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Effects of Ozone on Nutritive Quality of Alfalfa

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD 20705

ABSTRACT

Mesa Sirsa, an ozone-susceptible cultivar, and Team, an ozone-resistant cultivar of alfalfa, Medicago sativa L., were grown in a greenhouse with ozone filtered and nonfiltered ambient air environments. Yield of dry matter was 42% higher in either environment for Team than for Mesa Sirsa. The in vitro rate of cell wall digestion was 35% faster for Team than for Mesa Sirsa, but in vitro cell wall digestion was 11% greater for Mesa Sirsa. Foliage grown in filtered air contained less lignified cellulose and had cell walls that were digested 34% faster than foliage grown in nonfiltered air. When grown in the presence of ozone, the nitrogen content of Team was higher than that in Mesa Sirsa. Cell walls digested in vitro more rapidly but less in Team under both environments. Decreases of in vitro rate of cell wall digestion induced by ozone may explain some of the variation in voluntary intake of all-forage diets by ruminants.

¹ Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Plant Physiology Institute, Plant Stress Laboratory.

² Belstville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Physiology and Genetics Institute, Feed Enegry Conservation Laboratory.