Track 2-1-2: Forage Conservation, Value Addition and Balanced Nutrition
Description
The international demand for hay has increased due to the rising needs of newly industrializing countries and the unstable production of feed caused by abnormal weather all over the world. The price of imported hay has thus risen sharply, resulting in problems at beef and dairy farms in Japan. The use of domestic hay has the potential to solve these issues. The common reed (Phragmites communis Trin.) is a wild grass distributed widely in abandoned paddy fields and riverside sites throughout Japan. Common reed has an annual dry matter (DM) yield of 10t ha–1 and is approx. 20% crude protein (CP) and 50% total digestible nutrients (TDN) on a DM basis (Asano et al., 2015). Common reed could be made into high-quality silage with the use of acemonium cellulase and lactic acid bacteria at ensiling (Asano et al., 2013). In the present experiment, we compared the protein and energy intake, passage rate and roughage value index (RVI) of a common reed silage-based diet with those of a hay-based diet to examine the potential of common reed silage as a diet for maintenance ewes.
Citation
Kawasumi, Anri; Takahashi, Kohei; Ishida, Motohiko; and Asano, Keigo, "Comparison of Protein and Energy Intake, Passage Rate and Roughage Value Index of a Common Reed (Phragmites communis Trin.) Silage-Based Diet with Those of a Hay-Based Diet in Ewes at Maintenance" (2020). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 9.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/23/2-1-2/9
Included in
Comparison of Protein and Energy Intake, Passage Rate and Roughage Value Index of a Common Reed (Phragmites communis Trin.) Silage-Based Diet with Those of a Hay-Based Diet in Ewes at Maintenance
The international demand for hay has increased due to the rising needs of newly industrializing countries and the unstable production of feed caused by abnormal weather all over the world. The price of imported hay has thus risen sharply, resulting in problems at beef and dairy farms in Japan. The use of domestic hay has the potential to solve these issues. The common reed (Phragmites communis Trin.) is a wild grass distributed widely in abandoned paddy fields and riverside sites throughout Japan. Common reed has an annual dry matter (DM) yield of 10t ha–1 and is approx. 20% crude protein (CP) and 50% total digestible nutrients (TDN) on a DM basis (Asano et al., 2015). Common reed could be made into high-quality silage with the use of acemonium cellulase and lactic acid bacteria at ensiling (Asano et al., 2013). In the present experiment, we compared the protein and energy intake, passage rate and roughage value index (RVI) of a common reed silage-based diet with those of a hay-based diet to examine the potential of common reed silage as a diet for maintenance ewes.
