Studies on the Digestibility of Herbage

Milford

1967

The voluntary intake by penned sheep, of two Rhodes-grass varieties (Samford and Callide) cut at 4 stages of maturity was studied. Intake of dry matter was correlated with in vitro digestion of DM after 12 h incubation. The intake of digestible DM was correlated (r=O-99) with the sum of the digestion after 12 and 48 h incubation. Coarsely ground samples (2-5 mm screen) were digested in vitro less rapidly than finely ground samples (0 4 mm screen), especially with the more mature forages. DM digestibility, voluntary intake of DM and digestible DM were also correlated (r>0-96) with faecal nitrogen, although different regression equations applied to the two varieties.

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 70%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 70%

IN VITRO AND FAECAL NITROGEN TECHNIQUES FOR PREDICTING THE VOLUNTARY INTAKE OF CHLORIS GAYANA

Milford

1967

“…The herbages were cut from a wide range of simple grass/clover mixtures and pure-grass swards, some of which have been described (9); no data from lucerne or pure clover swards have been included. The cuts were taken at various times between April and November from 1950 to 1959, and were fed in digestion trials as previously described (11). Table 1 shows the nutnber of cuts taken in each month and the ranges in organic-matter digestibility, nitrogen *In the case of sub-tropical grasses, Milford (5) found no sigtiifieant relation between herbage digestibility and faecalnitrogen concentration.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Studies in the Digestibility of Herbage

Kemp

1961

Data from 291 digestion trials have been used to derive regression equations relating the organicmatter digestibility of herbage to the nitrogen percentage of its dry matter and to the nitrogen percentage in the organic matter ofthe resulting faeces.The residual errors are very high and it is shown that the deviations from the lines are not randomly distributed but have a seasonal trend. The seasonal biases have been calculated, and the inclusion of month of cutting as a factor is found to improve the two regressions to some extent. Monthly regressions have also been calculated. Even with these, however, the errors are still too high for many practical purposes.

“…In each experiment cold-stored herbage was fed to sheep in digestion trials (5). Details of the herbages fed, levels of intake and numbers and age of sheep used, are given in Table 1.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Studies in the Digestibility of Herbage

Raymond

Harris

1959

Self Cite

Results are reported from six digestibility experiments in which frozen herbage was fed to groups of sheep at HIGH and LOW levels of intake. The sheep on the HIGH level of intake digested the dry matter, organic matter, nitrogen and normal-acid fibre in the herbage less efficiently than those on the LOW level, confirming earlier results reported in Part VI of this series. Evidence suggests that this difference results from the higher rate of passage of food through the digestive tract at the HIGH level of intake.These results are discussed with reference to the errors introduced into the faecal-index method for estimating the digestibility of grazed herbage.