Archived

This content is available here strictly for research, reference, and/or recordkeeping and as such it may not be fully accessible. If you work or study at University of Kentucky and would like to request an accessible version, please use the SensusAccess Document Converter.

Publication Date

1993

Location

New Zealand

Description

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor Moench) and corn are the most popular summer forages in south-west Japan. In this experiment, the digestibilities of sorghum silage were determined by adult sheep and by heifers. The digestibilities of all proximate components by heifers were higher than by sheep, Non-structural carbohydrates were almost completely digested by sheep, in contrast to heifers which excreted a portion of the grain undigested. Neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre, hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin digestibilities for heifers were higher than those for sheep. Heifers digested each hemicellulose monosaccharide better than sheep, Sheep and heifers differed by the largest extent in xylose digestibility. Xylose was the most indigestible monosaccharide for sheep but galactose was for the heifers.

Share

COinS
 

Comparison of Digestibility of Sorghum Silage by Sheep and by Heifers with Special Reference to the Hemicellulose Monosaccharides

New Zealand

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor Moench) and corn are the most popular summer forages in south-west Japan. In this experiment, the digestibilities of sorghum silage were determined by adult sheep and by heifers. The digestibilities of all proximate components by heifers were higher than by sheep, Non-structural carbohydrates were almost completely digested by sheep, in contrast to heifers which excreted a portion of the grain undigested. Neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre, hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin digestibilities for heifers were higher than those for sheep. Heifers digested each hemicellulose monosaccharide better than sheep, Sheep and heifers differed by the largest extent in xylose digestibility. Xylose was the most indigestible monosaccharide for sheep but galactose was for the heifers.