Abstract
Data from experiments in which cows consumed ryegrass-based diets were used to evaluate the effects of plant constituent concentrations and nutrient ratios on the partitioning of nitrogen (N) secreted into milk and excreted as waste products (urine + faeces). The data set used from 32 publications with 170 treatment means, was derived from studies where freshly-cut or grazed pasture comprised more than 70 % of the total diet on a dry matter basis. The objectives were to identify suitable predictors of N partitioning, both across and within studies, and to examine the relative weight these predictors have on the partitioning of dietary N. Total excretion of N (g/d) and urinary N (g/d) were best predicted by the single predictor crude protein concentration, but better relationships were obtained by adding water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and neutral detergent fibre concentrations to the models. Although significant across studies, no single plant constituent variable was selected using the meta-analytical approach. The most reliable predictions of N in waste products and urine required measures of N intake for urinary N excretion, or in combination with total OM intake for total N excretion.
Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Volume 69, Christchurch, 188-195, 2009
Download Full PDF | BibTEX Citation | Endnote Citation | Search the Proceedings |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.