FORAGES Gwinyai E. Chibisa, Ph.D.

Transcription

1 FORAGES Gwinyai E. Chibisa, Ph.D.

2 What is Forage? Characteristics i. Bulky ii. iii. Implications on animal nutrition? High fiber Is fiber important? Lower digestibility than grains High quality (60 68%) E.g.,? Medium quality (53 59%) E.g.,? Low quality (<53%) E.g.,?

3 ? What is Forage Quality?

4 Forage Quality is Milk in the Bucket Ball et al, American Farm Bureau Federation Publication 1-01

5 Forage Quality is Calves on the Ground Ball et al, American Farm Bureau Federation Publication 1-01

6 Forage Quality is Pounds on The Scale Ball et al, American Farm Bureau Federation Publication 1-01

7 Forage Quality Factors that affect animal responses? i. ii. iii. iv. v.

8 Forage Quality (cont.) Nutrient composition i. Crude protein ii. Fiber NDF (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin) ADF (cellulose, lignin) iii. Other nutrients?

9 Plant Cell NDF? ADF?

10 Forage Composition Ball et al, American Farm Bureau Federation Publication 1-01

11 Forage Fiber (NDF & ADF)

12 Dietary NDF and DMI (and ph) DMI ph Zebeli et al., JDS. 95:

13 Estimating DMI (as % of BW) DMI (% of BW) = 120 %NDF Forage Quality NDF, % DMI, % of BW Excellent Poor

14 ADF and Digestibility Undersander,

15 Estimating %Digestible DM % Digestible DM = 88.9 (ADF% 0.779) ADF, % DDM, %

16 Effects of ADF and NDF on Hay Price Putnam et al., Irrigated Alfalfa Management in Mediterranean & Desert Zones

17 Forage Quality (cont.) Factors that influence forage quality? i. Maturity stage ii. Leaf-to-stem ratio Species differences Grasses vs. Legumes Cool-season vs. Warm-season iii. iv. Variety differences Growth conditions v. Harvesting & Storage conditions

18 i. Maturity Stage lignin

19 Maturity & Nutrient Composition U.S.-Canadian tables of feed composition, third edition

20 Lignification and Digestibility Lignin (% of NDF) Jung, Proceedings: Florida Ruminant Nutrition Symposium

21 Maturity, Yield & Quality

22 ii. Grasses vs. Legumes Crude protein Cell wall, % Lignin Energy Minerals (E.g., Ca & Mg) Bloat Grasses Legumes

23 ii. Grasses vs. Legumes (cont.) Ball et al, American Farm Bureau Federation Publication 1-01

24 Grasses Non-leguminous, require less management Cool vs. warm season Keyser, UT Ext. Pub. SP731-A

25 Cool vs. Warm Season Grasses Navarrete-Tindall Missouri Prairie Journal. 31:20-25

26 Cool Season Grasses i. Orchardgrass ii. Bromegrass iii. Tall Fescue iv. Ryegrass v. Bluegrass vi. Wheatgrass vii. Red Canarygrass viii. Timothy, etc.

27 Cool Season: Orchardgrass

28 Cool Season: Orchardgrass (cont.) Shade tolerant perennial Much of PNW irrigated pasture Highly productive Highly palatable Compatible with alfalfa/clover mixes Marginal winter hardiness

29 Cool Season: Smooth brome

30 Cool Season: Smooth brome (cont.) Shade tolerant, Winter hardy Highly productive, Slow regrowth Very palatable High protein content Erosion control e.g., Lincoln

31 Cool Season: Downy brome

32 Cool Season: Downy brome (cont.) Cheatgrass (Annual weed) Drought and grazing tolerant A lot of negatives Outcompetes most grasses (domination) Quick decrease in quality (maturity) Fire prone!

33 Cool Season: Tall Fescue

34 Cool Season: Tall Fescue (cont.) Adapted to wide range of soil types Highly productive Negatives Summer slump Fescue toxicity (endophyte fungus) Some varieties e.g., Alta (vs. Johnstone, Fawn)

35 Endophyte fungus Causes plants to produce ergot alkaloids Ergot alkaloid e.g., Lysergic acid Biogenic amines e.g., Serotonin Numerous negative effects e.g., vasoconstriction

36 Ergot Alkaloids Fescue foot, heat stress

37 Cool Season Grasses Refer to Improved grasses and legumes for Idaho for information on the following: i. Ryegrass ii. iii. iv. Bluegrass Wheatgrass Red Canarygrass v. Timothy

38 Warm Season Grasses i. Bermudagrass ii. iii. iv. Bahia Switchgrass Bluestem v. Bluegrass vi. Indiangrass, etc.

39 Warm Season Annuals i. Sorghum ii. iii. Sudan grass Sorghum Sudan hybrids High alkaline soil tolerant Drought tolerant Very productive Prussic acid & nitrate poisoning?

40 Prussic Acid Poisoning (Cyanogenic glucoside) (Hydrocyanic acid/prussic Acid) Plant HCN content influenced by: Stage of growth, Drought, Frost, etc. HCN + Hemoglobin Cyanoglobin

41 Nitrate Toxicity Plant nitrate content influenced by: Drought & high T C, Lack of sunlight, disease etc.

42 Warm Season Annuals iv. Small cereals (Barley, Rye, Wheat, Oats ) Use with annual legume (e.g., Spring pea) for good silage Aim for grain development (late milk-early dough)

43 FORAGES Gwinyai E. Chibisa, Ph.D.

44 Summary - Grasses i. Many different species ii. Good source of nutrients Mix with legumes iii. Potential anti-quality factors E.g., Ergot alkaloids, Prussic acid, etc. 2

45 Legumes i. Alfalfa ii. iii. iv. Birdsfoot Trefoil Red Clover White Clover v. Sainfoin vi. Annual legumes e.g., beans, peas 3

46 Legumes (cont.) Fixation of atmospheric N Positives Negatives 1. High CP 1. Low fiber, high lignin 2. High Ca and Mg 2. Phytoestrogens 3. High vitamin A 3. Induce bloat 4. High yield 3 to 4 cuttings 4

47 Alfalfa Queen of Forages 5

48 Alfalfa Queen of Forages (cont.) Highly productive Idaho = 3.9 tons/acre, 4.3 M tons, $871 M (2014) Good perennial 5 to 6 year stands Drought resistant Very nutritious 6

49 Structural Components of Alfalfa Ball et al, American Farm Bureau Federation Publication

50 Alfalfa Queen of Forages (cont.) Needs well-drained soils Winterkill Heaving Low tolerance to overgrazing Low NSC relative to soluble CP Bloat problems 8

51 Bloat Accumulation of gasses Gas Bloat guard - Poloxalene 9

52 Birdsfoot Trefoil 10

53 Birdsfoot Trefoil (cont.) Tolerant to adverse soil conditions Acidic, poor drainage, low native fertility, heavy Exceptional pasture legume Withstand grazing Works well with grass e.g., brome & tall fescue Does not cause bloat (condensed tannins) E.g., Empire, Viking 11

54 Red Clover 12

55 Red Clover (cont.) Require well drained soil (ph > 5.5) Short-lived perennial Suited for hay or silage 2 or 3 hay crops Production of phytoestrogens 13

56 Phytoestrogens E.g, Isoflavones (Formononetin) Plant content varies Genetics Use of low-phytoestrogen varieties Environmental conditions E.g., fertilizer deficiency 14

57 Phytoestrogens (cont.) Mimic estradiol Estradiol Isoflavone, e.g., Formononetin Clover disease Low lambing rates, uterine prolapse, dystocia, death Temporary or permanent infertility ( defeminization ) 15

58 White Clover 16

59 White Clover (cont.) Good pasture legume Highly palatable, nutritious Commonly planted with grasses E.g., Ladino, New York (Idaho-adapted) Mix with Orchardgrass, Tall Fescue 17

60 Sainfoin E.g., Shoshone 18

61 Sainfoin (cont.) Highly palatable Highly nutritive Contain phenolics e.g., condensed tannins Improve protein utilization Non-bloating nature Anthelmintic properties (reduce parasites e.g., nematodes) Can be incorporated into alfalfa pasture 19

62 Annual Legumes E.g., Beans (Faba s), Peas Cool-season Good as silage or for grazing 20

63 Summary - Legumes i. High quality forage Opportunity to mix with grasses ii. iii. Reduce the cost of N fertilization Potential issues Bloat, Phytoestrogens 21

64 Forage Preservation 22

65 Forage Preservation Why do we preserve forages? i.? ii.? iii.? 23

66 Forage Preservation (cont.) What are the common preservation methods? i.? ii.? iii.? 24

67 Forage Preservation (cont.) What are the factors to consider? i.? ii.? iii.? 25

68 Forage Preservation (cont.) Is forage preservation a perfect process? 26

69 Dry Matter Loss Losses due to: i. Plant metabolism ii. iii. Microbial metabolism Physical processes 27

70 1. Hay What is hay? 28

71 Haymaking Objectives i. Produce a high yielding, high quality crop ii. iii. iv. Rapid curing Minimize leaf loss Minimize cell respiration v. Avoid leaching losses & molding vi. Maintain quality in storage 29

72 FORAGES Gwinyai E. Chibisa, Ph.D.

73 Haymaking Objectives i. Produce a high yielding, high quality crop ii. iii. iv. Rapid curing Minimize leaf loss Minimize cell respiration v. Avoid leaching losses & molding vi. Maintain quality in storage

74 Haymaking Phases Harvesting/Cutting Curing Raking Baling Storage

75 Harvesting

76 When to Harvest? Impact of plant maturity on DMI & digestibility Ball et al, American Farm Bureau Federation Publication 1-01

77 When to Harvest? Forage Species Time of Harvest Alfalfa Bud stage (1 st cutting); 1/10 bloom for 2 nd and later cuts Orchardgrass, Tall Fescue Red Clover Barley, Oats, Rye, Wheat Sudan-sorghum hybrids Weather conditions? Boot to early head (1 st cut); every 4-6 weeks after Early to ½ bloom. Boot to early head stage. Early boot stage.

78 Curing What is the objective of curing??

79 Curing (cont.) Factors that affect the duration of curing Initial DM% Environmental i. Temperature ii. iii. iv. Humidity Wind speed Solar radiation Conditioning

80 How Does Rain Affect Hay Quality i.? ii.? iii.? iv.? v.? vi.?

81 Make Hay While The Sun Shines Ball et al, American Farm Bureau Federation Publication 1-01

82 What Would You Do? If forage is ready to harvest for hay, but rain is in the forecast?

83 Curing (cont.) Factors that affect the duration of curing Initial moisture % Environmental i. Temperature ii. iii. iv. Humidity Wind speed Solar radiation Conditioning

84 Conditioning What is conditioning?

85 Mechanical Conditioning Conditioners bruise, lacerate, crush or crimp plant to reduce differential drying of leaves vs. stems

86 Chemical Conditioning Desiccants/ drying agents E.g., K 2 CO 3, NaCO 3

87 Reducing Drying Time Tedding

88 Reducing Drying Time Raking

89 Baling Has to be done at the correct moisture % moisture? Consequences of baling when too wet or dry?

90 DM Losses During Haymaking Ball et al, American Farm Bureau Federation Publication 1-01

91 DM Losses During Haymaking (cont.) Process % DM Respiration 2-16 Conditioning (crimper) 1-4 Raking at 40-50% moisture 2-5 Raking at 10-15% moisture Baling (rectangular) 2-5 Baling (large, round) 15-40

92 Baling When Too Wet Growth of spoilage microbes (aerobic) Spoilage bacteria, e.g., bacilli Yeasts, molds, fungi Hay (plant sugars, protein) + O 2 CO 2 + H 2 O + Heat

93 Effect of Feeding Moldy Hay in Cattle Parameter Good Hay Moldy Hay Hay intake, kg Rumen fermentation characteristics Total VFA, µ mol/ml Rumen ammonia, mg/dl Digestibility, % DM CP Performance Average daily gain, kg/d Feed:Gain Mohanty et al. (25)

94 Hay Preservatives Hay preservatives Reduce losses due to molds & heating Reduce drying times (can bale at higher T C) Roberts,

95 Hay Preservatives (cont.) Preservative Mode of Action Application Method Moisture Content of Hay Pros & Cons Weak acid e.g., Propionic acid Controls mold & bacterial growth by altering ph Liquid-added before baling Up to 30% Can be stored Corrosive Buffered acid e.g., Ammonium propionate Controls mold & bacterial growth Liquid-added before baling Up to 30% Not as corrosive Not as effective Bacterial inoculants Compete with other microbes in hay Liquid-added before baling Up to 23% Cannot be stored Designed for silage prodn

96 Hay Storage Recommended % moisture for safe storage Bale type % Moisture Small rectangular bales Round bales (soft center) Round bales (hard center) Large rectangular bales Export hay < 12

97 Hay Storage (cont.) Protect from the elements

98 Hay Storage and Forage Quality Ball et al, American Farm Bureau Federation Publication 1-01

99 USDA Hay Market Prices Feb 16, February html

100 USDA Hay Market Prices Feb 16, February html

101 USDA Hay Market Prices Feb 16, February html

102 USDA Hay Market Prices Feb 16, February html

103 Relative Feed Value (RFV) Widely used index to market hay RFV = % Digestible DM DM intake (% of BW) 1.29

104 Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) Index that estimates energy supply Earlier equations based on ADF; TDN Legumes and grasses = 88.9 (0.79 ADF%) NRC, 2001 TDN = dnfc + dcp + (dfa 2.25) + dndf 7

105 Relative Feed Quality (RFQ) Another forage quality measure RFQ = TDN DM intake (% of BW) 1.23

106 Summary????