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The effect of wilting berseem and lucerne herbage on voluntary dry-matter intake by buffalo heifers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

K. Yoelao ,
M. G. Jackson  and
Ishwar Saran
K. Yoelao
Affiliation:
College of Agriculture, U.P. Agricultural University, Pantnagar, District Nainital, U.P., India
M. G. Jackson
Affiliation:
College of Agriculture, U.P. Agricultural University, Pantnagar, District Nainital, U.P., India
Ishwar Saran
Affiliation:
College of Agriculture, U.P. Agricultural University, Pantnagar, District Nainital, U.P., India
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Summary

Two changeover experiments, each on eight buffalo heifers, were conducted in two different years to determine the effect of wilting lucerne herbage (Exps. 1 and 2) and berseem herbage (Exp. 2 only) on voluntary dry-matter intake. The dry-matter content of the herbages increased by field wilting from 27 to 50 and from 26 to 44% for lucerne in Exps. 1 and 2 respectively, and from 21 to 31% for berseem. The drymatter intake, nutrient digestibility coefficients, nutritive value index and retention time of undigested residues were determined for each fresh and wilted herbage.

Wilting increased the dry-matter intake of lucerne from 2·3 to 2·8 and from 2·1 to 3·5 kg per 100 kg body weight in Exps. 1 and 2 respectively. Berseem dry-matter intake was increased from 2·2 to 3·1 kg per 100 kg body weight. Digestibility coefficients of all nutrients of both herbages increased by 6–20%. Retention times were unaffected by wilting. The nutritive value indices for lucerne and berseem in Exp. 2 increased by 160 and 60% respectively. In Exp. 2, the average loss of herbage dry matter due to wilting was 3·8%. The higher consumption of the wilted herbages is ascribed to their lower water content. The practical implications of these results are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 74 , Issue 1 , February 1970 , pp. 47 - 51
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1970

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