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Nutritive Value of Dried or Ensiled Aquatic Plants. II. Digestibility by Sheep¹

University of Minnesota, St. Paul 55108

Abstract

Studies were conducted with two species of dried aquatic plants (Myriophyllum exalbescens and Potamogeton pectinatus) and an ensiled mixture of aquatic plants (approximately 50% Myriophyllum, 30% Ceratophyllum, 10% Potamogeton, 5% Vallisneria and 5% unknown) to determine the digestibility of aquatic plants by lambs. Dried Myriophyllum exalbescens and Potamogeton pectinatus were unpalatable (less than 600 g dry matter consumed daily) to lambs. Mixing an equal proportion of dehydrated alfalfa to either of these two species resulted in dry matter and crude protein digestibilities, as determined by difference, of 43.8 and 46.0% for Myriophyllum and 43.4 and 44.1% for Potamogeton. Energy digestibility was higher for Myriophyllum (53.7%) than Potamogeton (47.4%).

Lambs fed diets of ensiled aquatic plants, aquatic plants plus corn or aquatic plants plus alfalfa silage had dry matter digestibilities of 41.4, 32.0 and 38.5%, respectively. However, lambs fed ensiled diets of alfalfa or alfalfa plus corn had dry matter digestibilities of 61.9 and 66.2%, respectively.

¹ Paper No. 8824 of the Scientific Journal Series of the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.

² Department of Animal Science.

³ Department of Pharmacognosy.