In the Nemuro-Kushiro (Konsen) region, fodder plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) ‘PG733’ was cultivated for two years, and its growth characteristics were evaluated by festulolium (×Festulolium spp.) ‘North fest’. Compared to festulolium, plantain tended to be slightly inferior with regard to winter survival, which was possibly due to its susceptibility to snow scald (Sclerotinia borealis). Although the value for the fresh yield was higher than that of festulolium, the total dry matter yield (71.8 kg/a) for 2 years was about the same as that of festulolium (71.3 kg/a) due to the low dry matter rate. When compared to festulolium, the feed composition was lower in NDF content and higher in NFC content, suggesting higher digestibility. For actual use, there is a possibility that it can be used under climatic conditions or cultivation conditions where festulolium can be cultivated. Also, mixed sowing used for grazing can be considered.

We observed twenty-four lactating cows in three-years from 2019 to 2021 to investigate the effects of total digestible nutrient (TDN) sufficiency levels on grazing behavior of lactating cows. Eight lactating cows were grazed for four weeks each year. Four cows each were allocated to the control (C) group with 110% and the lower (L) group with 80% TDN sufficiency, depending on the amount of supplementary feed provided. A global navigation satellite system (GNSS) logger and accelerometer were attached to each cow’s collar, and the activities were categorized as follows: eating, moving and others, based on the recorded location and activity. This study found that total eating time (min/day), grazing bout duration (min) and continuous eating duration in grazing bout (min) were all longer in the L group than in the C group. In addition, the L group moved longer distances per grazing bout (m/time) and per continuous eating in grazing bout (m/time) compared to the C group. Although there are differences depending on the time of day, we clarify that energy deficiency affects the grazing behavior of dairy cows on a time scale of tens of seconds such as continuous eating duration in grazing bout.

We investigated the effect of potassium silicate application on soil exchangeable and non-exchangeable potassium supply capacity and how the application contributes to the suppression of radioactive cesium absorption by plants in decontaminated grasslands during simple renovation. The application of potassium silicate increased the non-exchangeable potassium content in soils, and the effect continued until early spring in the second year after the renovation. Potassium silicate application resulted in soil potassium retention and might contribute to the sustainability of potassium supply ability from soils. Issues remain regarding the relationship with radioactive cesium and potassium silicate.

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