Rumen digesta and products of fermentation in cows fed varying proportions of fodder beet (Beta vulgaris) with fresh pasture or silage or straw
D. Pacheco
A D , S. Muetzel A , S. Lewis A , D. Dalley B , M. Bryant B and G. C. Waghorn C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A AgResearch Grasslands Research Centre, Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
B DairyNZ, Private Bag 3221, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand.
C 6 Berkley Avenue, Hamilton 3216, New Zealand.
D Corresponding author. Email: david.pacheco@agresearch.co.nz
Animal Production Science 60(4) 524-534 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN18002
Submitted: 2 January 2018 Accepted: 21 June 2019 Published: 22 January 2020
Abstract
Context: Fodder beet (FB) is a popular feed for dairy cows in temperate climates due to its high yields, high digestibility, low nitrogen (N) content in the dry matter (DM) and convenience of feeding (grazing in situ). However, the risk of ruminal acidosis requires research to design feeding regimes that capture these benefits without compromising animal health.
Aims: To understand aspects of rumen function when FB is offered in conditions representative of practical feeding in temperate pastoral systems.
Methods: Two indoor experiments were undertaken; one with cows in late lactation fed fresh perennial ryegrass with three proportions of FB (0, 0.23 and 0.45) and another with non-lactating cows fed pasture silage with 0.65 FB or barley straw with 0.86 FB. Measurements included rumen pH, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) and ammonia concentrations determined at 2-h intervals, as well as daily individual cow intakes, estimates of microbial growth and rumen dynamics.
Key results: The inclusion of 0, 0.23 and 0.45 FB with fresh pasture in the did not affect daily DM intakes (~14.6 kg), milk yield (~10.7 kg), microbial synthesis (129 g of N/d) or fractional outflow rates of digesta (0.16/h; 11.2 L/h) of lactating cows. The non-lactating cow ration comprising 0.86 FB with straw was inappropriate and resulted in low intakes and insufficient dietary N. Microbial growth was approximately one-third of that in cows fed pasture silage with 0.65 FB. The ruminal pH reached lower values in all treatments where FB was offered. Rumen ammonia concentrations averaged 4.4 mmol/L in cows fed pasture but was sometimes undetectable in lactating cows fed 0.45 FB and in non-lactating cows. The amount of FB in the diet affected the extent of the circadian changes in molar proportions of SCFA.
Conclusions: Based on the results presented here, feeding fresh FB to dairy cows should not exceed ~0.4 of their DMI with pasture (late lactation), or ~0.6 of their intake with silage (non-lactating).
Implications: These findings could support evidence-based recommendations for FB use, considering its effects on aspects of rumen function, such as microbial protein synthesis and pH.
Additional keywords: dairy cows, fodder beet, rumen fermentation.
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