Abstract
Four varieties of Tall fescue and three varieties of Setaria were analyzed for variation in chemical compositionviz., dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), hemicellulose, oxalate content and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) at different morpho-physiological stages and clipping intervals. In Tall fescue the crude protein (11.81%) and IVDMD content (55.20%) were higher while NDF (63.65%), ADF (48.22%) and hemicellulose content (15.46%) were low during early growth stages. In Setariathe crude protein (10.92%) and IVDMD (62.34%) was high during early growth stages, but the same stages were also having high levels of oxalate (4.87%), which is one of the important anti-nutrient in Setariaassociated with low milk production. With the advancing age there was decrease in the oxalate content inSetaria. The NDF, ADF and hemicellulose content increased with an increase in the age of plants. The results of the study revealed that to have balance among nutritive and anti-nutritive components Setaria should be harvested in the month of September and tall fescue in the month of March or April in mid hill Himalayan region. Key words: Cell wall constituents, crude protein, in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), oxalate, Setaria, Tall fescue.
Highlights
Morpho-physiological stage and clipping interval are important factors influencing the quality of forages
Four varieties of Tall fescue and three varieties of Setaria were analyzed for variation in chemical composition viz., dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), hemicellulose, oxalate content and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) at different morphophysiological stages and clipping intervals
Four varieties of Tall fescue and three of Setaria were investigated during their growth season for nutritional and anti-nutritional components viz., dry matter, crude protein, neutral, acid detergent fibre (ADF), hemicellulose, in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and oxalate content at different clipping intervals
Summary
Morpho-physiological stage and clipping interval are important factors influencing the quality of forages. Differences in chemical composition of different forage species with advancing growth need consideration while determining the optimum stage of utilization to derive maximum benefit without adversely affecting subsequent herbage productivity (Crowder and Chheda, 1982). Remarkable changes in chemical composition usually occur after extensive tissue differentiation has taken place. The overall quality of forage depends upon the relative proportion of high quality fractions. Herbage quality is a major factor in influencing animal performance and it is commonly evaluated through chemical parameters such as crude protein and fibre components, closely related to forage digestibility. When forages are harvested several times during a growing season, the
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