Cell Wall Composition of Diverse Clovers during Primary Spring Growth
1994
Brink, G. E. | Fairbrother, T. E.
Forage digestibility is influenced by plant cell wall composition. We compared changes in cell wall composition of the herbage and plant fractions of four clovers differing in life cycle and growth habit and examined the relationship between digestibility and cell wall composition in these plant fractions. Primary spring growth of berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum L.), red (T. pratense L.), subterranean (T. subterraneum L.) , and white (T. repens L.) clover was harvested in each of 2 yr beginning in late March and thereafter every 10 d (eight harvests total). Cell wall, hemicellulose , cellulose, and lignin concentration were determined for leaf, petiole, stem, and reproductive fractions and herbage at each harvest. Herbage cell wall concentration of berseem, red, and white clover increased 3.1, 2.4, and 0.8 g kg⁻¹ d⁻¹, respectively. Maximum herbage cell wall concentrations of annual berseem and subterranean clover herbage were greater than those of perennial red and white clover(500 and 497 vs. 425 and 280g kg⁻¹ respectively). With the exception of subterranean clover, leaf cell wall concentration of all clovers ranged from ≈ 200 to 300g kg⁻¹ Trends for stem cell wall and hemicellulose Concentration of erect-growing berseem and red clover were similar, while petiole cell wall and hemicellulose trends were similar for annual berseem and subterranean clover. Herbage and plant fraction cell wall concentration were negatively correlated with digestibility due primarily to the inverse relationship between digestibility and cell wall-ligning cncentration. The minor differences in leaf cell wall concentration during primary spring growth indicate minimal differences exist among these clovers in relation to their value to grazing ruminants. Mississippi Agric. and For. Exp. Stn. Journal Article no. 8370.
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