The effects of grass preservation on intake, apparent digestibility and rumen degradation characteristics

Cushnahan, A.; Gordon, F. J.

doi:10.1017/s1357729800013308

Cited by 68 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 22 publications

(18 reference statements)

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“…Ash (g/kg DM) was determined after combustion of samples at 550°C for 10 h. Vegetation DM concentration was determined by NIRS using a Foss 5000 scanner (Foss, Warrington, UK) through the AFBI Hillsborough Feeding Information System. Concentrations of NDF and ADF were determined as described by Cushnahan and Gordon (1995) using a Fibertec M 1020 hot extractor and 1021 cold extractor (Tecator AB, Hoganas, Sweden).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methane emissions from beef cattle grazing on semi-natural upland and improved lowland grasslands

Richmond

Wylie

Laidlaw

et al. 2015

Animal

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In ruminants, methane (CH 4 ) is a by-product of digestion and contributes significantly to the greenhouse gas emissions attributed to agriculture. Grazed grass is a relatively cheap and nutritious feed but herbage species and nutritional quality vary between pastures, with management, land type and season all potentially impacting on animal performance and CH 4 production. The objective of this study was to evaluate performance and compare CH 4 emissions from cattle of dairy and beef origin grazing two grassland ecosystems: lowland improved grassland (LG) and upland semi-natural grassland (UG). Forty-eight spring-born beef cattle (24 Holstein-Friesian steers, 14 Charolais crossbred steers and 10 Charolais crossbred heifers of 407 (s.d. 29), 469 (s.d. 36) and 422 (s.d. 50) kg BW, respectively), were distributed across two balanced groups that grazed the UG and LG sites from 1 June to 29 September at stocking rates (number of animals per hectare) of 1.4 and 6.7, respectively. Methane emissions and feed dry matter (DM) intake were estimated by the SF 6 tracer and n-alkane techniques, respectively, and BW was recorded across three experimental periods that reflected the progression of the grazing season. Overall, cattle grazed on UG had significantly lower ( P < 0.001) mean daily DM intake (8.68 v. 9.55 kg/day), CH 4 emissions (176 v. 202 g/day) and BW gain (BWG; 0.73 v. 1.08 kg/day) than the cattle grazed on LG but there was no difference ( P > 0.05) in CH 4 emissions per unit of feed intake when expressed either on a DM basis (20.7 and 21.6 g CH 4 per kg DM intake for UG and LG, respectively) or as a percentage of the gross energy intake (6.0% v. 6.5% for UG and LG, respectively). However, cattle grazing UG had significantly ( P < 0.001) greater mean daily CH 4 emissions than those grazing LG when expressed relative to BWG (261 v. 197 g CH 4 /kg, respectively). The greater DM intake and BWG of cattle grazing LG than UG reflected the poorer nutritive value of the UG grassland. Although absolute rates of CH 4 emissions (g/day) were lower from cattle grazing UG than LG, cattle grazing UG would be expected to take longer to reach an acceptable finishing weight, thereby potentially off-setting this apparent advantage. Methane emissions constitute an adverse environmental impact of grazing by cattle but the contribution of cattle to ecosystem management (i.e. promoting biodiversity) should also be considered when evaluating the usefulness of different breeds for grazing semi-natural or unimproved grassland.Keywords: methane, sulphur hexafluoride, beef cattle, grassland, grazing ImplicationsA study comparing upland and lowland grazing by beeforigin and dairy-origin cattle showed that, as a consequence of lower dry matter intake and fewer animals stocked per hectare, the BW gain of cattle grazing upland grassland was only 15% of those grazing intensively managed lowland pasture, but with 25% more methane emitted per kg of BW produced. Policies that encourage greater use of upland grassland for beef production may be co...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methane emissions from beef cattle grazing on semi-natural upland and improved lowland grasslands

Richmond

Wylie

Laidlaw

et al. 2015

Animal

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“…After weaning, live weight, skeletal size and body condition were recorded at monthly intervals. Concentrate and milk powder samples were analysed for DM, CP, gross energy, ether extract and ash within the research institute as described by Cushnahan and Gordon (1995) with appropriate modifications for the analysis of MR.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of calf nutrition on the performance of dairy herd replacements

Morrison¹,

Wicks²,

Carson³

et al. 2012

Animal

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Sixty-five Holstein-Friesian calves were randomly allocated to one of eight nutritional treatments at 4 days of age. In this factorial design study, the treatments comprised of four levels of milk replacer (MR) mixed in 6 l of water (500, 750, 1000 and 1250 g/day) 3 two crude protein (CP) concentrations (230 and 270 g CP/kg dry matter (DM)). MR was fed via automatic teat feeders and concentrates were offered via automated dispensers during the pre-wean period. MR and calf starter concentrate intake were recorded until weaning with live weight and body measurements recorded throughout the rearing period until heifers entered the dairy herd at a targeted 24 months of age. There was no effect of MR protein concentration on concentrate or MR intake, and no effect on body size or live weight at any stage of development. During the pre-weaning period, for every 100 g increase in MR allowance, concentrate consumption was reduced by 39 g/day. While, for every 100 g increase in the amount of MR offered, live weight at days 28 and 270 increased by 0.76 and 2.61 kg, respectively (P , 0.05). Increasing MR feed levels increased (P , 0.05) heart girth and body condition score at recordings during the first year of life, but these effects disappeared thereafter. Increasing MR feeding level tended to reduce both age at first observed oestrus and age at first service but no significant effect on age at first calving was observed. Neither MR feeding level nor MR CP content affected post-calving live weight or subsequent milk production. Balance measurements conducted using 44 male calves during the pre-weaning period showed that increasing milk allowance increased energy and nitrogen (N) intake, diet DM digestibility, true N digestibility and the biological value of the dietary protein. Increasing the MR protein content had no significant effect on the apparent digestibility of N or DM.

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“…Thus, silage ammonia concentration itself may not be important. Nevertheless, in recent papers comparing silages of differing fermentation characteristics, ammonia still ranks as the most frequently implicated factor for reduced silage DM intake (Cushnahan and Gordon 1995;Patterson et al 1996). A recent review by Wright et al (2000) examined the relationship between wilting and silage DM intake.…”

Section: Ammonia N and Silage Intakementioning

confidence: 99%

Towards improved silage quality – A review

Charmley¹

2001

Can. J. Anim. Sci.

116

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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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The effects of grass preservation on intake, apparent digestibility and rumen degradation characteristics

Cited by 68 publications

References 22 publications

Methane emissions from beef cattle grazing on semi-natural upland and improved lowland grasslands

Methane emissions from beef cattle grazing on semi-natural upland and improved lowland grasslands

The effect of calf nutrition on the performance of dairy herd replacements

Towards improved silage quality – A review

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