Effects of Lactic Acid/lactobacillus Product and Bale Moisture on Voluntary Intake and Digestibility of Bermudagrass Hay by Lambs, and in Situ Digestibility by Cannulated Heifers.

A field (80 x 50 m) of bermudagrass, Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., was divided into 12 plots which were assigned randomly to one of four treatments to determine the impact of a lactobacillus fermentation spray product and moisture concentration at baling on the intake and digestibility by lambs and ruminal in situ disappearance within cannulated heifers.  Treatments consisted of non-sprayed, 18% bale moisture (1); non-sprayed, 25% bale moisture (2); sprayed, 18% bale moisture (3); and sprayed, 25% bale moisture (4).  Sixteen black-faced wether lambs were allocated randomly by weight to receive one of four treatments of bermudagrass hay in a digestion experiment.  There was a significant difference (P<0.05) from the spray product on the percent dry matter digestible, and a possible difference (P<0.09) on the effects of bale moisture and treatments.  The digestible dry matter intake (g/kg-1 BW) has a possible difference (P=0.09) from the spray product.  The highest amount of DM intake was with treatment 1 at 54.4 g/kg-1 BW, and the lowest amount was with treatment 2 at 45.0 g/kg-1 BW.  The highest amount of digestible DM intake was with treatment 2 at 32.3 g/kg-1 BW, and lowest amount was with treatment 4 at 23.9 g/kg-1 BW.  Six cannulated heifers were allocated randomly by weight to receive all four treatments, but only from 1 of 3 blocks.  The hay was ground through a 2-mm screen, weighed, and put in Dacron bags.  All Dacron bags for each time period were placed in mesh bags.  Samples were inserted into the ventral rumen of each heifer and incubated for 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96, 120 h, and a 0-h sample was also analyzed.  The immediately soluble fraction of the bermudagrass hay was lower (P<0.01), and the slowly degradable fraction was higher (P<0.01) from the high moisture treatment vs. the low moisture treatment, but neither fraction was impacted (P>0.45) by spraying.  The undegradable fraction and effective ruminal degradation was not affected (P>0.05) by either treatment.  Moisture at baling appeared to have an effect on the degradability of bermudagrass hay but effects of the utilized hay preservative were inconclusive.