Effect of Feeding Improved Grass Hays and <i>Eragrostis tef</i> Straw Silage on Milk Yield, Nitrogen Utilization, and Methane Emission of Lactating Fogera Dairy Cows in Ethiopia
The nutritionally imbalanced poor-quality diet feeding is the major constraint of dairy production in tropical regions. Hence, alternative high-quality roughage-based diets are required to improve milk yield and reduce methane emission (CH4). Thus, we tested the effects of feeding natural pasture ha...
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MDPI AG
2020-06-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/6/1021 |
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| author | Shigdaf Mekuriaw Atsushi Tsunekawa Toshiyoshi Ichinohe Firew Tegegne Nigussie Haregeweyn Nobuyuki Kobayashi Asaminew Tassew Yeshambel Mekuriaw Misganaw Walie Mitsuru Tsubo Toshiya Okuro Derege Tsegaye Meshesha Mulugeta Meseret Laiju Sam Veerle Fievez |
| author_facet | Shigdaf Mekuriaw Atsushi Tsunekawa Toshiyoshi Ichinohe Firew Tegegne Nigussie Haregeweyn Nobuyuki Kobayashi Asaminew Tassew Yeshambel Mekuriaw Misganaw Walie Mitsuru Tsubo Toshiya Okuro Derege Tsegaye Meshesha Mulugeta Meseret Laiju Sam Veerle Fievez |
| author_sort | Shigdaf Mekuriaw |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The nutritionally imbalanced poor-quality diet feeding is the major constraint of dairy production in tropical regions. Hence, alternative high-quality roughage-based diets are required to improve milk yield and reduce methane emission (CH4). Thus, we tested the effects of feeding natural pasture hay, improved forage grass hays (Napier and <i>Brachiaria</i> Hybrid), and treated crop residues (<i>Eragrostis tef</i> straw) on nutrient digestibility, milk yield, nitrogen balance, and methane emission. The eight lactating Fogera cows selected for the experiment were assigned randomly to a 4 × 4 Latin square design. Cows were housed in well-ventilated individual pens and fed a total mixed ration (TMR) comprising 70% roughage and 30% concentrate. The four roughage-based basal dietary treatments supplemented with formulated concentrate were: Control (natural pasture hay (NPH)); treated teff straw silage (TTS); Napier grass hay (NGH); and <i>Brachiaria</i> hybrid grass hay (BhH). Compared with the control diet, the daily milk yield increased (<i>p</i> < 0.01) by 31.9%, 52.9%, and 71.6% with TTS, NGH, and BhH diets, respectively. Cows fed BhH had the highest dry matter intake (8.84 kg/d), followed by NGH (8.10 kg/d) and TTS (7.71 kg/d); all of these intakes were greater (<i>p</i> = 0.01) than that of NPH (6.21 kg/d). Nitrogen digestibility increased (<i>p < 0.01</i>) from the NPH diet to TTS (by 27.7%), NGH (21.7%), and BhH (39.5%). The concentration of ruminal ammonia nitrogen was higher for cows fed NGH than other diets (<i>p</i> = 0.01) and positively correlated with plasma urea nitrogen concentration (R² = 0.45). Feeding TTS, NGH, and BhH hay as a basal diet changed the nitrogen excretion pathway from urine to feces, which can help protect against environmental pollution. Estimated methane yields per dry matter intake and milk yield were decreased in dairy cows fed BhH, NGH, and TTS diets when compared to cows fed an NPH diet (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In conclusion, feeding of TTS, NGH, and BhH roughages as a basal diet to lactating dairy cows in tropical regions improved nutrient intake and digestibility, milk yield, nitrogen utilization efficiency, and reduced enteric methane emission. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:13:49Z |
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| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:13:49Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
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| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-35be2d5a694f48939c9b1147a24474342023-11-20T03:32:16ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152020-06-01106102110.3390/ani10061021Effect of Feeding Improved Grass Hays and <i>Eragrostis tef</i> Straw Silage on Milk Yield, Nitrogen Utilization, and Methane Emission of Lactating Fogera Dairy Cows in EthiopiaShigdaf Mekuriaw0Atsushi Tsunekawa1Toshiyoshi Ichinohe2Firew Tegegne3Nigussie Haregeweyn4Nobuyuki Kobayashi5Asaminew Tassew6Yeshambel Mekuriaw7Misganaw Walie8Mitsuru Tsubo9Toshiya Okuro10Derege Tsegaye Meshesha11Mulugeta Meseret12Laiju Sam13Veerle Fievez14United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences (UGSAS), 4-101 Koyama-Minami Tottori-shi, Tottori University, Tottori 680-8553, JapanArid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori 680-0001, JapanFaculty of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane University, Matsue, Shimane 690-8504, JapanCollege of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 5501, Bahir Dar, EthiopiaInternational Platform for Dry Land Research and Education, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori 680-0001, JapanArid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori 680-0001, JapanCollege of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 5501, Bahir Dar, EthiopiaCollege of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 5501, Bahir Dar, EthiopiaAmhara Region Agricultural Research Institute, Andassa Livestock Research Center, P.O. Box 27, Bahir Dar, EthiopiaArid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori 680-0001, JapanLaboratory of Landscape Ecology and Planning, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, JapanCollege of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 5501, Bahir Dar, EthiopiaAmhara Region Agricultural Research Institute, Andassa Livestock Research Center, P.O. Box 27, Bahir Dar, EthiopiaCollege of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 5501, Bahir Dar, EthiopiaDepartment of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, BelgiumThe nutritionally imbalanced poor-quality diet feeding is the major constraint of dairy production in tropical regions. Hence, alternative high-quality roughage-based diets are required to improve milk yield and reduce methane emission (CH4). Thus, we tested the effects of feeding natural pasture hay, improved forage grass hays (Napier and <i>Brachiaria</i> Hybrid), and treated crop residues (<i>Eragrostis tef</i> straw) on nutrient digestibility, milk yield, nitrogen balance, and methane emission. The eight lactating Fogera cows selected for the experiment were assigned randomly to a 4 × 4 Latin square design. Cows were housed in well-ventilated individual pens and fed a total mixed ration (TMR) comprising 70% roughage and 30% concentrate. The four roughage-based basal dietary treatments supplemented with formulated concentrate were: Control (natural pasture hay (NPH)); treated teff straw silage (TTS); Napier grass hay (NGH); and <i>Brachiaria</i> hybrid grass hay (BhH). Compared with the control diet, the daily milk yield increased (<i>p</i> < 0.01) by 31.9%, 52.9%, and 71.6% with TTS, NGH, and BhH diets, respectively. Cows fed BhH had the highest dry matter intake (8.84 kg/d), followed by NGH (8.10 kg/d) and TTS (7.71 kg/d); all of these intakes were greater (<i>p</i> = 0.01) than that of NPH (6.21 kg/d). Nitrogen digestibility increased (<i>p < 0.01</i>) from the NPH diet to TTS (by 27.7%), NGH (21.7%), and BhH (39.5%). The concentration of ruminal ammonia nitrogen was higher for cows fed NGH than other diets (<i>p</i> = 0.01) and positively correlated with plasma urea nitrogen concentration (R² = 0.45). Feeding TTS, NGH, and BhH hay as a basal diet changed the nitrogen excretion pathway from urine to feces, which can help protect against environmental pollution. Estimated methane yields per dry matter intake and milk yield were decreased in dairy cows fed BhH, NGH, and TTS diets when compared to cows fed an NPH diet (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In conclusion, feeding of TTS, NGH, and BhH roughages as a basal diet to lactating dairy cows in tropical regions improved nutrient intake and digestibility, milk yield, nitrogen utilization efficiency, and reduced enteric methane emission.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/6/1021dairy productiondairy feedingdrylandimproved foragemethane emissionnutrient excretion |
| spellingShingle | Shigdaf Mekuriaw Atsushi Tsunekawa Toshiyoshi Ichinohe Firew Tegegne Nigussie Haregeweyn Nobuyuki Kobayashi Asaminew Tassew Yeshambel Mekuriaw Misganaw Walie Mitsuru Tsubo Toshiya Okuro Derege Tsegaye Meshesha Mulugeta Meseret Laiju Sam Veerle Fievez Effect of Feeding Improved Grass Hays and <i>Eragrostis tef</i> Straw Silage on Milk Yield, Nitrogen Utilization, and Methane Emission of Lactating Fogera Dairy Cows in Ethiopia Animals dairy production dairy feeding dryland improved forage methane emission nutrient excretion |
| title | Effect of Feeding Improved Grass Hays and <i>Eragrostis tef</i> Straw Silage on Milk Yield, Nitrogen Utilization, and Methane Emission of Lactating Fogera Dairy Cows in Ethiopia |
| title_full | Effect of Feeding Improved Grass Hays and <i>Eragrostis tef</i> Straw Silage on Milk Yield, Nitrogen Utilization, and Methane Emission of Lactating Fogera Dairy Cows in Ethiopia |
| title_fullStr | Effect of Feeding Improved Grass Hays and <i>Eragrostis tef</i> Straw Silage on Milk Yield, Nitrogen Utilization, and Methane Emission of Lactating Fogera Dairy Cows in Ethiopia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of Feeding Improved Grass Hays and <i>Eragrostis tef</i> Straw Silage on Milk Yield, Nitrogen Utilization, and Methane Emission of Lactating Fogera Dairy Cows in Ethiopia |
| title_short | Effect of Feeding Improved Grass Hays and <i>Eragrostis tef</i> Straw Silage on Milk Yield, Nitrogen Utilization, and Methane Emission of Lactating Fogera Dairy Cows in Ethiopia |
| title_sort | effect of feeding improved grass hays and i eragrostis tef i straw silage on milk yield nitrogen utilization and methane emission of lactating fogera dairy cows in ethiopia |
| topic | dairy production dairy feeding dryland improved forage methane emission nutrient excretion |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/6/1021 |
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