Opportunities to enhance performance and efficiency through nutrient synchrony in forage-fed ruminants1

Abstract

Increasingly, the need for optimized nutrient utilization to address increasing production costs and environmental considerations will necessitate opportunities to improve nutrient synchrony. Historically, attempts at synchronizing nutrient supply in ruminants, particularly in cattle consuming high-forage diets, have met with variable results. The success of nutrient synchrony has been measured primarily in ruminants by increases in microbial yield, microbial efficiency, nutrient utilization, and to a lesser extent, animal performance. Successful synchrony of nutrient supply to cattle consuming forage-based diets faces several challenges. From a feed supply aspect, the challenges to nutrient synchrony include accurately measuring forage intake and consumed forage chemical composition. The issue of forage intake and chemical composition is perhaps the most daunting for producers grazing cattle. Indeed, for forage-fed cattle, the availability of forage protein and carbohydrate can be the most asynchronous aspect of the diet. In most grazed forages, digestion rates of the carbohydrate fractions are much slower than that of the corresponding protein fractions. Additionally, the forage-supplement interaction exerts a large impact on the synchrony of nutrients. The supplemental feedstuffs compose the component of the nutrient synchrony scenario that is most often manipulated to influence synchrony. The supplement type (e.g., starch vs. fiber, dry vs. liquid), nutrient profile, and degradation rates are often prime considerations associated with nutrient synchrony on high forage diets. Other considerations that warrant attention include temporal intake patterns of the forage and supplement, increased use and types of coproduct supplements, and an assessment of the success of nutrient synchrony. Synchronization of nutrient utilization by forage-fed ruminants has and will continue to encounter challenges for successful outcomes. Ultimately it is the improvement in animal performance and optimization of nutrient utilization efficiency that dictates whether nutrient synchrony is a successful strategy.

Alternative methods for control of reproduction in small ruminants: A focus on the needs of grazing industries

“…Given the importance of nutrition in the context of grazing animals, it was no surprise that it became the core management tool ( Figure 2). We use the operational term "focus feeding" for optimized management of nutrition, a concept that has much in common with the "nutrient synchrony" described by Hersom (2008) in the context of intensively fed animals.…”

Inoculants to Enhance the Ruminal Degradation of Small‐Grain Forage

“…An asynchronous diet limits the growth of rumen microbes because of an inadequate amount of either energy or N substrates. The reduction in ruminal microbial activity results in decreased degradation of forage and microbial efficiency (Hersom, 2008). Grain supplementation increases the dietary energy but may shift rumen microorganism populations from cellulolytic to amylolytic microbes, thus reducing forage digestibility (El‐Shazly et al, 1961).…”

Effect of using cassava products to vary the level of energy and protein in the diet on growth and digestibility in cattle

“…The combination of two sources of carbohydrates (maize and molasses) with two CP levels of 150 and 200 g/100 kg live weight (LW)/day (from Sesbania grandiflora foliage and urea) led to increased dry matter (DM) intake, nitrogen retention and live weight gain (LWG) of cattle fed a basal diet of rice straw and Para grass (Luc et al, 2009). The supplementation of energy and nitrogen simultaneously in cattle resulted in improved microbial efficiency, nutrient utilisation, and animal performance (Kim et al, 1999;Richardson et al, 2003;Hersom, 2008). There are some arguments as to whether the improvement of feed intake and growth is affected by synchronisation between energy and protein sources (Casper et al, 1999;Richardson et al, 2003;Cole and Todd, 2008) or due to some other aspects (Richardson et al, 2003).…”