Table 7. Effect of hay-making date on chemical composition and feed value of rye hay

Harvest date DM (g/kg DM) DM loss (g/kg DM) CP (g/kg DM) ADF (g/kg DM) NDF (g/kg DM) IVDMD (g/kg DM) THN(%) RFV F&Y (Log CFU/g)
April 30 (Boot) 852.10b 167.68a 96.50b 273.83c 514.53c 843.20a 67.27a 122a 4.91a
May 9 (Heading) 864.60ab 37.11b 113.75a 345.17b 601.00b 730.43b 61.63b 96b 4.65b
May15 (Blooming) 883.17a 17.13b 96.30b 410.77a 675.37a 654.33c 56.45c 78c 4.66b
SEM 2.08 16.42 0.74 1.37 0.86 2.54 1.07 6.42 0.014
p-value 0.008 < 0.001 0.023 < 0.001 < 0.001 < 0.001 < 0.001 0.003 < 0.001
Means within a column with different superscripts differ (p < 0.05).
DM, dry matter; CP, crude protein; ADF, acid detergent fiber; NDF, neutral detergent fiber; IVDMD, in vitro dry matter digestibility; TDN, total digestible nutrient; RFV, relative feed value; F&Y, fungi and yeast; CFU, colony foaming unit.