Rumen degradation characteristics of ryegrass herbage and ryegrass silage are affected by interactions between stage of maturity and nitrogen fertilisation rate
J. A. H. Heeren A , S. C. Podesta A , B. Hatew A , G. Klop A , H. van Laar A B , A. Bannink C , D. Warner A , L. H. de Jonge A and J. Dijkstra A DA Wageningen University, Animal Nutrition Group, PO Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands.
B Nutreco R & D, PO Box 220, 5830 AE Boxmeer, The Netherlands.
C Wageningen UR Livestock Research, Animal Nutrition, PO Box 65, 8200 AB Lelystad, The Netherlands.
D Corresponding author. Email: jan.dijkstra@wur.nl
Animal Production Science 54(9) 1263-1267 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN14259
Submitted: 12 March 2014 Accepted: 16 May 2014 Published: 10 July 2014
Abstract
The objective of this experiment was to evaluate interaction effects between stage of maturity and nitrogen (N) fertilisation rate on rumen degradation characteristics determined with nylon bag incubations of ryegrass herbages and ryegrass silage. Grass herbage (n = 4) was cut after 3 or 5 weeks of regrowth and received a low (20 kg N/ha) or a high (90 kg N/ha) fertilisation rate. Grass silage (n = 6) received a low (65 kg N/ha) or high (150 kg N/ha) fertilisation rate and was harvested at early (~2000 kg DM/ha), mid (harvested 13 days later), or late (harvested 34 days later) maturity stage and ensiled in big bales. All grasses were incubated in the rumen of three lactating rumen-cannulated Holstein Friesian cows. Rumen degradation characteristics of organic matter (OM), N and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and the extent of effective degradation (ED) were evaluated. In grass herbage, NDF content varied between 390 and 454 g/kg DM and N content between 12.1 and 25.8 g/kg DM. In grass silage, NDF content varied between 438 and 593 g/kg DM and N content between 13.4 and 34.8 g/kg DM. In general, rumen degradation of grass herbage and grass silage decreased with increased maturity, and increased with increased fertilisation rate. Significant interaction between maturity and fertilisation rate was observed for ED of OM, N and NDF, except for ED of N in grass herbage. These results indicate that the effect of the rate of N fertilisation on degradation of nutrients in the rumen of dairy cattle and on nutritional value depends on the grass maturity stage.
Additional keywords: cutting stage, dairy cow, degradability, grass roughage, in situ, rate of fertilisation.
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