Abstract
Two plot experiments in two consecutive years were conducted to compare spring triticale varieties to spring barley and spring wheat varieties to produce whole crop cereals for ruminants. In the first year, triticale varieties Nagano and Nilex, barley varieties Kaarle and Trekker, and the wheat variety Helmi were studied. In the second year, the triticale varieties Bikini and Somtri and the barley variety Armas were also used. The crops were harvested at the early dough stage of ripening. A treatment with reduced fertilizer and seed rates was included to study their effects on the development of the undersown ley, but such effects could not be demonstrated. The triticale varieties except for Bikini produced high dry matter yields. The highest ear:stem ratio and pepsin-cellulase solubility in the ear were found in the barley varieties Armas and Kaarle, but the digestibility of the whole crop was not improved because of low pepsin-cellulase solubility of the stems or leaves. All the studied varieties were suitable for whole crop production. The production costs of the different types of whole crop silage were fairly similar.
Highlights
Small grain cereal-based whole crop silage provides an opportunity to improve the efficiency of forage production for ruminants under Nordic conditions (Rustas 2009)
They can be used for both dairy and beef cattle by mixing them with grass silage or as a sole forage, depending on the quality of feed and nutrient requirements of the cattle (Keady 2005, Huuskonen and Joki-Tokola 2010)
Whole crop silage has the potential to lower costs, which has increased the interest in using them for cattle feeding
Summary
Small grain cereal-based whole crop silage provides an opportunity to improve the efficiency of forage production for ruminants under Nordic conditions (Rustas 2009). They can be used for both dairy and beef cattle by mixing them with grass silage or as a sole forage, depending on the quality of feed and nutrient requirements of the cattle (Keady 2005, Huuskonen and Joki-Tokola 2010). Spring cereals can be grown in different climatic and soil conditions, and as annual crops there is no risk of a winter kill They can be used as nurse crops for undersown new leys. The digestibility of whole crop silage is typically lower than that of grass silage, which may limit the use in feeding, but a higher DM intake may compensate for this (Sinclair et al 2003, Keady 2005, Huhtanen et al 2007, Huuskonen et al 2020)
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