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Factors Affecting the Variability of An in Vitro Rumen Fermentation Technique for Estimating Forage Quality

Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, Franklinton 70438

ABSTRACT

Alfalfa, bahiagrass, bermudagrass, and ryegrass hays, and corn silage were fed to three fistulated donor animals and also used as substrates in several in vitro digestion trials.

Source and activity of inoculum, as influenced by animals and diets, on the substrate digestible dry matters were determined when digested with and without urea and glucose. Each substrate was digested in duplicate during three successive periods with inoculum from each donor animal consuming each diet.

There was a highly significant (P < .01) difference in the in vitro digestible dry matters of the substrates when digested with inocula from different diets and donor animals without urea and glucose. With the addition of these nutrients, no significant differences were found in the in vitro digestible dry matters among donor animals. Addition of urea and glucose significantly reduced the standard deviations of digestible dry matter among diets within each substrate and among substrates within each diet.

There was a between-trial standard deviation of 2.81 without the nutrient additive. This deviation was reduced to 1.74 by the addition of urea and glucose to the fermentation media. The standard deviation of duplicates within trials was 0.40.