ChileanJAR

At the Remehue Exp. Sta. (INIA, Osorno), during two seasons, silages of red clover (TR) and of a permanent pasture (PP), were offered as main forage to autumn calving dairy cows. Forages were harvested at early flowering (TR) and at emerged inflorescense of grasses (PP), with a conventional machin'ery for direct cutting, without aditives. Eighteen and 16 adult cows were used during the first (1at) and the second (2at) season, respectively. Cows were housed groupally in 1at and individually in 2at. Silages and water were given ad lib, plus 4 and 5 kg concentrate/cow, in 1at and 2at respectiveIy; plus minerals salt in both seasons, and 1 kg hay of a mixed pasture in 2at. In the first and second seasons, and for TR versus PP, respectively: dry matter (D.M.) availability at cutting (ton/ha) were 5.4 vs. 3.4 and 9.8 vs. 6.3; silage D.M. content were 17.3 vs. 14.5 and 17.3 vs 15.6% (P < 0.01); total protein (D.M. basis) were 14.5 vs. 13.8 (P > 0.05) and 17.9 vs. 13.8% (P < 0.01); silage D.M. intake (kg/cow/day) were 8.8 vs. 7.8 (P < 0.05) and 8.6 vs. 7.0 (P < 0.01); total D.M. intake/day was also higher for TR vs. PP, in both seasons. Milk yield (kg/cow/day) were 12.6 vs. 13.0 and 17.5 vs. 17.1 (P > 0.05).lnthesecond season, in vitro digestibility were 55.9 vs. 59.2% (P < 0.05), but fermentation parameters were better for TR than PP. It was concluded that a red clover pasture can be ensiled and, when given to milking cows, be consumed in a higher quantity than a permanent pasture silage, although it did not produce a higher milk yield.