Production of Jiggs bermudagrass and the impact of quality milk production and quality of Holstein dairy cows under an intermittent grazing system

Abstract

Dairy production plays a fundamental role in the Brazilian economy, and high-17 quality forage is necessary for ruminants to produce satisfactory milk levels, so the aim of the 18 present study was to evaluate the production and quality of Jiggs bermudagrass and its effects 19 on the production and quality parameters of milk from Holstein cows under an intermittent 20 grazing system throughout the year. The experiment was conducted in a randomized design 21 with the four seasons as treatments was replicated five times. The season had a significant 22 effect on the production and nutritional parameters of Jiggs bermudagrass with the highest 23 total dry matter production observed during summer followed by spring and fall. The neutral 24 detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber contents were significantly higher in winter. The In 25 vitro dry matter digestibility was significantly higher in summer, spring and fall. Jiggs 26

Protein and carbohydrate fractionation of Jiggs Bermudagrass in different seasons and under intermittent grazing by Holstein cows

“…Even with the use of irrigation in these seasons, forage production was lower than in the other seasons, producing 49% in relation to summer and 33.2% in relation to spring and fall. Also, in these periods, in the same experimental area, Brandstetter et al (2018) observed a greater elongation of stems, where the le af: stem ratio declines rapidly, because in addition to the higher stem growth, leaf appearance (fundamental for dry mass production) was reduced due to the lower quantity and quality of the light that reaches the inside of the canopy. As a result, there was an increase in fractions C, which also reflected lower milk yield (Brandstetter et al, 2018).…”

“…Also, in these periods, in the same experimental area, Brandstetter et al (2018) observed a greater elongation of stems, where the le af: stem ratio declines rapidly, because in addition to the higher stem growth, leaf appearance (fundamental for dry mass production) was reduced due to the lower quantity and quality of the light that reaches the inside of the canopy. As a result, there was an increase in fractions C, which also reflected lower milk yield (Brandstetter et al, 2018). The results found for fraction C herein (Table 1) are lower than those observed by Branco et al (2012), who evaluated the chemical composition and fractionation of crude protein of the Coastcross grass, and reported values of 14.73, 14.98 and 15.01% for winter, spring and summer, respectively.…”

“…The fraction A is considered soluble with rapid ruminal degradation and its presence in grasses is due to the high levels of crude protein under favorable climatic conditions for the development of the forage, thus improving the degradation rate. In the spring and summer, Jiggs bermudagrass presented crude protein contents of 19.68 and 20.04%, respectively, leading to better yields of animals and resulting in higher milk production (Brandstetter et al, 2018).…”

“…With respect to non-fiber carbohydrates (NFC), there was an increase of 9.38% in winter compared to the other seasons. Among the probable determinants of this increase in winter is the irrigation that provided adequate water conditions for forage development during the experimental period (Brandstetter et al, 2018). Importantly, the grazing system adopted -Mob Stocking -works with high animal load for a short time.…”

“…Jiggs) was introduced in Brazil by an East Texas producer named J. C. Riggs (Carvalho, Pedreira, & Tonato, 2012). This grass has presented a competitive production potential over other forages, during different seasons of year, surviving and producing under adverse climatic conditions (Brandstetter et al, 2018;Poczynek, Neumann, Horst, Leão, & Ueno, 2016a;Poczynek et al, 2016b;Silva et al, 2016). In addition, it presents a better structural arrangement of the cell wall, with lower fiber concentration, being more interesting for animal nutrition in relation to the known Tifton 85 grass (Rezende et al, 2015).…”