• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.641-644
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• 2000

In vitro true digestibility of cup-plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) is higher than other alternative forages and comparative to alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) even at the high neutral detergent fiber (NDF) concentration. This study was conducted to determine whether the digestion kinetic parameters of cup-plant could explain high in vitro true digestibility of cup-plant at the several NDF levels. Cup-plant and alfalfa were both collected in Arlington and Lancaster, Wisconsin to meet the NDF content within 40 to 50% range. The collected samples were incubated with rumen juice to investigate the digestion kinetics at 3, 6, 9, 14, 20, 28, 36, 48, and 72 h. Kinetics was estimated by the model $R=D_0\;e-k(t-L)+U$ where R is residue remaining at time t, and $D_0$ is digestible fraction, k is digestion rate constant, L is discrete lag time, and U is indigestible fraction. Parameters of the model were estimated by the direct nonlinear least squares (DNLS) method. Digestion rate and potential extent of digestion were not statistically different in either forage. However, alfalfa had shorter lag time (p<0.05). The indigestible fraction increased with maturation in alfalfa and in cup-plant (p<0.05). The ratio of indigestible fraction to acid detergent lignin (ADL) was higher in cup-plant than in alfalfa (p<0.05). From the results, alfalfa is probably digested more rapidly than cup-plant, however, cup-plant maintains higher digestibility with maturation due to a relatively slower increase of indigestible fraction in NDF.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.636-640
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• 2000

Cup-plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) has potential to produce high biomass and highly digestible forage in the wetlands where other productive forages do not grow or produce well. However, high moisture content at harvest is a considerable disadvantage of cup-plant for the production of high quality silage. This study was conducted to determine the effect of moisture content on the characteristics of cup-plant silage. Harvested cup-plant was ensiled in farm scale plastic bag silos and laboratory silos. In the plastic bag silos, first growth (FG) and regrowth (RG) cup-plant was harvested, wilted and ensiled. Dry matter content of FG and RG was 280 g/kg and 320 g/kg after 48 hr of wilting. The silage made with FG had pH 5.3 and 5.63 g/kg DM of acetate as a major volatile fatty acid. The composition of lactate, butyrate and acetate production was 1.0: 0.9: 2.3. The pH of silage made with RG was 4.5 and lactate was a major fermentation end product (16.8 g/kg DM). In the laboratory silos, wilted and unwilted first growth cup-plant material was ensiled to compare the early fermentation end products at days 2, 4, 11, and 40. Wilting increased dry matter content by 42% in the harvested material. Wilted silage showed about one unit lower pH until day 11. The contents of ammonia nitrogen and acetate were higher in un wilted silage, while that of lactate was higher in wilted silage (p<0.05). Butyrate and propionate were not detected in the wilted silage until day 40. We conclude from the results that moisture control is essential for the production of high quality cup-plant silage and high pH of cup-plant silage is due to low concentrations of fermentation end products.