An experiment was conducted to determine the relationship between in vitro assays to estimate quality and ileal nutrient and energy digestibility of various corn sources. Twelve samples of corn were analyzed for gross energy (GE), N, moisture, crude fat (CF), salt-soluble protein content (SSP), and vitreousness. Six of the 12 sources of corn had similar proximate composition but ranged in pairs...

It has been suggested that large foregut-fermenting marsupial herbivores, the kangaroos and their relatives, may be less constrained by food intake limitations as compared with ruminants, due mainly to differences in their digestive morphology and management of ingesta particles through the gut. In particular, as the quality of forage declines with increasing contents of plant fibre (cellulose,...

Whilst herbage grasses and legumes are grown primarily to provide digestible energy and other nutrients for farm livestock, plant breeders have tended to concentrate on total or seasonal yield of DM, i.e. on the maximum fixation of energy by the crop, with any assessment of its nutritive value being left to a later stage of evaluation. In terms of providing the maximum amount of utilizable ener...