bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of the type of additive and the type of supplement on the utilization of grass silage for milk production in dairy cows
Authors: CHAMBERLAIN D. G. , MARTIN P. A. , ROBERTSON S. , HUNTER E. A. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractFour silages were prepared from grass treated with additives designed to produce different extents of fermentation in the silo. The additive treatments were: formic acid at 5 l t−1; a bacterial inoculant (Ecosyl, ICI plc); the inoculant plus molasses at 20 kg t−1; and a noadditive control. All silages were well preserved. Formic acid severely restricted the extent of fermentation, the concentration of lactic acid being only 50% of that seen for the other treatments, all of which were similar in lactic acid concentrations.The silages were offered ad libitum, either as the sole component of the diet or together with three supplement treatments to 16 British Friesian cows, in four 4 treatment × 4 period Latin squares with periods of 28 d duration. The supplements were: a barley‐based mixture at 5 kg d−1 (B); a high‐fat, high‐protein product at 2 kg d−1 (FPI) and at 3 kg d −1 (FP2); both FP treatments were given with 1 kg d−1 of molassed sugarbeet pulp. A preliminary experiment, using three lactating, rumen‐cannulated cows in a 3×3 Latin square design with 28‐d periods, provided information on rumen digestion when the supplements were given with a separate, non‐experimental silage.In the preliminary experiment, neither of the FP treatments influenced the molar proportion of the major rumen volatile fatty acids compared with treatment B; nor were there any depressive effects of the FP treatments on silage intake compared with treatment B.In the main experiment, the intake of silage with the inoculant treatment was less than that with the other treatments, the effect being generally significant (at least P<0·05) for all three supplements. When the silages were given unsupplemented, there were differences in the concentration (P<0·001) and yield (P<0·01) of milk fat, both of which were lowest for the no‐additive control and highest for the formic acid silage. When supplement B was given, the concentration and yield of milk fat were lowest for the no‐additive control and the concentration and yield of milk protein were highest for the formic acid silage. For all silages both FP treatments tended to depress silage intake and reduce the concentration of fat and protein in milk compared with treatment B.Although there were clear indications of differences in nutritional characteristics between the silages, there was little evidence that the differences between silages influenced the responses to changes in the composition of the supplements.
The growing and grazing season in the United Kingdom
Authors: BROAD H. J. , HOUGH M. N. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractThe definitions of the grass growing and grazing seasons as climatic parameters are investigated using a grass growth model. Taking a mean air temperature of 6°C to define the start and end of the growing season at nine UK stations, the model indicates the following: (1) dry matter growth rates at the start are 6 to 9 times greater than those at the end; (2) growth rates at the start of the growing season are higher in those areas where it begins late (i.e. late March/ early April) than in areas where it begins earlier (i.e. late February/ early March). When defining the grazing season in terms of a delay after the start of the growing season, the model indicates that (3) growth rates at the start of the grazing season are higher in upland areas and in areas where the growing season begins late than in lowland areas and in areas where the growing season begins early.A definition of growing season in terms of growth rates shows that 5 and 8°C are more suitable temperatures to define the start and end than 6°C.Grazing season was more adequately described using growth rates than in terms of a delay after the start of the growing season.
Sodium fertilizer application to pasture. 3. Rumen dynamics
Authors: CHIY P. C. , PHILLIPS C. J. C. , OMED H. M. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractThe objective of the present experiment was to examine the effects of 0 (Nil), 32 (Low), 66 (Medium) or 96 (High) kg sodium (Na) ha‐1 yr‐1, applied as fertilizer to zero‐grazed perennial ryegrass pasture, on rumen digestion and feed and water intake of steers. Herbage Na contents increased with increasing Na up to the Medium Na treatment and no further at the High. Dry matter (DM) contents were increased by Na fertilizer but not affected by the level. Herbage crude protein (CP), true protein (TP) and non‐protein nitrogen (NPN) fractions were not affected by treatment. Application of Na fertilizer increased the modified acid detergent fibre (MADF) and ash and total cation content of herbage, particularly at the Medium and High treatments. Faecal DM and TP contents were not affected by treatment, but the CP, NPN, MADF and ash and total cation contents were increased by Na fertilizer. Herbage DM intake increased in proportion to dietary Na content. Water intake increased with increasing Na fertilizer level. Rumen pH was increased by Na fertilizer but ammonia concentration was not affected. The rapidly (a), slowly (b) and potentially (a + b) soluble fractions of degradable DM and the effective degradability (P) of DM increased in direct proportion to amount of Na fertilizer applied up to the Medium level, above which b was reduced and a, a + b and P did not increase further. Solid and total outflow rates were not affected by treatment. Liquid outflow rates were greater in the Medium and High treatments than in the Nil and Low treatments. The immediately soluble fraction of MADF was increased in the Na‐applied treatments but the increase declined with each additional Na level. The degradability of MADF increased with increasing dietary Na, particularly in the High treatment. Na increased the proportion of small particles and those with a high specific gravity. It is suggested that the high dilution rates that accompanied the high water intakes and the increased rumen pH are essential factors enabling increased DM intake and rumen digestion when high Na herbages are fed to steers.
Some effects of added phosphorus on perennial ryegrass—white clover swards
Authors: ACUÑA P G. H. , WILMAN D. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractThe effect of applying 100kg P ha‐1 per year in the form of triple superphosphate to mixed swards of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and white clover (Trifolium repens) was examined on a soil of low P status.The dry matter yield of total herbage was increased by 10′/i by added P. In the year of sowing the ryegrass benefited more than the clover from added P: in the subsequent four years the two species benefited equally. Both species responded 10 added P to a similar extent in terms of leaf size; the clover responded less well than the ryegrass in terms of rate of leaf emergence. However, clover responded positively to added P in terms of stolon internode length, length of stolon per m2 and number of growing points per m2. It is suggested that the application of P may promote the spread of white clover within an open sward, but that its application may not enhance the competitive power of white clover when growing with vigorous grasses.
The effect of agronomic factors on seed and forage production in perennial legumes sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) and French honeysuckle (Hedysarum coronarium L.)
Authors: MARTINIELLO P. , CIOLA A. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractPerennial legume varieties and ecotypes belonging to the species sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) and French honeysuckle (Hedysarum coronarium L.) were investigated under different management treatments (two regimes of irrigation, cutting and seeding densities) at the Forage Crops Institute in Foggia, Italy (which has a typical Mediterranean environment) for two seasons, 1990 and 1991. Dry‐matter production, seed production and seed yield components were affected more by harvest year and irrigation than by seeding density. Mean increases due to irrigation were 2·8% and 60·6% respectively for dry‐matter and seed yield in sainfoin and 35·3% and 32·5% respectively in French honeysuckle. Under both cutting regimes, the higher seeding density was more suitable for sainfoin, increasing stems m−2 with irrigation and seed yield without irrigation. In French honeysuckle the lower seeding density was more suitable for production of inflorescences per tiller and for seed weight without irrigation. Higher seeding density positively influenced seed yield under irrigation. The seed yield components most influenced by irrigation were: 1000‐seed weight, seeds per inflorescence and inflorescence per stem. French honeysuckle genotypes were potentially more productive in dry matter and seed yield under both irrigation regimes than the sainfoin, which was more productive in seed yield when cut. The ecotypes of both legumes represent a genetic resource, particularly for seed yield after forage cutting, to be utilized in breeding programmes for developing varieties well adapted to Mediterranean environments.
The effect of oxygen concentration on changes in the microbial population, temperature and dry‐matter content in grass silage
Authors: WILLIAMS A. G. , LOWE J. F. , REES D. V. H. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractThe effects of transfusing cores of grass silage with mixtures of oxygen and nitrogen containing 0%, 0·2%, 2%, 5% and 20% oxygen were investigated. Changes in populations of yeasts, lactobacilli and streptococci were measured and the relationship between populations after 7 days' transfusion and oxygen concentration were tested against the predictions of two models, based on Monod and logistic growth functions. Yeasts were related to oxygen by the Monod model, while lactobacilli and streptococci were related by the logistic model. The differences were ascribed to yeasts initiating deterioration by growing aerobically, while lactobacilli and streptococci grew fermentatively once the environment had changed following yeast growth. Dry‐matter losses were related to oxygen by the Monod model. Changes in temperature were related to dry matter loss (through measurements of CO2 evolution) using a simple heat balance model.
Effects on milk production of feeding silage and sugar‐beet pulp as separate components, in a mixed ration or as an ensiled blend
Authors: FERRIS C. P. , MAYNE C. S. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractTwenty early‐lactation British Friesian dairy cows were used in a five‐treatment, partially balanced change‐over design experiment, consisting of four periods each of 4 weeks' duration. Three treatments consisted of offering ensiled blends of silage and sugar‐beet pulp produced by mixing 40 (S40), 80 (S80) and 120 (S120)kg beet pulp t−1 herbage at ensiling. In two further treatments, an untreated silage was supplemented with 5 kg of beet pulp daily, either mixed with the silage prior to feeding (SM) or offered in two equal feeds each day (ST). Silage was offered ad libitum in all treatments, while in addition all cows received 1 kg d−1 of a concentrate supplement containing 470 g crude protein kg−1 fresh weight.Dry‐matter intakes and milk fat + protein yields increased with increasing level of beet pulp inclusion in the diet, irrespective of whether it was offered in the form of an ensiled blend or as a supplement to an untreated silage. With the exception of D‐value (digestible organic matter in the dry matter), which was significantly higher with treatments SM and ST than with the ensiled blend treatment (S80), no significant differences were identified in total ration digestibility or in the efficiency of nitrogen or energy utilization between methods of beet pulp inclusion in the diet. However, offering beet pulp in the form of an ensiled blend reduced the acetate/propionate ratio in rumen fluid compared with offering best pulp as a supplement to an untreated silage. When account is taken of differences in the efficiency of recovery of edible silage dry matter between ensilage systems and of differences in dry‐matter intakes between treatments, total milk fat + protein outputs per 10000 kg herbage dry matter ensiled were 55 (s.e. 50·9) and 78 (s.e. 47·5) kg lower when equal quantities of beet pulp were offered as part of an ensiled blend rather than as a supplement to an untreated silage, as in treatments SM and ST respectively. However, these differences were non‐significant. Alternatively, in order to produce an equal milk output from ensiling a given quantity of herbage, 12·5 and 16·2% more beet pulp would have been required if the beet pulp had been mixed with the herbage at ensiling, rather than offered as a supplement, as in treatments SM and ST respectively.
Drying and physical characteristics of matted ryegrass
Authors: SAVOIE P. , BURGESS L. R. , KNIGHT A. C. , McGECHAN M. B. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractFresh ryegrass and lucerne were macerated and compressed into thin mats over a 4‐week period at two yield levels. The mats were left lo dry outside during the day. and inside overnight, and compared with unconditioned crops. Under a low swath yield of 4 t DM ha−1, mats required 0·7‐1·4 mm pan evaporation lo reach 70% moisture, suitable for wilted silage, compared with 1·8‐3·8 mm pan evaporation for unconditioned crops. On an average non‐rainy day. mats were ready to harvest as wilted silage after 2–5 h, whereas the unconditioned crop required between 6 h and 36 h of wilting. With a high swath yield of 8 t DM ha−1, mats required 1·4‐3·0 mm pan evaporation to reach 70% moisture compared with 2·4‐5·1 mm for unconditioned windrows. Low‐yield mats reached 20% moisture, suitable for hay, in 2 d of drying, after 4·5‐5·3 mm of pan evaporation. The thickness and cohesion of the mats were measured to assess their sensitivity to mechanical handling. The effect of controlled rainfall on mats was also investigated. Since mat making was most effective in low‐yield crops, it could become a useful complement to low‐input, extensive forage production. Mat making could eliminate most silage effluent losses; it could re introduce haymaking of ryegrass as a viable system under certain circumstances.
Effect of temperature and water variables on the juvenile growth of lucerne and red clover
Authors: KENDALL W. A. , SHAFFER J. A. , HILL R. R. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractPlants of three cultivars of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) and of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) were grown at four levels each of water availability and temperature in all combinations to evaluate these factors as determinants of plant growth. Plants grew in conventional plant growth chambers from age 2 to 4 weeks with the roots held between layers of polyester cloths that held a volume of nutrient solution which was adjusted at 24‐h intervals by flushing and blotting the cloths. The experimental design consisted of two growth chamber runs at each of four temperatures. Within each run, water treatments and the species‐cultivar combination were arranged In four replicates of a split‐plot design with water treatment as whole plot and species‐cultivars as subplots.Plant response variables over all treatments were significant (P < 0·05) for temperature and water for shoot weights, root weights, shoot/root ratios and number of roots. Cultivars within species had no significant difference in response lo the treatments, but species differences were significant for alt response variables except shoot/root ratio.
Ensiling of manured crops—effects on fermentation
Authors: RAMMER C. , ÖSTLING C. , LINGVALL P. , LINDGREN S. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractThe quality of silage from crops fertilized with cattle manure and an inorganic fertilizer was compared in experiments from 1985 to 1989. Manure was spread either as farmyard manure (FYM, 25t ha−1) or as slurry (20‐50t ha−1). Crops were direct cut (approximately 200 g DM kg−1) or wilted (approximately 300 g DM kg−1), precision chopped and ensiled in experimental silos. Silage was treated with 4 kg 85% fonnic acid t−1 fresh matter (FM), an inoculant or no additives. The use of manure, particularly FYM, resulted in more Bacillus spores on crops at harvest compared with fertilized crops. Clostridium spores increased as a result of manuring in 1989 only on FYM‐treated crops. Differences in the chemical composition of crops were usually small between fertilizer treatments. The quality of silage from slurry‐dressed crops, compared with that of silage from fertilized crops, varied between years. The FYM resulted in reduced silage quality, i.e. high pH values (> 4·5), high ammonia N (> 150 g kg−1 total N) and butyric acid (> 6·3 g kg−1 water) concentrations, and high numbers of Bacillus (105 g−1 FM) and Clostridium spores (105 g−1 FM). The concentration of lactic acid was low (≤ 12 g kg−1 water). Wilting and additives generally improved silage quality and reduced the differences between treatments. However, the efficiency of the inoculant on farmyard manured crops was limited.
Yield and compensatory growth of lucerne following simulated winter‐kill
Authors: STOUT D. G. , THOMPSON D. T. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractLucerne (Medicago sativa L.) sown at 2·8‐11·2 kg ha−1 in spring was thinned in the autumn by digging plants from alternate 15‐ or 30‐cm lengths of row. Both thinning treatments decreased the subsequent year stand density by 34%. Yields the following year were reduced by 24 and 17% for the 15‐ and 30‐cm treatments respectively, and the next year by 10% for both treatments. Thinning effects were similar at all sowing rates. During the year following thinning, plants did not grow larger in response to the thinning. Thus, development of compensatory growth by lucerne plants following sudden stand thinning is slow.
Effect of forage matting on rate of grass drying, rate of silage fermentation, silage intake and digestibility of silage by sheep
Authors: FROST J. P. , POOTS R. , KNIGHT A. , GORDON F.J. , LONG F.N.J. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractThe effects of forage matting on rate of grass drying and silage fermentation, digestibility, and intake were examined using perennial ryegrass swards. Treatments compared were: forage mats, where grass was processed through a laboratory scale macerator prior to matting and wilting to 228 g dry matter (DM) kg−1 (FM treatment); unconditioned grass which was direct ensiled at 163 g DM kg−1 (DE treatment); unconditioned grass which was wilted for the same period as FM to 213 g DM kg−1 (UC treatment); unconditioned grass which was wilted to 234 g DM kg−1 (UC25, treatment). All forages were dried on black plastic sheeting. For each treatment a total of approximately 80 kg grass DM was ensiled in seven 290 I plastic bins for 136 d prior to feeding to wether sheep. A further total of 14 kg grass DM from each treatment was ensiled in twenty‐one plastic pipes (152 mm diameter, 762 mm long) to give a total of 84 pipes. Rate of silage fermentation was determined by destructively sampling pipes following 1, 2, 4, 6, 13, 20 and 50 d of ensilage. Over the mean wilting period of 6·9 h, grass from the FM treatment dried significantly faster (P < 0·001) and required less solar energy per unit of moisture loss than unconditioned grass. The rate of grass drying was highly correlated with solar radiation. The FM treatment did not influence the rate or extent of silage fermentation. The intakes and digestibilities of FM, UC and UC25 were not significantly (P < 0·05) different from each other but were higher than for the DE treatment (P < 0·05 for digestibility and NS for intake). In Northern Ireland it is unlikely that there will be sufficient solar radiation to allow forage mats to be made, wilted to a level to prevent effluent production and harvested within one working day. Further work is required to optimize mat‐making technology for more rapid drying and to determine the effect of adverse weather on nutrient losses from mats.
The effect of surface height of swards continuously stocked with cattle on herbage production and clover content over four years
Authors: LAIDLAW A.S. , WITHERS J.A. , TOAL L.G. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractThe long‐term influence of sward height from April to July (Phase 1) and from July to early October (Phase 2) on total herbage and white clover production was measured over four years (1988–1991) as herbage accumulation. A subsidiary experiment to determine the influence of leaf area index (LAI) on gross canopy photosynthesis was conducted to aid interpretation of growth from herbage accumulation data. Target sward heights in 0·5 ha plots in two blocks were 5,7 or 9 cm in Phase 1 and 7 or 9 cm in Phase 2, although mean actual heights per phase were slightly higher. Net herbage accumulation (NHA) was measured within mobile exclosure areas over successive two‐week intervals. Gross photosynthesis was measured in circular turves removed from the trial area representing a range of LAIs with an at least reasonable clover content. Despite wide differences in mean sward height and herbage mass, NHA and net clover accumulation for a given phase were not generally affected by treatments. Positive effects of grazing at 5 cm in Phase 1 on NHA and clover accumulation later in the year, and of grazing at 7 cm in Phase 2 on NHA in the following spring were sometimes apparent. Gross canopy photosynthesis (g CO2 m−2 h−1) at 1500 μE m−2 s−1 and 18–21°C was linearly related to LAI described by 1·003 + 1·165 LAI over the LAI range 0·7 to 4·5. Total herbage and clover growth, interpreted from NHA by a previously described model, was predicted to be marginally lower in shorter swards. Similarity in NHA and clover accumulation between treatments was considered to be because of lower senescene and decomposition, and a higher proportion of new tissue being assigned to lamina growth, despite lower LAI and gross photosynthesis in the shorter swards. It was concluded that stocking intensity in swards continuously stocked with cattle did not have a strong influence on net total herbage and clover growth.
The effect of pattern and severity of cutting on the vigour of the soft rush (Juncus effusus L.)
Authors: MERCHANT M. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractAn experiment was conducted to examine the effect of the timing and severity of defoliation on the vigour of the soft rush (Juncus effusus). Three levels of defoliation (uncut, cut at half the current green stem height, and cut at ground level) were applied at each of two cutting dates (the end of June and the end of August) in a factorial design that gave nine cutting treatments. Treatments were imposed for two consecutive years and their effects on tussock size (rush herbage mass) and vigour, as determined by green stem height, peripheral green stem density, and the proportion of flowering green stems, were assessed in Year 3. Defoliation to half the current green stem height either once or twice annually had no effect on tussock mass or vigour. Defoliation to ground level reduced tussock mass and vigour but a large number of green, living stems remained on all treatments, indicating considerable potential for regeneration once the cutting treatments had ceased. There was no significant effect of number or timing of the cuts, but the results suggest that cutting rushes to ground level twice during the growing season is more effective at reducing rush vigour. Where only a single cut is possible, cutting in August after flowering is the best option.