Abstract 274

Hunter,-RA; Siebert,-BD

Tropical Cattle Research Centre, CSIRO, Division of Tropical Animal Science, Rockhampton, Qld. 4701, Australia.

Proceedings-of-the-Australian-Society-of-Animal-Production. 1986, 16, 243-246; 10 ref.

The apparent digestion of crude protein (non-ammonia nitrogen X 6.25) in the intestines was estimated in steers fed on mature spear grass (Heteropogon contortus) and mature pangola grass (Digitaria decumbens). The amount of crude protein flowing into the intestines was 225 and 443 g/day, respectively. A major difference between the diets was the digestibility of crude protein in the intestines which was 0.30 for spear grass and 0.68 for pangola grass. There was also a large difference in the ratio of crude protein apparently digested in the intestines to digestible organic matter (0.05:1 for spear grass and 0.12:1 for pangola grass). The implications for protein supplementation of cattle are discussed.