INVITRO ORGANIC-MATTER DIGESTIBILITY AND CRUDE PROTEIN-CONTENT OF PANICUM-MAXIMUM JACQ CV TOBIATA UNDER WATER-STRESS

In vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) and crude protein conten t (CP) were determined in Panicum maximum Jacq. cv. Tobiata grown in p ots and subjected to water stress. The soil water conditions were: U1 = 45% (field capacity), U2 = 29% and, U3 = varying from 37% to 27% of soil water content. The evaluations were made at 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after the imposition of soil the water status. The basic treatment de sign was a factorial combination of soil water condition x period of e valuation. A complete randomized design with three replications was us ed. The IVOMD coefficient was similar (P > 0.01) in the first three ev aluations periods but higher (P < 0.01) for U2 (68.3%) and U3 (67.1%) plants in relation to U1 (58.8%) plants in the last period. Although s imilar (P > 0.01) during the first evaluation, from the second evaluat ion period onwards, CP content of U2 (19.2%, 14.3% and 10.6%) and U3 ( 17.2%, 12.3% and 11.3%) plants was higher (P < 0.01) than that of U1 ( 13.9%, 6.9% and 4.5%) plants.