Nitrogen Balance of Dairy Cows Divergent for Milk Urea Nitrogen Breeding Values Consuming Either Plantain or Perennial Ryegrass

Abstract

Inefficient nitrogen (N) use from pastoral dairy production systems has resulted in environmental degradation, as a result of excessive concentrations of urinary N excretion leaching into waterways and N₂O emissions from urination events into the atmosphere. The objectives of this study were to measure and evaluate the total N balance of lactating dairy cows selected for milk urea N concentration breeding values (MUNBVs) consuming either a 100% perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) or 100% plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) diet. Sixteen multiparous lactating Holstein-Friesian × Jersey cows divergent for MUNBV were housed in metabolism crates for 72 h, where intake and excretions were collected and measured. No effect of MUNBV was detected for total N excretion; however, different excretion characteristics were detected, per urination event. Low MUNBV cows had a 28% reduction in the concentration of urinary urea nitrogen (g/event) compared to high MUNBV cows when consuming a ryegrass diet. Cows consuming plantain regardless of their MUNBV value had a 62% and 48% reduction in urinary urea nitrogen (g/event) compared to high and low MUNBV cows consuming ryegrass, respectively. Cows consuming plantain also partitioned more N into faeces. These results suggest that breeding for low MUNBV cows on ryegrass diets and the use of a plantain diet will reduce urinary urea nitrogen loading rates and therefore estimated nitrate leaching values, thus reducing the environmental impact of pastoral dairy production systems.

Keywords: N excretion; dairy cows; environmental impact; plantain; ryegrass.

Figure 1

Average daily urinary urea N (UUN) excretion g per event (y-axis) as a function of the average daily milk urea N (MUN, mg/dL) (x-axis) from lactating dairy cows offered either a ryegrass or plantain diet whilst housed in metabolism creates for 72 h. For both diets, a one unit increase in MUN (mg/dL) resulted in a 0.37 ± 0.09 increase in the UUN content (g) per urination event (p < 0.01). Diet shifted the intercept of the regression line to 4.26 ± 1.42 for the ryegrass diet and −0.27 ± 1.42 for the plantain diet (p < 0.01). The regression model R² = 0.63, with the shaded area representing the 95% confidence interval.