Forage Quality Variation
نویسنده
چکیده
Forages comprise 35% to 70% of the dry matter (DM) in diets for lactating dairy cows. Variation in forage quality can impact DM intake, diet energy density, dietary grain and protein supplementation amounts, feed costs, lactation performance, and cow health. Forage quality is highly variable among and within forage types (NRC, 2001). Forage species, variety or hybrid, stage of maturity at harvest, cutting, environmental factors, production and harvest practices, storage method (i.e. hay vs. silage, bunker vs. bag, etc.), and ensiling practices all are factors that contribute to this variation. This paper will evaluate forages for their variation in content of selected nutrients and some aspects of digestibility.
منابع مشابه
Using NDVI and EVI to Map Spatiotemporal Variation in the Biomass and Quality of Forage for Migratory Elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) have gained considerable attention in ecological research and management as proxies for landscape-scale vegetation quantity and quality. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), these indices are especially important for mapping spatiotemporal variation in the forage available to migratory elk (Cervus e...
متن کاملGenetic diversity among tall fescue ecotypes using agro-morphological traits, nutritional values and AFLP molecular markers
This study was carried out to compare agro-morphological traits and nutritive value of 25 tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) ecotypes grown in Tehran, Iran. The experiments were carried out in a split plot design during 2016-2018 growing seasons. The results showed that there was a significant genetic variation in existing germplasm. The highest heritability was related to dry forage yi...
متن کاملHabitat quality and heterogeneity influence distribution and behavior in African buffalo (Syncerus caffer).
Top-down effects of predators on prey behavior and population dynamics have been extensively studied. However, some populations of very large herbivores appear to be regulated primarily from the bottom up. Given the importance of food resources to these large herbivores, it is reasonable to expect that forage heterogeneity (variation in quality and quantity) affects individual and group behavio...
متن کاملInfluence of seasonal forage quality on glucose kinetics of young beef cows.
Extensive range livestock production systems in the western United States rely heavily on rangeland forages to meet the nutritional needs of grazing livestock throughout the year. Interannual variation in the quantity and quality of rangeland forage in the Northern Great Plains, as well as throughout much of the western United States, may play a pivotal role in how well grazing ruminants seques...
متن کاملPhotosynthetic pigments estimate diet quality in forage and feces of elk (Cervus elaphus)
Understanding the nutritional dynamics of herbivores living in highly seasonal landscapes remains a central challenge in foraging ecology with few tools available for describing variation in selection for dormant versus growing vegetation. Here, we tested whether the concentrations of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophylls and carotenoids) in forage and feces of elk (Cervus elaphus L., 1785) wer...
متن کامل