Cell wall components and in vitro dry matter digestibility of ensiled pea: Oat mixtures

Cell wall content generally is regarded as the most important factor affecting forage utilization because it comprises the major fraction of forage dry matter and is correlated with forage intake and digestibility. The experiment was carried out to evaluate the cell wall constituents of ensiled pea - oat mixtures sown at five different seeding rates. Three effects were studied: application of bacterial inoculant, seeding rate of pea and oat in the mixtures and stages of plant development. The NDF (Neutral Detergent Fiber), ADF (Acid Detergent Fiber), hemicellulose, lignin and DMD (Dry Matter Digestibility) were determined in silages. Pea and oat were grown in binary mixtures at the experimental field of the Institute for forage crops, Krusevac - Serbia, and were tested at five different mixture rates: pure pea and pure oat crop, 25% pea + 75% oat, 50% pea + 50% oat, 75% pea + 25% oat. Application of bacterial inoculant affected lower content of NDF and hemicellulose (P< 0.05). Content of cell wall constituents decreased with increasing pea content in the mixtures, but DMD increased. On the other hand, content of cell wall constituents increased with plant growth and development, but DMD decreased.