• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.163-167
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• 1989

Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) analysis of commercial farm alfalfa hay for crude prowin (CP), neutral detergent fiber(NDF), and acid detergent fiber(ADF) was compared with wet chemistry results. There were no differences between NIRS and wet chemistry results in CP and ADF content, but there were differences (P <.05) between NIRS and wet chemistry results for sample No.2, 4, 5 in NDF content.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.56-64
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• 2011

This study was conducted to evaluate the use of exogenous enzymes as a potential means of improving the ruminal digestion (i.e., degradability) of alfalfa hay and rice straw. Twenty six enzyme-additives were examined in terms of protein concentration and enzymic activities on model substrates. The exogenous enzymes contained ranges of endoglucanase, xylanase, ${\beta}$-glucanase, ${\alpha}$-amylase, and protease activities. Six of the enzyme additives were chosen for further investigation. The enzyme additives and a control without enzyme were applied to mature quality alfalfa hay substrate and subsequently incubated in rumen batch cultures. Five of the enzyme additives (CE2, CE13, CE14, CE19, and CE24) increased total gas production (GP) at 48 h of incubation compared to the control (p<0.05). The two additives (CE14 and CE24) having the greatest positive effects on alfalfa hay dry matter, neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) degradability were further characterized for their ability to enhance degradation of low quality forages. The treatments CE14, CE24, a 50:50 combination of CE14 and CE24 (CE14+24), and control (no enzyme) were applied to mature alfalfa hay and rice straw. For alfalfa hay, application of the two enzyme additives, alone and in combination, increased GP compared to the control at 48 h fermentation (p<0.05), whereas only CE14 and CE14+24 treatments improved GP from rice straw (p<0.05). Rumen fluid volatile fatty acid concentrations throughout the incubation of rice straw were analyzed. Acetate concentration was slightly lower (p<0.05) for CE14${\times}$CE24 compared to the control, although individually, CE14 and CE24 acetate concentrations were not different from the control. Increases (p<0.05) in alfalfa hay NDF degradability measured at 12 and 48 h of incubation occurred only for CE14 (at 12 h) and for CE14+24 (at 12 and 48 h). Similarly, ADF degradability increased (p<0.05) with CE14 and CE14+24. As for rice straw, increased DM degradability was observed at 12 and 48 h of incubation for all enzyme treatments with an exception for CE14 at 12 h. The degradability of NDF was improved by all the enzyme treatments at either incubation time, while ADF degradability was only enhanced at 48 h. Overall, the enzymes led to enhanced digestion of mature alfalfa and there was evidence of improved digestibility of rice straw, an even lower quality forage.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.149-155
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• 2020

Cattle feeding in South Korea has been heavily dependent on domestically produced rice straw and imported grain. Around 42% of domestically produced rice straw is utilized for forage, and the remainder is recycled to restore soil fertility. Approximately 35% of round baleages were made with rice straw. However, higher quality hay is desired over rice straw. Due to increasing stockpiles of rice, there has been an economic burden on the government to store the surplus; therefore production of annual forage crops in rice fields has been further promoted in recent years. Hay import from the USA currently constitutes more than 80% of total imported hays. The main imported hays are alfalfa (Medicago sativa), timothy (Phleum pretense), and tall fescue (Festica arundinacea). The estimated forage required for cattle feeding was approximately 5.4 million MT in 2016. Domestically produced forage sates only 43% of that value, while low quality rice straw and imported hay covered the rest of demand by 33% and 20%, respectively. As utilization of domestically produced forage is more desirable for forage-based cattle production, long-term strategies have been necessary to promote domestic production of high quality baleage. One such strategy has been utilizing the fertile soil and abundance of fallow rice fields of western region of S. Korea to produce forage crops. Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) is the most successfully produced winter annual in the region and is approximately 56% of the total winter annual forage production. Forage sorghums (Sorghum bicolor), sorghum × sudangrass hybrids, and hybrid corn (Zea mays) produce a substantial amount of warm-season forage during summer. Produced forage has been largely stored through baleage due to heavy dew and frequent rains and has been evaluated according to S. Korea's newly implemented baleage commodity evaluation system. The system weighs 50% of its total grading points on moisture content because of its importance in deliverable DM content and desirable baleage fermentation; this has proved to be an effective method. Although further improvement is required for the future of forage production in South Korea, the current government-led forage production in rice fields has been able to alleviate some of the country's shortage for quality hay.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.1763-1769
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• 2003

Two experiments were conducted to examine the production and quality of cassava hay and its utilization in diets for dairy cows. In experiment I, a $2{\times}2$ Factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design with 4 replications was carried out to determine the effects of different initial (IC) and subsequent cutting (SC) on yield and composition of cassava plant. The results revealed that cassava could produce from 4 to 7 tonne of DM and 1.2 to 1.6 tonne of CP for the first six months after planting. CP content in cassava plant ranged from 20.8 to 28.5% and was affected by different SC regimes. Condensed tannin in cassava foliage ranged from 4.9 to 5.5%. Initial cutting at 2 months with subsequent cutting at 2 month intervals was the optimal to obtain high dry matter and protein yield. In the second experiment, five crossbred Holstein-Friesian cows in mid lactation with an initial live-weight of 505${\pm}6.1kg$ and average milk yield of 10.78${\pm}1.2kg/d$ were randomly assigned in a $5{\times}5$ Latin square design to study the effects of 2 levels of CH (1 and 2 kg/hd/d) and concentrate (1 to 2 kg of milk and 1 to 3 kg of milk) on milk yield and milk composition. The results showed that cassava hay increased rumen $NH_3-N$ and milk urea nitrogen (MUN) (p<0.05). Cassava hay tended to increase milk production and 4% FCM. Milk protein increased in cows fed cassava hay (p<0.05). Moreover, cassava hay could reduce concentrate levels in dairy rations thus resulting in increased economic returns. Cassava hay can be a good source of forage to reduce concentrate supplementation and improve milk quality.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.303-308
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• 2000

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate chemical composition, dry matter(DM) digestibility, DM intake, relative feed value(RFV) and hay grade of imported roughage which was collected by wholesale dealer at Chungnam province in 1999. Experimental roughages includes 8 kinds of imported hays(com stover bale, tall fescue straw, green cell, bermudagrass straw, reed carnarygrass straw, alfalfa bale, sugarcane bale and oat hay) and mixture hay(control) which was harvested at Chungnam National University experimental field. Compared with mixture hay(control) except for alfalfa bale, crude protein of most imported roughage was low, but NDF, ADF, cellulose and lignin compound were high. Futhermore, DM digestibility, DM intake, RFV and hay grade of imported roughage except for alfalfa bale was significantly lower than those of mixture hay(control)(P<0.05). Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the economic value in the aspect of quality for the imported roughages.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.42-50
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• 2008

Twenty-four, lactating dairy cows were randomly assigned according to a Rrandomized complete block design (RCBD) to investigate the effect of sunflower oil supplementation (SFOS) with cassava hay based-diets on feed intake, digestibility of nutrients, rumen fermentation efficiency and milk production. The treatments were as follows: T1 = Control, using commercial concentrate as a supplement (CON); T2 = Concentrate with cassava hay (CHSO-0); T3 = Concentrate with cassava hay and 2.5% sunflower oil (CHSO-2.5); T4 = Concentrate with cassava hay and 5% sunflower oil (CHSO-5). The cows were offered concentrate feed at a ratio of concentrate to milk production of 1:2 and urea-treated rice straw was fed ad libitum. The results revealed that feed intake, digestibility of nutrients and ruminal pH were similar among all treatments, while ruminal NH3-N was lower (p<0.05) with SFOS. Blood urea-N (BUN) and milk urea-N (MUN) were not significantly affected by SFOS. The ruminal concentrations of volatile fatty acids were significantly different among the treatments. Sunflower oil supplementation significantly increased concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids, and ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids in the milk, particularly the conjugated fatty acids, was significantly enhanced. Furthermore, production costs of treatments with sunflower oil supplementation were lower than for the control. Based on this study, SFOS in cassava hay based-diets improves rumen ecology, milk yield and milk quality, especially in terms of conjugated linoleic acids.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.1208-1214
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• 2007

Three male Gayal, two years of age and with a mean live weight of $203{\pm}26$ kg, and three adult Yunnan Yellow Cattle, with a mean live weight of $338{\pm}18$ kg were fed a ration of pelleted lucerne hay and used to collect rumen fluid for in vitro measurements of digestibilities and gas production from fermentation of a range of forages. The forages were: bamboo stems, bamboo twigs, bamboo leaves, rice straw, barley straw, annual ryegrass hay, smooth vetch hay and pelleted lucerne hay. There were significant (p<0.05) effects of the source of rumen fluid on in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and gas production during fermentation of forage. For the roughage of lowest quality (bamboo stems and rice straw), gas production during fermentation was higher (p<0.05) in the presence of rumen fluid from Gayal than Yunnan Yellow Cattle. Differences for these parameters were found for the better quality roughages with gas production being enhanced in the presence of rumen fluid from Yunnan Yellow Cattle. Moreover, the IVDMD of investigated roughages was significantly higher (p<0.05) in Gayal than Yunnan Yellow Cattle. The results offer an explanation for the positive live weight gains recorded for Gayal foraging in their natural environment where the normal diet consists of poor quality roughages.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.1005-1015
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• 2009

Two experiments were carried out to determine the utility of sainfoin hay, a temperate tanniferous forage legume, as a dietary supplement for grass-fed cows. The condensed tannins (CT) of sainfoin might counteract the typical metabolic ammonia load of cows in intensive grazing systems. Furthermore, the physical fibrousness of sainfoin might improve ruminal pH stability. In the preliminary experiment, the eating rate of non-lactating Holstein cows of two tanniferous hays, sainfoin and birdsfoot trefoil, was compared to that of a grass-clover hay after specific periods of time (n = 4). The eating rate of sainfoin was superior to that of the other forages. In the main experiment, designed as a replicated 3${\times}$3 Latin square, six ruminally-cannulated, lactating Red Holstein cows received grass, concentrate and either no supplementation, 3 kg/d of grass hay or 3 kg/d of sainfoin hay (n = 6). Measured intakes of the grass hay and the sainfoin hay were 2.0 and 1.5 kg DM, and two cows entirely refused to eat the sainfoin hay and had to be excluded from data analysis. Grass DMI was similar for cows supplemented with sainfoin hay and cows fed only grass whereas intake of concentrate was higher (p<0.01) for the latter treatment. Continuous measurement of ruminal pH showed that the minimum pH at night tended to be lower (p<0.10) with grass-only feeding compared to sainfoin supplementation, but pH did not decline below the threshold of subacute acidosis for a longer period of time. The slightly higher intake of nitrogen (N) for cows supplemented with sainfoin hay (413 g/d) compared to cows fed only grass (399 g/d) was accompanied by an increased (p<0.05) fecal N excretion and a tendency for an increased (p<0.10) urinary N excretion. Ruminal ammonia concentration, as well as plasma and milk urea, were not affected by sainfoin supplementation. In conclusion, the lack of positive effects typical for CT might be explained either by the limited CT content of this plant species (55 g/kg DM) or the relatively low proportion of sainfoin in the total diet or both. Moreover, due to the unexpected low grass quality, the general ammonia load might have been too low for CT to have an impact.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.1449-1457
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• 2018

Objective: The objective was to evaluate feed intake, digestibility, body weight change and carcass characteristics of sheep fed a basal diet of hay supplemented with banana leaves and silver leaf desmodium. Methods: Thirty yearling lambs with an average initial body weight of $15.85{\pm}1.6kg$ were grouped into six blocks of five rams in each block. The treatments were: hay alone (T1), hay+100% banana leaf (T2), hay+67% banana leaf+33% desmodium leaf (T3), hay+33% banana leaf+67% desmodium leaf (T4), andhay+100% desmodium leaf (T5). Three hundred grams of treatment diets were offered daily on as fed basis. The feeding and digestibility trials lasted for 84 and 7 days, respectively, followed by carcass evaluation. Results: The total dry matter (DM) intake for T3, T4, and T5 were greater (p<0.05) than those fed T1 and T2 diets. The lowest (p<0.05) organic matter (OM) intake was recorded in rams reared on T1 diet. The total crude protein (CP) intake was in the following order: T5>T4>T3>T2>T1. Ram lambs receiving supplementary diets had higher (p<0.05) DM, OM, CP, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber digestibility compared with the control diet. The empty body weight and slaughter weight was highest (p<0.05) in rams receiving T3, T4, and T5 diets. The average daily gain and feed conversion efficiency was highest (p<0.05) in rams receiving the supplementary diets. The dressing percentage on the basis of hot carcass weight linearly increased with increasing levels of desmodium. Rams reared on supplementary diet had higher (p<0.05) rib eye area compared with the control diet. Conclusion: In conclusion, when banana leaf is used as a supplement to poor quality grass, better body weight gain was obtained when fed in combination with desmodium.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.830-836
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• 2000

A participation scheme involving smallholder dairy farmers in improving dairy productivity through the use of local feeds, on-farm established feeds and crop residues was carried out in the Northeast, Thailand. At six milk collection centers, 63 farmers with 340 lactating cows participated in this research and demonstration of feed supplements. Farmers and cows were allotted to receive respective feed supplements: high-quality feed block (HQFB), high-quality feed pellet (HQFP), dried cassava leaf/cassava hay, dried leucaena leaf and cottonseed meal: 5% urea treated rice straw was fed as a source of roughage throughout the feeding period of the dry season. Trainings and workshops were organized by the researchers at the University, research station, demonstration sites and on-farms. Regular visits to the fartns by researchers and extension officers were made while discussions and demonstrations were performed in addition. Participating farmers also visited other farmers during the demonstration which offered a real practical perspective and farmer-to-farmer interaction. As a result of this participation and demonstration scheme, the farmers could learn more effectively and accepted the technology more readily, especially the practicality of the feed preparation, feed establishment, feeding method and feed reserve. Strategic supplementation of these feed supplements resulted in improving milk yield, milk quality, overall condition of the cows and higher income return through increased productivity and lower level use of concentrate to milk yield from 1:2 to 1:3 or lower. Based on this research and demonstration /participation scheme, all feed supplements enhanced productivity, however the establishment of cassava hay on fartns deserved more attention and warrants a wider developmental expansion among dairy farmers since it contained high rumen by-pass protein (tannin-protein complex) and could be easily produced and be sustainable on farms.