This study was conducted to determine the optimal spring seeding dates for alfalfa yield and feed value. The experiment was conducted annually for three years (2021~2023) at the field in the Department of Animal Resources Development, NIAS, located in Cheonan. The treatments involved six seeding dates ranging from February 24 to April 14, with 10days intervals. Alfalfa was harvested four times a year at the early flowering stage. Dry matter yield showed a tendency to decrease with delayed the seeding date. However, depending on the climatidc condisions in the seeding year, the dry matter yield on March 14 or 24 was comparable to that on February 24. Annual dry matter yield varied, influenced by the daylight conditions each year. The average feed value did not significantly differ within in the same year with delayed seeding dates (p>0.05). Therefore, the most stable period for alfalfa spring seeding in the central area of South Korea is considered to be from February 24 to April 4, with February 24 indentified as the optimal date.

Understanding changes in fermentation characteristics and microbial populations of forage silage during ensiling is of interest for improving the nutrient value of the feed for ruminants. This study was conducted to investigate the changes in fermentation characteristics and bacterial communities of whole crop rice (WCR) silage during the ensiling period. The chemical compositions, pH, organic acids and bacterial communities were evaluated at 0, 3, 6, and 12 months after ensiling. The bacterial communities were classified at both the genus and species levels. The dry matter content of WCR silage decreased with the length of storage (p<0.05), but there was no significant difference in crude protein and NDF contents. Following fermentation, the pH level of WCR silage was lower than the initial level. The lactic acid content remained at high levels for 3 to 6 months after ensiling, followed by a sharp decline at 12 months (p<0.05). Before fermentation, the WCR was dominated by Weissella (30.8%) and Pantoea (20.2%). Growth of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (31.4%) was observed at 3 months after ensiling. At 6 months, there was a decrease in Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (10.2%) and an increase in Levilactobacillus brevis (12.8%), resulting in increased bacteria diversity until that period. The WCR silage was dominated by Lentilactobacillus buchneri (71.2%) and Lacticaseibacillus casei (27.0%) with a sharp reduction in diversity at 12 months. Overall, the WCR silage maintained satisfactory fermentation quality over a 12-month ensiling period. Furthermore, the fermentation characteristics of silage were found to be correlated to bacterial microbiome.

본 연구는 수분함량과 미생물 첨가제가 알팔파 사일리지의 발효특성과 사료가치에 미치는 영향을 알아보기 위해 수행되었다. 알팔파는 개화 10% 시기에서 수확되었으며 수분 함량(M60, M50, M40 및 M30)이 60, 50, 40 및 30%일 때 각각 이용하였다. 1500g을 샘플링한 후, 증류수 10mL을 첨가한 미첨가구(NAD)와 Lactococcus lactis 와 Pediococcus pentosaceus의 혼합물을 증류수(0.1g/10mL)에 1.5 x 1010cfu/g 농도로 희석한 후 접종한 미생물 균주 첨가구(ADD)를 3개월 및 6개월 발효하였다. 수분 및 미생물 첨가제에 따른 연평균 알팔파의 조단백, 중성세제 불용성 섬유 및 산성세제 불용성 섬유에서 차이가 없었다(p>0.05). 모든 발효기간에서 pH는 ADD의 M40에서 가장 낮았다(p<0.05). NAD 처리구에서는 젖산이 M50에서 가장 높았고(p<0.05), ADD 처리군에서는 M40 시험구에서 젖산이 가장 높았다(p<0.05). NAD와 ADD의 M60은 젖산 함량이 다른 수분 함량들에 비해 가장 낮으며(p<0.05) 낙산이 유일하게 검출되었다. 미생물군집의 상대적 풍부도는 ADD 처리구의 M40과 M50에서 Homo LAB (Enterococcus, Lactiplantibacillus, Lacticaseibacillus, Lactococcus, Pediococcus)의 비율이 가장 높았고, Clostridium은 M60에서 가장 높았다.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of storage type and period on the quality of rye hay. The rye “Gogu” was sown on October 15, 2020, and harvested on April 22, 2021 (heading stage). The rye hay was prepared in two wrapping conditions (wrapping and unwrapping) and two storage period (3 and 6 months). In regards to their visual appearance, the forage quality score was higher in wrapped rye hay than in unwrapped rye hay. In all groups, there was no difference in appearance between inside and outside. The moisture content of wrapped rye hay was maintained at the initial level until 6 months. However, the moisture content of unwrapped rye hay was increased at 3 months of storage, and then decreased at 6 months of storage. Crude protein content was higher in wrapped rye hay than in unwrapped rye hay, whereas NDF and ADF contents were lower within wrapped rye hay than within unwrapped rye hay (p<0.05). In conclusion, wrapping rye is effective method for long-term storage that reduces the effect of external environment.

This experiment was carried out to examine double cropping system using Italian ryegrass (IRG) 'Kowinearly', whole crop rice 'Yeongwoo' and barnyard millet 'Jeju native' during the Oct. 2020 to Oct. 2022. Three kinds of forage crops were cultivated at paddy field in Livestock Institute, Jeollanamdo Agricultural Research and Extension Services, Jeollanamdo, South Korea. Whole crop rice (WCR) was sown in late May and barnyard millet (BM) sown early June each year after harvesting IRG. We examined dry matter yield and feed value of forage crops depending on harvest time of forage crops during the experimental period. The plant height in heading stage of IRG ranged from 108 to 112cm and dry matter yield ranged from 6,783 to 11,530 kg ha-1. The crude protein (CP) of IRG ranged from 6.0 to 8.44%, acid detergent fiber (ADF) ranged from 55.6 to 60.2% and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) ranged from 32.58 to 36.7%, The dry matter yield of WCR increased as the harvest stage was delayed (14,310 kg ha-1 in milk, 16,167 kg ha-1 in yellow ripen, and 18,891 kg ha-1 in mature). Similar to results of dry matter yield of WCR, dry matter yield of BM increased as the harvest stage was delayed (11,194 kg ha-1 in late heading. and 14,308 kg ha-1 in mature), However nutrient content of WCR and BM showed a decreasing trend. As shown in above results, the productivity of WCR after harvesting IRG was shown to be high at paddy field in the southern region. However, BM also was appeared to have potential as summer forage crops.

This experiment was carried out to determine effects of seed rate of native grasses, called native summer forage crops (NSFC), on their growth characteristics and yields in no-tillage paddy fields in central provinces. NSFC cultivation was performed according to the agricultural guidelines of the Rural Development Administration (RDA) during 2020 to 2022. Echinochloa crusgalli ‘Jeju native’, Setaria viridis ‘Korean native type’, Digitaria sanguinalis ‘Korean native type’) were sown by various seed rate in the experimental field (3m × 4m plot) of Department of Animal Resources Development, Seonghwan–eup, Cheonan, Korea in late-May or early-June for 3 years and harvested in middle-September. Dry matter yields (DMY) in Echinochloa crusgalli and Setaria viridis increased as increasing seed rate. DMY in 40 kg ha-1 of Echinochloa crusgalli was the highest and DMY in 60 kg ha-1 of Setaria viridis was the highest. However, All treatments of Digitaria sanguinalis showed similar DMY. Yields of NSFC were the order of Echinochloa crusgalli (9,681~11,092 kg ha-1) > Digitaria sanguinalis (8,311~9,023 kg ha-1) >etaria viridis (3,145~4,749 kg ha-1). The contents of crude protein in NSFC were the order of Digitaria sanguinalis > Echinochloa crusgalli > Setaria viridis. The contents of ADF and NDF in NSFC were the order of Echinochloa crusgalli > Digitaria sanguinalis > Setaria viridis. As shown in above results, we suggest that introduction of NSFC is one of the most important skills in order to stably increase yields of forage crops for utilization of the double cropping system in no-tillage paddy fields.

This study was evaluated to compare annual productivity and feed value of Italian ryegrass and summer forage crops at paddy field in middle region of Korea. Italian ryegrass (Kowinearly) was used as winter forage crop, and forage rice (Youngwoo) and barnyard millet (Jeju) were used as summer forage crops. Each crop was cultivated using the standard forage cultivation method. The plant height, dry matter yield, crude protein content, and total digestible nutrient content of Italian ryegrass were 90.6 cm, 7,681 kg/ha, 9.2%, and 63.8%, respectively, and it was no significant difference by summer forage crops (p>0.05). The plant height of summer forage crops was the higher in barnyard millet than in forage rice (p<0.05). The dry matter, crude protein, and total digestible nutrient yields of summer forage crops were the higher in forage rice than in barnyard millet (p<0.05). Also, the feed value of summer forage crops was higher in forage rice than in barnyard millet. In conclusion, the combination of Italian ryegrass-forage rice was the most effective cropping system for annual forage production with high-yield and high-feed value, and it was considered the combination of Italian ryegrass-barnyard millet was good cropping system for annual forage production through reducing labor and cultivating stable at paddy field in middle region of Korea.

This study was carried out to study the effect of supplementary nitrogen fertilization application time according to regrowth date on growth date on growth characteristics, feed value, and productivity of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.; IRG) from 2019 to 2021 in Cheonan region. In order to determine the regrowth time, IRG was cut from experimental plots 3cm above soil level and the time when 1cm grew was judged as the regrowth time. The regrowth dates were February 15th and February 12th in 2020 and 2021 respectively. The experimental design was a randomized block design with three replications. The treatments were no fertilizer, immediately after the regrowth period, after 10 days of the regrowth period, and after 25 days of the regrowth period. Dry matter yield of IRG was significantly influenced by the supplementary N-fertilization application time. Dry matter yield was reduced for the delayed application time. The dry matter yield of immediately after the regrowth period was approximately 34.8 % higher than that no fertilizer application. In delaying the supplementary N-fertilization application time resulted in increased crude protein content. However, no significant statistical difference was neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber(p>0.05). After wintering, productivity of IRG reduced for the delayed application time. Therefore, it is essential to application N-fertilizer immediately after the regrowth period for high productivity of IRG.

Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) is routinely used for the determination of nutrient components of forages. However, little is known about the impact of sample preparation and wavelength on the accuracy of the calibration to predict minerals. This study was conducted to assess the effect of sample preparation and wavelength of near infrared spectrum for the improvement of calibration and prediction accuracy of Calcium (Ca) and Phosphorus (P) in imported hay using NIRS. The samples were scanned in reflectance in a monochromator instrument (680–2,500 nm). Calibration models (n = 126) were developed using partial least squares regression (PLS) based on cross-validation. The optimum calibrations were selected based on the highest coefficients of determination in cross validation (R2) and the lowest standard error of cross-validation (SECV). The highest R2 and the lowest SECV were obtained using oven-dry grinded sample preparation and 1,100-2,500 nm wavelength. The calibration (R2) and SECV were 0.99 (SECV: 468.6) for Ca and 0.91 (SECV: 224.7) for P in mg/kg DM on a dry weight, respectively. Results of this experiment showed the possibility of NIRS method to predict mineral (Ca and P) concentration of imported hay in Korea for routine analysis method to evaluate the feed value.

The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of discrimination 12 different cultivar of sorghum × sudangrass hybrid (Sorghum genus) seed through near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). The amount of samples for develop to the best discriminant equation was 360. Whole samples were applied different three spectra range (visible, NIR and full range) within 680-2500 nm wavelength and the spectrastar 2500 Near near infrared was used to measure spectra. The calibration equation for discriminant analysis was developed partial least square (PLS) regression and discrimination equation (DE) analysis. The PLS discriminant analysis model for three spectra range developed with mathematic pretreatment 1,8,8,1 successfully discriminated 12 different sorghum genus. External validation indicated that all samples were discriminated correctly. The whole discriminant accuracy shown 82 ~ 100 % in NIR full range spectra. The results demonstrated the usefulness of NIRS combined with chemometrics as a rapid method for discrimination of sorghum × sudangrass hybrid cultivar through seed.

This study was conducted to evaluate feed value of imported hays and examine current situation of species and hay grade. To evaluate the quality of the imported hay, 133 pieces including 9 species of roughage types were collected at the national hay importers, the TMR companies and livestock farms from 2016 to 2018. The quality grades of imported hay were 3~4 and most imported hay were considered to had low. The ADF, Ash, TDN and DDM in feed composition of alfalfa by quality grades presented significant differences(p<0.05). The quality grade on alfalfa was not similar to the actual quality grades calculated through feed composition. The feed composition of grasses by quality degrees presented significant differences in all contents except DM and CP (p<0.05). As the distributed grasses of the unmarked quality grade was low quality and accounted for 49%, it is urgent to present quality standards based on feed composition. As these results, the grades of imported hays were lower than the marked quality grades. Therefore, the imported roughage’s(hay) price that considered to only quality grades on the marked imported roughages(hay) package can cause a loss to the livestock farms as economic damage. An institutional arrangement should be established to review the quality grades of imported hay.

In this study, whole crop rice samples were used to develop near-infrared reflectance (NIR) equations to estimate six forage quality parameters: Moisture, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), Ash and relative feed value (RFV). A population of 564 whole crop rice representing a wide range in chemical parameters was used in this study. Undried finely chopped whole crop rice samples were scanned at 1 nm intervals over the wavelength range 680–2500 nm and the optical data recorded as log 1/Reflectance (log 1/R). NIRS calibrations were developed by means of partial least-squares (PLS) regression. The correlation coefficients of cross-validation (R2 cv) and standard error of cross-validation (SECV) for whole crop rice calibration were 0.98 (SECV 1.81%) for moisture, 0.89 (SECV 0.50%) for CP, 0.86 (SECV 1.79%) for NDF, 0.89 (SECV 0.86%) for ash, and 0.84 (SECV 5.21%) for RFV on a dry matter (%), respectively. The NIRS calibration equations developed in this study will be useful in predicting whole crop rice quality for these six quality parameters.

Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) has become increasingly used as a rapid and accurate method of evaluating some chemical compositions in forages. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of NIRS, applied to imported forage, to estimate the moisture and chemical parameters for imported hays. A population of 392 imported hay representing a wide range in chemical parameters was used in this study. Samples of forage were scanned at 1 nm intervals over the wavelength range 680-2500nm and the optical data was recorded as log 1/Reflectance(log 1/R), which scanned in intact fresh condition. The spectral data were regressed against a range of chemical parameters using partial least squares(PLS) multivariate analysis in conjunction with spectral math treatments to reduced the effect of extraneous noise. The optimum calibrations were selected based on the highest coefficients of determination in cross validation(R2) and the lowest standard error of cross-validation(SECV). The results of this study showed that NIRS predicted the chemical parameters with very high degree of accuracy. The R2 and SECV for imported hay calibration were 0.92(SECV 0.61%) for moisture, 0.98(SECV 0.65%) for acid detergent fiber, 0.97(SECV 0.40%) for neutral detergent fiber, 0.99(SECV 0.06%) for crude protein and 0.97(SECV 3.04%) for relative feed value on a dry matter(%), respectively. Results of this experiment showed the possibility of NIRS method to predict the moisture and chemical composition of imported hay in Korea for routine analysis method to evaluate the feed value.

This study was carried out to explore the accuracy of near infrared spectroscopy(NIRS) for the prediction of moisture content and chemical parameters on winter annual forage crops. A population of 2454 winter annual forages representing a wide range in chemical parameters was used in this study. Samples of forage were scanned at 1nm intervals over the wavelength range 680-2500nm and the optical data was recorded as log 1/Reflectance(log 1/R), which scanned in intact fresh condition. The spectral data were regressed against a range of chemical parameters using partial least squares(PLS) multivariate analysis in conjunction with spectral math treatments to reduced the effect of extraneous noise. The optimum calibrations were selected based on the highest coefficients of determination in cross validation(R2) and the lowest standard error of cross-validation(SECV). The results of this study showed that NIRS calibration model to predict the moisture contents and chemical parameters had very high degree of accuracy except for barely. The R2 and SECV for integrated winter annual forages calibration were 0.99(SECV 1.59%) for moisture, 0.89(SECV 1.15%) for acid detergent fiber, 0.86(SECV 1.43%) for neutral detergent fiber, 0.93(SECV 0.61%) for crude protein, 0.90(SECV 0.45%) for crude ash, and 0.82(SECV 3.76%) for relative feed value on a dry matter(%), respectively. Results of this experiment showed the possibility of NIRS method to predict the moisture and chemical composition of winter annual forage for routine analysis method to evaluate the feed value.

A two-year study was conducted from 2017 to 2018 by the establishment of a test field at Chungju-si and Cheongyang-gun. Plant height, number of leaves, insects and diseases, and fresh and dry matter yields for corn hybrid(‘Kwangpyeongok’) were investigated. Daily average, maximum, and minimum temperature, monthly average temperature, daily precipitation, and sunshine duration during the growing season were investigated. We selected climate-critical factors to corn productivity and conducted an evaluation of vulnerability to climate change from 1999 to 2018 for both regions. In 2018, the dry matter yield of forage corn was 6,475 and 7,511 kg/ha in Chungju and Cheongyang, respectively, which was half of that in 2017. The high temperature and drought phenomenon in the 2018 summer caused the corn yield to be low. As well as temperature, precipitation is an important climatic factor in corn production. As a result of climate impact vulnerability assessment, the vulnerability has increased recently compared to the past. It is anticipated that if the high temperature phenomenon and drought caused by climate change continues, a damage in corn production will occur.