Nutritive Value of Reed Canarygrass as Hay when Grown with Various Nitrogen Levels

A total collection digestion trial was carried out with four dairy heifers in a 4 4 Latin-square extra-period design. The rations fed were second-cutting alfalfa hay and three reed eanarygrass hays, the latter fertilized at the rates of 0, 100, or 200 lb. of nitrogen per acre. The reed canarygrass hay fertilized with 200 lb. of nitrogen per acre was equal or superior to the alfalfa hay in the digestibility of protein, fiber, ether extract, and energy, and in the amounts of TDN (%) and DE (cal/g). A close relationship between the DE and TDN methods of forage evaluation was expressed in the correlation coefficient of +0.736. Digestible energy can be expressed in terms of TDN through the linear regression equation Y = 731.23 + 31.30X [Y = digestible energy (cal/g) : X = total digestible nutrients (%)].