Research@Lincoln
Research@Lincoln is an open access institutional repository collecting the research produced by Lincoln University staff and students. You may also be interested in Data@Lincoln or Lincoln University Living Heritage.
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Publication Restricted Autumn water use and yield performance of caucasian and white clover in east coast pastures: A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Horticultural Science with Honours(Lincoln University, 2004)The production and water use of irrigated Caucasian clover and white clover pastures with or without ryegrass was studied at Lincoln University, Canterbury. The experimental period extended from late summer to early spring 2004. Irrigation did not affect the total dry matter yield of pastures from 1 March to 9 September, 2004. However, irrigated swards produced 115% more dry matter than dryland pastures from 1 March to 2 June. Caucasian clover (Trifolium abiguum M. Bieb.) yield during the summer (3060 kg DM/ha) was higher than the yield of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) (2390 kg DM/ha) and ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) (2910 kg DM/ha). During the winter, white clover and ryegrass pastures produced 40% more dry matter from April to June than Caucasian clover combined with ryegrass. This increased production in white clover swards was due to the ryegrass producing 50% more yield in the white clover pastures than in the Caucasian clover and ryegrass pastures. In January Caucasian clover and ryegrass pastures were 25-43% clover compared to 5-15% in white clover and ryegrass pastures. The clover content declined in both white clover Caucasian clover pastures to less than 10% by June. Dryland white clover pastures contained more bare ground than dryland Caucasian clover pastures (30% and 20% respectively). Water use from March to September was higher in irrigated (205 mm) pastures compared to dryland pastures (110 mm). White clover used 35 mm more water than Caucasian clover over the same period. Caucasian clover extracted water from a greater depth than white clover (1.7 m and 1.5 m respectively). Less water in the soil profile beneath Caucasian clover pastures below 1.0 m suggested that Caucasian clover has the ability to extract more water from greater depths than white clover.Publication Restricted Dry matter production and water use of red clover, chicory and lucerne in irrigated and dryland conditions : A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Agricultural Science with Honours at Lincoln University(Lincoln University, 1999)The climate in Canterbury is dominated by hot, dry North-west weather conditions during the summer. The New Zealand standard ryegrass/white clover pasture is unsuitable for high animal production in these conditions because it suffers from low production and persistence. There is a need for alternative species that can increase the productivity of dryland areas and improve the efficiency of water use. To address these problems an experiment was established at Lincoln University in 1996. Dry matter (DM) production and water use of three high quality deep rooted perennial species, red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) and lucerne (Medicago sativa L.), were measured under dryland and irrigated situations. Results from the third year of the experiment are presented and compared with the previous seasons to determine the potential of these species for use in Canterbury. Measurements were made over seven rotations from the 16 August 1998 - 24 June 1999. Under dryland conditions lucerne had greater annual dry DM production (21 t ha⁻¹ ) than red clover (15 t ha⁻¹) and chicory (13 t ha⁻¹ ). All species used 500 mm of water through the season and extracted water to about 2 m depth, thus lucerne had the highest water use efficiency (WUE). Similar yields were obtained in irrigated treatments, but 670 mm of water was used. Consequently the WUE was lower in irrigated conditions compared with dryland for all species. Differences in DM production came from greater lucerne production in the first spring rotation and the last three autumn rotations. There was no difference in DM production between species during the middle three rotations in late spring and summer. Root diseases in red clover and chicory contributed to their reduced production at the end of the third year. From this it was concluded that lucerne had greater potential than red clover or chicory for use in dryland or irrigated conditions in Canterbury.Item Restricted Effect of forage plantain integration into a grazing dairy system on urination behaviour and urinary nitrogen concentration in late-lactation cows(ADSS, 2024-11-25)As part of a farm-system study, this sub-study aimed to contribute to existing evidence on the effects of varying dietary levels of plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) on urinary N (UN) concentration and urination behaviour in cows managed under typical farming practices. In late July 2021, 108 dairy cows were blocked into nine herds of 12 cows. The herds were randomly allocated into one of three replicated pasture treatments sown with an increasing plantain seed rate: (i) RGWC with nil plantain (PL0); (ii) RGWC+3 kg/ha plantain (PL3) or (iii) RGWC+6 kg/ha plantain (PL6). Over a 10-day sub-study period in late March-early April 2022, UN concentration was measured in morning and afternoon spot samples collected from 18 monitor cows (n=6; three cows each from two of the three farmlets per treatment) on two occasions. Urination behaviour (daily urine volume and urination frequency) was measured using a Lincoln University PEETER V.1.0 sensor attached to the monitor cows for 24-48 hours. During the sub-study period, the dietary levels of plantain leaves in dry matter were nil in PL0, 31.7% in PL3 and 47.5% in PL6. Pasture silage fed (kg/cow/day) to maintain regrowth interval was higher in PL3 (1.7 kg) than PL0 (0.7 kg) and PL6 (nil), resulting in 7-8% lower N intake (g/d) in PL3 (402) compared to PL0 (438) and PL6 (430). Urine N concentration tended (P=0.07) to be lower in PL3 and PL6 than PL0. Urine volume (P=0.005) and urination frequency (P=0.007) were higher in cows in PL6 than in those in PL0 and PL3, but similar between PL0 and PL3. While these results showed a tendency for plantain to reduce UN concentration, they highlight the opportunity to explore stacking strategies that combine plantain with low-N supplements for additional environmental benefits.Item Restricted Milk urea concentration and nitrogen use efficiency of dairy cows grazing different levels of forage plantain with ryegrass-white clover(2024-11-25)Context: Milk urea (MU) is a by-product of crude protein metabolism in dairy cattle whereby diets with lower nitrogen (N) utilisation are typically associated with greater MU concentrations. Thus, MU is recognised as a useful indicator of dietary N use efficiency (milk N divided by N intake; NUE). Forage plantain has been shown to decrease MU, potentially due to its lower content of ruminal degradable protein compared with ryegrass-white clover (RGWC). However, there are limited data on how including plantain in a farm system affects MU concentration and NUE in dairy cattle throughout an entire lactation period. Aims: In this study, we investigated the effects of different levels of forage plantain in the farm system on MU and NUE. Methods: Data were collected over two dairy production years (2021/22 and 2022/23) as part of a farm system study established in late July 2021 at Lincoln University Research Dairy Farm. Nine herds (12 cows each) were randomly allocated into one of three replicated pasture treatments (n=3) sown with an increasing plantain (cv. Ecotain) seed rate: (i) RGWC with nil plantain (PL0); (ii) RGWC+3 kg/ha plantain (PL3); or (iii) RGWC+6 kg/ha plantain (PL6). Individual cow milk volume was measured at each milking (DelPro, DeLaval), with milk composition determined fortnightly (CRV, Hamilton, New Zealand) using samples collected at consecutive afternoon and morning milkings. Fortnightly pre-grazing pasture samples, coinciding with milk samples, were collected to determine botanical and chemical composition. Dry matter (DM) intake was back-calculated from the energy requirements for cows in each herd. Statistical analysis was conducted using General Analysis of Variance with pasture treatment, season of the year and production year included as factors, and farmlet as the experimental unit. Key results: There was an interaction between treatment × season for plantain % in diet DM, N intake, diet N:ME ratio and NUE, and between treatment × season × year for N intake and diet N:ME ratio. Regardless of season and year effects, average dietary content (% DM) of plantain leaves was 0.1% in PL0, 14.7% in PL3 and 17.7% in PL6. Average estimated daily intake of pasture (14.4 kg DM/cow), supplement (baleage; 1.2 kg DM/cow) and N (476 g/cow) were similar across treatments. Average daily milksolids production per cow was similar between PL0 (1.65 kg) and PL3, and PL0 and PL6, but higher (P=0.015) in PL6 than PL3 (1.66 vs 1.61 kg). Average MU concentration was higher in PL0 than PL3 and PL6 (P<0.001), which did not significantly differ from each other (Table 1). The two-way interaction effect showed that NUE was lower in PL3 than PL0 and PL6 in late-winter, similar between treatments in spring, higher in PL6 than PL3 in summer and higher in PL6 than PL0 in autumn. Conclusions: While the effect of plantain incorporation into RGWC- based dairy systems at either 14.7 or 17.7% of diet DM resulted in a seasonally dependent response in cows' NUE, it consistently reduced their MU concentration. Implications: The presence of forage plantain may need to be considered if MU concentrations are used as indicators to help manage herd nutritional status and environmental risk.Item Restricted Stacking mitigations to reduce N losses at farmlet scale: Year one results of farm performance in a dairy systems comparison in Canterbury(ADSS, 2024-11-25)To meet regulatory targets for nitrogen (N) losses, farmers may need to adopt multiple mitigations. Here, we describe the first lactation season (2023-24) of a multi-year farmlet trial that evaluates the effects of ‘stacked’ complementary mitigations on milk production, N leaching, and profitability in a Canterbury farm system. The farmlet trial involved two non-replicated ~12 ha milking platforms and consisted of a 'Control' farmlet following current best practice, and a 'Stacked' farmlet incorporating a multi-species pasture, reduced N fertiliser, and lower stocking rate. Farm physical results were modelled in FARMAX Dairy and OverseerFM to evaluate financial and environmental performance. Milksolids per cow were similar, but production per hectare was 7% lower for the Stacked farmlet relative to the Control farmlet. The Stacked farmlet produced 5% less total pasture (t DM/ha) and differed in seasonal growth. Predicted N leaching (kg/ha) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (kg CO₂e/ha) were 39% and 12% lower, respectively, for the Stacked farmlet, but it also had 8% less profit per hectare due to lower milk revenue and higher costs for pasture conservation and regrassing. Opportunities to improve profitability while maintaining environmental benefits for the Stacked farmlet are discussed.
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