The climate and environmental footprint associated with milk production must be reduced. One way to address this challenge is by increasing the share of perennial grassland crops in the crop rotation, thereby reducing nitrogen leaching and GHG emissions while simultaneously improving biodiversity. However, increasing the share of grassland crops in the feed ration in practice demands a significant improvement in feed value. Breeding grass and clover cultivars with high fiber digestibility increases feed value but requires knowledge of the effect of plant fibre properties on in vivo digestibility, milk production and, in particular, methane emission.
The aim of FIBERMILK is to develop valid laboratory analyses that, through genomic selection, streamline the breeding of cultivars with optimal fibre properties and thereby the lowest environmental and climate footprint. This is achieved by:
(1) identifying cultivars with high fibre digestibility,
(2) linking knowledge about the fibre properties of these cultivars to responses in in-vivo digestibility, milk production and methane emission
(3) using this knowledge to develop new cultivars and seed mixtures.
In 2024, plots and fields of grassland crops with differences in fibre properties that determine feed value will be established.
The plots will be harvested over the subsequent two years to explore seasonal and annual variation. Collected samples will be analysed for in vitro methane production and chemical composition.
From the fields, grassland crops will be harvested and stored for inclusion in a production trial and digestibility trial using multi-fistulated cows. The production trial examines the effect of fibre properties on feed intake, milk production and methane emission. The fistulated cow trial investigates differences in degradation and passage of fibres in the digestive tract, which have a decisive impact on cows’ feed intake, milk production and methane emission.
Collected samples from plots, fields and feeding trials will be further examined for easily accessible markers. The markers are to be used to identify traits of cell‐wall structures or components that are associated with high digestibility and production value, and the markers will be applied in the breeding programme of new cultivars of grassland crops.
The overall effect of increased fibre digestibility of the grassland crops will be valued for DLF Seeds, ARLA, the dairy farmers and for national accounting. The effect of increased fibre digestibility will be calculated for feed utilisation, climate and environment under different scenarios. In the scenarios the production economics will be calculated and thereby the economic potential of the various cultivars and breeding strategies will be highlighted.
The grassland crops are grown at different locations in Denmark, while the feeding trials are carried out at the Danish Cattle Research Centre (DKC) at AU Viborg – Research Centre Foulum.
FIBERMILK will determine the effect of cultivars with differences in laboratory-determined fibre digestibility on the utilisation of grassland crops (in relation to milk production, methane emission and in vivo digestibility). This will generate knowledge of fibre properties that determine the feed value of grassland crops, which can in turn be linked to valid laboratory analyses. The development of these laboratory analyses will streamline the selection of cultivars of grassland crops that have a minimal climate and environmental footprint.
The project’s results will be communicated continuously and at the conclusion of the project to farmers, advisers, researchers and other stakeholders. The results, which will be disseminated through conference presentations, newsletters, meetings, social media, field visits etc., will be freely available to all interested parties via the link below.
The project is supported by the Green Development and Demonstration Programme (GUDP) under the Ministry of Food , Agriculture and Fisheries.
