2016 Volume 60 Issue 2 Pages 89-92
Effects of temperature and soil moisture on ruminal fiber digestibility of maize (Zea mays L.) were evaluated in controlled environmental facility. Plants were cultivated at lower (28 °C for 14 h, day and 19 °C for 10 h, night: L) or higher (35 °C for 14h, day and 27 °C for 10 h, night: H) temperature with three soil moisture conditions (pF: 1.7, 2.5 or 2.7). Dry matter (DM) production, plant height, fiber fractions and in situ digestibility of neutral detergent fiber (aNDFom) of plants at the 13th leaf stage were analyzed. Temperature affected aNDFom digestibility which was lower at H than at L regime. Lower aNDFom digestibility at temperature H might be due to the increased lignin (ADL) content and decrease in digestibility of acid detergent fiber (ADFom) content exept for ADL. However, soil moisture did not affect aNDFom digestibility. It was also demonstrated that digestible aNDFom yield of maize decreased under high temperature with drought due to reduced yield combined with reduction in digestibility.
