Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Inter-Annual Variability In Pasture Herbage Accumulation In Temperate Dairy Regions: Causes, Consequences, And Management Tools, David F. Chapman, Richard P. Rawnsley, Brendan R. Cullen, David A. Clark

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Inter-annual variation in pasture herbage accumulation rate (HAR) is common in temperate dairy regions, posing challenges for farmers in the management of dairy cow feeding and of pasture state. This paper reviews the biophysical factors that cause inter-annual variation, considers some of its consequences for the efficient harvest of pasture, and discusses the basis for decision rules and support tools that are available to assist New Zealand and Australian farmers to help manage the consequences of an imbalance between feed supply and demand. These tools are well-grounded in scientific research and farmer experience, but are not widely used in the …

Relative Losses Of Pioneiro Grass (Pennisetum Purpureum Schumach) Silage With Addition Of Whole Plant Maize Or Maize Grain During Fermentation, Tiago M. Santos, Eduardo R. Scherer, Dayanna Pastal, Diana R. Vivian, Kátia F. Gobbi, Américo F. Garcez Neto

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Among the forages with potential to be ensiled, tropical forages stand out because of their high yield capacity, being able to produce three times more dry matter than for maize under tropical conditions. Although tropical forages are an interesting alternative for ensilage, their high moisture content may impair the fermentation process, reducing the silage quality. The addition of whole plant maize and maize grain to other grass silages can be an efficient way to reduce the losses involved during the process, specially due to the improvement of the fermentative profile of the silages (Stefanie et al. 2000; Anaya-Ortega et …

Losses And Dry Matter Recovery Of Pioneiro Grass (Pennisetum Purpureum Schumach) And Maize Silages In Mixtures, Tiago M. Santos, Lucas Leffers Neto, Bruna L. Portela, Kátia F. Gobbi, Américo F. Garcez Neto

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Forages ensiled with high moisture content produce increased quantities of effluents losing highly digestible nutrients (McDonald 1981). The ensilage process usually involves gaseous and effluent losses which are strictly related to the moisture content of the plants used for conservation. The addition of materials with high dry matter content and materials which improve the fermentation pattern has been an alternative to reduce these effluent losses. The maize plant and maize grain, by their physical and fermentative characteristics, may represent alternatives to reduce the losses in the process (Anaya-Ortega et al. 2009). This work was carried out with the aim …

Total Accumulative Losses During The Fermentation Of Pioneiro Grass (Pennisetum Purpureum Schumach) Silages With Addition Of Whole Plant Maize And Maize Grain, Cassiano L. B. Pasa, Lucas Leffers Neto, Tiago M. Santos, José A. Freitas, Kátia F. Gobbi, Américo F. Garcez Neto

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Pioneiro grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach) has gained importance in silage production mainly due to its robust habit, perenniality and high yield capacity, although its typically high moisture content may influence negatively its potential for ensiled conservation. High moisture content at the time of ensilage has resulted in increased losses by gases and effluents (Balsalobre et al. 2001, Nussio 2005). Despite these losses, the high yields of tropical forages still justifies their use and study as roughage and silage in ruminant nutrition.

Although tropical forages present an interesting alternative for conservation, maize silage still has widespread use across different …

Changes To The Fermentative Profiles Of Pioneiro Grass (Pennisetum Purpureum Schumach) And Maize Silages In Different Mixtures After Aerobic Stability, Eduardo R. Scherer, Tiago M. Santos, Diana R. Vivian, José A. Freitas, Kátia F. Gobbi, Américo F. Garcez Neto

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Silages arte widely used in animal production systems to overcome the seasonality of forage production around the world. The preservation of nutritional value of silages depends on the maintenance of an anaerobic environment during the fermentation and storage phases, as well from aerobic stability during the feed out stage (Nussio, 2005). Aerobic exposure usually promotes intense activity of fungi, yeast and aerobic bacteria. If the time of aerobic exposure is long enough, huge changes can happen in the chemical composition of the silages affecting negatively their nutritional value. These changes can be followed by decreasing lactic acid concentration and increasing …

Pelletized Forage-Based Rations As Alternative Feeds For Improving Goat Productivity, E. A. Orden, E. M. Cruz, A. N. Espino, Z. M. Battad, R. G. Reyes, M. E. M. Orden, N. O. Frias, A. G. Gibe, N. A. Del Rosario, E. C. Villar

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Goat farming is very popular in the Philippines as it is considered by many to be a viable rural enterprise. Despite this, the goat industry is faced with many challenges, including problems relating to high pre-weaning mortality, poor nutrition and lack of strategic approaches to accelerate genetic improvement. The long term rate of increase of goat numbers is only 0.97% per annum, due to high offtake rates and low productivity. Thus, the Philippine goat population is only expected to reach 4.27million by 2020 (compared with the target of 6.2 million), given the 3.88million population in 2010 (Alo 2012). Interventions are …

Performance Of Beef Cattle Fed Diets Containing Stylosanthes And Corn Silages, Thiago C. Da Silva, Odilon G. Pereira, Mariele C. N. Agarussi, Rafael M. Martins, Paula G. F. Duarte, Douglas R. Da Costa, Karina G. Ribeiro, Sebastião De C. Valadares Filho

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Reports of the use of tropical legumes in silage production are scarce as these legumes have high contents of crude protein, low water soluble carbohydrate and high buffering capacity, which inhibit the production of silages with good fermentation and nutritional characteristics. Recent research has, however, shown that it is possible to produce good quality silages using tropical legumes (Pereira et al. 2012). Souza et al. (2012) concluded that silage produced from Stylosanthes cv. Campo Grande (Stylosanthes capitata + Stylosanthes macrocephala) at 60% proportion of the dry matter of the diet can replace corn silage in diets for …

Intake And Digestibility Of Nutrients Of Corn And Stylosanthes Silages In Diets For Sheep, Thiago C. Da Silva, Odilon G. Pereira, Mariele C. N. Agarussi, Vanessa P. Da Silva, Lucas L. Cardoso, Leandro D. Da Silva, Karina G. Ribeiro, Sebastião De C. Valadares Filho

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The low concentration of water soluble carbohydrates, the high buffering capacity and the low autochthonous population of lactic acid bacteria are limiting factors to legume ensiling. However, recent research with tropical legumes has shown that the silages presented an adequate fermentation profile (Liu et al. 2012; Silva et al. 2012; Pereira et al. 2012). Nevertheless, there are few studies on the use of stylosanthes silages cv. Campo Grande (Stylosanthes capitata + Stylosantes macrocephala) for sheep feeding. The objective of this study was to evaluate the intake and digestibility of nutrients of stylosanthes and corn silages …

Ruminal Fermentation Of Sheep Fed Corn Silage Inoculated With Microbial Additives, Ricardo A. Reis, F. C. Basso, C. H. S. Rabelo, E. C. Lara, P. A. R. Salvo, J. V. Yamaguchi, T. T. Berchielli

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

An obligatory heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Lactobacillus buchneri, has been suggested as an additive to improve the aerobic stability of silages, mainly of corn silage, due to troubles during feedout of silos, when mishandled. Usually, heterolactic fermentation is deemed as undesirable compared with homolactic fermentation because the dry matter losses are greater. Otherwise, L. plantarum, a homo-fermentative LAB can be combined with L. buchneri in an attempt to decrease the fermentation losses and also protein degradation by greater production of lactate and, enhance the aerobic stability of silages. Nowadays, these LAB have been studied as their ability …

Chemical Composition And Fermentation Profile Of Perennial Peanut And Marandu Grass Mixed Silages, Karina G. Ribeiro, Françoise M. Gomes, Odilon G. Pereira, Sebastião De C. Valadares Filho, Thiago C. Da Silva, Vanessa P. Da Silva, Regina S. Santos, Mariele C. N. Agarussi

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Perennial peanut has high quality, evidenced by the improvement of animal production in grazing, due to good contents of crude protein and digestibility, which makes it one of the best alternatives for low cost feeding (Paganella and Valls 2002). Grass ensilage associated with legumes is considered an alternative to meet the protein demand of cattle in the livestock. However, due to limited information on the techniques of grass ensilage with tropical legumes, this research aimed to evaluate the chemical composition and the fermentation profile of perennial peanut and Marandu mixed grass silages, treated or not with bacterial inoculant.

Lactobacillus Buchneri And Storage Periods Affect The Fermentation Profile And Aerobic Stability Of Corn Silage, Adir De Sá Neto, Maity Zopollatto, Álvaro Wosniask Bispo, Daniel Junges, João Luiz Pratti Daniel, Mateus Castilho Santos, Luiz Gustavo Nussio

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Previous studies have shown that the utilization of Lactobacillus buchneri reduces the yeast population and improves the aerobic stability of corn silage (Driehuis et al. 1996) mainly because of the conversion of lactic acid to acetic acid and 1,2-propanediol (Oude Elferink et al. 1998; Driehuis et al. 1999). Recent studies have also shown that some microbial processes occur during prolonged storage and this may improve the quality of corn silage. For instance, Hoffman et al. (2011) suggested that proteolytic activity was responsible for improvements in starch digestion of high moisture corn over extended periods of ensiling and Kleinschmit …

Effect Of Using Additives At Ensiling On The Fermentation Quality Of Common Reed (Phragmites Communis Trin.) Silage, Keigo Asano, Ayako Araie, Riri Koike, Kohei Takahashi, Tatsuya Madachi, Motohiko Ishida

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The common reed (Phragmites communis Trin.) is a wild grass species widely distributed throughout Japan and the world, growing in thousands of abandoned paddy fields and riverside sites. Most of the common reed in Japan is burned or left to become a weed that grows thickly in canals and reclaimed lands, becoming breeding places for diseases and pests (Holm et al. 1977). The biodiversity of plants can be disrupted by an expanding community of common reed whose sward height is 1.5–4.0 m (Ailstock et al. 2001). The common reed should be controlled and made use of if …

Effect Of Lactobacillus Plantarum On Fermentation Quality Of Alfalfa Silages Mixed With Different Proportions Of Jujube Powder, Jipeng Tian, Zhu Yu, Zhongkuan Liu, Zhenyu Liu, Qing Zhang, Xujiao Li, Yu Wang

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Hebei province is one of the main production areas of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) in China. While alfalfa is used to make silages, it is necessary to improve the fermentation quality of alfalfa silage. Jujube powder which contains a high content of sugar, might be a good material to ensile mixed with alfalfa. On the other hand, the effect of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) has been documented and has been used as an additive to achieve good preservation of silage.

The objective of this study was a) to screen different ratios of jujube powder in the mixed silage of …

Forage Intake And Nitrogen Retention In Wethers Fed Ryegrass Haylage Supplemented With Maize Silage, João G. R. Almeida, Henrique M. N. Ribeiro Filho, Ederson A. De Andrade, Gabriela C. Guzatti, Paulo G. Duchini, Gutierri T. Raupp, Fabiana R. Ramos, Rémy Delagarde

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Many decision support tools have been developed to predict herbage intake with herbivore ruminants indoors (Faverdin 1992) or at grazing, both using short-term (Baumont et al. 2004) or daily scale input variables (Heard et al. 2004; Delagarde et al. 2011). However, the ingestive and digestive interactions when diets with more than one type of forage are used have not been sufficiently studied. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of maize silage supplementation to wethers receiving ryegrass haylage on OM intake, OM digestibility, microbial protein synthesis and N retention.

Characterization And Identification Of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated From Silage Prepared In Lao Pdr, Yimin Cai, Huili Pang, Viengsakoun Napasirth

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Silage is now the most common preserved cattle feed in many countries and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) play an important role during silage fermentation process. In order to establish an animal feed production system to cover the shortage of animal feed in the dry season of Lao PDR, silage fermentation technology is needed that has potential application in poor villages. Therefore, the characterization of LAB in various forage crops and their species identification requires further study. In the present study, the characterization of LAB species isolated from forage crops in Lao PDR was examined. In order to determine their taxonomic …

The Effect On Long-Chain Fatty Acids In Lucerne Silage With Jujube Powder And Lactobacillus Plantarum, Zhu Yu, Yu Wang, Jipeng Tian, Xujiao Li, Qing Zhang

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The major nutrients of lucerne silage are well documented. However, forages are also an important dietary source of α-linolenic acid (C18:3n-3) and linoleicacid (C18:2n-6) that are biohydrogenated in the rumen, originating a complex pattern of C18 fatty acids (Jenkins et al. 2008). Studies have reported slight effects on the fatty acid (FA) composition of grass silages by the use of additives like formalin, formic acid, or enzymes (Alves et al. 2011) However, there are no studies on the addition of jujube powder in lucerne silage, which has a high sugar content. The effect of Lactobacillus plantarum (LA) on …

Increased Sugar Concentration With Pm-Cutting And Wide Swathing Improves Alfalfa Silage Fermentation, Gaëtan F. Tremblay, Chantale Morin, Gilles Bélanger, Annick Bertrand, Yves Castonguay, Réal Michaud, Robert Berthiaume, Guy Allard

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Extensive protein degradation during silage fermentation reduces the efficiency of N utilization by ruminants and excess N is excreted in the environment. Forage nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) represent the main source of readily fermentable energy for lactic bacteria during silage fermentation. Increasing forage NSC concentration can enhance silage fermentation, lactic acid production, and the decline in pH with an overall reduction in the extent of protein degradation.

The NSC concentration increases during the day in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) to reach a maximum by the end of the afternoon. Under good wilting conditions, PM-cut alfalfa wilted in wide swaths had …

Effect Of Associations Of Additives On Ph And Ndf In Sugar Cane Silages (Saccharum Officinarum), C. A. Da Silva, A. A. R. Athayde, A. O. Ribeiro, A. R. Evangelista, P. C. Leite, A. C. A. F. F. Paula

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

An alternative to the seasonality of forage production in grazing-lands is the maintenance of feed supplies through the use of silages (Carvalho et al. 2007). Sugar cane stands out for silage production, mainly because of its high yield per hectare. There are, however, restrictions to its use in cattle production systems including the daily cutting demands, low digestibility of fiber and low contents of protein and minerals. Sugar cane ensiling can solve, or even reduce the seasonality of the crop and the losses by fire or frost, and has been utilized in cattle raising for these logistic and operational …

A Lactic Acid Bacterium Isolated From Grass In Native Grassland In Northern China, Qing Zhang, Zhu Yu, Jipeng Tian, Xujiao Li, Yu Wang

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The epiphytic LAB converts sugar into lactic acid during the ensiling process. As a result, the pH is reduced, and the forage is preserved. Therefore, further study of epiphytic LAB species is required, especially the screening of excellent LAB. However, to our knowledge, limited information is available on the epiphytic microflora on grass in native grassland. The present study set out to screen, isolate and identify the LAB from grass silages made in native grass-land in northern China.

A Bayesian Model Of Pasture Curing, Helen G. Daily, Ross Corkrey

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Curing percentage (the percentage of dead material in the sward) is a necessary component of fire behaviour modelling and subsequent fire danger ratings in grasslands. Current methods of estimating curing have limitations. Curing is controlled by leaf turnover in grasses but individual leaf turnover rates of themselves do not give estimates of curing. Bayesian modelling provides the potential to incorporate leaf turnover rates representing the entire life cycle of each leaf into a standalone model of curing from which statistical summaries can be generated and used in field models. In this study, curing percentage was estimated over thermal time for …

Effect Of Adding Functional Lactic Acid Bacteria At Ensiling On The Fermentation Quality And Nutritive Value Of Oat Silage, Kohei Takahashi, Keigo Asano, Takashi Koyanagi, Motohiko Ishida

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Livestock are exposed to stressors from the environment such as temperature, humidity and intensive feeding. Strong stress can cause animals to perform an atypical behavior and/or result in lower productivity, and livestock weanlings, which do not have as strong a body as the adult livestock, are more severely affected by stress. Functional silage that increases the stress tolerance of livestock may thus be beneficial. Some lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in human food were found to have a probiotic effect to ease stress, but it has not been established whether these LAB can affect the qualities of silage fermentation. Here we …

Nutritive Quality Of Hay And Silage From Natural Grazing Land In South Western Nigeria, Victoria O. A. Ojo, Alaba O. Jolaosho, Oluwasanmi M. Arigbede, Peter A. Dele, Samson A. Adeoye, Ronke Y. Aderinboye, Oluwaseun J. Idowu, Oludotun O. Adelusi

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

In the tropics, inadequate nutrition caused by scarcity of forages and its low quality constitutes a major constraint to good performance of ruminant animals (Lukuyu et al. 2011). Herbage availability during the wet season often exceeds animal requirements (Chakoma et al. 1999). As the dry season sets in, the protein level of the accumulated forages drops and the fibre level increases, with an increase in lignin content while voluntary intake decreases. Due to lack of quality forage especially in the dry season, animals feeding on them tend to lose weight and their productivity will be negatively affected.

In …

Impact Of Grazing On The Silage Yield Of Forage Oat Crops, Keith G. Pembleton, Matthew T. Harrison, Richard P. Rawnsley

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Winter forage oat crops are increasing in acreage on Tasmanian dairy farms. Such crops can be grazed multiple times during vegetative development in winter then later harvested for silage at the booting or soft dough growth stages in spring. Although effects of grazing on grain yield of winter cereal crops have been well characterised (Harrison et al. 2011), little research has been conducted on the influence of grazing on the forage and silage yield potential of oats grown in Tasmania.

We aimed to explore the influence of grazing management on the yields of forage for grazing and ensiling of …

Effects Of Additives On The Quality Of Leymus Chinensis Silage, J. J. Sun, Zhu Yu, Yanlin Xue, C. S. Bai

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Leymus chinensis, which is a perennial plant with good palatability and high forage value, is widespread from the southern Chinese Loess plateau to northern Russian Baikal and from the Sanjiang plain of eastern China to Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia. Grazing and hay are the most common ways Leymus chinensis is utilized. The quality of Leymus chinensis silage is poorly understood. This study was conducted to investigate the fermentation quality and the in vitro digestibility of Leymus chinensis silage treated with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and cellulose (CE).

Effect Of The Ratio Of Materials Used In Fermented Total Mixed Ration On The Aerobic Stability Of The Tmr Compared With A Mixed-Silage, C. S. Bai, Yanlin Xue, Zhu Yu, H. D. Fu, J. P. Tan, Qing Zhang

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Fermented Total Mixed Ration (TMR) is an important forage for livestock, but if it has a high content of protein, the aerobic stability is poor (Wang, 2008). There is little published information about the aerobic stability of fermented TMR. This experiment was undertaken to study the effects of the ratio of materials used in TMR and mixed-silage on the pH, the numbers of lactobacillus, mould and yeast, and the temperature of the fermented TMR and mix-silage after opening.

The Effect Of Additives On Mixed Silage Quality Of Sugar Beet And Corn Stalks, Qizhong Sun, Hongmei Wang

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Sugar beet is a main economic crop in the northeast region of China. Ensilaging sugar beet mixed with other forages, provides green feedstuff for livestock in spring and winter. The ensilaging could avoid mildew and rot of fresh forages and would decrease environmental pollution (Liu 1996).

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of silage additives on mixed silage quality of corn stalks and sugar beet.

Winter Crop Evaluation For Silage And Forage Quality In Korea, J. D. Kim, H. W. Lee, J. K. Lee, J. K. Kim, C. H. Kwon

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Winter crops of rye, barley, oats and Italian ryegrass are used alone or combined as silage crops or green forage in autumn and spring in Korea. The production and utilization of winter crops have been increasing since 2000, because of high yield and double cropping potential in the rice field after harvesting rice. An advantage of these winter crops is that they are produced in the cool season. However, a main problem in making silage with these winter crops is that they are sometimes poor in quality for various reasons.

Therefore we conducted a survey of farms and forage selling …

Effects Of Lactic Acid Bacteria On The Quality Of Achnatherum Splendens Silage, Yanlin Xue, G. M. Yin, H. P. Zhao, Q. Z. Sun, Zhu Yu, C. S. Bai

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Achnatherum splendens is an important forage for ruminant animals, but it has a high fiber content, and there is little information about the quality of Achnatherum splendens silage. This experiment was undertaken to study the effects of lactic acid bacteria on the quality of Achnatherum splendens (AS) silage.

Quality Of Baled Grass-Clover Silage As Affected By Additives And Harvest Methods, Elisabet Nadeau, Ola Hallin, Horst Auerbach, John Jakobsson, Annika Arnesson

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Previous studies have shown increased loading and ensiling capacities with a rotor cutter wagon compared to a precision chopping wagon with no effects on silage fermentation (Arvidsson and Lingvall 2005; Lingvall and Knicky 2008). However, to our knowledge, there are no studies on the effects of different mowing techniques in combination with chopping/cutting of the forage at harvest when the forage is ensiled with different types of additives.

The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effects of mowing method, chopping vs. cutting of the forage, types of additives and their interactions on grass-clover silage quality.

Improving Lucerne Forage Quality And Utilization By Using Novel Silage Inoculant, Vilma Vrotniakiene, Jonas Jatkauskas

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) is a protein-rich forage that farmers often combine with energy-rich feed sources to dairy cattle. Lucerne ensiles poorly, however, due to low sugar concentration and high buffering capacity. Ensiling is improved by wilting the crop and using an appropriate silage inoculant. The principal goal of inoculants is to improve fermentation quality, to preserve as much of the nutritive value of the crop at harvest as possible for the livestock consuming the resulting silage and to increase production (Meeske et al. 2000, Muck 2012).

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of …