Ruminal degradation of Panicum grasses in three post-regrowth ages

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the chemical composition and in situ degradation of Maasai, Mombasa and Tanzania grasses belonging to the genus Panicum, at 22, 34 and 46 days after regrowth. The contents of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) were determined. For the evaluation of ruminal degradation, 4 g sample were placed in nylon bags and incubated in the rumen of a fistulated animal, for 6, 24 and 72 h. The experiment had a completely randomized design for chemical composition analysis and a split-split plot completely randomized design for in situ degradation, with means compared by Tukey test at 5%. There was an increase in the contents of DM (+ 1.69%) and NDF (+ 5.06%) (P <0.05) of the grasses at the highest cutting ages with reduction in the CP fraction. The potential degradation (PD) of DM, NDF and CP decreased with advancing age of grasses, with an increase in colonization time (0.69 h) and NDF degradation rate (1.14%/h). The increase in the post-regrowth age of the Massai, Mombasa, and Tanzania grasses increases the acid detergent fiber content and reduces the crude protein content, with a negative effect on the degradation of DM, PB and NDF. The management of these cultivars is indicated at 22 and 34 days post-regrowth to obtain forage with better nutritional value.