Sugarcane is an important crop and also a potential feed resource in the Southwestern Islands of Japan. We investigated chemical composition and in situ degradability of two Japanese sugarcane varieties, a common variety, NiF 8 and a new variety developed for cattle feed, KRFo 93‐1. We also evaluated these sugarcanes as alternatives to sugarcane top and imported oaten hay, i.e. commonly used roughages in the Southwestern Islands. The crude protein (CP) contents of both sugarcane varieties were usually lower than those of sugarcane top and oaten hay, showing a decrease with advancing maturity after ratooning. On the other hand, the non‐fiber carbohydrate contents of both varieties and the effective degradability of dry matter in NiF 8 increased with advancing maturity, possibly due to sucrose accumulation. The effective degradability of neutral detergent fiber for KRFo 93‐1 decreased with advancing maturity, being lower than that for sugarcane top and close to that of oaten hay. Overall, highest nutritional benefits would be obtained at a later stage harvest for NiF 8 and at an earlier stage harvest for KRFo 93‐1. CP and/or energy supplements are needed when either of the sugarcane varieties is used as an alternative to sugarcane top or imported oaten hay.
In Japan a high dependency on imported food, particularly livestock feed, has resulted in the accumulation of large amounts of nutrients, especially nitrogen, in the form of livestock manure. Cultivating feed crops that can take up a large amount of N would not only mitigate the water pollution caused by the nitrate leached from the livestock sector, but would also improve food self sufficiency. Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is considered to be a promising candidate in this respect. Two field experiments were conducted in 2006 and 2007 in Kagawa to evaluate the dry matter (DM) yield, N content and nitrate‐N concentration of sugarcane under high N input. The first experiment was designed as a factorial experiment with two factors, varieties/lines/clones and N rates set at two levels, 30 g m−2 year−1 and 60 g m−1 year−1, with three replicates. In the second experiment, 30 varieties/lines/clones of sugarcane and related genera as well as control crops were planted (n = 2) and a single N rate of 45 g m−2 year−1 was applied. Some varieties/lines of sugarcane produced an above‐ground DM yield greater than 4.0 kg m−2 and contained more than 40 g m−2 of N in the above‐ground part. Erianthus clones, IK76‐126 and IJ76‐349 tended to accumulate nitrate‐N when high rates of N were applied. No sugarcane varieties out of the 28 varieties/lines tested in the present study accumulated nitrate‐N beyond the allowed limit for feed use, irrespective of the N rates tested in the experiments. The ability of sugarcane not to accumulate nitrate‐N under conditions of high N input was considered to be an advantage in double‐purpose cultivation; that is, sugarcane can be used as a feed and cleaning crop.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.