):  
Yeneayehu Fenetahun ◽  
Yuan You ◽  
Tihunie Fentahun ◽  
Xu Xinwen ◽  
Wang Yong-dong

Background Forage nutritive value analysis is an essential indicator of rangeland status regarding degradation and livestock nutrient demand. Thus, it is used to maintain healthy and sustainable rangelands that can provide the livestock with sufficient quantity and quality of forage. This study is conducted with the aim of investigating the effects of grazing intensity combined with seasonal variation on the nutritive values of dominant grass species in the Teltele rangeland. Methods The studied area is classified into no-grazed, moderately grazed, and overgrazed plots based on the estimated potential carrying capacity. Sampling data is collected during both rainy and dry seasons. The collected forage samples are analyzed for concentrations of crude protein (CP), acid detergent organic fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), ash, dry matter digestibility (DMD), potential dry matter intake (DMI), and relative feed/forage value (RFV). Results The results show significant (P < 0.05) effects of both grazing intensity and season to grazing intensity interactions on all forage nutrient content concentrations across all grass species both within and between treatments. The recorded CP concentrations of all grass species are high in the overgrazed site and low at the no-grazed site, while the fiber concentration is high in NG and low in OG. RFV data also varies greatly, with high value recorded in OG in the rainy season and low value found in NG mainly during the dry season. As a result, it is recommended that moderate grazing should be practiced on the study site to maintain the quality and quantity of forage and to manage it in a sustainable manner.


2008 ◽  
Vol 88 (6) ◽  
pp. 1043-1055 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Pelletier ◽  
Gilles Bélanger ◽  
Gaëtan F Tremblay ◽  
Perttu Virkajärvi ◽  
Guy Allard

Timothy (Phleum pratense L.) is grown in several countries, mainly for livestock forage. The nutritive value and dry matter (DM) yield of timothy is well established but less information is available on mineral concentration and related indices, like the dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) and the grass tetany (GT) index. These indices predict the risk of a forage diet to cause metabolic disorders, i.e., milk fever for DCAD and grass tetany for the GT index. Improving our knowledge of factors affecting timothy mineral concentration is important for livestock production. This review paper compares timothy with other common cool-season grasses for mineral concentrations, DCAD, and GT index. Also assessed are variations in timothy mineral concentration affected by harvest and fertilization management, soil mineral availability, and environmental conditions. These results demonstrate the high potential for improvement and use of timothy forage to decrease the incidence of metabolic disorders within the dairy industry. Key words: Milk fever, grass tetany, dietary cation-anion difference, grass tetany index, forage, cool-season grasses


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