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.

Milk production and N partitioning in early lactation dairy cows offered perennial ryegrass containing a high concentration of water soluble carbohydrates

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 ◽  
pp. 6-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Moorby ◽  
L. A. Miller ◽  
R. T. Evans ◽  
N. D. Scollan ◽  
M. K. Theodorou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Protein Production ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
Early Lactation ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Waste Products ◽  
N Partitioning ◽  
Water Soluble Carbohydrates

The efficiency of utilisation of grass nitrogen for milk protein production tends to be low, because rumen fermentable energy sources limit the amount of diet amino acids that are incorporated into microbial protein. As a consequence, absorption of ammonia from the rumen and excretion of high-N waste products is considerable. Previous studies (Miller et al., 1999) have shown that the efficiency of use of feed N can be increased in late-lactation dairy cows by feeding ryegrass bred to contain a high concentration of water soluble carbohydrates (WSC). The objective of this study was to investigate milk production and N partitioning in early lactation dairy cows using the same high WSC ryegrass variety, AberDove.

scholarly journals Milk Production, Milk Quality, and Behaviour of Dairy Cows Grazing on Swards with Low and High Water-Soluble Carbohydrates Content in Autumn: A Pilot Trial

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Verónica M. Merino ◽  
Oscar A. Balocchi ◽  
M. Jordana Rivero
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Pilot Trial ◽  
High Water ◽  
Nutritional Composition ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
High Sugar ◽  
Fertilisation Rate ◽  
Water Soluble Carbohydrates

Grazing ruminant systems can be sustainably intensified by improving efficiency while reducing their environmental impact. The objective of the present study was to examine the potential of pastures differing in water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) and crude protein (CP) contents to affect milk production and composition as well as the behaviour of cows grazing perennial ryegrass (PRG) swards. By modifying the nitrogen (N) fertilisation rate (83 and 250 kg/ha per year) and the defoliation frequency (two or three leaves per tiller) in combination with cultivar selection (high-sugar vs. standard cultivars), we obtained two swards differing in WSC and CP contents. The two contrasting swards were each grazed by six dairy cows in nine daily strips in autumn. Pasture samples were collected to determine herbage mass and quality. Cow behaviour was recorded by direct observation. Herbage offered and apparently consumed were similar between swards (averaging 37.3 and 18.2 kg/cow, respectively), although the residual was lower in the high-sugar sward (1735 vs. 2143 kg/ha). Cows spent less time grazing in the high-sugar sward (66.9% v. 71.6%), but the rumination times was similar (14.6%). Milk production and composition were similar between groups, suggesting that high-quality pastures would require a greater difference in nutritional composition to affect animal performance.

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.

The preservation of a Nandi Setaria silage and its feeding value for dairy cows

1978 ◽  
Vol 18 (90) ◽  
pp. 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
RI Hamilton ◽  
VR Catchpole ◽  
LJ Lambourne ◽  
JD Korr
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
Protein Supplement ◽  
Total N ◽  
Structural Rigidity ◽  
Energy Plus ◽  
Feeding Value ◽  
Sorghum Grain

The process of vacuum ensilage of Setaria Sphacelata (cv. Nandi) (33 per cent DM ; 7 per cent soluble carbohydrates; 1.36 per cent M) was studied, and the resultant silage was evaluated chemically, in milk production trials with dairy cows and in digestion trials with dry cows. The silage was well preserved in a chemical sense (pH 4.5; lactic acid 1.7 per cent, volatile acids 1.2 per cent DM ; volatile bases 9.8 per cent total N) but, because of the structural rigidity of the harvested grass, air could not be completely excluded even from the polythene-covered vacuum stack. The temperature reached 43�C in the first week of storage and considerable surface wastage occurred. The silage (DM digestibility 42 per cent, voluntary DM intake 81 g/kg0.75) was of poorer quality than the grass harvested (DM digestibility 54 per cent, voluntary DM intake 84 g/kg0.75) and, even by feeding concentrates, only a low level of milk production could be sustained in (mainly Jersey) cows in the 5th-9th months of lactation. In silage-fed cows given a protein supplement (cottonseed meal) milk production was lower (3.8 kg day-1) but fat content higher (5.4 per cent) than in those given an energy supplement (sorghum grain) or energy plus protein (4.7 kg day-1 and 4.9 per cent fat). When fed lucerne hay and given the same energy plus protein supplement, cows gave significantly more milk (5.7 kg day-1 and 4.6 per cent fat). The poor nutritive value of the silage is attributed to the nature and composition of the material ensiled rather than to any defect in the ensilage process itself, and may be a feature of most silage made from tropical grasses.

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
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Genetic Selection ◽  
Fertilization Rate ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Sugar Concentration ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
High Sugar

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.

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