Transaction Description:
ACCURATE EVALUATION OF THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF ALFALFA - FEED EVALUATION ANALYSES FOR COMPOSITION AND DIGESTIBILITY ARE CRUCIAL TO DESCRIBING THE VALUE OF ALFALFA AND OTHER FEEDS FOR MEETING THE NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS OF ANIMALS. THE PRECISION AND ACCURACY OF THOSE MEASURES IMPACT THE PERCEIVED VALUE OF INDIVIDUAL FEEDS AND HOW NUTRITIONISTS APPLY THE VALUES IN RATION FORMULATION. THE ACTUAL VARIABILITY IN COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSES MEASURED CHEMICALLY OR WITH NEAR INFRARED REFLECTANCE SPECTROSCOPY (NIRS), SEPARATE FROM VARIABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH SUBSAMPLING, IS NOT COMMON KNOWLEDGE FOR COMMON ANALYSES (CRUDE PROTEIN, NEUTRAL DETERGENT FIBER [NDF], DRY MATTER, ASH, ETC.). ONE OBJECTIVE WILL BE TO COMPILE AND PUBLISH INFORMATION ON ACTUAL ANALYTICAL VARIABILITY OF COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSES. THE UTILITY OF THE DETERMINATION OF NDF DIGESTION RATES AND EXTENTS OF DIGESTION USING A THREE-POOL (INDIGESTIBLE, FAST AND SLOWLY DIGESTIBLE) VERSUS CURRENT TWO-POOL (INDIGESTIBLE AND DIGESTIBLE) MODELS IS NOT KNOWN; THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS DISTINCTION IS THAT THE THREE-POOL APPROACH REQUIRES SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER TIME AND ANALYTICAL WORK AND IS MORE EXPENSIVE. DETERMINATION OF WHICH APPROACH IS WARRANTED IS IMPORTANT FOR ASSURING JUSTIFIED USE OF RESOURCES IN THESE EVALUATIONS. THUS, THE SECOND OBJECTIVE WILL BE TO DETERMINE WHETHER NDF DIGESTIBILITY KINETICS ARE ACCURATELY/ SUFFICIENTLY DESCRIBED USING TWO OR THREE POOLS. IT IS IMPORTANT PARTICULARLY FOR ALFALFA BECAUSE THIS FORAGE APPEARS TO BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY THAN GRASSES. THE IMPORTANCE OF EVALUATING THESE FACTORS ON ALFALFA AS WELL AS ON OTHER FEEDSTUFFS IS THAT ALL ARE USED TOGETHER IN RATION FORMULATION AND THE VARIABILITY/ UTILITY OF THE VALUES AFFECTS HOW NUTRITIONISTS PERCEIVE THE FEEDS AND USE THEM FOR FORMULATION. ADDITIONALLY, SOLID INFORMATION ON THE VARIABILITY AND UTILITY OF THE MEASURES WILL INFORM COMMERCIAL FEED ANALYSIS LABORATORIES AND RESEARCHERS OF THE NEED TO FURTHER REFINE THE ASSAYS TO BE MORE ACCURATE AND USEFUL IF SUCH IS POSSIBLE.