Kilogram Of Dry Matter Research Articles

Biochemical composition, nutritional value and productivity of perennial leguminous grasses by phases of growth and development of plants in conditions of the right-bank Forest Steppe

Purpose. To establish quality indicators of grass mass of the Sinyukha alfalfa variety, Constantine sainfoin variety, Sparta meadow clover by phases of growth and development of plants aimed at production of high-protein feeds. Methods. System, analysis, field, laboratory. Results. One of the important indicators that determines the quality of the green mass yield is the ratio of the mass of leaves and stems. This ratio largely determines the digestibility of feed. It was found that the foliage of legumes and the ratio of leaf mass and stems decreases from the branching to the flowering phase, which significantly affects some indicators of the biochemical composition of the mown green mass. When harvesting grasses in the early phase of branching, or in the late one of flowering of plants in the first mowing, the content of crude protein decreased from 21.0-26.3% to 14.0-17.2%, crude fat − from 3.4- 3.9% to 1.3-2.8% and crude fiber content increased from 17.5-18.0% to 25.3-27.8%, the proportion of leaf mass decreased from 46.2-48.5% to 22.3-29.9%, and stems, on the contrary, increased from 51.5-53.8% to 70.1-77.7% depending on the type of legume. Changes in the ratio of leaves and stems in the green mass during the growth and development phases of alfalfa, sainfoin and meadow clover also affected the nutritional value of fodder from these grasses. The supply of digestible protein of the feed unit decreased from 148.9-186.9 g in the branching phase to 78.5-100.2 g in the flowering phase of plants, and the content of feed units in each kilogram of dry matter of feed decreased from 0.90-0.93 to 0.57-0.66, respectively. It was found that concentration of metabolic energy in the dry matter of legumes harvested in the branching phase was 10.3-10.9 MJ/kg, and mowing them in the flowering phase led to a decrease of this indicator to 7.5-7.9 MJ/kg. Conclusions. It was found that the most high-protein and energetically nutritious food can be obtained when mowing the grass in the earlier growing season, which corresponds to the branching-budding phases. Later there observed a significant deterioration in feed quality, which is associated with a decrease in crude protein and metabolic energy and increase in crude fiber content in the dry matter of perennial legumes.

Effect of Plane of Nutrition and Source of Nitrogen on Methionine Synthesis in Cows

A study was made to evaluate the effects of level of feed intake, ration composition and source of nitrogen on the synthesis of methionine in the rumen. The most significant effects on ruminal synthesis of essential amino acids were level of dry matter intake and level of nitrogen intake. Mean daily ruminal synthesis of methionine ranged between 32.8 and 46.2 mg/kg of body weight. The step-by-step insertion of the variables, kilograms of dry matter, grams of alfalfa nitrogen, percentage nitrogen absorbed and treatment of alfalfa, into a multiple regression analysis accounted for 94% of the total variation. It was concluded that methionine synthesis increased at a rate of 1.5 g/kg of feed consumed and 6.7 g/100 g of alfalfa nitrogen eaten. A marked decrease in methionine synthesis was found to be related to reduced nitrogen absorption in the digestive tract. Synthesis of methionine increased as the integrity of plant proteins was preserved and soluble nonprotein nitrogen decreased correspondingly. Methionine synthesis increased 0.4 g/kg of intact protein fed.

Investigation of the vaginal smear (Allen-Doisy) assay of oestrogen in ovariectomized ewes

The vaginal smear (Allen-Doisy) assay for oestrogens has been studied with ovariectomized ewes. Variation between ewes was considerable and the slopes of the log dose-response lines were low. The value of the assay for quantitative determination of oestrogen is limited by lack of precision. The oestrogenic content of red clover (Trifolium pratense) was estimated in terms of micrograms of injected stilboestrol per kilogram of dry matter. Considerable variation in sensitivity to the standard was observed. Intraruminal administration of stilboestrol reduced its activity about 100-fold compared with subcutaneous administration. Ewes were given carbon tetrachloride to cause liver damage but the vaginal response to red clover was not altered.