The voluntary intake and digestibility of diets containing different proportions of legume and mature Pangola grass (Digitaria decumbens)

1967 ◽  
Vol 7 (29) ◽  
pp. 546 ◽  
Author(s):  
DJ Minson ◽  
R Milford
Keyword(s):  
White Clover ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Protein Deficiency ◽  
Direct Proportion ◽  
Dry Matter Digestibility ◽  
Digitaria Decumbens ◽  
Direct Replacement ◽  
Voluntary Intake

Three experiments were conducted with sheep fed ad lib. Digitaria decumbens Stent. (Pangola grass) containing 4.4 per cent crude protein (C.P.) (experiment I), and 3.7 per cent C.P. (experiments 2, 3) and supplemented with 0, 100, 200, 400 g/day lucerne (experiments 1 and 2) and white clover (experiment 3). Both legumes were also fed ad lib. with no grass. 546 The voluntary intake of the grass in experiment 1 decreased at all levels of legume feeding. In experiment 2 the voluntary intake of the grass was increased from 607 to 844 when 200 g of legume was fed, and in experiment 3 from 653 to 843 when 100 g of legume was fed, When the voluntary intake of the grass was not limited by a crude protein deficiency, the legume had a direct replacement effect causing a depression in the voluntary intake of the Pangola grass. The dry matter digestibility increased in direct proportion to the legume percentage of the ration.

Effect of fertilizer nitrogen on digestibility and voluntary intake of Chloris gayana, Digitaria decumbens and Pennisetum clandestinum

1973 ◽  
Vol 13 (61) ◽  
pp. 153 ◽  
Author(s):  
DJ Minson
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
Nitrogen Deficiency ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Pennisetum Clandestinum ◽  
Dry Matter Digestibility ◽  
Digitaria Decumbens ◽  
Feeding Value ◽  
Chloris Gayana ◽  
Voluntary Intake ◽  
High Level

On five occasions during the growing season Chloris gayana, Digitaria decumbens and Pennisetum clandestinum were fertilized with urea at 125 or 500 kg ha-1 and cut after one month's regrowth. The minimum nitrogen level in herbage was 0.96 per cent and hence voluntary intake of these feeds was not limited by a nitrogen deficiency per se. Fertilizing at the high level increased dry matter yield (P < 0.01) and depressed the leaf percentage significantly in C. gayana. Each cut was fed to ten wethers to determine digestibility and voluntary intake. The higher rate of nitrogen fertilizer increased the overall mean dry matter digestibility 2.2 per cent, organic matter digestibility 1.3 per cent and voluntary intake of dry matter 2.3 gWkg0.75 (P > 0.05). Within the harvests significant increases and decreases in digestibility and voluntary intake were found. The direction and magnitude of these changes in feeding value were not correlated with differences in yield, leaf percentage or nitrogen content.

Relations between fibre and water soluble carbohydrate contents of pasture species and their digestibility and voluntary intake by sheep

1973 ◽  
Vol 13 (61) ◽  
pp. 165 ◽  
Author(s):  
PJ Michell
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Lolium Perenne ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Dactylis Glomerata ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrate ◽  
Dry Matter Digestibility ◽  
Voluntary Intake ◽  
Water Soluble Carbohydrate

Neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) levels were determined on 80 samples of known apparent dry matter digestibility (DMD) and voluntary intake of dry matter (DMI). The pastures consisted of regrowths of six species: Trifolium repens (white clover cv. Grasslands Huia), Lolium perenne x L. multiflorum (short rotation ryegrass c.v Grasslands Manawa), Lolium perenne (long rotation ryegrass cv. Grasslands Ariki), Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass cv. Tasmania No. I), Dactylis glomerata (cocksfoot cv. Currie) and Dactylis glomerata (cocksfoot cv. Grasslands Apanui), cut eight times between May 1969 and August 1970. Overall, white clover had a lower NDF and a lower WSC content than the ryegrasses but both groups had similar ADF contents. Cocksfoots had higher NDF and ADF, and lower WSC contents than the ryegrasses. NDF and ADF could be used to predict the DMD of all species in all seasons with residual standard deviations (RSD) of 3.0 and 3.2 DMD units (per cent) respectively. No significant relations (P < 0.05) were present between DMD and WSC content. Seasonal differences were present in the relations between DMI and chemical composition. The RSD of the overall regressions of intake with NDF, ADF, and WSC contents were 9.3, 9.4, and 8.9 DMI units (g/day/kg0.75) respectively. Within seasons, DMI was best predicted by regressions with detergent fibre content and here the RSD had a range of 3.4 to 5.2 DMI units. Within species over all seasons, DMI was predicted best by regressions with WSC content and the RSD had a range of 5.7 to 7.9 DMI units. The usefulness of the chemical composition measurements in explaining the reason for the low intakes, previously found with winter pasture, is discussed.

Gross energy levels in regrowths of six pasture species, and relations with digestibility and chemical composition

1974 ◽  
Vol 14 (66) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
PJ Michell
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Lolium Perenne ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Energy Levels ◽  
Dactylis Glomerata ◽  
Digestible Energy ◽  
Dry Matter Digestibility ◽  
Gross Energy

Gross energy levels and energy digestibilities were determined on 80 single species pasture samples of known dry matter digestibility. Crude protein, ash and ether extract levels were also determined. The pastures consisted of regrowths of six species, Trifolium repens (White clover cv. Grasslands Huia), Lolium perenne x multiflorum (manawa ryegrass cv. Grasslands Manawa), Lolium (multiflorum x perenne) x L. perenne (ariki ryegrass cv. Grasslands Ari ki), Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass cv. Tasmanian No. 1), Dactylis glomerata (currie cocksfoot cv. Currie) and Dactylis glomerata (apanui cocksfoot cv. Grasslands Apanui), harvested eight times between May 1969 and August 1970. The gross energy levels in pasture dry matter and pasture digestible organic matter were highest with white clover (means 4.64 and 4.98 K cal g-1) and lowest with the ryegrasses (4.50 and 4.80 K cal g-1). They were also higher in the winter (4.60 and 4.91), autumn (4.53 and 4.90) and spring (4.56 and 4.86), and lower in the summer (4.49 and 4.77). Relations between gross energy levels and chemical composition were weak. The strongest relation was with crude protein content (r = +0.41, P < 0.01). Relations of energy digestibility and digestible energy level in pasture dry matter, with dry matter digestibility had high correlations (r = +0.97, P < 0.01, and r = +0.92, P < 0.01) and were similar to previously published relations. However, seasonal differences occurred in both relations and, at low dry matter digestibilities, winter pasture had higher energy digestibilities and higher levels of digestible energy than spring-summer pasture. Species differences occurred in the latter relation and, at high dry matter digestibilities, white clover had higher levels of digestible energy than the grasses.

Seasonal production of Andropogen Gayanus: II. Seasonal changes in digestibility and feed intake

1970 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 369-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Haggar ◽  
M. B. Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Feed Intake ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Protein Digestibility ◽  
Dry Matter Digestibility ◽  
Voluntary Feed Intake ◽  
Andropogon Gayanus ◽  
Voluntary Intake

SUMMARYTwenty-seven sheep feeding trials were carried out on freshly cut Andropogon gayanus, fed daily during three wet seasons, 1966–8.In each year, dry-matter voluntary intake and digestibility were highest during the first part of the growing season and declined with advancing maturity of the herbage. However, at the time of ear emergence in early October, there were small increases in voluntary intake of dry-matter and crude protein digestibility, although further decreases followed after mid-October.Determinations of in vitro digestibility indicated that elongating stems during early October were at least as digestible as leaves.Seasonal changes in crude protein digestibility were much greater than changes in dry-matter digestibility; seasonal changes in feed intake were intermediate. Voluntary feed intake was related to dry-matter digestibility.Voluntary feed intake and digestible crude protein were both closely related to the crude protein content of the forage. It was concluded that crude protein is a useful criterion for predicting nutritive value.

The digestibility and voluntary intake by sheep of six tropical grasses

1972 ◽  
Vol 12 (54) ◽  
pp. 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
DJ Minson
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Stages Of Growth ◽  
Dry Matter Digestibility ◽  
Digitaria Decumbens ◽  
Chloris Gayana ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Voluntary Intake ◽  
The Difference

The digestibility and voluntary intake of Chloris gayana, Digitaria decumbens, Panicimum maximum var tricboglume, Paspalm dilatatum, Pennisetm Clanhtinum, and Setaria splendih were measured with sheep in metabolism pens. All grasses were grown under the same conditions and cut at the same time. Each grass was cut after growing for 28, 70, and 98 days in the summer and then again (except for P. dilatatum) after 42, 70, and 105 days in the following autumn. Four successive 28-day regrowths of each grass (two cuts only for P. dilatatum) were also harvested during the summer. All 55 cuts were artificially dried and fed at the same time, each cut being fed to eight sheep. Differences in dry matter and organic matter digestibility between grass species were relatively small with a maximum mean difference of six digestibility units between S. splendida and P. clandestinzrm. For the 28-day regrowths S. splendida was 5.1 digestibility units higher but with the more mature regrowths the difference was 6.8 digestibility units. The mean voluntary intake of dry matter of S. splendida and P. clandestinum was 9 and 11 per cent lower than that of D. decmbens (P<0.01) with the largest differences in voluntary intake between grasses occurring at the mature stages of growth. Large differences were found between grass species in both the slope and intercept of regressions relating voluntary intake to dry matter digestibility.

The voluntary intake, digestibility, and retention time by sheep of leaf and stem fractions of five grasses

1973 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 875 ◽  
Author(s):  
MA Laredo ◽  
DJ Minson
Keyword(s):  
Bulk Density ◽  
Retention Time ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Bacterial Degradation ◽  
Panicum Maximum ◽  
Dry Matter Digestibility ◽  
Digitaria Decumbens ◽  
Chloris Gayana ◽  
Voluntary Intake

Chloris gayana, Digitaria decumbens, Panicum maximum, Pennisetum clandestinum, and Setaria splendida were each cut at three stages of growth, dried, chaffed, and separated into "leaf" and "stem" fractions using a gravity separator. The mean purity of the leaf and stem fractions were 78 and 93%. Each fraction was fed to eight sheep to determine voluntary intake and dry matter digestibility. Mean voluntary intake of leaf was 46% higher than that of stem (57.7 v. 39.6 g/kg0.75), despite a slightly lower dry matter digestibility of the leaf fraction (52.6 v. 55.8%). The higher intake of the leaf fraction was associated (r =0.74, P< 0.01) with a shorter retention time of dry matter in the reticulo-rumen (mean 23.8 v. 31.8 hr), which appeared to be caused by the large surface of the leaf fraction initially available to bacterial degradation (mean 128 v. 41 sq cm/g). Ground leaf and stem samples showed no difference in rate of digestion in vitro since structural differences had been destroyed. The energy required to grind 1 g sample in a laboratory mill was less for leaf than stem (mean 234 v. 411 J/g) with a significant correlation between voluntary intake and grinding energy (r = –0.81). In the past a high voluntary intake has been attributed to a high bulk density, but in this study bulk density of the stem fraction was three times that of the leaf fraction and negatively correlated with voluntary intake (r = –0.70, P< 0,001). It was concluded that different plant fractions may be eaten in different quantities, despite similar dry matter digestibilities, and that in any study of the voluntary intake of roughages it is necessary to determine physical properties of the feed in addition to chemical composition.

Digestibility and voluntary intake by sheep of five Digitaria species

1984 ◽  
Vol 24 (127) ◽  
pp. 494 ◽  
Author(s):  
DJ Minson
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
The Other ◽  
Stages Of Growth ◽  
Dry Matter Digestibility ◽  
Acid Detergent Fibre ◽  
Voluntary Intake

Data are reported on the voluntary intake and digestibility by sheep of five species of Digitaria when grown as swards, cut at five different stages of growth and analysed for neutraldetergent solubles, hemicellulose, cellulose, lignin, N, S, Na, K, P, Ca, Mg, Si, Cu, Mn, and Zn. Digitaria setivalva was superior to the other four species in in vivo digestibility of the dry matter, organic matter and energy (5.2 percentage units), content of metabolizable energy (5.3%), voluntary intake of dry matter (8 0%) and voluntary intake of metabolizable energy (18.1 %). This superiority was associated with a higher content of digestible neutral-detergent solubles and cellulose. The metabolizable energy contents of the grasses were significantly correlated with dry matter digestibility and organic matter digestibility, content of digestible dry matter and concentrations of crude protein, neutral-detergent fibre, acid-detergent fibre, lignin and combinations of these different fractions.

The assessment of herbage legume varieties. II. In vitro digestibility, water soluble carbohydrate, crude protein and mineral content of primary growth of clover and lucerne

1966 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Ellis Davies ◽  
G. ap Griffith ◽  
A. Ellington
Keyword(s):  
White Clover ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrate ◽  
In Vitro Digestibility ◽  
Primary Growth

The primary growth of eight varieties of three species–white clover (3), red clover (4) and lucerne (1)–was sampled at fortnightly intervals and the percentage dry matter, in vitro digestibility, crude protein, water soluble carbohydrates, P, Ca, K, Na and Mg were determined.Differences between species were nearly always significant and the general order of merit was white clover, red clover and lucerne. The exceptions were for dry-matter percentage where this order was reversed, and red clover had the lowest Na and highest Mg content.

EVALUATION OF TIMOTHY CULTIVARS FOR VOLUNTARY INTAKE AND NUTRIENT COMPONENTS

1988 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 1121-1129 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. N. MASON ◽  
P. M. FLIPOT
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Phleum Pratense ◽  
Dry Matter Intake ◽  
Dry Matter Yield ◽  
Dry Matter Digestibility ◽  
Flower Stage ◽  
Voluntary Intake ◽  
Phleum Pratense L

Five timothy (Phleum pratense L.) cultivars, Clair, Champ, Milton, Climax and Bounty, were harvested at first flower stage during 2 consecutive years and in the regrowth for 1 yr. The forages were each offered as hay to 15 young rams to evaluate voluntary intake. Five animals were used to determine initial harvest dry matter digestibility. The cultivars varied significantly in voluntary intake at first flower stage. The highest intake (g kg−0.75 d−1) averaged for the years was obtained in the early cultivar Champ (65.9), which was 10% more than that of the medium-late cultivar Climax. The cultivars did not differ significantly in dry matter digestibility. In the regrowth, the relative intakes of the cultivars were essentially reversed from that of the initial harvest. The voluntary intake was substantially higher but the differences among forages were less marked. Climax regrowth voluntary intake was higher (P < 0.05) than all cultivars, except Bounty. A 15% range in digestible dry matter intake was present among cultivars. The ranking of the culivars for digestible dry matter was different than for dry matter yield. Key words: Timothy, Phleum pratense L., voluntary intake, dry matter digestibility

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