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Interrelationships and Conversion Factors between Expressions of the Digestible Energy Value of Forages^1,2,

Canada Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, Canada

Abstract

For forages, a very close interrelationship between digestible energy content (DE; kcal/gm. DM),total digestible nutrients (TDN), digestible organic matter (DOM) and digestible dry matter (DDM) is demonstrated by the following simple regression equations.

The correlation coefficients were all highly significant (P<.01). The relatively low standard errors of estimate indicate the regression equations can be used, with reasonable precision, as prediction equations for the interconversion of the four expressions of the energy value of forages.

Evidence is presented demonstrating that digestible protein has a marked positive effect upon the ratio kcal DE/gm. TDN for forages, and because of this, average conversion factors currently in use will not give satisfactory estimates of DE from TDN over a wide range of forage quality.

¹ Contribution No. 145, Animal Research Institute, Research Branch, Canada Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, Canada.

² Part of the digestibility data employed were derived from trials conducted by the late C. J. Watson and the remainder from co-operative trials by one of us (W.J.P.) with G. J. Brisson. Appreciation is also extended to John Burton and John Cant for their assistance in the calculations of the regression equations.

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