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Publication Date

1977

Description

Four micro-trials with 6 breeding varieties each of Lolium multijlorum, Lolium perenne and Dac­tylis glomerata (early and late groups) were carried out under field conditions. Neither artificial reduction in daylight by means of a sunshade nor storage of the fresh mass in a dark room with the stems kept in water or else in a plastic bag resulted in abrupt decrease in digestibility as common under conditions of low global radiation. The findings point to the possibility that the composition of the diffuse light on days with poor radiation deviates from the diffuse light under a sunshade on days with strong radiation. It was demonstrated. that in herbage varieties there are, apa1t from dif­ferences in digestibility at the time of readiness for use, also differences in the decrease in digest­ibility under normal field conditions, which constitute an important criterion for selection in breeding forage grasses for high quality. Therefore it is recommended to carry out digest­ibility studies within each maturity group by taking samples twice or three times consecu­tively at intervals of 3 to 4 days, starting from the time of optimum readiness for use.

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The effects of global radiation before harvesting upon the digestibility of the dry matter of some grass species

Four micro-trials with 6 breeding varieties each of Lolium multijlorum, Lolium perenne and Dac­tylis glomerata (early and late groups) were carried out under field conditions. Neither artificial reduction in daylight by means of a sunshade nor storage of the fresh mass in a dark room with the stems kept in water or else in a plastic bag resulted in abrupt decrease in digestibility as common under conditions of low global radiation. The findings point to the possibility that the composition of the diffuse light on days with poor radiation deviates from the diffuse light under a sunshade on days with strong radiation. It was demonstrated. that in herbage varieties there are, apa1t from dif­ferences in digestibility at the time of readiness for use, also differences in the decrease in digest­ibility under normal field conditions, which constitute an important criterion for selection in breeding forage grasses for high quality. Therefore it is recommended to carry out digest­ibility studies within each maturity group by taking samples twice or three times consecu­tively at intervals of 3 to 4 days, starting from the time of optimum readiness for use.