INFLUENCE OF CHEMICAL, ENZYMATIC AND PHYTOGENIC ENSILING PREPARATIONSON DIGESTIBILITY, DEGRADABILITY AND PDI AND NEL CONTENT OF LUCERNE AND RED-CLOVER

Lucerne and red clover cut at the beginning of the flowering stage wer e conserved by chemical (formic acid; Na-formiate; Ca-propionate), enz ymatic (based on cellulases, hemicellulases, amylases and glucose oxid ases, including microbial inoculants) or phytogenic (plant oils) prepa rations, The effective degradability of crude protein (CP) was measure d in two steers with rumen cannulas, intestinal digestibility of the u ndegraded protein (UDP) in two cows equipped with duodenal T-cannulas, and the apparent CP and organic matter (OM) digestibility in eight we thers, The PDI (protein digestible in the intestine) and NEL (net ener gy of lactation) were calculated using the above mentioned values. The differences among ensiling preparations were significant both in luce rne and clover, regarding CP effective degradability (P < 0.01), PDI ( P < 0.01), and NEL (P < 0.05), CP effective degradability of red clove r presented with the enzymatic or phytogenic preparations was higher(P < 0.01) compared with the chemical agents, The mean of all PDI values of red clover ensiled with the phytogenic preparations did not differ (P > 0.05) from that of PDI values of chemically conserved clover, Th e UDP intestinal digestibility of the lucerne conserved by the chemica l or enzymatic preparations was higher (P < 0.01) than that of clover, The difference in the UDP intestinal digestibility between samples co nserved with formic acid or the enzymatic preparation was not proved ( P > 0.05) either in the lucerne or in the red clover, Formic acid was recommended as the best preparation for ensiling lucerne and red clove r regarding PDI and NEL content.