Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Excretion in Grazing Cows with High and Low Milk Urea Nitrogen Breeding Values

Martín Correa-Luna, Daniel Donaghy, Peter Kemp, Michael Schutz and Nicolás López-Villalobos
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Martín Correa-Luna: School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand
Daniel Donaghy: School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand
Peter Kemp: School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand
Michael Schutz: Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Nicolás López-Villalobos: School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 17, 1-12

Abstract: Milk urea nitrogen content is moderately heritable and is phenotypically related to urine nitrogen (UN). Based on this relationship, it has been suggested that genetic selection for lower milk urea nitrogen in grazing dairy cows could decrease UN concentration thereby reducing nitrogen excretions into the ground. The objective of this study was to compare the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and excretion in grazing cows with high and low milk urea nitrogen breeding values (MUNBV) in two farms of contrasting farming intensity. On the high-intensity farm (HIF) 68 and 70 cows with low and high MUNBV, respectively, were fed higher levels of supplementation and milked twice-daily, while on the low-intensity farm (LIF) 82 and 86 cows with low and high MUNBV, respectively, were fed lower levels of supplementation milked once-daily. Nitrogen use efficiency (g/g) was calculated as the ratio of daily milk N to daily N intake. Daily N intake (g/day) was derived from feed intake estimates based on energy requirements. The UN (g/day) was estimated by back-calculation from dietary N and subtracting milk N, faecal N, and N retained in body tissues. Irrespective of farm, cows with low MUNBV had significantly lower MY and milk urea nitrogen ( p < 0.001) but this was not linked to significantly less UN. In the LIF, cows with low MUNBV had lower NUE ( p < 0.001) than cows with high MUNBV, and this was explained by the reduced protein yield ( p < 0.001). Selecting cows for low MUNBV was not an effective tool to reduce N losses and to increase the NUE in two dairy farms of contrasting farming intensity.

Keywords: milk urea nitrogen; nitrogen use efficiency; nitrogen excreta; genetic selection; dairy cows (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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