We harvested soybean plants (cv. ‘Suzukari’) at the R6 (full-size green beans) and R7 (pods and 50% of leaves yellowed) stages. Corn silage was supplemented with R6 or R7 soybean silage or alfalfa hay to formulate three isonitrogenous diets (crude protein content 15% of DM), and the in vivo total tract digestibility and rumen fermentation of these diets were compared. The neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber contents of all three diets were similar, whereas the crude fat content of the soybean diet was higher than that of the alfalfa diet (R6 soybean diet, 6.0%; R7 soybean diet, 5.7%; alfalfa diet, 2.4%). Total digestible nutrients, ruminal pH, and ruminal concentrations of total volatile fatty acids were not affected by diet. When the R7 soybean diet was offered, the ruminal NH₃-N concentration was similar to that under the alfalfa diet. However, when R6 or R7 soybean diets with a relatively high crude fat content were offered, the ruminal acetate/propionate ratio and fiber digestibility were lower than under the alfalfa diet. Therefore, if the crude fat content in the diet can be kept sufficiently low, forage soybean silage can be used as a substitute for alfalfa hay.

Galega is a deciduous perennial herb, the aboveground part of shoots, being responsible for foliage production, are replaced by new generation shoots in the spring of every year. In this study, the life history and alternating pattern of shoot generation of galega were examined based on seasonal changes in morphology of the rhizome, adventitious roots, and root nodules. The survival period of aboveground part of shoots was about 6 months from spring emergence to before wintering, that is to say only one growth season. On the other hand, the physiological function of the underground part of the shoots was retained for about two years, from development in the summer onward of the previous year, through the current year when foliage is produced, and to the summer or autumn of the next year. Thus, the alternating pattern of generation of galega shoot including its underground part is as follows: new generation shoots take over the principal role of foliage production of previous generation shoots, overlapping their survival period for about one year each other.

The rate functions for herbage growth and consumption are determined on the existing formulae for estimating herbage consumption from the change in herbage mass in pasture. New formulae for estimating herbage consumption are also derived assuming various and possible rate functions for herbage growth and consumption. The goodness of fit of the estimates obtained using the existing and new formulae to the observed values of herbage consumption in previous papers is examined. The rate functions necessary for the existing formulae are constant and are the first-degree functions of herbage mass. When the first-degree function which is proposed as a model of herbage growth rate (Turchin・Batzli 2001) is assumed, the maximum herbage mass in pasture must be measured. When the logistic equation (Verhulst 1838) is assumed as a model of herbage growth rate, the formula for estimating herbage consumption is impossible to derive. The estimate obtained using the formula proposed by Bosch (1956) is best fitting to the observed values of herbage consumption. The formulae based on the simple and discontinuous functions are advantageous for practical use for the estimation of herbage consumption in pasture.