U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center: Madison, WI
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                                    Software
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    Archives
                        Presentations
                                    World Dairy Expo
                                    Newsletters and Research Summaries
                    Resources
                        General Resources
                                    Books
                                    Teacher's Resources
                                    New Research Dairy Updates
                                    Integrated Research at USDFRCSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Midwest Area Madison, Wisconsin U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications
- IACUC Summaries - Milwaukee, WI Aquaculture
- IACUC Summaries - US Dairy Forage Research Center

Title:   Author  item
                                            Brink, Geoffreyitem
                                            Casler, Michaelitem
                                            Hall, Mary Beth
  Submitted to: Crop Science
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2007
                                    Publication  Date: 9/1/2007
                                    Citation: Brink, G.E., Casler, M.D., Hall, M. 2007. Canopy structure and forage quality differences among temperate grasses. Crop Science. 47:2182-2189.Interpretive Summary: A wide range of cool-season grasses are available to farmers who employ a grazing-based system to feed dairy cattle.  Although total yield is a typical measure of grass productivity, little is known about the distribution and quality of forage from the top to the bottom of the canopy, a property that may more accurately reflect what is consumed by the grazing animal.  When measured at a height representing typical grazing management (10 inches), we found significant differences in the canopies of Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, orchardgrass, timothy, tall fescue, soft-leaf tall fescue, meadow fescue, smooth bromegrass, reed canarygrass, and common quackgrass.  Timothy, smooth bromegrass, and quackgrass produced more forage in the upper and middle portions of the canopy than perennial ryegrass and meadow fescue in the spring, but the opposite was true in the summer.  Forage quality declined from the top to the bottom of the canopy in most grasses, but digestibility of perennial ryegrass, timothy, and meadow fescue was unchanged.  The results suggest that depending on the grasses present and the season of the year, producers can improve utilization of high quality pasture forage by increasing or decreasing the quantity of forage consumed.
                                Technical Abstract: Grass canopy structure may influence grazing behavior and intake of grazing animals.  Our objective was to determine the vertical distribution of dry matter (DM) and quality within swards of diverse temperate grasses.  The study was conducted on swards of 10 temperate grasses in 2004 and 2005 on a Loyal silt loam (fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Oxyaquic Glossudalf).  When mean canopy height of each grass reached approximately 25 cm during the spring, summer, and fall, the sward was harvested by layers: 20 to 25, 15 to 20, and 10 to 15 cm.  Differences in DM distribution among and within grass canopies were influenced by season.  Quackgrass [Elytrigia repens (L.) Nevski], smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.), and timothy (Phleum pratense L.) produced more DM in the upper and middle portions of the canopy than orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), and meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.), while the opposite occurred in the summer.  From the top to the bottom of the canopy, mean crude protein and neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD) decreased 5% and 3%, respectively, except in perennial ryegrass, timothy, and meadow fescue, where NDFD was unchanged.  These results suggest that at equivalent heights, significant differences in canopy structure exist among temperate grasses, and that forage quality differences between canopy layers may permit greater utilization of some grasses than others without forcing the animal to consume poorer quality forage.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov