Publication Date
1993
Description
Variation in voluntary feed intake accounts for about half of the variation in feeding value among forages, and shear or comminution energy is a good predictor of constraint to forage intake. We have developed a technique to determine the energies required to compress and shear green or dead feed material. Among 5 genotypes of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) there is a negative relationship between the energies required to compress and shear them, and the voluntary feed intake of them by sheep. The two genotypes that were most difficult to shear contained more stem and petiole than the other feed materials, but the energy required to shear is not solely a function of the content of leaf, stem and petiole.
Citation
Baker, S K.; Klein, L; De Boer, E S.; and Purser, D B., "Genotypes of Dry, Mature Subterranean Clover Differ in Shear Energy" (2024). IGC Proceedings (1989-2023). 6.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1993/session14/6
Included in
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Genotypes of Dry, Mature Subterranean Clover Differ in Shear Energy
Variation in voluntary feed intake accounts for about half of the variation in feeding value among forages, and shear or comminution energy is a good predictor of constraint to forage intake. We have developed a technique to determine the energies required to compress and shear green or dead feed material. Among 5 genotypes of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) there is a negative relationship between the energies required to compress and shear them, and the voluntary feed intake of them by sheep. The two genotypes that were most difficult to shear contained more stem and petiole than the other feed materials, but the energy required to shear is not solely a function of the content of leaf, stem and petiole.
