High Sugar Grasses
Higher Feed Intake
An increased carbohydrate content in grass will make the feed intake increase too. This is due to the improved digestibility found in high sugar grasses as well as the fact that a high sugar content “dilutes” the fibres in the plant and hence increases the amount of grass a cow eats.
More milk
A higher intake of drymatter will result in an improved milk yield. Typically high sugar varieties have 2 - 3% higher drymatter digestibility compared to low sugar types. Studies have shown that an increase of 1% in digestibility gives an increase of 0,5 – 0,7 litres milk per cow per day.
Better N-Balance
With increased sugar in the grass, the balance between carbohydrates and protein in both plant and animal is more favourable. This means high utilization of protein in the animal and less nitrogen to burden the environment.
Tetraploid Varieties Best
In general tetraploid varieties of perennial ryegrass have 2-3% higher carbohydrate content than diploid varieties. However there are considerable differences in both types. See diagramme below - trials from 1st cut, DLF-TRIFOLIUM 2001.
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