Abstract
Five forage crops, namely ruzi (Brachiaria ruziziensis), purple guinea (Panicum maximum), atratum (Paspalum atratum), plicatulum (Paspalum plicatulum), and rhodes grass (Chloris gayana), were experimented for their possibility of ethanol and animal feed utilization. All tested forage crops were harvested 45 and 75 days after being planted. The results indicate the effect of harvesting time on their composition, including the contents of cellulose, lignin, and crude protein, thus affecting the ethanol yield and quality of animal feed. Ruzi grass, harvested 45 days after being planted, was shown to be the most suitable substrate for animal feed due to its highest crude protein content (12.49%), whereas purple guinea and atratum grasses provided highest expected yield of ethanol (2,688.40 and 2,613.20 L/ha/year, respectively). Key words: Ethanol, animal feed, forage crops.
Highlights
Forage e crops s as su ubstratte for a animall feed a and ethanol pro oductio on in T
Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and crude protein are the most common measures used for animal feed analysis
The level of NDF in the animal ration influences the intake of dry matter and the time of rumination, the concentration of NDF in feeds is negatively correlated with energy concentration (Van Soest et al, 1991)
Summary
Forage e crops s as su ubstratte for a animall feed a and ethanol pro oductio on in T. Ruzi grass, harrvested 45 da ays after beiing planted, was shown to be the most suitab ble substratte for anima al feed due to t its highes st crude pro otein conten nt (12.49%), whereas purple guin nea and atra atum grasses s provided highest h expe ected yield o of ethanol Com mpared with first-generation ene ergy crops tha at are based on human fo ood stocks su uch as sugarcane and a cassava, lignocellulos sic forage cro ops pro oduce the sam me amount off energy, redu uce greenhou use gass emissions, and a do not afffect the hum man food supp ply. For ethano ol conve ersion, grass cell walls (ce ellulose and h hemicellulose e) are im mportant as tthey are abundant renewa able materials (Paully and Keegsttra, 2008)
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