Project Number: 3655-31000-018-04
Project Type: Trust

Start Date: Dec 01, 2001
End Date: Nov 30, 2004

Objective:
1) To identify, evaluate, and modify quantitative relationships between crop growing conditions (e.g., weather and soil) & nutritive value (e.g., digestibility, energy value, and digestion kinetics); and 2) To evaluate and improve chemical, physical, or biological methods of feed evaluation for predicting animal performance. The objectives of this amendment are: 1) add new sites and corn hybrids to the database to expand the range in weather variables; and 2) do more indepth statistical analyses of the relationships between weather and corn silage nutritional quality using principle component analysis.

Approach:
Corn forage quality information will be obtained from Pioneer for a minimum of 5 hybrids grown at sites in WI, MI, NY, PA, CO, CA, and OR. Information from 1997-2001 will provide a diversity of crop growing weather conditions. Weather information for each site will include minimum, maximum, and average temperature, average solar radiation, total precipitation, & other significant variables that may be indentified. Variables such as growing degree days, evapo-transpiration, and soil water balance will be calculated. Soil information will include soil type & calculated soil moisture balance. This information will be combined with agronomic & nutritive quality. Data from years 1999-2000 will be used to develop relationships using SAS or similar statistical software to develop univariate & multivariate relationships. Data from 2001-2002, and possibly 1997-1998, will be used to evaluate these relationships. Samples of materials obtained in 2000-2002 will be analyzed to identify additional laboratory methods & measurements that are related to crop growing conditions.

Project Team

Mertens, David

Project Annual Reports

FY 2003   FY 2002

Related National Programs

Food Animal Production (101)