Table 2.
Effect of Cut (1–5 where 1,3 and 5 is the first, second and third cut in the three-cut system, and 2 and 4 is the first and second cut in the two-cut system) and crop (T, Timothy; T + RC, Timothy + red clover; RG, perennial ryegrass) on silage feed quality parameters averaged across DM and additive treatments (n = 4).
| Cut | Three cuts | Two cuts | SEM | P value | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T | T + RC | RG | T | T + RC | RG | Cut | Crop | Cut × crop | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 | C5 | |||
| DM, g/kg | 1st | 31.1 | 31.9 | 29.3 | 35.2 | 37.3 | 34.8 | 4.666 | 0.481 | 0.918 | 0.999 | 0.200 | 0.198 | 0.916 | 0.724 | 0.994 |
| 2nd | 34.3 | 36.2 | 33.1 | 35.3 | 32.7 | 34.4 | ||||||||||
| 3rd | 31.0 | 28.8 | 29.9 | – | – | – | ||||||||||
| Organic matter, g/kg DM | 1st | 930 | 932 | 924 | 942 | 945 | 932 | 0.762 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| 2nd | 930 | 923 | 929 | 940 | 930 | 918 | ||||||||||
| 3rd | 931 | 911 | 911 | – | – | – | ||||||||||
| NDFom, g/kg DM | 1st | 508 | 501 | 425 | 576 | 586 | 543 | 8.958 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| 2nd | 487 | 429 | 487 | 562 | 515 | 535 | ||||||||||
| 3rd | 449 | 370 | 400 | – | – | – | ||||||||||
| iNDF, g/kg NDFom | 1st | 119 | 112 | 121 | 230 | 220 | 246 | 6.268 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | 0.011 | < 0.001 | 0.518 |
| 2nd | 155 | 159 | 254 | 204 | 200 | 205 | ||||||||||
| 3rd | 143 | 174 | 121 | – | – | – | ||||||||||
| OMD, % | 1st | 75.3 | 75.9 | 77.3 | 65.8 | 66.2 | 66.1 | 0.464 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | 0.859 | < 0.001 |
| 2nd | 73.7 | 75.3 | 67.9 | 68.1 | 70.1 | 69.0 | ||||||||||
| 3rd | 75.5 | 76.3 | 77.9 | – | – | – | ||||||||||
| CP, g/kg DM | 1st | 147 | 126 | 121 | 103 | 89.3 | 95.4 | 1.709 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | 0.008 |
| 2nd | 141 | 144 | 124 | 106 | 109 | 113 | ||||||||||
| 3rd | 113 | 158 | 112 | – | – | – | ||||||||||
| sCP, g/kg CP | 1st | 790 | 755 | 781 | 580 | 557 | 721 | 24.85 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | 0.012 | 0.002 | < 0.001 | 0.181 | < 0.001 | 0.002 |
| 2nd | 582 | 538 | 704 | 596 | 486 | 660 | ||||||||||
| 3rd | 510 | 459 | 664 | – | – | – | ||||||||||
| WSC, g/kg DM | 1st | 37.6 | 46.4 | 91.5 | 60.4 | 58.0 | 83.8 | 21.78 | 0.639 | 0.160 | 0.641 | 0.961 | 0.619 | 0.649 | 0.218 | 0.502 |
| 2nd | 41.8 | 56.0 | 64.8 | 56.9 | 51.8 | 78.3 | ||||||||||
| 3rd | 113 | 50.8 | 77.1 | – | – | – | ||||||||||
DM, dry matter; NDFom, neutral detergent fibre; iNDF, indigestible NDF; OMD, organic matter digestibility; CP, crude protein; sCP, soluble crude protein; WSC, water-soluble carbohydrates. C1 is the contrast three versus two cuts per season overall; C2 is the contrast three versus two cuts per season, 1st cut; C3 is the contrast three versus two cuts per season, 2nd cut; C4 is the contrast T versus RG; C5 is contrast T versus T + RC.