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Effect of pre-grazing herbage mass on dairy cow performance, grass dry matter production and output from perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) pastures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2013

C. M. Wims ,
L. Delaby ,
T. M. Boland  and
M. O’Donovan
C. M. Wims
Affiliation:
Grassland Science Research Department, Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
L. Delaby
Affiliation:
INRA, AgroCampus Ouest, UMR 1348, Physiologie, Environnement et Génétique pour l'Animal et les Systèmes d'Elevage, F-35590 Saint-Gilles, France
T. M. Boland
Affiliation:
School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
M. O’Donovan*
Affiliation:
Grassland Science Research Department, Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland
*
† E-mail: michael.odonovan@teagasc.ie
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Abstract

A grazing study was undertaken to examine the effect of maintaining three levels of pre-grazing herbage mass (HM) on dairy cow performance, grass dry matter (DM) production and output from perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) pastures. Cows were randomly assigned to one of three pre-grazing HM treatments: 1150 – Low HM (L), 1400 – Medium HM (M) or 2000 kg DM/ha – High HM (H). Herbage accumulation under grazing was lowest (P<0.01) on the L treatment and cows grazing the L pastures required more grass silage supplementation during the grazing season (+73 kg DM/cow) to overcome pasture deficits due to lower pasture growth rates (P<0.05). Treatment did not affect daily milk production or pasture intake, although cows grazing the L pastures had to graze a greater daily area (P<0.01) and increase grazing time (P<0.05) to compensate for a lower pre-grazing HM (P<0.01). The results indicate that, while pre-grazing HM did not influence daily milk yield per cow, adapting the practise of grazing low HM (1150 kg DM/ha) pasture reduces pasture DM production and at a system level may increase the requirement for imported feed.

Keywords

grazing managementdairy cowpasture intakemilk yieldperennial ryegrass
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 8 , Issue 1 , January 2014 , pp. 141 - 151
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2013 

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