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Cellulase Solution Concentrations Used to Develop Spectral Equations for Predicting Tall Fescue Digestibility

Dep. of Agronomy, Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211.

^* Corresponding author.

Digestibility estimates obtained with prepared cellulase solutions and near infrared spectrophotometry (NIRS) have become valuable and reliable tools for forage quality determination. The objective of this study was to determine the optimum concentration of a prepared cellulase solution from a commercial source to obtain meaningful estimates of in vitro dry matter digestibility (FVDMD) and development of NIRS equations for tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.). A total of 176 tall fescue samples were pretreated using pepsin and 0.125 M L^–1 HCl followed by digestion using five different concentrations of a prepared cellulase solution obtained from Worthington Corp., Freehold, NJ. Concentrations of the prepared cellulase solution were 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 g L^–1. Maximum digestion occurred with the prepared cellulase solution at 0.57 g L^–1. However, the most meaningful equation for estimating tall fescue IVDMD by NIRS occurred when samples were digested using the prepared cellulase solution at a concentration of 0.8 g L^–1.

Received for publication June 4, 1991.