Carbohydrates are the primiiary source of reserve energy stored in the vegetative organs of biennial and perennial forage plants. Reserves of available carbohydrates are essential to survival and to the production of plant tissues during periods when carbohydrate utilization exceeds photosynthetic activity. Total available carbohydrate3 levels and trends in storage organs are useful in indicati...

This study was conducted with the aim of evaluating effect protein-energy supplementation on productive performance, intake, digestibility, and microbial protein synthesis in heifers fed tropical forage. Twelve Nellore at 11 months age, a mean initial body weight 248.8 ± 11.40 kg were used. The animals distributed completely randomized design two treatments six replicates. evaluated were: contr...

Plant toxins are the chemical defenses of plants against herbivory. Grasses have relatively few intrinsic toxins, relying more on growth habit to survive defoliation and endophytic fungal toxins as chemical defenses. Forage grasses that contain intrinsic toxins include Phalaris spp. (tryptamine and carboline alkaloids), sorghums (cyanogenic glycosides), and tropical grasses containing oxalates ...

Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach.) is a fast-growing perennial grass native to Sub-Saharan Africa that is widely grown across the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is a multipurpose forage crop, primarily used to feed cattle in cut and carry feeding systems. Characterization and diversity studies on a small collection of Napier grasses have identified a moderate level...

Legumes are members of the family Fabaceae or Leguminosae and include economically important grain legumes, oilseed crops, forage crops, shrubs, and tropical or subtropical trees. Legumes are a rich source of quality protein for humans and animals. They also enrich the soil by producing their own nitrogen in symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. International centers and national institutes ...

Napier grass is a perennial, tropical C-4 grass that can produce large amounts of forage. However, low temperatures and drought stress limit its productivity and nutritive value as a forage. To overcome these limitations, pearl millet × napier grass hybrids (PMN) were developed. It was hypothesized that PMN hybrids were more drought-tolerant, produced higher yields, and had higher nutritive val...