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STUDIES IN THE DIGESTIBILITY OF HERBAGE
Author(s) -
Minson D. J.,
Raymond W. F.,
Harris C. E.
Publication year - 1960
Publication title -
grass and forage science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1365-2494
pISSN - 0142-5242
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2494.1960.tb00175.x
Subject(s) - acre , agronomy , dry matter , nitrogen , yield (engineering) , biology , zoology , fertilizer , chemistry , materials science , organic chemistry , metallurgy
This paper presents the results of 125 digestion trials with sheep fed herbage at different stages of growth from three clover‐free pure grass swards. During 1958 and 1959, a study was made of the yield, leaf lamina, nitrogen, ash and digestible organic matter percentage ( D ) of first growths, of regrowths cut at monthly and two monthly intervals and of swards receiving various quantities of fertilizer nitrogen. For first growths in the spring D remained almost constant until the ears started to protrude from the leaf sheaths and then fell rapidly at approximately 0·5 per cent per day. The D values for S 23 ryegrass were three weeks later than S 24 ryegrass, which correspond with later ear emergence of the latter. S 37 cocksfoot was always less digestible than S 24 ryegrass although both were at similar stages of growth. This difference in D also occurred in the regrowths. The D of monthly regrowths tended to fall with each successive cut, although in 1959 ryegrass values improved in the autumn. Fertilizer nitrogen had little effect on D . Despite the warmer spring and drier summer in 1959 and corresponding changes in production per acre there was little effect on D .