ABSTRACT
Grazing vs. soiling of red dover for milk production

Walter Bonilla E.1, Germán Klee G.1, Ignacio Ruiz N.2
 

The experiment was carried out at the Human Experimental Farm, Los Angeles, Chile. The red dover pasture (Trifolium pratense) was seeded in September 1976 and was used with lactating cows during three consecutive seasons. Two plots of 2.5 ha were asigned to each one of the following treatments: I. Soiling, harvested 2 times/day with a chopper; and II. Daily strip grazing. Friesian cows were used and, in bth treatments, a variable stocking rate was maintained, depending on forage availability. Daily milk production per cow (4% FCM) was higher forthestrip grazing treatment, but this difference was significant only during the third season (P = 0.05). No significant differences (P = 0.05) were found forstockingrate,daily gain/cowand milk output (4% FCM/ha),though thetwo last variables, in averagefor the three seasons, were greater for strip grazing, by 23 and 6%, respectively. Consequently, under the condition of the experiment, soiling showed no advantages over daily strip grazing.

Keywords:
1 Estación Experimental Quilamapu (INIA), Casilla 426, Chillán, Chile.
2 Estación Experimental Quilamapu. Actualmente: Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Casilla 5427, Santiago, Chile.