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Title: USING SIMULATED RAINFALL TECHNIQUES TO ESTIMATE DRY MATTER LOSSES AND CHANGES IN NUTRITIVE VALUE FOR WILTING BERMUDAGRASS HAY

Author
item SCARBROUGH, DEAN - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
item COBLENTZ, WAYNE - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
item HUMPHRY, J. BYRON - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item TURNER, JOHN - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
item DANIEL, TOMMY - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
item Sauer, Thomas
item COFFEY, KEN - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
item JENNINGS, JOHN - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
item SKINNER, JERRAL - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/6/2003
Publication Date: 11/6/2003
Citation: SCARBROUGH, D.A., COBLENTZ, W.K., HUMPHRY, J., TURNER, J.E., DANIEL, T.C., SAUER, T.J., COFFEY, K.C., JENNINGS, J.A., SKINNER, J.V. USING SIMULATED RAINFALL TECHNIQUES TO ESTIMATE DRY MATTER LOSSES AND CHANGES IN NUTRITIVE VALUE FOR WILTING BERMUDAGRASS HAY. ASA-CSSA-SSSA ANNUAL MEETING ABSTRACTS. 2003. CD-ROM. Madison, WI.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.)Pers.] was subjected to simulated rainfall (0 to 76 mm) immediately after cutting, approximately halfway throughout the wilting period, or when the forage moisture concentration was ideal for baling (761, 400, or 130 g kg**-1 moisture, respectively.) In general, concentrations of fiber components and losses of dry matter (DM) increased with rainfall amount, and were most evident when the bermudagrass forage was wilted to moisture concentrations of 400 and 130 g kg**-1 prior to rain damage. Under all experimental conditions, losses of DM were minimal (less than 38 g kg**-1). Concentrations of N in bermudagrass forages wilted to 761 and 400 g kg**-1 changed minimally in response to simulated rainfall, but when rain damage occurred when the forage was dry enough to bale, concentrations of N increased in linear (P=0.002) for quadratic (P=0.042) patterns. Estimates of ruminal DM degradability decreased in response to artificial rainfall. Reductions in ruminal DM digestibility were quadratic (P=0.003) and quartic (P=0.002) for forage at 761 g kg**-1 moisture; and linear (P=0.0005) quadric (P=0.0018) and quartic (P=0.014) for forage at 400 g kg**-1 moisture; and linear (P=0.0001)for the driest forage. These data indicate that rain damage occurs to wilting bermudagrass hay, but the magnitude of these effects was relatively small.