Some effects of shading and of nitrogen fertiliser on the chemical composition of freeze-dried and oven-dried herbage, and on the nutritive value of oven-dried herbage fed to sheep

摘要

Abstract An experiment is described in which the nutritive value and chemical composition of oven-dried herbage from shaded perennial ryegrass pasture (SR) were compared with those of unshaded ryegrass (R), shaded + nitrogen-fertilised (SR + N), and unshaded + nitrogen-fertilised (R+N) ryegrass herbage, and with those of white clover (C). Higher food intakes and live weight gains were found with C herbage than with the ryegrass herbage (SR, R, SR + N, R + N = P), and with unshaded than with shaded herbage. Application of nitrogen fertiliser prior to harvesting did not affect live weight or food intake. A higher D.M. digestibility was found for C than for P herbage, and in the second trial only, a higher digestibility was evident for unshaded than for shaded, and for nitrogen than for no nitrogen treatments. A higher proportion of soluble carbohydrate and lignin, but lower hemiccllulose and cellulose content, were found in dried C than in P herbage. Shading perennial ryegrass pastures reduced the proportio...