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Cellulose and Lignin in Forage Grasses and Their Digestion Coefficients

U. S. Department of Agriculture¹

Abstract

Cellulose, lignin, acid hydrolyzable carbohydrates, and alcohol-soluble substances were determined on 36 grass and 2 legume samples. The feces of sheep fed these forages as a sole diet were also analyzed in order to calculate digestion coefficients. These results are discussed together with other analyses and digestion data previously reported by Swift et al. (1950, 1952) who carried out the feeding trials.

The digestion coefficients of true and natural cellulose ranged from 56 to 89, a range as great as that of crude fiber. Lignin percentage was significantly correlated with digestibility of all the insoluble carbohydrates and of total dry matter. Lignin, itself, had a considerable degree of digestibility with coefficients exceeding 10 in many cases. The percentage of alcohol-soluble substances was correlated with that of digestible dry matter. The results are considered from the standpoint of the need for an improved scheme of chemical analysis for evaluating forages.

¹ Contribution No. 140 of the U. S. Regional Pasture Research Laboratory, Field Crops Research Branch, ARS, U.S.D.A., State College, Pennsylvania, in cooperation with the twelve Northeastern States.