Ja. Flores et al., DETERMINANTS OF FORAGE QUALITY IN PENSACOLA BAHIAGRASS AND MOTT ELEPHANTGRASS, Journal of animal science, 71(6), 1993, pp. 1606-1614
Our objective was to determine animal responses and forage characteris
tics that could explain the greater forage quality of 'Mott' dwarf ele
phantgrass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) than that of 'Pensacola' bahi
agrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge). Both grasses were harvested after 5
wk of regrowth in June and September. Sheep fed Mott hays had greater
(P = .001) voluntary intake of digestible OM (DOM) than did those fed
Pensacola, but voluntary intake of ash-free NDF (NDFa) did not differ
(P = .21) between grasses. When hays were fed at equal NDFa intakes, s
heep fed Mott chewed at a greater (P = .002) rate during eating, spent
less (P = .028) time ruminating per unit OM intake, and had smaller (
P = .006) prefeeding digesta pools of total and indigestible NDFa. Mot
t hays had greater N and K and smaller NDFa concentrations. Mott had g
reater (P = .001) epidermis and smaller (P = .001) sclerenchyma propor
tions in leaf blades, and leaf epidermis of Mott was more digestible (
P = .011) in vitro. For both grasses, hays harvested in June had great
er (P = .011) voluntary intake of DOM and shorter (P = .082) mean rete
ntion time of small ruminal digesta particles (< 1.18 mm) than did tho
se harvested in September. Within grasses, there were no seasonal diff
erences in NDFa concentration in hay, or in leaf anatomy. A less fibro
us leaf structure and a more readily digested leaf epidermis may have
accounted for the greater DOM intake of Mott than of Pensacola, but th
e greater DOM intake of hays harvested in June than of those harvested
in September was not explained by measured forage characteristics.