Publication Date
1989
Description
A knowledge of the nutrient supply from grazed herbage for ewes in the autumn in N. Europe is required to predict the consequences for their subsequent reproductive performance. Herbage intake has been found to be positively related to sward height over this period at low sward heights but there is no information over a wider range of heights, on the amounts of non-ammonia nitrogen (NAN) available for absorption in the small intestine nor on the digestion of organic matter in the rumen. Experiments on frozen or artificially dried herbage harvested in the autumn have given variable results for the amounts of NAN entering the duodenum compared to those from herbage harvested in the spring, although the molar proportions of propionate have generally been found to be lower in the autumn (Beever et al., 1978, Macrae et al., 1985). This paper describes the relationships between sward height, herbage intake, amounts of NAN entering the abomasum and digestion of OM in the rumen of sheep grazing perennial ryegrass swards in the autumn.
Citation
Milne, J A.; Dove, H; and Sibbald, A M., "Nutritive Value of Perennial Ryegrass Swards Grazed by Sheep in Autumn in the UK" (2025). IGC Proceedings (1989-2023). 79.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1989/session7/79
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Nutritive Value of Perennial Ryegrass Swards Grazed by Sheep in Autumn in the UK
A knowledge of the nutrient supply from grazed herbage for ewes in the autumn in N. Europe is required to predict the consequences for their subsequent reproductive performance. Herbage intake has been found to be positively related to sward height over this period at low sward heights but there is no information over a wider range of heights, on the amounts of non-ammonia nitrogen (NAN) available for absorption in the small intestine nor on the digestion of organic matter in the rumen. Experiments on frozen or artificially dried herbage harvested in the autumn have given variable results for the amounts of NAN entering the duodenum compared to those from herbage harvested in the spring, although the molar proportions of propionate have generally been found to be lower in the autumn (Beever et al., 1978, Macrae et al., 1985). This paper describes the relationships between sward height, herbage intake, amounts of NAN entering the abomasum and digestion of OM in the rumen of sheep grazing perennial ryegrass swards in the autumn.
