Seven commercially available corn hybrids representing a range within and among kernel traits were used in a finishing trial to evaluate effects of corn kernel traits on feedlot animal performance. Average daily gain, DMI, and hot carcass weight were similar among all corn hybrids. A significant difference in feed conversion of 8.4% from lowest to highest among hybrids was observed. Kernel traits correlated with feed conversion were 1,000 grain weight, stenvert time to grind, and stenvert proportion of soft to coarse particles. Efficiency of finishing cattle gain can be significantly improved by selection of corn hybrids with more desirable kernel traits

Erickson, Galen E.

Fithian, Wayne A.

Jackson, David S

Jaeger, Stephanie L.

Klopfenstein, Terry J.

Macken, Casey N.

English

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports Animal Science Department 1-1-2004 The Influence of Corn Kernel Traits on Feedlot Cattle Performance Stephanie L. Jaeger University of Nebraska-Lincoln Casey N. Macken University of Nebraska-Lincoln Galen E. Erickson University of Nebraska-Lincoln, gerickson4@unl.edu Terry J. Klopfenstein University of Nebraska-Lincoln, tklopfenstein1@unl.edu Wayne A. Fithian JC Robinson Seed Co., Waterloo, NE See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr  Part of the Animal Sciences Commons Jaeger, Stephanie L.; Macken, Casey N.; Erickson, Galen E.; Klopfenstein, Terry J.; Fithian, Wayne A.; and Jackson, David S., "The Influence of Corn Kernel Traits on Feedlot Cattle Performance" (2004). Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports. 197. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/197 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Animal Science Department at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Authors Stephanie L. Jaeger, Casey N. Macken, Galen E. Erickson, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Wayne A. Fithian, and David S. Jackson This article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/197 2004 Nebraska Beef Report — Page 54The Influence of Corn Kernel Traitson Feedlot Cattle Performancethem useful as a tool for predictingfeed efficiency differences amonghybrids. Some additional kerneltraits include total starch content,vitreousness, ratio of amylose toamylopectin, 1,000 kernel weightand kernel hardness. Ruminaldigestibility can be predicted byvitreousness (r2=.89) of the kernel(Philippeau et al., 1999 JAS). Inaddition, Philippeau also foundthat ruminal starch degradabilitycould be more easily and just asaccurately predicted by combiningapparent density and 1,000 grainweight (r2=.91) compared to vitre-ousness. However, this secondstudy did not examine animal per-formance. The objective of thisresearch was to examine seven dif-ferent commercially available cornhybrids varying in chemical andphysical properties and determinethe impact of these traits on finish-ing cattle performance.ProcedureCorn Grain Production, Hybrids,Harvest, and StorageSeven different commerciallyavailable dent corn hybrids repre-senting a wide range in physicaland chemical kernel traits wereplanted and grown under centerpivot irrigation in two similar fieldsat the Agricultural Research andDevelopment Center during the2002 growing season. The sevendifferent hybrids consisted ofGolden Harvest H-9164Bt (1),H-9235Bt/RR (2), H-9230Bt (3),Pioneer 33B51 (4), and 33P67 (5),and Golden Harvest H-8562 (6),and H-9533Bt (7). Each hybrid wasrepresented equally in the twofields. The grain was harvestedbetween 14 and 18% moisture (vari-ance was across, not withinhybrids) within a two-day periodand stored in separate grain binsand dried in preparation for thefeeding trial. Whole corn was trans-ported to the feed mill facility asneeded, dry-rolled and placed inseparate commodity bays until fed.At harvest, two raw grain sampleswere taken of each hybrid fromeach field and stored separately forlaboratory analysis. Samples wereplaced in nylon mesh bags in thesame room for 2 months to allow formoisture to equilibrate between thedifferent hybrids, prior to analysis.Grain AnalysesTests were conducted to detectdifferences in kernel traits amonghybrids. Kernel traits analyzedincluded percentage starch, DM, CPand amylose. Test weight, weight of1,000 kernels, kernel size, in-vitrostarch disappearance (IVSD), in-siturate and extent of disappearance,and three different hardness testswere also conducted. Samples wereanalyzed by replicate within field(n=4) for each hybrid based onsamples that were taken at harvest.The in-situ procedure used a simu-lated masticate grind designed tohave a particle size similar to masti-cated dry rolled corn. This grindwas produced using a Wiley millwith a 1/4 inch screen. Time pointsfor the in-situ procedure were 0, 8,16, 24, and 72 hours. The IVSD pro-cedure was a 12-hour digestionwhich utilized two different sizedgrinds, a fine grind (2mm) and themasticate grind as discussed for thein-situ procedure. The hardnesstests conducted were floating index,stenvert hardness test and the tan-gential abrasive dehulling device(TADD).Stephanie L. JaegerCasey N. MackenGalen E. EricksonTerry J. KlopfensteinWayne A. FithianDavid S. Jackson1SummarySeven commercially available cornhybrids representing a range withinand among kernel traits were used in afinishing trial to evaluate effects ofcorn kernel traits on feedlot animalperformance. Average daily gain,DMI, and hot carcass weight weresimilar among all corn hybrids. A sig-nificant difference in feed conversionof 8.4% from lowest to highest amonghybrids was observed. Kernel traitscorrelated with feed conversion were1,000 grain weight, stenvert time togrind, and stenvert proportion of softto coarse particles. Efficiency of finish-ing cattle gain can be significantlyimproved by selection of corn hybridswith more desirable kernel traits.IntroductionMuch work has been done toexamine effects of corn processingon digestibility and feedlot animalperformance. However, studiesexamining the influence of chemi-cal and physical properties of cornon performance are small in num-ber. If performance differences relat-ing to physical and/or chemicalproperties can be identified, theywould be useful for discriminatingamong grain sources when pur-chasing feed. Physical (i.e. testweight, kernel size) and chemicalproperties (i.e. percentage protein,oil, and starch) are generally veryconsistent within a corn hybrid yetvariable over corn hybrids, makingPage 55 — 2004 Nebraska Beef Reportcarcass data were collected. Hotcarcass weight and liver abscessscores were taken on the day ofslaughter. Following a 24-hourchill, 12th rib fat thickness, USDAcalled marbling score, and yieldgrade data were collected.ResultsCorn Grain Production and AnalysesThe average yield for each of thetest hybrids 1 through 7 were 229,208, 221, 209, 222, 203 and 207(15.5% corrected moisture) bushelsper acre, respectively. However,growing production was notdesigned to test for yield differ-Table 1. Differences in kernel crude protein and amylose among hybrids within a field.P-valuesbHybrida 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 SEM Corn*Field Corn FieldCrude Protein, % 0.06 0.05 <0.01 0.10Field 1 8.04c 8.88e 8.19c 8.48d 8.97ef 9.12f 8.52dField 2 8.07c 8.83e 8.24c 8.56d 8.96e 8.94e 8.19cAmylose,% 1.3 0.04 <0.01 0.04Field 1 25.6c 23.1c 24.6c 30.5e 29.9e 29.1de 26.0cdField 2 27.2de 25.7cde 24.0c 25.3cd 28.6e 25.2cd 22.7caHybrids consisted of Golden Harvest H-9164-Bt (1), H-9235Bt/RR (2), H-9230-Bt (3), Pioneer 33B51 (4), and 33P67 (5), and GoldenHarvest H-8562 (6), and H-9533Bt (7).bF-test statistic for the effect of hybrid.c,d,e,fMeans within a row with unlike superscripts differ (P<0.05).Table 2. Differences in kernel characteristics among hybrids.P-valuesbHybrida 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 SEM CornStarch,% 80.2k 77.7klm 78.8kl 79.2kl 76.8lm 74.8m 69.6n 1.2 <0.011,000 grain wt., g 324.1n 322.5n 323.3n 317.2o 332.4m 354.5k 348.5l 1.3 <0.01Test weight, lb/bu 60.2o 62.1l 62.1l 62.5l 63.7k 60.8n 61.6m 0.2 <0.01Fine IVSD c 72.3 72.2 73.3 72.7 70.7 72.8 74.6 0.9 0.15Masticate IVSD c 58.5 57.8 56.0 53.3 54.4 57.0 61.2 2.5 0.37In-situ rate, %/hrd 3.63kl 3.74kl 3.16k 4.15l 3.17k 3.63kl 3.24k 0.2 0.02% Floaters e 96.7k 82.5l 70.7m 70.5m 12.7p 49.0n 35.3o 2.2 <0.01Tadd, % removed f 80.3k 71.9mn 74.5lm 82.7k 70.5n 75.8l 73.2lmn 1.0 <0.01Stenvert, % hard (g)g 26.9kl 27.6k 28.5k 22.6m 26.1kl 20.9m 23.9lm 1.0 <0.01Stenvert, RPM h 294.5kl 292.1n 293.3klm 294.5k 292.6mn 293.3mn 293.3lmn 0.4 <0.01Stenvert time, s i 7.59no 7.82mn 9.68k 8.07m 8.68l 7.31o 7.90mn 0.1 <0.01Stenvert, % soft ht.j 71.6k 67.4l 64.0m 67.9l 63.0m 72.6k 71.0k 0.8 <0.01aHybrids consisted of Golden Harvest H-9164-Bt (1), H-9235Bt/RR (2), H-9230-Bt (3), Pioneer 33B51 (4), and 33P67 (5), and GoldenHarvest H-8562 (6), and H-9533Bt (7).b F-test statistic for the effect of hybrid.cPercent starch disappearance.dRate of DM disappearance.eMeasured as % kernels floating in a solution of 31.3  Baume’ sodium nitrate solution which responds to a specific gravity of 1.275.fMeasured as percentage of original sample weight removed following abrasion by the TADD.gMeasured as weight of 425 micrometer overs divided by total sample weight.hReduction in hammermill speed from 360 RPM.iMeasured time to grind 17 ml of sample.jMeasured as height in cm and calculated as a percentage of total height.k,l,m,n,o,pMeans within a row with unlike superscripts differ (P<0.05).Feedlot ExperimentTwo hundred twenty-four cross-bred steer calves (609 lb) werestratified by weight and assignedrandomly to 1 of 28 pens (8 steers/pen). Pens were assigned randomlyto 1 of 7 hybrids. Diets were formu-lated to meet or exceed NRC (1996)recommendations. All diets amongthe seven treatment groups wereidentical except for the hybrid fedas dry-rolled corn. Cattle wereadapted to grain by feeding 35, 25,15, and 5% alfalfa hay (DM basis)replacing corn in each treatmentdiet and fed for 3, 4, 7 and 7 days;respectively. The final diet con-sisted of 66.0% dry-rolled corn,20.0% wet corn gluten feed, 10.0%corn silage and 4.0% supplement(DM basis). Rumensin® and Tylan®were included at 29 and 10 g/ton ofdiet DM, respectively.Initial weights were determinedusing an average of two consecu-tive morning weights taken beforefeeding at the beginning of the trial,following a 5-day limit-feedingperiod. During the experiment,cattle were fed once daily andallowed ad libitum access to feedand water. Steers were implantedwith Synovex-S on day 1 and reim-planted with Revalor-S on day 71.Cattle were fed for 167 days andharvested at a commercial packingplant (IBP, West Point, Neb.) where2004 Nebraska Beef Report — Page 56ences. As expected, a wide range ofvalues for the analyses existed. Theaverage values across all hybridsfor percentage CP, and amylosewere 8.6%, and 26.2% respectively.There was a hybrid by field inter-action for CP, and percentageamylose (Table 1). In-vitro starchdisappearance was not differentamong hybrids which averaged72.7% disappearance for the finegrind and 56.9% for the masticategrind. There were significant differ-ences among hybrids for all othertraits measured (Table 2). The per-cent floaters ranged from 12.7 to96.7%, with hybrid 5 as the softestand hybrid 1 the hardest. However,results from the Tadd loss indicatehybrid 4 as the softest (82.7% loss),while hybrid 5 is the hardest (70.5%loss). Additionally, the measure-ments from the stenvert hardnesstest conflict with the floating andTadd test. The stenvert hardnesstest measurements for % hard,grinding time, and % soft height allindicate that hybrid 6 is the softest.Table 3. Differences in In-situ percentage DMD at various time points among hybrids.P-valuesbHybrida 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 SEMTime 0 9.95c 7.90de 5.81f 9.16cd 6.55ef 9.76c 6.85ef 0.50 <0.018 38.2c 34.2cd 31.8d 36.0cd 33.5d 36.0cd 32.0d 1.60 0.0616 50.3cd 47.4de 45.8e 50.4cd 47.1de 53.1c 47.5de 1.38 <0.0124 63.7c 60.4cde 56.9de 59.0cde 55.3e 61.9cd 61.9cd 2.04 0.0672 91.9cde 94.8c 90.0de 94.9c 89.6de 93.1cd 89.1e 1.40 0.01aHybrids consisted of Golden Harvest H-9164-Bt (1), H-9235Bt/RR (2), H-9230-Bt (3),Pioneer 33B51 (4), and 33P67 (5), and Golden Harvest H-8562 (6), and H-9533Bt (7).b F-test statistic for the effect of hybrid.c,d,e,fMeans within a row with unlike superscripts differ (P<0.05).Table 4. Effects of corn hybrid on steer performance and carcass characteristics.P-valuesbHybrida 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 SEMDMI, lb/day 21.8 22.0 22.5 21.9 21.3 21.5 21.2 0.4 0.23ADG, lb 3.90 3.83 3.81 3.80 3.72 3.97 3.79 0.07 0.37Feed:gainc 5.63fg 5.77ef 5.95e 5.84ef 5.77ef 5.45g 5.62fg 0.08 <0.01Hot carcassweight, lb 794 788 785 784 775 802 783 8 0.33Marbling scored 575 552 525 563 546 543 516 14 0.1012th rib fat, in. 0.56 0.58 0.49 0.56 0.49 0.53 0.51 0.03 0.20aHybrids consisted of Golden Harvest H-9164-Bt (1), H-9235Bt/RR (2), H-9230-Bt (3),Pioneer 33B51 (4), and 33P67 (5), and Golden Harvest H-8562 (6), and H-9533Bt (7).bF-test statistic for the effect of hybrid.cStatistically analyzed as gain:feed, which is the reciprocal of feed:gain.d450 = Slight50, 500 = Small0, 550 = Small50, etc.e,f,gMeans within a row with unlike superscripts differ (P<0.05).Figure 1. Twenty-four hour In-Situ dry matter disappearance by hybrid.70.060.050.040.030.020.010.00.0hybrid 1hybrid 2hybrid 3hybrid 4hybrid 5hybrid 6hybrid 7  0   5   10    15   20    25 30Time (hours)% DMDPage 57 — 2004 Nebraska Beef ReportPercentage starch averaged 76.7%,while test weight and 1,000 grainweight averaged 61.9 lb/bu and331.8 g across all hybrids after theair drying process. There was asignificant difference in disappear-ance rates from the in-situ proce-dure (P=0.02). The hybrid that hadthe slowest disappearance rate washybrid 5 (3.17%/hour) while thehybrid with the fastest rate wasnumber 4 with a rate of 4.15%/hour. The improvement in overalldisappearance rate of hybrid 4 overhybrid 5 was 31.3%. This differencemay be due to differences in extentof digestion, because a greaterextent of digestion generally resultsin an increased rate of digestion.The extent of digestion was calcu-lated using the 72-hour time point.Additionally, differences in per-centage DMD among hybrids ateach of the individual time pointswere observed. When examiningthe DMD from the in-situ, there is nosingle hybrid that separates itselffrom the rest at all of the 5 differenttimepoints (Table 3). However, theDMD at the 16-hour time point maybe the best indicator of actual DMDin a commercial feedlot setting,since this is the most realistic reten-tion time when compared with theother time points from the in-situprocedure. A diagram depicting thepercentage DMD over 24 hours byhybrid is shown in Figure 1.Feedlot ExperimentAnimal performance and carcassdata are shown in Table 4. Theaverage across all hybrids for DMIand ADG were 21.7 and 3.8 lb/dayrespectively, and were similaracross all hybrids. There was a sig-nificant difference in feed conver-sion (P<0.01) among hybrids. Cattlefed hybrid 6 had the lowest feedconversion while hybrid 3 had thehighest among the seven hybrids.The improvement in feed conver-sion of hybrid 6 over hybrid 3 was8.4%. Carcass characteristics didnot differ among hybrids.There was no relationshipbetween feed conversion and in situDMD, which conflicts with previ-ous research (Ladely et al., 1994JAS). However, there was a highlycorrelated relationship of F/G with1,000 grain weight (r = -0.81). As1,000 grain weight increases, theratio of F/G declines. Interestingly,hybrid 6 produced the lowest F/Gand had the highest 1,000 grainweight. However, the increased1,000 grain weight does not appearto be related to increased density(weight/volume) because hybrid 6was also one of the lower testweight hybrids. Perhaps kernelsfrom this hybrid are larger andsofter resulting in greater 1,000grain weight without increased testweight.A similar relationship is evidentbetween the ratio of stenvert soft tocoarse particle height and feed con-version (r = -0.83). As the propor-tion of soft particles increase, F/Gdecreases. Stenvert grinding timeand feed conversion were related;as time to grind the corn increases,feed conversion increases (r = 0.83).The stenvert time to grind is relatedto kernel hardness, with a longergrinding time being indicative ofharder kernels. Additionally, theratio of soft to coarse particles is anindicator of hardness, with thehigher proportion of coarse par-ticles representing a harder kernel.The relationships from this studybetween cattle performance andkernel traits imply that cattle fedhybrids with higher proportions ofsoft endosperm and higher 1,000grain weight gain more efficientlythan cattle receiving corn hybridswith a harder endosperm or a lowthousand grain weight in a dryrolled corn based diet.1Stephanie L. Jaeger, graduatestudent; Casey N. Macken, researchtechnician; Galen E. Erickson, assistantprofessor; Terry J. Klopfenstein, professor;Animal Science, Lincoln; Wayne A.Fithian, agronomy systems manager, JCRobinson Seed Co., Waterloo, NE; DavidS. Jackson, professor, Dept. of FoodScience and Technology, Lincoln.

The Influence of Corn Kernel Traits on Feedlot Cattle Performance

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The Influence of Corn Kernel Traits on Feedlot Cattle Performance

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