Effect of forage matting on rate of grass drying, rate of silage fermentation, silage intake and digestibility of silage by sheep

Frost, J. P.; Poots, R.E.; Knight, A.C.; Gordon, F. J.; Long, F. N. J.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2494.1995.tb02290.x

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Drying rates (day 1 only) for mower-conditioned (cond) and flail-mowed (flail) grass relative to unconditioned (uncond) grass at the same weight per unit area and initial dry-matter (DM) on rain-free days (n ϭ 20 for each treatment; mean of all post mowing treatments) 1·5 1·39 1·08 1·00 2·73 1·28 1·00 3·98 1·76 1·00 3 1·14 1·02 1·00 2·30 1·25 1·00 2·69 1·40 1·00 6 0·92 1·03 1·00 1·88 1·29 1·00 1·64 1·43 1·00 12 0·78 0·99 1·00 1·36 1·29 1·00 1·22 1·26 1·00 24 0·79 1·08 1·00 1·16 1·24 1·00 1·13 1·32 1·00 Mean 1·00 1·04 1·00 1·89 1·27 1·00 2·13 1·43 1·00 rate of grass drying. The use of wire-mesh trays is likely to overestimate moisture loss by between 8% and 23% (Frost et al, 1995). Despite this bias the results indicate that grass weight per unit area is a major factor affecting the rate of water loss from mown grass.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

The influence of weight of ryegrass per unit area and treatment at and after mowing on rate of drying

Wright¹,

Frost²,

Patterson³

et al. 1997

Grass and Forage Science

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The rates of drying of perennial ryegrass, subjected to different treatments at mowing and after mowing, were assessed in the field by weight change of grass fresh weight in wire‐mesh trays over 3·5 d (76 h). In a 5 × 3 × 3 factorial experimental design, the effects of five weights of grass per unit area [1·5, 3, 6, 12 and 24 kg fresh material (FM) m−2], three treatments at mowing (no treatment, mower‐conditioned, flail‐treated) and three treatments after mowing (no treatment, inverted, mixed) were examined. The experiment was replicated twice on 16 occasions in 1992 at the Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland. This gave a total of thirty‐two replicates per treatment. The trays were weighed at 2‐h intervals from 09.00 to 17.00 h each day. Data sets were restricted to rain‐free days and also to the first day after mowing (day 1). On day 1, grass weight per unit area was a major factor dictating drying; reducing the grass weight per unit area of unconditioned grass from 6 to 3 kg FM m−2 increased grass drying rate by 47%. There was no significant (P > 0·05) benefit over the untreated grass on day 1 from mixing or turning mower‐conditioned or the unconditioned grass. Mixing of the flail‐treated grass improved drying rate significantly (P > 0·001) over the control. Over the whole 76‐h period, the relative benefit from either mower conditioning or flail treatment over no treatment was dependent upon both grass weight per unit area and initial dry‐matter (DM) concentration. At higher initial DM concentrations (>150 g kg−1) and lower grass weights (<6 kg FM m−2) both mower conditioning using a nylon brush type conditioner and intensive conditioning by flail treatment gave substantial increases in drying over no treatment. Moisture regain of grass exposed to overnight dew was small. Rain had a much greater effect than dew on subsequent moisture regain. Unconditioned grass at 12 kg m−2 retained 82% less water following rainfall than unconditioned grass at 3 kg m−2.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

The influence of weight of ryegrass per unit area and treatment at and after mowing on rate of drying

Wright¹,

Frost²,

Patterson³

et al. 1997

Grass and Forage Science

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“…Charmley et al (1997) found no effect on intake by sheep in metabolism cages. However, Frost et al (1995) found that intake of PC ryegrass silage by sheep was reduced by maceration. Mertens and Koegel (1992) showed that although maceration reduced silage intake, milk production was unaffected, suggesting better utilization of silage.…”

Section: Silage Qualitymentioning

confidence: 98%

Effect of maceration at mowing on silage conservation,voluntary intake, digestibility and growth rate of steers fed precision chopped or round bale silages

Charmley¹,

Savoie²,

McRae³

et al. 1999

Can. J. Anim. Sci.

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X. 1999. Effect of maceration at mowing on silage conservation, voluntary intake, digestibility and growth rate of steers fed precision chopped or round bale silages. Can. J. Anim. . Four silages were made from the primary growth of an orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata)/white clover (Trifolium repens) sward in mid-June. Precision chopped (PC) and round bale (RB) silages were made from wilted forage that had been cut either with a regular mower conditioner (CON) or a mower macerator (MAC). Silages were fed to growing steers in a 10-wk feeding trial using a 2 × 2 factorial design. To determine apparent digestibility, silages were fed to wether sheep and ruminally incubated in nylon bags using two canulated cows. The DM concentration of silages ranged between 273 and 362 g kg -1 and was higher in RB than PC silage. Maceration increased fibre concentration in RB silage but had little influence on PC silage. Nitrogen and its fractions were not influenced by treatment. Maceration increased total acid concentration in PC silages but lowered it in RB silage. Lactic acid accounted for a higher proportion of total acids in macerated silages than in control silages. Steers fed RB silage consumed 35% more DM than those fed PC silage (P < 0.001). Maceration reduced intake of PC silage by 18% but did not affect intake of RB silage (interaction; P < 0.05). Maceration had no effect on BW gain in steers fed PC silage, but in RB silage gains were increased from 0.87 kg d -1 to 1.09 kg d -1 (interaction; P < 0.05). Feed utilization efficiency was poorer for RB than PC silage (P < 0.001) and maceration improved feed utilization (P < 0.001). The DM, OM and NDF digestibility coefficients were reduced by maceration in RB but not in PC silage (interaction; P < 0.05); a similar trend was observed for ADF (interaction; P < 0.10). Apparent N digestibility was less in MAC than CON silage (P < 0.01). Dry matter disappearance from nylon bags was not influenced by maceration in PC silage but was higher in RB-MAC than RB-CON silage. It is concluded that influences of maceration on intake and gain is dependent upon the physical form of the silage. . Les ensilages étaient servis à des bouvillons en croissance dans le cadre d'un essai d'alimentation de 10 semaines, selon un dispositif expérimental factoriel 2 × 2. Pour la mesure de la digestibilité apparente, ils étaient servis à des moutons mâles castrés et mis à incuber en sachets de nylon dans le rumen de 2 vaches fistulisées. La teneur en m.s. de l'ensilage, qui allait de 273 à 362 g kg -1 , était plus élevée dans l'ensilage BC que dans l'ensilage CF. Le surconditionnement mécanique provoquait l'accroissement de la teneur en fibre de l'ensilage BC, mais avait peu d'effet à cet égard dans l'ensilage CF. L'azote et ses diverses fractions étaient les mêmes quel que soit le traitement. La surconditionnement accroissait la concentration des acides totaux l'ensilage CF, mais avait l'effet inverse dans l'ensilage BC. L'acide lactique comptait pour une plus grande proportion des acides totaux dans l'...

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“…Frost et al (1995) found that intake of ryegrass silage by sheep was reduced by maceration. However, Charmley et al (1997) found no effect on intake or digestibility of alfalfa silage by sheep.…”

Section: Restricting Fermentation Through Wiltingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards improved silage quality – A review

Charmley¹

2001

Can. J. Anim. Sci.

115

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. Towards improved silage quality -A review. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 81: 157-168. Silage quality, as with all forages, is governed by the maturity of the crop at harvest. However, fermentation in the silo further influences nutritive value of silage by reducing voluntary intake and utilization of digestible nutrients. Silage research up to the present time has focussed on closing the gap between feeding value of the original crop and that of the resulting silage. This review focuses on the advances made towards closing that gap, and explores the possibility that in the future ensiling can become a tool for actually increasing the feeding value of forages. Following a section defining silage quality, the relationships between silage fermentation quality and voluntary intake and between silage fermentation and protein and energy utilization will be examined, with emphasis placed on measures to minimize the negative effects of fermentation on animal production. Recent literature is reviewed, which suggests that many factors previously thought to reduce silage intake, such as pH, lactic acid and dry matter (DM), have, in fact, only a casual relationship with intake. Concentrations of fermentation acids do not seem closely related to silage intake; however, they are critical in determining the balance of volatile fatty acids (VFA) produced in the rumen. This in turn, affects the non-glucogenic ratio and can influence milk and body composition in productive livestock. While rumen ammonia is often implicated in reducing silage intake, protein solubility may be more the causal agent than ammonia per se. Protein solubility is also a major factor in reducing the efficiency of silage protein utilization. Methods to reduce protein solubility in silages are discussed. Methods shown to improve silage feeding value include effective wilting and rapid acidification, either by direct acidification or the use of inoculants. Their widespread adoption has undoubtedly contributed to improvements in animal production from silages in recent years. Key words:Silage, feeding value, voluntary food intake, fermentation, ruminant Charmley, E. 2001. Vers de l'ensilage de meilleure qualité -Analyse. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 81: 157-168. Comme c'est le cas pour les fourrages, la qualité de l'ensilage dépend du degré de maturité de la culture à la récolte. La fermentation dans le silo influe cependant aussi sur la valeur nutritive du produit en réduisant la prise alimentaire et l'assimilation des éléments nutritifs digestibles. Jusqu'à présent, les recherches sur l'ensilage avaient pour but de rétrécir l'écart entre la valeur bromatologique de la culture et celle de l'ensilage qui en dérive. L'article que voici illustre les progrès réalisés en vue de rétrécir cet écart et examine la possibilité qu'à l'avenir, on puisse se servir d'ensilage pour vraiment rehausser la valeur bromatologique des fourrages. Après avoir défini la qualité de l'ensilage, nous examinerons les relations entre la qualité de la fermentation et la prise alimentaire ainsi qu'entre la ...

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Effect of forage matting on rate of grass drying, rate of silage fermentation, silage intake and digestibility of silage by sheep

Cited by 11 publications

References 10 publications

The influence of weight of ryegrass per unit area and treatment at and after mowing on rate of drying

The influence of weight of ryegrass per unit area and treatment at and after mowing on rate of drying

Effect of maceration at mowing on silage conservation,voluntary intake, digestibility and growth rate of steers fed precision chopped or round bale silages

Towards improved silage quality – A review

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