Track 1-10: Assessment and Impact of Grass and Forage Quality
Description
The seasonal pattern of herbage growth rate is an important determinant on forage system productivity. Pasture stocking rates and supplemental feed requirements are influenced by the dynamic balance between forage growth and the amount of herbage available. There is limited in-formation regarding vertical distribution patterns (layers within the sward) in nutritive value in cool-season grasses, especially for vegetative herbage (Burner and Belesky 2004). More complete information could support decisions regarding cutting schedules, residual mass and heights to meet nutritional value targets, and timing of pasture allocation. The objective of this study was to characterize the vertical distribution of nutritive value components within a grass sward and the relationship between days past clipping over time on NDF and NDFD. This information was then used to determine the effect that forage canopy removal will have on the nutritive value of the remained forage.
Included in
Forage Nutritive Value Changes in a Stratified Canopy of a Mixed Cool-Season Grass Sward Affected by Season
The seasonal pattern of herbage growth rate is an important determinant on forage system productivity. Pasture stocking rates and supplemental feed requirements are influenced by the dynamic balance between forage growth and the amount of herbage available. There is limited in-formation regarding vertical distribution patterns (layers within the sward) in nutritive value in cool-season grasses, especially for vegetative herbage (Burner and Belesky 2004). More complete information could support decisions regarding cutting schedules, residual mass and heights to meet nutritional value targets, and timing of pasture allocation. The objective of this study was to characterize the vertical distribution of nutritive value components within a grass sward and the relationship between days past clipping over time on NDF and NDFD. This information was then used to determine the effect that forage canopy removal will have on the nutritive value of the remained forage.
