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Milk production from dairy cows offered perennial ryegrass selected for high water soluble carbohydrate concentrations compared to a control grass

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2017

L. A. Miller ,
M. A. Neville ,
D. H. Baker ,
R. T. Evans ,
M. K. Theodorou ,
J. C. MacRae ,
M. O. Humphreys  and
J. M. Moorby
L. A. Miller
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth SY23 3EB, UK Welsh Institute of Rural Studies, Llanbadarn, University of Wales, Aberystwyth SY23 3AL, UK
M. A. Neville
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Trawscoed Farm, Trawscoed, Aberystwyth SY23 4LL, UK
D. H. Baker
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Trawscoed Farm, Trawscoed, Aberystwyth SY23 4LL, UK
R. T. Evans
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Trawscoed Farm, Trawscoed, Aberystwyth SY23 4LL, UK
M. K. Theodorou
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth SY23 3EB, UK
J. C. MacRae
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Greenburn Road, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9SB, UK
M. O. Humphreys
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth SY23 3EB, UK
J. M. Moorby
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth SY23 3EB, UK
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Extract

The efficiency of grass nitrogen utilisation for milk production tends to be low, due partly to the slow rate of release of energy in the rumen which reduces the efficiency of capture of rapidly degradable plant proteins by the rumen microbial population. When additional sugars are infused into the rumen, microbial protein production is increased (Rooke et al., 1987). The objective of this study was to assess milk production using a grass variety that has been bred to express elevated water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentrations.

Eight multiparous Holstein-Friesian dairy cows in mid lactation (176 days ± s.e. 3.6) were used in a continuous design, zero-grazing experiment. Following covariate measurements taken from all animals on a standard grazing diet, four animals were each offered one of two varieties of perennial ryegrass at ad libitum rate: AberDove, bred to express high WSC concentrations; and AberElan, a commercially available variety, used as a control.

Type
Programme
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science , Volume 1999 , 1999 , pp. 208
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 1999

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References

Rooke, J.A., Lee, N.H. and Armstrong, D.G. (1987) The effects of intraruminal infusions of urea, casein, glucose syrup and a mixture of casein and glucose syrup on nitrogen digestion in the rumen of cattle receiving grass-silage diets. British Journal of Nutrition 57: 89–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar