Nutrient management in New Zealand pastures— recent developments and future issues

Monaghan, Rachel; Hedley, M. J.; Di, Hong J.; McDowell, R. W.; Cameron, K. C.; Ledgard, S. F.

doi:10.1080/00288230709510290

Cited by 143 publications

(118 citation statements)

References 68 publications

(34 reference statements)

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“…This in turn leads to between 75% and 90% of N ingested by the cow being excreted, with the proportion partitioned to urine increasing linearly with N intake (Pacheco and Waghorn, 2008). Urinary N is predominately urea, which is rapidly (,24 h) hydrolysed to ammonia (Powell et al, 2011) or nitrified to nitrate and leached or lost as nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions, and N contamination threatens ground and surface water quality (Monaghan et al, 2007). In contrast, the organically bound N in faeces is relatively stable (Rotz, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supplementing lactating dairy cows fed high-quality pasture with black wattle (Acacia mearnsii) tannin

Griffiths

Clark

et al. 2013

Animal

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A reduction in urinary nitrogen (N) excretion from dairy cows fed pasture containing a high N concentration in the dry matter (DM) will have environmental benefits, because losses to soil water and air by leachate and nitrous oxides (N 2 O) will be reduced. Condensed tannins (CT) reduce digestion of N, and provision as a dietary additive could have nutritional benefits for production, but the amount required and the responses to different sources of CT on milk production have not been defined. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate effects of supplementation with CT extracted from black wattle (Acacia mearnsii De Wild.) on milk production and faecal N concentration by lactating dairy cows grazing a vegetative Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)-based pasture. In one experiment, CT was administered as a drench, twice daily, to 38 multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows assigned to four treatments; control (CONT, 0 g/day), low CT (LCT, 111 g/day), medium CT (MCT, 222 g/day) and high CT (HCT, 444 g/day), grazing as a single group. The CT supplementation affected milk yield (P , 0.001) with a trend of declining milk yield as CT concentration increased from about 0.6 to about 2.9% of dietary DM. Milk urea nitrogen (MUN) decreased at MCT and HCT levels of supplementation (P , 0.01) but milk fat, CP and lactose percentage were not affected by CT supplementation. The CT supplementation increased N concentration in faeces for LCT and MCT treatments (P , 0.05), suggesting partitioning of dietary N away from urine. When CT was pelleted with grain, in a second experiment and fed twice daily as a supplement at milking, it reduced the acceptability relative to pellets without CT, and tended to lower milk production from 25.4 to 24.5 kg/day, although the decline was not significant (P . 0.05). The diet of cows fed pellets with CT contained about 1.2% CT in the DM but neither milk constituents nor MUN were affected by CT-supplemented grain (P . 0.05). These findings demonstrate beneficial effects for production of low concentrations (c. 0.6% DM) of CT from black wattle when given to cows grazing pasture with an N concentration of 3.8%, and suggest a diversion of N from urine, but when CT exceeded about 1.4% of dietary DM, milk production was depressed. The value of supplementing a pasture diet for lactating dairy cows with black wattle tannin extract will depend on costs of supplementation, returns from milk production and liabilities associated with N losses to urine.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supplementing lactating dairy cows fed high-quality pasture with black wattle (Acacia mearnsii) tannin

Griffiths

Clark

et al. 2013

Animal

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“…As a result, there has been significant focus on research to develop management practices for minimising the environmental footprint of dairy farms (e.g. Monaghan et al 2007;de Klein et al 2010). One of these research initiatives was the Best Practice Dairying Catchments project, which was established in 2001 to integrate environmentally sustainable practices into dairy farming (Monaghan et al 2008).…”

Section: New Zealandmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intensification of grassland and forage use: driving forces and constraints

Oenema

Klein

Alfaro³

2014

Crop Pasture Sci.

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Abstract. The increasing demand for safe and nutritional dairy and beef products in a globalising world, together with the needs to increase resource use efficiency and to protect biodiversity, provide strong incentives for intensification of grassland and forage use. This paper addresses the question: 'Does intensification of grassland and forage use lead to efficient, profitable and sustainable ecosystems?' We present some notions about intensification of agricultural production, and then discuss the intensification of grassland-based dairy production in The Netherlands, Chile and New Zealand. Finally, we arrive at some conclusions.External driving forces and the need to economise (the law of the optimum) provide strong incentives for intensification, that is, for increasing the output per unit surface area and labour. The three country cases illustrate that intensification of grassland use is a global phenomenon, with winners and losers. Winners are farmers who are able to achieve a high return on investments. Losers are small farmers who drop out of the business unless they broaden their income base. The relationship between intensification and environmental impact is complex. Within certain ranges, intensification leads to increased emissions of nutrients and greenhouse gases to air and use of water per unit surface area, but to decreased emissions when expressed per unit of product. The sustainability of a grassland-based ecosystem is ultimately defined by the societal appreciation of that system and by biophysical and socioeconomic constraints.In conclusion, intensification may lead to more efficient and profitable and, thereby, more sustainable grassland ecosystems. This holds especially for those systems that are currently not sustainable because they are either underutilised and of low productivity or over-exploited and unregulated, and as long as the adapted systems meet societal and ecological constraints.

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“…Fertilisers are major economic costs inNew Zealand pastoral farm budgets and, as well, the environmental costs of nutrients losses to waterways are being Monaghan et al 2007). Phosphate (P) diffuses very slowly in soil (Nye & Tinker 1977), and movement of P to the root surface is the rate-limiting step in P acquisition by plants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Competition from grass roots means that grass/clover pastures require much higher P inputs to sustain clover than if the components are grown separately (Dunlop & Hart 1987). Apart from the cost to farm budgets, the elevated soil P status is a risk factor for P losses (Monaghan et al 2007). The conceptual model grass root system for nitrate interception efficiency-high root length frequency from masses of fine roots (Dunbabm et al 2003;Crush et al 2005a), will exacerbate grass competition for P. Developing clovers with higher root length frequencies per unit volume of soil is one way of mitigating grass competition for P.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phosphate uptake by white clover (Trifolium repensL.) genotypes with contrasting root morphology

Crush¹,

Boulesteix-Coutelier²,

Ouyang³

2008

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research

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Phosphorus (P) response curves were established for white clover genotypes with either relatively long, fine roots (LFR), or relatively short, thick roots (STR) in a glasshouse experiment. The LFR genotype had smaller average root diameter, greater specific root length (SLR, cm mg -1 root dry weight), longer roots and more branched roots than the STR genotype. Root dry weight of the genotypes was identical across all P levels. P uptake per unit root mass was higher in the LFR genotype, resulting in greater P acquisition and higher shoot dry weight yields than for the STR genotype. We concluded that development of white clovers with high SRL and frequent root branching could contibute to an improvement in the efficiency of phosphate use in pastoral farming.

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Nutrient management in New Zealand pastures— recent developments and future issues

Cited by 143 publications

References 68 publications

Supplementing lactating dairy cows fed high-quality pasture with black wattle (Acacia mearnsii) tannin

Supplementing lactating dairy cows fed high-quality pasture with black wattle (Acacia mearnsii) tannin

Intensification of grassland and forage use: driving forces and constraints

Phosphate uptake by white clover (Trifolium repensL.) genotypes with contrasting root morphology

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