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The effects of replacing maize silage by triticale whole crop silage in a roughage mixture with grass silage on feed intake and milk production by dairy cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2017

G. van Duinkerken
Affiliation:
Research Station for Cattle, Sheep and Horse Husbandry, PO Box 2176, 8203 AD, Lelystad, Netherlands
R.L.G. Zom
Affiliation:
Research Station for Cattle, Sheep and Horse Husbandry, PO Box 2176, 8203 AD, Lelystad, Netherlands
E.J.B. Bleumer
Affiliation:
Cranendonck, Experimental Farm, Cranendonck 11, 6027 RK, Soerendonk, Netherlands
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Extract

In the Netherlands, grass and forage maize are the most important fodder crops. However, on drought prone sandy soils, and in years with insufficient rainfall the yield of maize is very low (7 to 8 tons DM/ha). Therefore, sprinkle irrigation is often applied to overcome problems with drought. However, in some regions sprinkle irrigation is not possible because of a lack of suitable water or due to legislative restrictions on the use of water for irrigation. In situations where water is a limiting factor for growing maize, triticale may be an alternative fodder crop. Triticale grows mainly during the early spring when there usually is a precipitation surplus and so, water is not a limiting factor for growth. When triticale is harvested as triticale whole crop silage the DM yield ranges between 9 and 11 ton of dry matter per hectare. Therefore, under water limiting conditions it may be attractive to replace forage maize by triticale whole crop silage.

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Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 1999

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