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ARS Home » Midwest Area » St. Paul, Minnesota » Plant Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #250844
Title: Lamb and Cow Performance when Fed Corn Silage that has Reduced Ferulate Cross Linking

Author
item Jung, Hans Joachim
item Mertens, David
item PHILLIPS, RONALD - University Of Minnesota

Submitted to: American Dairy Science Association Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2010
Publication Date: 7/11/2010
Citation: Jung, H.G., Mertens, D.R., Phillips, R.L. 2010. Lamb and Cow Performance when Fed Corn Silage that has Reduced Ferulate Cross Linking [abstract]. Journal of Dairy Science. 93(E-Supplement 1):476.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Ferulate-mediated lignin/hemicellulose cross linking in grasses reduces in vitro NDF digestibility (IVNDFD). Impact of ferulate cross linking on animal performance was examined in lamb digestibility and dairy cow performance trials using the seedling ferulate ester (sfe) corn mutant that reduces cross linking and improves IVNDFD. NDF digestibility of control (W23) and two near-isogenic sfe (M04-4 and M04-21) silages was determined with lambs fed ad lib and restricted. Each silage was fed to four lambs as the sole ingredient. The same silages were fed to lactating cows in 37% corn silage diets formulated for 29% diet NDF and 70% of NDF from corn silage. A 28-d lactation trial was conducted with 14 cows per diet. Feed intake and milk production were determined. Orthogonal contrasts were used to compare W23 to sfe lines combined and M04-21 only. The sfe silages had fewer ferulate cross links than W23 (0.96, 0.86, and 0.81% of NDF in W23, M04-4, and M04-21, respectively), but the sfe mutants had higher NDF and ADL, and lower starch concentrations than W23. IVNDFD after 24-, 48-, and 96-h was greater for M04-21 than W23 silage, while M04-4 IVNDFD was only greater after 24 h. Lamb ad lib silage intake was greater (P<0.05) for W23 than sfe mutants, but M04-21 did not differ from W23. Digestibility of DM was greater (P<0.05) for W23 than sfe at ad lib but not restricted intake, whereas silages did not differ for NDF or starch digestibility at either intake. Lambs were less selective against NDF when fed sfe silages ad lib (P<0.05) or restricted (P<0.10). Intake (21.8, 23.4, and 23.3 kg/d for W23, M04-4, and M04-21, respectively) and milk production (38.9, 39.3, and 41.6 kg/d for W23, M04-4, and M04-21, respectively) were greater (P<0.01) for cows fed the sfe containing diets. Diet refusals indicated cows selected less against NDF in the sfe diets than for W23 diets. The data suggest reduced ferulate cross linking in corn silage had a small positive impact on ruminant performance.