Survival of Seeds of Tropical Grassland Species Subjected to Bovine Digestion

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The survival and digestion of seeds of 47 tropical and subtropical legume and grass species were studied by placing the seeds in nylon bags in the rumen of fistulated cattle, followed by acid-pepsin digestion, to identify any differences likely to affect dissemination by grazing cattle. Seeds of only four of the 23 grass species survived in appreciable numbers. Digestion for short periods actually increased germination of Digitaria ciliaris, Axonopus affinis and Paspalum notatum while seeds of Pennisetum clandestinum survived up to 10 days in the rumen. All four are creeping, sward-forming species adapted to heavy grazing. Few seeds of the tall tussock grasses survived the digestive processes. Survival of legume seeds was closely related to the hard seed content of the sample (...)