In situ degradability of hand harvested or extrusa samples of Tanzania grass (Panicum maximum, Jacq.)

Abstract

In order to compare the in situ degradability of tanzania grass samples obtained as by extrusa or hand plucked, three ruminal fistulated cows were used in a completely randomized block design with split-plot scheme. Five grams of extrusa or hand harvested grasses were placed in nylon bags rumen incubated during 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 96 and 120 hours. The degradability of DM, CP, NDF and ADF were, in this sequence, 62.59, 80.88, 50.73 and 46.65%, for hand-harvested grass; and 79.53, 90.97, 71.21 and 65.68%, for extrusa. In situ degradability data of hand harvested samples were not reliable.