Forage Plant Composition

Question 1

How do you calculate water content in forage?

Answer 1

% H2O = ((Fresh weight - Dry weight) / Fresh weight) X 100

Question 2

How do you calculate dry matter content in forage?

Answer 2

DM% = 100 - H2O%

Question 3

What are the cell contents of a plant?

Answer 3

• Sugars
• Starches
• Fats
• Proteins
• Pectins

Highly digestible, high energy

Question 4

What are the components of the cell wall?

Structural components

Answer 4

• Hemicellulose
• Cellulose
• Lignin

Lower digestibility

Question 5

What do cool-season species store?

Answer 5

Fructans

Reserves of the plant

Question 6

What do warm-season species store?

Answer 6

Starches

Reserves of the plant

Question 7

T/F: In-vegetation, amino acid composition is very consistent

Answer 7

True

Question 8

T/F: Grains are consistent in amino acid composition

Answer 8

False

Grains vary greatly in amino acid composition

Question 9

What is crude protein?

Answer 9

Non-exact protein content of the plant based off of the nitrogen percentage

CP% = N% x 6.25

Question 10

Why is 6.25 used when calculating CP%?

Answer 10

Vegetative protein is consistent in amino acid composition: For every 100 protein units there are 16 units of N

100/16 = 6.25

Question 11

When are immature tillers present?

Answer 11

• Spring
• 2nd Growth

Immature tullers have the highest typical CP%: 20-30%

Question 12

Why are lipids in plants important?

Answer 12

Lipids hold more energy than carbohydrates & proteins
* Longer lasting
* Higher energy density