Summary
This 1987 study by van Vuuren and Meijs investigated the effects of pasture botanical composition and supplementary feeding regimens on the nitrogen excretion routes (dung versus urine) in grazing dairy cows. The work is likely motivated by environmental concerns regarding nitrogen losses from pastoral systems, particularly via nitrate leaching from urine patches. The findings would inform pasture and feeding management strategies to modify excretion patterns and potentially reduce environmental nitrogen losses on dairy farms.
Regional applicability
The study was conducted in the Netherlands, a country with intensive dairy grazing systems and stringent water quality regulations similar to those in the United Kingdom. The findings on herbage-diet effects on nitrogen partitioning would be applicable to UK dairy grazing systems, especially those managing nitrogen pollution risk in sensitive groundwater or surface water catchments.
Key measures
Nitrogen excretion in dung and urine; herbage composition; supplement type and intake
Outcomes reported
The study examined how herbage botanical composition and supplementary feed type affect the partitioning of nitrogen excretion between dung and urine in grazing dairy cows. This likely measured nitrogen concentration and total excretion via these two pathways under different dietary treatments.
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