Table 1.

Chemical composition (% of DM) of individual forages and diets fed during continuous culture fermentation

Item	Ingredient					Diet*
	Annual ryegrass	Canola	Rapeseed	Turnip	Orchard-grass	ARG	CAN	RAP	TUR
OM	88.1	89.3	88.6	85.8	90.2	89.2	89.7	89.4	88.0
CP	30.2	28.2	23.2	22.2	34.0	32.1	31.1	28.6	28.1
RDP, % of CP	83	87	89	87	80	82	84	85	84
NDF	29.7	16.1	16.6	17.2	41.2	35.5	28.7	28.9	29.2
ADF	21.2	10.8	11.8	12.0	22.8	21.2	16.8	17.3	17.4
Lignin	5.3	0.8	1.3	1.3	2.5	3.9	1.7	1.9	1.9
NFC†	21.9	39.2	44.3	42.1	10.5	16.2	24.9	27.4	26.3
WSC‡	21.6	31.4	34.1	33.2	11.9	16.8	21.7	23.0	22.6
ESC§	19.6	24.7	24.6	26.9	7.9	13.8	16.3	16.3	17.4
Starch	0.2	0.5	1.7	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.4	1.0	0.3
Ether extract	6.2	5.7	4.5	4.3	4.5	5.4	5.1	4.5	4.4
NEM&, Mcal/kg	1.63	1.96	1.83	1.74	1.61	1.62	1.79	1.72	1.68
NEG&, Mcal/kg	1.03	1.30	1.21	1.12	0.99	1.01	1.15	1.10	1.06
NEL&, Mcal/kg	1.68	1.98	1.87	1.79	1.61	1.65	1.81	1.74	1.70
Ca	0.64	1.78	1.98	2.47	0.42	0.53	1.10	1.20	1.45
P	0.28	0.40	0.36	0.35	0.43	0.36	0.42	0.40	0.39
Mg	0.18	0.25	0.22	0.24	0.28	0.23	0.42	0.25	0.26
K	3.62	2.63	2.64	3.44	3.03	3.33	2.83	2.84	3.24
Na	0.04	0.08	0.10	0.06	0.19	0.11	0.13	0.14	0.12
S	0.40	0.72	0.73	0.88	0.43	0.42	0.58	0.58	0.66
Cu, ppm	7	4	4	5	9	8	7	7	7

*Diets calculated using actual nutrient composition and proportion of individual forages (DM basis); ARG = 50% orchardgrass + 50% annual ryegrass; CAN = 50% orchardgrass + 50% canola; RAP = 50% orchardgrass + 50% rapeseed; TUR = 50% orchardgrass + 50% turnip.

^†Calculated as NFC = 100 − (CP% + NDF% + ether extract% + ash%).

^‡WSC = water-soluble carbohydrate.

^§ESC = ethanol-soluble carbohydrate.

^&Estimated by the NRC (2001) model.