The value of a feedstuff is a complex function of its nutrient composition (net energy, protein, vitamins, minerals, etc.) chemical-physical characteristics of its fiber (fragility of the cell walls), acceptability (palatability), and associative interactions with other dietary ingredients. In the case of forages, their associative effects on utilization of other dietary ingredients is of great...

Nitrate, 3-nitro-1-propionic acid (NPA) and 3-nitro-1-propanol (NPOH) can accumulate in forages and be poisonous to animals if consumed in high enough amounts. These chemicals are also recognized as potent anti-methanogenic compounds, but plants naturally containing these chemicals have been studied little in this regard. Presently, we found that nitrate-, NPA-, or NPOH-containing forages effec...

Traditionally, heat damage in forages has been associated primarily with alterations in forage protein quality as a result of Maillard reactions. A Maillard reaction is a heat-induced chemical reaction between protein (amino acids) and sugars. Maillard products produce a range of odors and colors in forages, but generally are poorly characterized nutrients in ruminant nutrition. Terms such as h...

Despite some production issues associated with preservation of forages as roundbale silage, potential benefits with respect to minimizing DM loss and preserving forage quality compared with traditional hay preservation systems are well documented. Less information is available regarding the feeding value of forages preserved in this manner. This paper attempts to address issues associated with ...

Current ruminant feeding systems depend on knowledge of the composition of feeds and the rate and extent of degradation of feed organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP) in the rumen. The effect of storage and preparation of samples on in vitro gas production and fermentation characteristics of two common forage species, namely alfalfa and ryegrass werestudied. Samples were prepared as fresh (...

Degradation of dry matter (DM) and nitrogen (N) in fresh or frozen-thawed alfalfa and ryegrass was studied by using in situ technique. The forages were labeled with 15N during growth in a glasshouse, harvested at similar growth phase, and fresh (F) or frozen-thawed (FT) samples were incubated in the rumen of 3 sheep. There was no difference (P>0.05) between forage type (S) for the immediately s...

This study investigated the dose-dependent response in lamb meat of stable nitrogen isotope ratio to the dietary proportion of legumes, and the ability of the nitrogen isotope signature of the meat to authenticate meat produced from legume-rich diets. Four groups of nine male Romane lambs grazing a cocksfoot pasture were supplemented with different levels of fresh alfalfa forage to obtain four ...

Feeding trials were conducted with 428 forages in three forage classes (C a grasses, legumes, C 4 grasses) fed ad l ibi tum to sheep and with 170 forages fed to cattle over a 20-yr period. Of this total, 153 forages were fed concurrently to sheep and cattle. Where the same forages were fed, mean dry matter digestibility (DMD) and dry matter intake (DMI) were lower (P < .01) for sheep than for c...

In order to provide recommendations on the most useful forage species to smallholder farmers, eleven grass and eleven legume forages grown in Abomey-Calavi in Republic of Benin were investigated for nutritive value (i.e. chemical composition and energy content) and fermentation characteristics (i.e. gas and volatile fatty acid production, organic matter degradability). The in vitro gas producti...