Nutritional evaluation of barley forage varieties for silage

这项研究将为牛肉生产者提供关于青贮大麦饲料品种的先进饲料质量信息，特别是品种内部和品种之间瘤胃中性洗涤纤维（细胞壁）降解程度和速率的差异程度。此外，它将指出种植特定的青贮大麦品种的价值，这些品种的选择是为了提高中性洗涤纤维的降解率。例如，了解大麦饲料中性洗涤纤维可降解性的品种内部和品种之间的差异，可以帮助牛肉生产商选择青贮大麦品种，用于提高消化率的背景和育肥计划，从而减少粪便产量，并可能减少甲烷排放。选择具有更高饲料价值的大麦饲料品种也将提高动物的生产性能，特别是饲料效率，并通过允许更大比例的青贮饲料来降低背景和肥育计划的增益成本。这不仅减少了对谷物的补充需求，而且还降低了补充成本。该研究也将对大麦育种计划有价值，为饲料大麦品种提供详细的营养知识。这些信息可用于通过改进选择决策来开发青贮新品种。我们的研究目标的成功实现将积极影响加拿大农业区域和国家。从地区来看，由于饲料和粪便处理成本较低，加拿大西部的牛肉生产商将更有利可图，而谷物种植者和种子公司将看到对大麦作为饲料作物的需求增加。在全国范围内，一个强大的加拿大西部牛肉和饲料部门转化为增加的经济活动和农村经济的复兴。该项目还将培训两名高素质人才，他们将通过学术、工业或政府渠道继续对加拿大农业产生积极影响。

This research will provide beef producers with advanced feed quality information on barley forage varieties commonly grown for silage, particularly the degree of variation that exists within and between varieties for the extent and rate of rumen neutral detergent fibre (cell wall) degradability. Further, it will point to the value of growing specific barley varieties for silage that have been selected for increased rates of neutral detergent fibre degradability. For example, knowledge of within and between variety differences in barley forage neutral detergent fibre degradability can lead to selection of barley varieties for silage by beef producers for use in backgrounding and finishing programs with improved digestibility that results in reduced manure output and potentially reduced methane emissions. Selection of barley forage varieties that have greater feed value will also improve animal performance, particularly feed efficiency and reduce the cost of gain in backgrounding and finishing programs by allowing for a greater proportion of silage to be fed. This will not only reduce the need for supplementing with cereal grains, but will also reduce the cost of supplemention. The research will also be of value to barley breeding programs, providing detailed nutritional knowledge on barley varieties for forage. This information can be used to develop new varieties for silage through improved selection decisions. Successful achievement of our research objectives will positively impact Canadian agriculture regionally and nationally. Regionally, western Canadian beef producers will be more profitable due to lower feed and manure handling costs, while grain growers and seed companies will see increased demand for barley as a forage crop. Nationally, a stronger western Canadian beef and forage sector translates to increased economic activy and revitilization in the rural economy. The project will also lead to the training of two highly qualified personnel who will go on to positively impact Canadian agriculture through academic, industrial or government channels.