Studies on the digestibility of the cellulose fraction of grassland products. Part I. The relation between the digestibility of silage cellulose as determinedin vitroand silage crude fibre digestibility determined by feeding trial

Abstract

1. Anin vitromethod is described whereby it is possible to obtain the digestibility coefficient of silage cellulose. The apparatus and techniques used are described in detail and the reproducibility of the results obtainable is stressed.2. The results so obtained on twenty-seven samples of silage of diverse nature, with regard to composition and method of production, show a reasonable degree of correlation with the corresponding figures for the digestibility coefficients of crude fibre obtained by feeding trial.