Digestion of seed from hard-seeded selections of Macrotyloma uniflorum (horse gram) by cattle [seed survival]
1989
Norton, B.W. | Whitford, C. (Queensland Univ., St Lucia (Australia). Dept. of Agriculture) | Staples, I.B. (Queensland Dept. of Primary Industries, Mareeba (Australia))
The seed of 4 lines was fed with Pangola grass at a rate of 40 percent in the dry matter offered. Seed size increased as the proportion of hard seed decreased. The percentages of whole seed (c. 95 percent) and dead seed (3 percent) were similar for all lines. With decreasing hard seed content, there were increases in organic matter (67-71), nitrogen (58.2-67.2), total seed (73.5-80.5) and whole seed (78.1-82.0) digestibility. Although 14 to 21 percent of the whole seed ingested was excreted in faeces, only a small proportion (less than 5 percent) was germinable. Significantly more hard live seed ingested from lines 47055A and 3-38-1 was excreted in faeces (29 and 30 percent respectively) than for lines 2-23-3 and 32108 (8.0 and 0 percent respectively) For M. uniflorum a minimum level of 15 percent hard seed was required to ensure the passage of significant amounts of hard seed through the digestive tract of cattle.
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