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Effect of organic grass-clover silage on fiber digestion in dairy cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2016

S. S. Naadland ,
H. Steinshamn ,
S. J. Krizsan  and
Å. T. Randby
S. S. Naadland*
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Science, 1432 Ås, Norway
H. Steinshamn
Affiliation:
Department of Grassland and Livestock, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), 6630 Tingvoll, Norway
S. J. Krizsan
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Research for Northern Sweden, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83 Umeå, Sweden
Å. T. Randby
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Science, 1432 Ås, Norway
*
†E-mail: sondre.naadland@nmbu.no
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Abstract

There are differences in grass-clover proportions and chemical composition between herbage from primary growth (PG) and regrowth (RG) in grass-clover leys. Mixing silages made from PG and RG may provide a more optimal diet to dairy cows than when fed separately. We tested the hypotheses that increasing dietary proportions of grass-clover silage made from RG compared with PG would increase digestion rate of potentially degradable NDF (pdNDF), and increase ruminal accumulation of indigestible NDF (iNDF). Eight rumen cannulated Norwegian Red cows were used in two replicated 4×4 Latin squares with 21-day periods. Silages were prepared from PG and RG of an organically cultivated ley, where PG and RG silages were fed ad libitum in treatments with RG replacing PG in ratios of 0, 0.33, 0.67 and 1 on dry matter basis in addition to 8 kg concentrate. We evaluated the effect of the four diets with emphasis on rumen- and total tract fiber digestibility. Increasing RG proportions decreased silage intake by 7%. Omasal flow of pdNDF decreased, whereas iNDF flow increased with increasing RG proportions. Increasing RG proportions decreased rumen pool sizes of NDF and pdNDF, whereas pool sizes of iNDF and CP increased. Increasing RG proportions increased digestion rate of NDF, which resulted in greater total tract digestion of NDF. Pure PG diet had the highest calculated energy intake, but the improved rumen digestion of NDF by cows offered 0.33 and 0.67 of RG leveled out milk fat and protein yields among the three PG containing diets.

Keywords

dairy cowsfiber digestibilitygrass-clover silagesorganic productionregrowth
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 11 , Issue 6 , June 2017 , pp. 1000 - 1007
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2016 

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