• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.298-302
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• 2016

This study evaluated the effect 3 types of conditioning (Untreated, Impeller, Roller) and the number of times for tedding (rake-teder) performed in one day on the drying rate of tall fescure hay. The experiment was performed at The forage site of Cheonan-si seongwhan-eup National Institute of Animal Sciencee. It took 3 days to make tall fescue hay. The Impeller and Roller conditioning types shortened the haymaking period by 1 day compared to untreated hay. Impeller and roller samples had less than 20% of water content by the $23^{rd}-day$ at 13 o'clock. Tedding frequency failed to affect haymaking. There was no correlation between the three types of conditioning or tedding frequency and acid digestible fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), total digestible nutrients (TDF), crude protein (CP), or relative feed value (RFV) in tall fescue hay. CP was 12.5~12.9% for the three types of conditioner with 1 or 2 times of tedding a day, Threrfore, conditioner types and gedding frequency had no significant effect on CP.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.807-815
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• 2015

The present study aimed at evaluating the intensity of Tifton 85 conditioning using a mower conditioner with free-swinging flail fingers and storage times on dehydration curve, fungi presence, nutritional value and in vitro digestibility of Tifton 85 bermudagrass hay dry matter (DM). The dehydration curve was determined in the whole plant for ten times until the baling. The zero time corresponded to the plant before cutting, which occurred at 11:00 and the other collections were carried out at 8:00, 10:00, 14:00, and 16:00. The experimental design was randomised blocks with two intensities of conditioning (high and low) and ten sampling times, with five replications. The high and low intensities related to adjusting the deflector plate of the free iron fingers (8 and 18 cm). In order to determine gas exchanges during Tifton 85 bermudagrass dehydration, there were evaluations of mature leaves, which were placed in the upper middle third of each branch before the cutting, at every hour for 4 hours. A portable gas analyser was used by an infrared IRGA (6400xt). The analysed variables were photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance (gs), internal $CO_2$ concentration (Ci), transpiration (T), water use efficiency (WUE), and intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi). In the second part of this study, the nutritional value of Tifton 85 hay was evaluated, so randomised blocks were designed in a split plot through time, with two treatments placed in the following plots: high and low intensity of cutting and five different time points as subplots: cutting (additional treatment), baling and after 30, 60, and 90 days of storage. Subsequently, fungi that were in green plants as well as hay were determined and samples were collected from the grass at the cutting period, during baling, and after 30, 60, and 90 days of storage. It was observed that Tifton 85 bermudagrass dehydration occurred within 49 hours, so this was considered the best time for drying hay. Gas exchanges were more intense before cutting, although after cutting they decreased until ceasing within 4 hours. The lowest values of acid detergent insoluble nitrogen were obtained with low conditioning intensity after 30 days of storage, 64.8 g/kg DM. The in vitro dry matter of Tifton 85 bermudagrass did not differ among the storage times or the conditioning intensities. There was no fungi present in the samples collected during the storage period up to 90 days after dehydration, with less than 30 colony forming units found on plate counting. The use of mower conditioners in different intensities of injury did not speed up the dehydration time of Tifton 85.