Effect of storage period on the chemical composition and in vitro gas production of selected forages
A study was conducted at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta between December, 2007 and April, 2008 to determine the effect of storage period on the chemical composition and in vitro gas production of some selected forage namely; cowpea (lITA2), cowpea (Oloyin), Verano stylo, the leaf and stem fractions of maize stover, and Guinea grass (local variety). The maize stover, was left to dry in silu for two weeks before storage. The two cowpea varieties were harvested after the removal of the pods. The stylo and the Guinea grass were both harvested after flowering. The foragers were sun-dried for two days except the maize stover. They were all tied with ropes and transported to the storage shed within the same week in December, 2007. Sub-samples were taken randomly for analyses at the point of storage and every 2 weeks subsequently) for a period of 10, weeks. The dry matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF), Acid Detergent Fibre (AD F), and Acid Detergent Lignin (ADL) contents V\ere determined. The in vitro gas production, fermentation parameters, volume of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and metabolizable energy (ME) were assessed at weeks 0.4 and 10. The mean temperature and relative humidity during the storage period ranged between 28.5Â°C-29.5Â°C and 41 %-76 % respectively. The OM contents increased (P 0.05) in absg for the grasses during the period of storage. The CP contents during the period of storage except that of the stem fraction of the maize stover were generally above the minimum 7 % requirement recommended for maintenance of small ruminants. Hence, the forages used in this study though experienced some nutritional losses during storage can be successfully stored for anprim of 10 weeks in the dry season.