Studies in the Digestibility of Herbage

Raymond, W. F.; Minson, D. J.; Harris, C. E.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2494.1959.tb00997.x

Cited by 17 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…This was thought necessary because of the possible effects restriction of dry-matter intake could have on digestibility and consequently nitrogen retention (Payne, 1964;Raymond, Harris & Kemp, 1955;Raymond, Minson & Harris, 1959;Brown, 1966;Playne, 1968). The average dry-matter intakes of the rams under the different treatments are shown in Table 2.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of level of water intake on some aspects of digestion and nitrogen metabolism of the ‘desert sheep’ of the Sudan

Osman

Fadlalla

1974

J. Agric. Sci.

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Five successive trials were conducted using eight adult rams (Sudan desert sheep) to study the effect of restriction of water intake on some aspects of digestion and nitrogen metabolism. The feeds used in this study were berseem hay (Medicago sativa), lubia hay (Dolichos lablab), maize hay (Zea mais), a concentrate mixture, and dry desert grasses (hummra) (a mixture of Dactyloctenium aegyptium, Schoenefeldia gracilis, Eragrostis pilosa, Aristida funiculata and Aristida spp.).Restriction of water did not affect the digestibility coefficients of organic matter, crude protein and crude fibre significantly. The digestibility coefficient of ether extract was significantly reduced whereas that of nitrogen-free extract was slightly higher when water was restricted.The concentrations of ammonia and volatile fatty acids in the rumen and of urea in the blood were recorded before and 3 h after feeding. Increases in rumen ammonia and blood urea nitrogen concentration were reduced by water restriction except when hummra was fed.Restriction of water intake also slightly increased the in vitro rate of fermentation of rumen contents which is taken as a measure of microbial activity in the rumen, and the retention of nitrogen. These results are interpreted as indications of more efficient nitrogen utilization under conditions of water restriction.There were no significant effects of the treatments on changes in the concentration of volatile fatty acids.The significance of these findings in relation to the management of desert sheep in the arid parts of the Sudan is discussed with special reference to the effect of the level of dry-matter intake on nitrogen balance.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of level of water intake on some aspects of digestion and nitrogen metabolism of the ‘desert sheep’ of the Sudan

Osman

Fadlalla

1974

J. Agric. Sci.

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“…The effect of FL on forage digestibility has been studied extensively in the main types of forages, and the results obtained depend on the forage type (Raymond et al ., ; Demarquilly and Andrieu, ). Generally, ad libitum feeding should decrease the digestibility of the diet compared with maintenance‐level feeding.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of feeding animals ad libitum vs. at maintenance level on the in vivo digestibility of mown herbage from two permanent grasslands of different botanical composition

Andueza¹,

Picard²,

Jestin³

et al. 2012

Grass and Forage Science

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The aim of this experiment was to study the effect of feeding level (FL) on the digestibility of unconserved forage obtained from two permanent grasslands cut at three different dates during the first cycle of growth. Forage was offered to Texel sheep (wethers), at maintenance level and at ad libitum level. Differences in voluntary intake (VI) between grasslands were also tested. Organic matter digestibility (OMD) measured at ad libitum level and at VI was 13% higher on harvested forage from grassland rich in forbs (GRF) than grassland rich in grasses (GRG) at early herbage growth stages, but these differences were no longer found at later maturity stages. In GRF, there were no differences for OMD, at either FL at the young growth stages, but at the end of the cycle the OMD obtained at ad libitum level (0Á56) was higher than that at maintenance level (0Á50). However, in GRG, at an early stage of forage maturity, OMD at ad libitum level (0Á67) was lower than that at maintenance level (0Á70), but this difference was no longer found at the end of the growth cycle. In conclusion, the effect of FL on the digestibility of unconserved forage from permanent grasslands depends on the type of grassland. These differences are mainly explained by the different botanical composition of the grassland types.

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“…x is commonly less than 3 units when 'local' equations restricted to a simple regrowth are used. Even in this case, with its apparent high precision the use of N has frequently been criticised on the following grounds: the bias introduced by differences in intake between grazing and housed animals (5,8); the fact that most faecal N is of bacterial origin (14) and as such does not necessarily hold a causal relationship to digestibility; the differences in the type of relation between N and digestibility introduced by selective grazing. These uncontrolled sources of variation have been postulated by Langland (6) to explain the differences between his results and those of Lambourne and Reardon (4) and Young and Corbett (15).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Nutritive Value of Weeping Lovegrass During the Spring Season

Vera

1973

Grass and Forage Science

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Faecal samples from a continuous digestibility trial with Eragrostis curvula were analyzed for cell-wall contents, acid-detergent fibre, lignin, asb and N. DM digestibility was regressed on all these fractions and organic-matter digestibility was also regressed on faecal organic-matter N. The best predictions of digestibility were obtained by the use of faecal lignin as a percentage of acid-detergent fibre, and by cell-wall contents. N was a comparatively poor predictor and it is shown that its relationship with organic-matter digestibility varies with the level of N in the diet. It is concluded that both lignin and cell-wall contents could serve as useful internal indicators since their use is unlikely to be biassed by metabolic and microbial contamination.

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Studies in the Digestibility of Herbage

Cited by 17 publications

References 5 publications

The effect of level of water intake on some aspects of digestion and nitrogen metabolism of the ‘desert sheep’ of the Sudan

The effect of level of water intake on some aspects of digestion and nitrogen metabolism of the ‘desert sheep’ of the Sudan

The effect of feeding animals ad libitum vs. at maintenance level on the in vivo digestibility of mown herbage from two permanent grasslands of different botanical composition

The Nutritive Value of Weeping Lovegrass During the Spring Season

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