During winter and early spring, pasture supply is usually lower than the demand in New Zealand dairy farming systems and thus the 'autumn saved pastures' (stockpiling) are introduced to fill the gap. This study aimed to investigate the chemical, physical, and degradation characteristics of ryegrass pastures, the predominant forage in New Zealand, grown in autumn and winter. To serve as 'autumn saved pasture', nine ryegrass cultivars, comprising three types (three perennial, three hybrid, and three Italian), were grown in late autumn (Autumn) and early winter (Winter) and harvested after 7 and 9 weeks of regrowth, respectively. The experiment had two experimental factors: ryegrass type (or cultivar) and harvest season. These experimental factors were in a randomised block design with the forage plot as the experimental unit. The degradation characteristics were assessed in the rumen of fistulated cows using the in situ incubation technique. Perennial ryegrass had a greater neutral detergent fibre (NDF) concentration (468 g/kg dry matter (DM)) than the hybrid (435 g/kg DM) or Italian (414 g/kg DM) ryegrasses. Italian ryegrasses had the greatest soluble fraction of DM (64.2% vs. 46.7% and 40.7%) and the greatest degradation rate of an insoluble but degradable fraction of DM (0.221 vs. 0.189 and 0.145/h) than the hybrid and perennial ryegrasses. Compared with the Winter ryegrass, the Autumn ryegrass had a greater crude protein concentration (246 vs. 208 g/kg DM) and a greater NDF concentration (486 vs. 392 g/kg DM) but a lower calculated soluble carbohydrate concentration (152 vs. 263 g/kg DM). It is concluded that there are notable variations among the cultivars, highlighting distinctions in parameters, such as NDF concentration, soluble fractions, degradation rates, and nutrient content among the perennial, hybrid, and Italian ryegrasses, as well as the seasonal variations observed between autumn and winter growth. These findings will not only facilitate enhanced nutrition for dairy cows as they undergo the transition phase but also have practical implications for future research and dairy cow nutrition.
Keywords: autumn-saved pasture; composition; in situ degradation; ryegrass cultivars.