Forage quality in cultivars of Brachiaria spp.: association of lignin and fibers with anatomical characteristics.
2016
MAURI, J. | TECHIO, V. H. | DAVIDE, L. C. | PEREIRA, D. L. | SOUZA SOBRINHO, F. de | PEREIRA, F. J.
Abstract: Studies to quantify lignin and fibers chemically and anatomically were conducted to evaluate the nutritional quality of forage. This study aimed to assess differences in the amount of lignin and fiber in the leaves of cultivars from three species of Brachiaria. These differences were correlated with structural characteristics of sclerenchyma and vessel elements. Brachiaria brizantha (Hochst.) Stapf. cv. Marandu, Brachiaria decumbens Stapf. Prain. cv. Basilisk, and Brachiaria ruziziensis Kennedy (R. Germ & Evrad) cv. Kennedy were chemically and anatomically analyzed using fluorescence techniques and plant microtechnique procedures to evaluate the amount of lignin and fibers in leaves. B. brizantha showed the lowest cell-wall lignin content in fibers from the mesophyll region, and the average gray level was 177.43 compared to 197.63 for B. decumbens and 195.77 for B. ruziziensis. In the midrib, the fiber cell-wall thickness was 3.27 µm in B. brizantha, 57.18% thinner than B. ruziziensis (5.14 µm) and 9.48% thinner than B. decumbens (3.58 µm). B. brizantha cv. Marandu showed the lowest amount of lignin based on cell-wall fiber characteristics.
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