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Microscopic Evaluation of Forage Digestion by Rumen Microorganisms-a Review¹

Field Crops Laboratory, Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center, Science and Education Administration, Federal Research U. S. Department of Agriculture, Athens, GA 30604

Abstract

Use of microscopic techniques in the evaluation of forage digestion provides information from a unique perspective and should help elucidate factors affecting forage degradation by rumen microorganisms. Each type of microscopy provides information complementary to the other types. LM and SEM provide comparative information on forage microanatomy and the relative rate and extent of tissue degradation among forages. TEM reveals the association with and mode of degradation of forage tissue by morphological types of rumen microorganisms. In studies of forage digestion using microscopy, differences were found in plant anatomy and sites of lignification that affected the digestibility among species and plant parts. Further, variations in the ease and mode of digestion of similar tissue types were shown to exist among grass types, species, and cultivars. In addition to providing additional information on factors affecting forage digestion, microscopic techniques could be used for rapid comparisons of the rate and extent of fiber degradation. These techniques could be applied in forage breeding programs to assess forage quality or in programs to evaluate the influence of environment or management practices on cell wall digestibility.

¹ Invitational Paper for the Joint Meeting of the American Society of Animal Science and the American Dairy Science Association July 19 to 13, 1978, Michigan State University, East Lansing.