Low nitrogen fertiliser rates and stage of maturity influence nitrogen fractionation and in vitro ruminal nitrogen degradability in tropical grasses

Author(s):  
Martin P Hughes ◽  
Victor Mlambo ◽  
Cicero HO Lallo
Author(s):  
Reinhard W. Neugschwandtner ◽  
Hans-Peter Kaul ◽  
Gerhard Moitzi ◽  
Agnieszka Klimek-Kopyra ◽  
Tomáš Lošák ◽  
...  

1996 ◽  
Vol 1996 ◽  
pp. 219-219
Author(s):  
M. Herrero ◽  
N.S. Jessop

In vitrogas production techniques have been used to nutritionally characterise feedstuffs for ruminants. Consideration of both the soluble and insoluble fractions has recently been shown to be essential for adequate description of cell wall disappearance (Jessop and Herrero, 1996). This study investigates how gas production measurements can be used to predict neutral detergent fibre (NDF) disappearance by correcting for the gas volume produced in the early stages of fermentation from neutral detergent solubles (NDS). The study was carried out using three tropical grasses.


1971 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 563 ◽  
Author(s):  
JR Wilson ◽  
CW Ford

Two tropical grasses, Panicunl maximum var. trichoglume and Setaria spliacelata cv. Nandi were compared with two cultivars of Lolium perenne, S.24 and Kangaroo Valley, grown in controlled environment at day/night temperatures of 15.6/10, 21 .1/15.6,26.7/21.1, and 32.2/26.7�C. The plants were harvested when still vegetative. The tropical grasses grew faster than the L. perenne cultivars at all but the lowest temperatures, and had a generally higher relative water content. The in vitro dry matter digestibility of the L. pereiine cultivars appeared inherently higher than that of the tropical grasses, but for each species digestibility Mtas modified by the environment and was highest at the lower growth temperatures. The tropical grasses were lower in alcohol- and cold water-soluble sugars, and higher in starch and structural (cell wall) carbohydrates than the L. perenne cultivars. For all grasses, as temperature increased from 15.6/10 to 26.7/21.1�C the concentration of the structural carbohydrates increased whilst that of the total non-structural carbohydrates changed relatively little. A further increase in temperature to 32.2/26.7� resulted in a marked decline in the concentration of simple sugars and structural carbohydrates whilst polymeric sugars increased. At this latter temperature the starch content in Setaria and Panicurn increased to as high as 16 and 13% of dry weight respectively. The differences in digestibility appeared to be associated with the differences in the proportions of the different carbohydrate fractions.


1975 ◽  
Vol 15 (74) ◽  
pp. 342 ◽  
Author(s):  
GE Robards ◽  
GR Pearce

Three feeding experiments and a digestibility study are reported in which the effects of supplementing low nitrogen roughages with roughages of high nitrogen content were studied. In each feeding experiment the effect of varying the frequency of supplementation was examined. During the first experiment intake of lucerne hay was greater (P < 0.05) than the intake of oaten hay and higher wool growth rates and liveweight changes were recorded. When the oaten and lucerne hays were alternated at intervals of one, two, three or four days, the average intake and rate of liveweight change was intermediate between the two previous levels, but the rate of wool production was similar to when lucerne hay was offered alone. There were no differences in total intake, clean wool production or liveweight change due to the frequency with which the two rations were alternated. The second experiment involved the feeding of a fixed quantity of lucerne hay with a. five times as much oaten hay or b. ad libitum oaten hay. The lucerne hay was given daily and every second, fourth and eighth days, and there was an unsupplemented control group. During the restricted feeding period frequent supplementation resulted in higher liveweight gain but there was no effect on wool growth. When oaten hay was provided ad libitum the poor response to supplementation and the large variation in intake within groups resulted in no significant differences in wool production or liveweight change between groups. The results of the third experiment indicate that the digestibility or degree of lignification of the basal ration affects the likelihood of a response to supplementation. It was shown that frequent supplementation of pasture hay resulted in higher intake, liveweight and wool production. On the other hand, substitute feeding with little change in animal production occurred when lucerne hay was offered to similar sheep consuming a basal ration of oaten hay which had a higher level of fibre and a lower in vitro digestibility than the pasture hay.


1963 ◽  
Vol 205 (6) ◽  
pp. 1200-1202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Priest

Consumption of oxygen in vitro by thoracic and abdominal aorta and of liver and kidney of rats was measured by direct Warburg manometry and related to the weight of tissue and to the content of nitrogen and of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). On the basis of numbers of cells present, as determined by the content of DNA, thoracic aorta respires at a rate one-fifth that of liver. Thoracic aorta respires more actively than abdominal aorta but also contains more nitrogen and more DNA per unit weight than abdominal aorta. The difference in consumption of oxygen between these two segments of aorta can be explained largely, although not entirely, on the basis of numbers of cells present. Because of the lesser content of nitrogen and DNA in abdominal aorta, it must contain larger amounts of some substance which contributes to weight and has a low nitrogen content.


1996 ◽  
Vol 1996 ◽  
pp. 219-219
Author(s):  
M. Herrero ◽  
N.S. Jessop

In vitro gas production techniques have been used to nutritionally characterise feedstuffs for ruminants. Consideration of both the soluble and insoluble fractions has recently been shown to be essential for adequate description of cell wall disappearance (Jessop and Herrero, 1996). This study investigates how gas production measurements can be used to predict neutral detergent fibre (NDF) disappearance by correcting for the gas volume produced in the early stages of fermentation from neutral detergent solubles (NDS). The study was carried out using three tropical grasses.


1993 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 1123 ◽  
Author(s):  
JB Lowry ◽  
EA Sumpter ◽  
CS McSweeney ◽  
AC Schlink ◽  
B Bowden

A feature of the composition of dry-season tropical grasses, which may in part account for their lower digestibility, is the relatively high content of hydroxycinnamic acids covalently bound in the cell wall. The main phenolic acids liberated on mild alkaline hydrolysis in 19 species of native and introduced grasses in North Queensland were p-coumaric and ferulic acids, with the former predominating in 16 species. Caffeic acid was found in three species and sinapic acid in trace amounts. Total acids occurred at approximately 10 g/kg in most species, but were found at 50 g/kg in one species. When five of the species were fed as the sole diet to sheep, intake and digestibility were not clearly related to phenolic acid level in the diet. However, output of hippuric acid in the urine increased with the daily dietary intake of phenolic acids, and nitrogen excreted as hippurate was equivalent to as much as 17% of the total nitrogen in the diet. The effect of free acids on rumen function was tested by adding p-coumaric and ferulic acid directly to the diet. In contrast to the implications of numerous in vitro studies, intake and digestibility were not affected. Dry matter loss from intraruminal nylon bags was also not affected by administration of these compounds. In addition to hippuric acid, cinnamoylglycine was identified as a urinary metabolite. This appeared in animals on most of the grass diets, and was enhanced following administration of ferulic or p-coumaric acid, but not benzoic acid. It seems that phenolic acids liberated from the cell wall are unlikely to have an adverse effect on rumen microbial metabolism, but impose a serious nitrogen loss for animals on diets already deficient in nitrogen.


2014 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 705-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. I. Arroquy ◽  
M. V. Cornacchione ◽  
D. Colombatto ◽  
C. Kunst

Arroquy, J. I., Cornacchione, M. V., Colombatto, D. and Kunst, Jr., C. 2014. Chemical composition and in vitro ruminal degradation of hay and silage from tropical grasses. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 94: 705–715. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of preservation type on chemical composition and in vitro ruminal degradation of warm-season grasses (WSG). Treatments consisted of two factors (6×2): the first factor was tropical grasses: Cenchrus ciliaris (cv. Biloela, and cv. Molopo), Chloris gayana (cv. Callide and cv. Finecut), Panicum maximum, and Brachiaria bryzanta; and the second factor was preservation type (hay vs. silage). Cell wall, hemicellulose, cellulose, and water-soluble carbohydrate (P<0.05) concentrations were different among WSG. In general, hay or silage altered fiber content compared with fresh. For instance, hemicellulose and cellulose contents were lower in silage than in hay and fresh grass (P<0.05). Gas production rates were higher in silage from 0 to 24 h of fermentation, except at 4 h of incubation. After 24 h, gas production (GP) rate was similar for both preservation types, whilst potential GP was similar between preservation types. However, silage had decreased lag time compared with hay (P<0.01). Silage had greater dry matter disappearance than hay (P<0.05), and gas production yield was similar for grass species and preservation type. Our results indicate that WSG conserved as silage showed beneficial changes in chemical composition and dry matter degradation compared with hay.


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