Abstract
A quantitative method of specifying the morphological stage of development in Tridax procumbens was used for evaluating the chemical composition of the plant at specified canopy ages. An eight stage classification system was defined and assigned numerical values from 1 to 8 in a sequential order of increasing maturity. The mean stage of total herbage (MSW) at a specified age of canopy was calculated as the average of the individual stages present and weighted for the dry weight in each stage. For the individual morphological stages present in a herbage samples, quality components measured by. leaf percentage, crude protein (CP), in vitro true digestibility (IVTD), progressively decreased with maturity. From the vegetative to the mature seed stage, decreases were from 90% to 26% for the leaf proportion; 28% to 14% for CP; and from 82% to 53% for IVTD. Corresponding increases in fibre composition were from 26% to 59% for the total cell wall or neutral detergent fibre (NDF); 22% to 40% for ligno-cellulose or acid detergent fibre (ADF); and from 25% to 9% ilignin. . Older canopies reached siginificantly higher mean stage (MSW) values than younger canopies. Associated with these were lower percentage, CP, and IVTD; higher NDF; ADF, and lignin at higher MSW values. The implications of these findings are fully discussed
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