Morphological, chemical and in vitro stover quality traits to predict the livestock productivity potential of pearl millet stover

Abstract

This work relates to a wide array of morphological, chemical and in vitro measurements to the organic matter digestibility (OMD), organic matter intake (OMI), digestible organic matter intake (DOMI) and nitrogen balance (accretion or loss of nitrogen) of 34 pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) genotypes in relation to livestock productivity involving sheep. The total number of 34 treatments from eight cultivars is accounted for by varying soil condition (black versus red soil), stage of harvest (physiological versus full maturity) and design of experimental varieties (dual purpose-, high grain yield-, high stover digestibility-, and high stover nitrogen variety) from cultivar ICMV 221 through two cycles of recurrent selections. The differences in OMD, OMI, the product of the two, ie, DOMI and nitrogen balance observed in the sheep fed on 34 pearl millet stovers were highly (P <0.0001) significant. Differences in pearl millet cultivars and stover quality were consistently observed within comparable trial layouts (soils, harvest dates and experimental varieties). Simple correlations between these traits and OMD, OMI, DOMI and nitrogen balance are reported. It is concluded that the combination of morphological, chemical and/or in vitro measurements, using stepwise multiple regression procedures, did improve the prediction of OMI, DOMI and nitrogen balance.