Chemical composition and in‐vitro degradability of major chemical constituents of red clover harvested at different stages of maturity

The contents of extractives, starch, crude protein, non‐starch polysaccharides and Klason lignin were determined in red clover harvested at six different stages of maturity. Chemical analysis of residues after incubation with rumen liquor in vitro revealed that the degradability of starch was 100% and of crude protein about 80% at all harvest times. The degradability of non‐starch polysaccharides decreased from 76 to 51% during maturation and no degradation of Klason lignin was noticed. At all harvest times xylose was the least degraded non‐starch polysaccharide residue followed by glucose and rhamnose. During maturation the greatest decrease in in‐vitro degradability was noticed for the xylose residues followed by the glucose and the mannose residues.