Research On Animal Production

  Present study was carried out to study the effect of growth stage on chemical composition and degradability parameters of DM, NDF and CP in bersim clover (Trifolium repens). Plant samples were collected and studied at 5 stages of vegetative growth stage (second week, fourth week, sixth week, eighth week, tenth week). Ruminal degradability of samples was determined by in situ technique using two ruminal cannulated zel rams. There were significant differences between mean amount of DM, NDF, Ash contents and their degradability of NDF including rapid degradable portion (a), slow degradable portion (b), Constant rate of degradability (c) and Effective Rumen Degradable (ERD) in different growth stages (P<0.05). Results showed that by developing growth stages the mean amount of CP, EE contents and parameters of NDF degradability were decreased, however the mean amount of Ash and NDF were increased (P<0.01). With increase of growth stages, the mean amount values of rapid degradable portion (a), slow degradable portion (b), potentially degradable portion (a + b), and constant rate of degradability (c) related to NDF decreased but the mean amount values of non degradable portion increased.