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In Vivo Evaluation of a Brown Midrib Mutant of Zea Mays L.¹

Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana 47907

Abstract

AN F₂ population of maize, segregating for brown midrib-3 mutant (bm₃) and with non mutant "normal" plants, and a commercial hybrid (CH) were ensiled without ears to determine voluntary intake and digestibility when fed to lambs. Lignin percentages for the three silages were 4.5, 6.8 and 6.9 for bm₃, normal and CH. Lambs fed the bm₃ silage ration had a 29% greater (P<.01) voluntary consumption than lambs fed normal silage. When rations were fed ad libitum, apparent digestibility of dry matter (P<.10), cellulose (P<.05), hemicellulose (P<.01) and energy (P<.01) were greater for bm_g than for normal or CH. Feeding lambs at 90% of ad libitum intake resulted in similar differences.

The bm₃ silage had a faster in vitro rate of digestion of dry matter, cell walls, cellulose and hemicellulose. These results indicate that the decreased lignin content of the bm₃ genotype probably accounts for the faster ruminal rate of digestion in vitro and the greater apparent digestibility in vivo. The 29% greater voluntary intake of the bm₃ silage was probably a result of faster rate of ruminal digestion due to a lower lignification of cellulose and hemicellulose.

¹ Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Paper No. 4658. A contribution of the Department of Animal Sciences and Agronomy, Purdue University, and Plant Science Research Division of A.R.S., U.S.D.A.

² Department of Animal Sciences. Present address: Dairy Science Department, South Dakota State University, Brookings 57006.

³ Department of Agronomy.

⁴ Research Agronomist, Plant Science Research Division, A.R.S., U.S.D.A., U.S. Regional Pasture Laboratory, University Park, Pa.

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