Grass Age in Weeks

Chemical Analysis

3

6

9

12

15

18

21

24

27

Overall

Mean

SEM

LSD

DM%

80.58^d

82.04^d

84.00^c

90.23^b

92.30^b

96.19^a

91.47^b

91.10^b

91.87^b

88.65

1.01

^**

Ash%

8.95^e

10.59^d

9.98^e

8.88^e

8.60^e

13.00^b

12.19^c

14.18^a

12.07^c

10.94

0.52

^{* *}

OM%

91.05^a

89.41^a

89.98^a

91.13^a

91.40^a

87.50^c

87.81^c

85.83^e

87.93^b

89.11

0.59

^*

CP%

3.89^d

4.06^d

7.90^a

8.80^a

8.60^a

6.91^b

5.21^c

5.08^c

4.08^d

6.06

0.27

^**

CF%

21.25^f

19.38^f

22.53^f

34.47^c

34.71^c

38.79^a

36.05^b

32.86^d

28.96^c

29.85

0.71

^***

EE%

6.63^c

5.05^d

5.95^d

7.86^c

4.28^e

3.96^e

5.17^d

10.18^b

12.90^a

6.88

0.41

^***

NFE%

45.13^a

46.26^a

48.94^b

40.78^c

34.26^e

34.88^c

37.82^d

30.66^e

42.55^b

38.81

1.29

^***

NDF%

52.30^d

59.95^c

61.79^c

66.59^c

69.60^b

73.53^a

53.82^d

53.60^d

56.65^d

60.09

0.93

^***

Hemi-Cellulose%

8.62^e

27.32^b

26.17^b

34.44^a

28.60^b

22.88^c

19.69^d

15.29^d

9.25^e

21.31

2.42

^***

ADF%

36.65^d

37.64^d

35.13^d

32.15^e

41.05^c

51.16^a

34.13^d

38.24^d

47.40^b

39.28

0.94

^***

Cellulose%

26.28^c

24.00^c

25.88^c

24.00^c

36.71^b

86.04^a

16.97^d

16.18^d

12.55^e

23.73

1.48

^***

Lignin%

7.81^e

8.31^e

8.26^e

8.15^e

9.34^e

15.12^d

17.16^c

22.06^b

34.85^a

15.45

0.52

^***

ME MJ/kg/DM

15.85^a

12.87^c

12.25^c

13.11^b

12.02^c

9.57^e

11.06^d

12.99^c

12.36^c

12.45

0.56

^**