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The nutritive value of normal and brown midrib-3 maize

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

R. F. Weller ,
R. H. Phipps  and
E. S. Griffith
R. F. Weller
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading, RG2 9AT
R. H. Phipps
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading, RG2 9AT
E. S. Griffith
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading, RG2 9AT
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Summary

Normal and brown midrib-3 (bm3) maize plants of three genotypes (Inra 188, Inra 240 and Inra 258) were sampled at three stages of maturity. Whole crop and plant components were analysed for in vitro digestible organic matter in the dry matter (DOMD) and the concentration of neutral detergent fibre, cellulose, hemicellulose, xylose, soluble sugars, starch and total nitrogen in the dry matter.

The concentrations of total nitrogen, neutral detergent fibre, cellulose, hemicellulose and xylose were similar in both normal and bm3 plants. Xylose was the main constituent sugar of hemicellulose forming 70–75% of the total hemicellulose. The higher concentration of soluble sugars and lower concentration of starch in the bm3 plants was attributed to the later maturity of the bm3 plants.

The bm3 gene significantly reduced lignin synthesis in the whole plant and plant components at all harvests. The mean concentration of lignin in the normal and bm3 plants were 2·2 and 1·4%, respectively. The ferulic and p-coumaric acid concentrations in the bm3 plants were 1·31 and 0·93 mg/g D.M. compared with 1·59 and 1·16 mg/g D.M. for the normal plants, respectively.

The in vitro DOMD values for the bm3 plants were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than their normal counterparts.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 103 , Issue 1 , August 1984 , pp. 223 - 227
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984

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