New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts

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Effects of endophyte infection of perennial ryegrass on somatic cell counts, mammary inflammation, and milk protein composition in grazing dairy cattle

M. J. AULDIST
E. R. THOM

Dairying Research Corporation
Private Bag 3123
Hamilton, New Zealand

Abstract  Concentrations of selected milk and blood components were determined for dairy cows grazing perennial ryegrass pasture with either high or low levels of endophyte (Neotyphodium lolii) infection during the summers of 1998 and 1999. Cows (Jerseys in 1998 and Friesians in 1999) grazing high endophyte pasture did not exhibit any increase in somatic cell count in either study, as measured in the bulk milk of cows and in milk from individual udder quarters. Measurements of Na, K, serum albumin, and IgG1 in milk, together with concentrations of lactose in blood plasma, provided no evidence that high endophyte pasture was associated with mammary inflammation. The level of endophyte infection in pasture did not alter milk concentrations of [[alpha]]-lactalbumin and [[beta]]-lactoglobulin. Similarly, no effect of endophyte on plasma prolactin concentrations was observed.

Keywords  somatic cell count; ryegrass endophyte; Lolium perenne; milk protein; grazing cows

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2000, Vol 43: 345-349

0028-8233/00/4303-0345 $7.00/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand 2000

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (412K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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