AMOUNT AND DISTRIBUTION OF DIETARY MINERALS IN SELECTED PHILIPPINE FORAGES

Eight Philoppine forages were studied to obtain the following: 1) nutrient concentrations and digestibility, 2) distribution of the various minerals in fiber fractions through mineral analyses of neutral detergent fiber(NDF) and acid detergent fiber(ADF) residues, and 3) correlation coefficients among the factors affecting forage quality and mineral concentrations. These Philippine forages were paragrass [Brachiaria mutica (Forsk.) Stapf], stargrass (Cynodon plectostachyum Pilger), napiergrass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach.) calopo (Calopogonium muconoides Desv.), centrocema (Centrocema pubescens Benth.), gliricidia [Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Walp.] leucaena [Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit.] and sesbania [Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir]. Species differences(p<0.01) were observed on various nutrient fractions including mineral composition and digestibility. The cell wall(NDF) fraction, prepared by boiling in neutral detergent solution, contained the following proportions of the total mineral originally present (%): calcium (Ca), 0.7; phosphorus(P), 14.3; magnesium(Mg), 1.9; potassium(K), 3.7; copper(Cu), 16.4; zinc(Zn), 2.9; molybdenum(Mo), 9.3; cobalt(Co), 16.2; manganese(Mn), 5.6, and iron(Fe), 81.3. The ligno-cellulose(ADF) fraction, prepared by boiling in acid detergent solution, contained the following proportions of the total mineral originally present(%): Ca, 0.2; P, 4.4; Mg, 0.7; K, 2.8; Cu, 32.3; Zn, 1.1; Mo, 8.9; Co, 4.7; Mn, 5.4; and Fe, 36.8. Correlation coefficients among the factors affection forage quality and mineral concentrations were also observed. Evidently, 75 and 45% of the minerals in grasses and legumes was positively correlated to CP and IVDMD, respectively. Moreover, 55, 80 and 75% of the forage minerals was negatively correlated to NDF, ADF and ADL fraction, respetively, implying that most of the minerals reside in the non-structural cell components.