Effect of plant age on yield and chemical composition of colza (Brassica napus L) produced as a supplement to grazing dairy cows in the Peruvian Andes.

Abstract

The effect of four harvest ages (90, 120, 150 and 180 days) on the aerial biomass yield and chemical composition of rapeseed was evaluated, as well as its use as a hay supplement for dairy cows grazing at an altitude of 3279 m. Forage yield and its chemical composition were evaluated in 16 plots, 4 per treatment, according to a randomized complete block design. The harvested rapeseed biomass was hayed and chopped to 1 cm in length, supplied daily at a rate of 3 kg per cow. Sixteen crossbred and multiparous Holstein cows were distributed in four treatments that consisted of hays made according to harvest age. Milk production per cow was recorded for six weeks. Total solids, fat, protein, and lactose were determined in the last week of the study. As rapeseed age increased, forage biomass and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) increased, and crude protein concentration decreased; however, milk production and its milk components were not affected by the supplementation of the four types of hay, except for rapeseed hay harvested at 90 days of age, which increased the milk protein content.