Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Excretion in Grazing Cows with High and Low Milk Urea Nitrogen Breeding Values

Simple item page
dc.citation.issue17
dc.citation.volume13
dc.contributor.authorCorrea-Luna M
dc.contributor.authorDonaghy D
dc.contributor.authorKemp P
dc.contributor.authorSchutz M
dc.contributor.authorLopez-Villalobos N
dc.date.accessioned2024-01-11T20:57:15Z
dc.date.accessioned2024-07-25T06:43:24Z
dc.date.available2024-01-11T20:57:15Z
dc.date.available2024-07-25T06:43:24Z
dc.date.issued2021-09-01
dc.description.abstractMilk urea nitrogen content is moderately heritable and is phenotypically related to urine nitrogen (UN). Based on this relationship, it has been suggested that genetic selection for lower milk urea nitrogen in grazing dairy cows could decrease UN concentration thereby reducing nitrogen excretions into the ground. The objective of this study was to compare the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and excretion in grazing cows with high and low milk urea nitrogen breeding values (MUNBV) in two farms of contrasting farming intensity. On the high-intensity farm (HIF) 68 and 70 cows with low and high MUNBV, respectively, were fed higher levels of supplementation and milked twice-daily, while on the low-intensity farm (LIF) 82 and 86 cows with low and high MUNBV, respectively, were fed lower levels of supplementation milked once-daily. Nitrogen use efficiency (g/g) was calculated as the ratio of daily milk N to daily N intake. Daily N intake (g/day) was derived from feed intake estimates based on energy requirements. The UN (g/day) was estimated by back-calculation from dietary N and subtracting milk N, faecal N, and N retained in body tissues. Irrespective of farm, cows with low MUNBV had significantly lower MY and milk urea nitrogen (p < 0.001) but this was not linked to significantly less UN. In the LIF, cows with low MUNBV had lower NUE (p < 0.001) than cows with high MUNBV, and this was explained by the reduced protein yield (p < 0.001). Selecting cows for low MUNBV was not an effective tool to reduce N losses and to increase the NUE in two dairy farms of contrasting farming intensity.
dc.identifier.author-urlhttp://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000694445100001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=c5bb3b2499afac691c2e3c1a83ef6fef
dc.identifier.citationCorrea-Luna M, Donaghy D, Kemp P, Schutz M, López-Villalobos N. (2021). Nitrogen use efficiency and excretion in grazing cows with high and low milk urea nitrogen breeding values. Sustainability (Switzerland). 13. 17.
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/su13179827
dc.identifier.eissn2071-1050
dc.identifier.elements-typejournal-article
dc.identifier.numberARTN 9827
dc.identifier.urihttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/70749
dc.publisherMDPI (Basel, Switzerland)
dc.relation.isPartOfSustainability (Switzerland)
dc.rights(c) 2021 The Author/s
dc.rightsCC BY 4.0
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectmilk urea nitrogen
dc.subjectnitrogen use efficiency
dc.subjectnitrogen excreta
dc.subjectgenetic selection
dc.subjectdairy cows
dc.titleNitrogen Use Efficiency and Excretion in Grazing Cows with High and Low Milk Urea Nitrogen Breeding Values
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.elements-id448573
pubs.organisational-groupOther
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Published version
Size:
578.26 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
Collections
Journal Articles