Yield, persistence, and nutritive value of autumn harvested tall fescue

2007 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Drapeau ◽  
G. Bélanger ◽  
G. F. Tremblay ◽  
R. Michaud
Keyword(s):  
Tall Fescue ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
Harvest Management ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
The Third ◽  
Water Soluble Carbohydrates

Tall fescue, harvested or grazed in autumn, may be a potential source of forage but little is known of the effect of a fall harvest or grazing on yield and nutritive value of tall fescue in the mid-north of eastern Canada (˜ 1400 growing degree-days). Three tall fescue cultivars (Courtenay, Kokanee, and Montebello) were submitted to 10 harvest management treatments (two dates of second harvest and five dates of third harvest) over 3 production years in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region (QC). The cultivars Courtenay and Kokanee were more productive and persistent than Montebello. The annual DM yield decreased by an average of 15% between the first and the second production year and by an average of 35% between the first and the third production year; these decreases were greater (22 and 41%, respectively) when the third harvest was taken in early October. Increasing from 28 to 35 d the interval between the first and second harvests increased DM yield of the second harvest by more than 0.5 Mg ha-1, but caused a greater reduction in DM yield of the third harvest, primarily during the first 2 production years. Third-harvest DM yields of more than 4.0 Mg ha-1 were obtained in the first and second production years, while third-harvest DM yields varied from 2.5 to 3.0 Mg ha-1 in the third production year. With the delay of the third harvest in autumn, the concentration of crude protein decreased to 120 g kg-1 DM, the concentration of water-soluble carbohydrates increased to 150 g kg-1 DM, while that of acid detergent fibre changed very little. Tall fescue has a significant yield potential in late summer and early autumn in the mid-north of eastern Canada, primarily in the first 2 production years. However, harvesting or grazing tall fescue in the week preceding or following the first killing frost will reduce persistence and spring regrowth the following year. Key words: Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) S. J. Darbyshire, cutting management, cultivars, water-soluble carbohydrates

Intake and Digestibility of Silage by Pregnant Sows and Effects of Silage Treatment with Maxgrass Additive

1994 ◽  
Vol 1994 ◽  
pp. 154-154
Author(s):  
S A Edwards ◽  
J Weddell ◽  
C Fordyce ◽  
A Cadenhead ◽  
J Rooke
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Design ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Octanoic Acid ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
Growth Study ◽  
Alternative Feed ◽  
Grass Silage ◽  
Water Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
Silage Quality

Grass silage provides an alternative feed for extensively kept sows, but previous experiments have indicated very variable intake and utilisation, dependant on silage quality. ‘Maxgrass’ silage additive (BP Nutrition) is a blend of compounds including ammonium hexamethanoate, ammonium hexapropanoate and octanoic acid. It is designed to modify fermentation, so that the resulting silage retains a higher proportion of water soluble carbohydrates. This should improve the nutritive value for pigs.The experiment comprised two parts: an intake/growth study and a separate digestibility study. The same two experimental silages, either treated with Maxgrass or an untreated control, were offered to groups of pregnant sows in a randomised block experimental design in each experiment. Second cut, mainly perennial ryegrass herbage was cut by mower conditioner and direct ensiled. Alternate loads were left untreated or treated with Maxgrass at a mean rate of 6.04 litres/tonne.

Milk production and composition of dairy cows grazing two perennial ryegrass cultivars allocated in the morning and afternoon

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 1507 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Chen ◽  
R. H. Bryant ◽  
G. R. Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
Above Ground Level ◽  
Water Soluble Carbohydrates

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.

The Impact of Tedding on Alfalfa Nutritive Value in a Silage Production System

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 1115-1118
Author(s):  
Lindsey M. Hartfield ◽  
Matthew Francis Digman
Keyword(s):  
Crude Protein ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Ash Content ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Neutral Detergent Fiber ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
List Type ◽  
Water Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
Silage Production ◽  
The Impact

HighlightsTedding alfalfa reduced moisture content by 108 g kg-1 on a wet basis over a 24 h period.Tedding increased water soluble carbohydrates in harvested alfalfa which could improve silage nutritive value.Tedded alfalfa had similar or lower ash content compared to non-tedded alfalfa.Tedding did not have an observable impact on total digestible nutrients.Abstract. Two treatments, tedded and untedded, were applied to an alfalfa field to determine their impact on the nutritive value of the resulting harvested forage. The tedded treatment area was tedded immediately after the cutting, and the untedded treatment was left in its original 1.5 m width windrow. The tedded alfalfa dried faster (p = 0.001) than the untedded in all cuttings. When results were averaged across the three cuttings, crude protein (p = 0.006), water soluble carbohydrates (p = 0.05), and ash content (p < 0.001) were also observed to be different. The tedded treatment had a 6 g kg-1 lower crude protein content, a 9 g kg-1 higher water soluble carbohydrate content and an 8 g kg-1 lower ash content than the untedded treatment. A difference was not observed between the treatments for neutral detergent fiber (p = 0.49) or total digestible nutrients (p = 0.89). Producers can rely on a tedding intervention to hasten alfalfa drying for silage production while having a minimal impact on forage nutritive value. Keywords: Alfalfa, Forage nutritive value, Medicago sativa, Tedder

The effects of site and season on the yield and nutritive value of cultivars and half-sib families of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)

2004 ◽  
Vol 44 (8) ◽  
pp. 763 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. F. Smith ◽  
R. J. Simpson ◽  
R. N. Oram
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Forage Quality ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
In Vitro Digestibility ◽  
Water Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
Sib Families

The effects of site and season on the nutritive value of 16 perennial ryegrass cultivars and 60 half-sib families were assessed at 2 locations in South West Victoria. Crude protein, water-soluble carbohydrates, neutral detergent fibre and in vitro digestibility were measured on vegetative herbage, harvested in either autumn or spring. While no heritable genetic variation for nutritive value parameters was detected in this set of families, consistent differences in the nutritive value of cultivars were measured across sites and seasons. The cultivars Yatsyn1 and Ellett were consistently high in both water-soluble carbohydrates and in vitro digestibility. The differences in mean nutritive value between high and low ranking cultivars were ~40 g/kg water-soluble carbohydrates and 3–5% in vitro digestibility. These consistent differences in forage quality demonstrate the value of measuring forage quality during cultivar evaluation. The identification of cultivars with improved nutritive value will also facilitate the crossing of the alleles that confer this improvement into other genetic backgrounds.

scholarly journals Response of Bromus valdivianus (Pasture Brome) Growth and Physiology to Defoliation Frequency Based on Leaf Stage Development

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2058
Author(s):  
Iván P. Ordóñez ◽  
Ignacio F. López ◽  
Peter D. Kemp ◽  
Daniel J. Donaghy ◽  
Yongmei Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Stomatal Conductance ◽  
Root Growth ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
Leaf Stage ◽  
Water Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
Stage Development ◽  
Defoliation Frequency ◽  
Root Growth Rate

The increase in drought events due to climate change have enhanced the relevance of species with greater tolerance or avoidance traits to water restriction periods, such as Bromus valdivianus Phil. (B. valdivianus). In southern Chile, B. valdivianus and Lolium perenne L. (L. perenne) coexist; however, the pasture defoliation criterion is based on the physiological growth and development of L. perenne. It is hypothesised that B. valdivianus needs a lower defoliation frequency than L. perenne to enhance its regrowth and energy reserves. Defoliation frequencies tested were based on B. valdivianus leaf stage 2 (LS-2), leaf stage 3 (LS-3), leaf stage 4 (LS-4) and leaf stage 5 (LS-5). The leaf stage development of Lolium perenne was monitored and contrasted with that of B. valdivianus. The study was conducted in a glasshouse and used a randomised complete block design. For Bromus valdivianus, the lamina length, photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, tiller number per plant, leaf area, leaf weights, root growth rate, water-soluble carbohydrates (WSCs) and starch were evaluated. Bromus valdivianus maintained six live leaves with three leaves growing simultaneously. When an individual tiller started developing its seventh leaf, senescence began for the second leaf (the first relevant leaf for photosynthesis). Plant herbage mass, the root growth rate and tiller growth were maximised at LS-4 onwards. The highest leaf elongation rate, evaluated through the slope of the lamina elongation curve of a fully expanded leaf, was verified at LS-4. The water-soluble carbohydrates (WSCs) increased at LS-5; however, no statistical differences were found in LS-4. The LS-3 and LS-2 treatments showed a detrimental effect on WSCs and regrowth. The leaf photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance diminished while the leaf age increased. In conclusion, B. valdivianus is a ‘six-leaf’ species with leaf senescence beginning at LS-4.25. Defoliation at LS-4 and LS-5 was optimum for plant regrowth, maximising the aboveground plant parameters and total WSC accumulation. The LS-4 for B. valdivianus was equivalent to LS-3.5 for L. perenne. No differences related to tiller population in B. valdivianus were found in the different defoliation frequencies.

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