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The influence of rumen fluid pH on the rate and extent of maize silage and wheat straw degradation estimated in vitro using the Reading Pressure Technique

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2017

F.L. Mould
Affiliation:
The University of Reading, Department of Agriculture, Earley Gate, PO Box 236, Reading RG6 6AT
R.M. Mauricio
Affiliation:
The University of Reading, Department of Agriculture, Earley Gate, PO Box 236, Reading RG6 6AT
T. Smith
Affiliation:
The University of Reading, Department of Agriculture, Earley Gate, PO Box 236, Reading RG6 6AT
E. Owen
Affiliation:
The University of Reading, Department of Agriculture, Earley Gate, PO Box 236, Reading RG6 6AT
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Extract

Fermentation of the increasingly energy-dense rations offered to meet the nutrient demands of today's high yielding dairy cows ought to adversely rumen fibre degradation. Not only could rumen fluid pH be depressed below that assumed critical to cellulolysis for extended periods of time but the quantity of readily fermentable carbohydrate available will further exacerbate this effect. These, together with the reduced rumen retention time of feed particles associated with high feeding levels could significantly limit fibre degradation. This in vitro study was designed to identify the pH at which degradation becomes impaired, the extent of this depression and whether the effect varies according to the feedstuffs offered.

Type
Poster Presentations
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 2000

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References

Grant, R.J. and Mertens, D.R. 1990. A buffer system for pH control and evaluation of pH effects upon fiber digestion in vitro. US Dairy Forage Research Centre 1989 Research Summaries. ARS-USDA, Madison, WI.Google Scholar
Mauricio, R.M., Mould, F.L., Dhanoa, M.S., Owen, E., Channa, K. S. and Theodorou, M.K. 1999. A semi-automated in vitro gas production technique for ruminant feedstuff evaluation. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 79: 321 330.CrossRefGoogle Scholar