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ORIGINAL PAPER
Sorghum silage and cover crop silage
in diets for late-lactation cows: Effects on feed intake, digestibility,
feeding behaviour, and milk yield
1
University of Udine, Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental, and Animal Sciences, Udine, Italy
Publication date: 2025-04-02
Corresponding author
A. Romanzin
University of Udine, Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental, and Animal Sciences, Udine, Italy
University of Udine, Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental, and Animal Sciences, Udine, Italy
J. Anim. Feed Sci. 2025;34(2):242-248
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Climate change poses new challenges in dairy cow nutrition.
Sorghum has gained interest due to its higher water use efficiency and tolerance
to drought conditions. In addition, the use of cover crops become increasingly
popular for improving residual soil nitrogen and preventing erosion during fallow
periods. The aim of the study was to assess feed intake, apparent total tract
digestibility, feeding behaviour, performance, and milk quality in late-lactation
dairy cows fed diets differing in silage type (Diet 1: sorghum silage; Diet 2: cover
crop silage). The study used 8 Holstein-Friesian dairy cows in the last stage of
lactation fed experimental diets in a cross over design trial. Diet 1 resulted in
higher apparent digestibility of dietary protein (P < 0.05), lower rumination chews
(P < 0.05), and a tendency towards lower eating chews (P < 0.10) than Diet 2.
However, no differences were observed in dry matter intake, milk yield, or milk
composition (P > 0.05). The results indicate that cover crop silage can be used
as an alternative to sorghum silage in diets of late-lactation dairy cows.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
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CITATIONS (1):
1.
Effect of replacing corn silage with alternative silages on quality, fatty acids and volatile compounds of Italian semi-hard raw milk cheese
Sheyla Arango, Nadia Guzzo, Sarah Currò, Emanuele Bianco, Emilio Simonetti, Simona Rainis, Niccolò Renoldi, Nadia Innocente, Lucia Bailoni
Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Sheyla Arango, Nadia Guzzo, Sarah Currò, Emanuele Bianco, Emilio Simonetti, Simona Rainis, Niccolò Renoldi, Nadia Innocente, Lucia Bailoni
Frontiers in Veterinary Science
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