HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (9) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ferdinandez, Y. S.N. Articles by Coulman, B. E. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Ferdinandez, Y. S.N. Articles by Coulman, B. E. Agricola Articles by Ferdinandez, Y. S.N. Articles by Coulman, B. E. Related Collections Other Forage Crops Plant Analysis

CROP QUALITY & UTILIZATION

Nutritive Values of Smooth Bromegrass, Meadow Bromegrass, and Meadow x Smooth Bromegrass Hybrids for Different Plant Parts and Growth Stages

Saskatoon Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 107 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7N 0X2

Corresponding author (ferdinandezy{at}em.agr.ca)

Three hybrid populations between meadow bromegrass (Bromus riparius Rehm.) and smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss) have been developed through hybridization and recurrent selection. The objective of this study was to determine the concentration of acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and crude protein (CP) of leaf blades, stems, and whole-plant herbage of three hybrid bromegrass populations (S-9197, S-9073 and S-9183) and the two parental species at vegetative, heading, and anthesis stages of development. Generally, the highest leaf blade NDF, ADF, and lowest CP concentrations were observed in meadow bromegrass, regardless of the growth stage. For the stem fraction, hybrid S-9183 had the lowest ADF (240 g kg^-1) and NDF (532 g kg^-1) at the vegetative stage. At anthesis, in 1997, stem NDF concentrations of meadow bromegrass, S-9197, and S-9073 were similar, but lower than S-9183 and smooth bromegrass. At later stages of development, meadow bromegrass had higher stem CP concentrations (94–114 g kg^-1) than other entries (62–110 g kg^-1). For whole-plant samples, NDF (359–490 g kg^-1) and ADF (178–214 g kg^-1) concentrations of the three hybrid populations were consistently lower than the parental species at the vegetative stage of growth. The hybrid populations, particularly S-9183, were lower in NDF and ADF at early stages of maturity, suggesting that they have potential as high quality forage species for grazing and hay prior to or at heading.

Abbreviations: ADF, acid detergent fiber • CP, crude protein • IVDMD, in vitro dry matter digestibility • NDF, neutral detergent fiber

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. F. Karn, J. D. Berdahl, and A. B. Frank Nutritive Quality of Four Perennial Grasses as Affected by Species, Cultivar, Maturity, and Plant Tissue Agron. J., October 3, 2006; 98(6): 1400 - 1409. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]