Understanding and predicting changes in nutritional value of Kikuyu
Above: Lead Author Juan Insua
Lead Author: Juan Insua
Project P1e: Kikuyu nutritional value
This study aimed to predict short-term (daily) changes in the nutritional value of kikuyu pasture regrowth. Kikuyu is a widely used grass that grows rapidly but its nutritive value declines quickly.
The study used experimental data to evaluate and adapt the Morphological and Digestibility Pasture (MDP) model for Kikuyu. The model uses daily temperature to drive plant morphology and fibre digestibility. It accurately estimated changes in neutral detergent fibre digestibility (NDFD) in an independent evaluation period.
The study found that the primary factor driving the decline in kikuyu’s nutritive value was the consistent loss of NDFD with leaf tissue aging. This leaf-aging effect explained the decrease in dry matter digestibility and the negative relationship between NDFD and herbage mass.
These findings highlight the importance of monitoring the thermal time of kikuyu regrowth to prevent milk production losses and suggests that real-time modelling of morphophysiological aspects can help manage pasture quality.
About Dairy UP
Dairy UP is a collaborative research, development and extension program for the NSW dairy industry. It aims to unlock the potential of pastures, cows, water and milk to increase productivity and profitability, and de-risk the industry and develop new markets.