Author(s)

Warren Carl Rusche, Zachary Kidd Foster Smith^*

South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota, USA.

An in vitro experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of grain type on in vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD) and pH using ruminal fluid and a buffer reagent. Five beef cows were used for ruminal fluid collection and ruminal fluid was pooled prior to use. The cows used for ruminal fluid collection were maintained on a forage-based diet (60:40 forage to concentrate) for 28 d prior to ruminal fluid collection. Three grain types were evaluated: 1) dry corn (89% dry matter; DRC), 2) high-moisture corn (72% dry matter; HMC) and 3) rye (89% dry matter; RYE). Data were analyzed as a completely randomized design. A total of twenty-one replications of each grain type were used for statistical analysis (n = 63 tubes total). IVDMD was greater (P ≤ 0.05) by 97.1% and 46.4% for RYE compared to DRC and HMC, respectively. Additionally, IVDMD was greater (P = 0.05) by 34.6% for HMC compared to DRC. Final pH was decreased (P ≤ 0.05) for RYE by 12.3% and 2.8% for RYE compared to DRC and HMC, respectively. Also, final pH was decreased (P = 0.05) by 9.8% for HMC compared to DRC. These data indicate that corn harvest method (dry vs. high-moisture) influences IVDMD and final pH and that rye has a greater disappearance of dry matter and lower final pH than corn under in vitro conditions.

Corn, Grain Processing, Ruminal Fermentation, Rye

Rusche, W. and Smith, Z. (2024) Evaluation of Ruminal Dry Matter Disappearance and pH of Dry Corn, High-Moisture Corn, and Rye under in Vitro Conditions. Agricultural Sciences, 15, 327-332. doi: 10.4236/as.2024.153019.