Selectivity of tropical grasses by Spanish x Boer goats

Little is known about the effect of forage quality (crude protein [CP] and digestibility) on the palatability of tropical grasses potentially useful f or meat goats (Capra hircus) in Florida. The purpose of this study was to e valuate herbage accumulation, palatability, and forage quality of nine pres ently grown tropical forage grasses using Spanish x Beer goats. Grasses con sisted of 'Floralta' limpograss [Hemarthria altissima (Poir) Stapf and C. E . Hubb],'Florona' and 'Florico' starprasses (Cgnodon nlemfuensis Vanderyst var, nlemfuensis), 'Tifton-85' and 'Florakirk' bermudagrasses [Cynodon dact ylon (L) Pers], and 'Pensacola: 'Tifton-9', 'Argentine', and 'Paraguay-24' bahiagrasses (Paspalum notatum Flugge). The experimental design was a rando mized complete block with three replications. Goats (n = 12 each year, avg. . wt. 23 kg, 4 to 5-mo. old) were allowed to graze each grass for three, 3- wk gazing cycles. Total herbage accumulation was highest for Paraguay-22, A rgentine, and Tifton-9 bahiagrass, Tifton-85 bermudagrass and Florico starp rass, averaging 7080, 6960, 6950, 6680, and 6430 kg ha(-1), respectively. T otal forage consumed by goats averaged 52, 45, 41, 33, and 20% of forage av ailable for Florico, Argentine, Paraguay-22, Tifton-9 and Tifton-85, respec tively. All bahiagrasses (123 CP and 509 g kg(-1) digestibility) were signi ficantly lower in forage quality than the stargrasses, bermudagrasses (139 CP and 605 g kg(-1) digestibility) and limpograss (126 CP and 580 g kg(-1) digestibility). Goats preferred Argentine, Paraguay-22 and Tifton-9 bahiagr asses, and Florico stargrass over other gasses as determined by forage cons umed. There appears to be no association between grasses selected by goats and forage CP and in vitro digestibility.