Understanding NDF Digestibility of Forages
by Patrick C. Hoffman, Randy D. Shaver, David K. Combs,
Daniel J. Undersander, Lisa M. Bauman, Tina K. Seeger
Introduction In situ NDF digestibility
With the in situ method, forages are placed in small
Recently forage-testing laboratories have begun to dacron bags and then inserted into the rumen of a
evaluate forages for neutral detergent fiber (NDF) cow through a ruminal cannula. The amount of NDF
digestibility. Evaluation of forages for NDF prior to ruminal incubation is compared to the
digestibility is being conducted to aid prediction of amount of NDF remaining after ruminal incubation
total forage digestibility. There are several important and NDF digestibility is calculated. The in situ
reasons why forages are being evaluated for NDF method is a very good method to estimate NDF
digestibility. digestibility of forages and is often used in research
and other forage evaluation programs. However, the
First, research has demonstrated that lactating dairy 2001 NRC does not use the in situ method as its basis
cows will eat more dry matter (DM) and produce for NDF digestibility of forages because a large
more milk when fed forages that have higher NDF uniform database does not exist.
digestibility.
In vitro NDF digestibility
Second, while lignin and acid detergent fiber (ADF)
have been used in the past to estimate the potential A second method of measuring NDF digestibility is
digestibility of NDF and total forage digestibility, called the in vitro method. In vitro NDF digestibility
recent research has demonstrated that ADF and lignin determination is conducted as follows:
do not account for all the variation in NDF or forage 1) Forage sample is weighed into a glass flask.
digestibility. 2) Buffers, macro and micro-minerals are added
along with rumen fluid extracted from a cow
Third, forage digestibility is calculated in the 2001 fit with a ruminal cannula.
Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle (NRC) using a 3) The forage, buffers and rumen fluid are
summative approach where energy contributed from incubated in a water bath in an anaerobic
protein, fat, non-fiber carbohydrate (NFC) and NDF environment (carbon dioxide) at a cow’s
are summed. A prediction of NDF digestibility is body temperature (102 F) for 48 hours.
required to use a summative energy prediction for 4) The flask containing the forage sample,
forages. buffers and rumen fluid is removed from
This Focus on Forage will discuss the concepts and water bath and the remaining solution is
methods of NDF digestibility and how it is being refluxed in NDF solution for 1 hour.
used in the dairy industry. 5) After refluxing in NDF solution for 1 hour
the remaining solution is filtered and the
How is NDF digestibility measured? NDF that resisted digestion by rumen
bacteria is retained on the filter.
Forage NDF digestibility can be measured in one of 6) Digestible NDF is calculated by difference.
two ways.
The in vitro assay described above is commonly
called in vitro true dry matter digestibility
Patrick Hoffman, Extension Dairy Scientist (IVTMDM) and was developed by Goering and
pchoffma@[Link] Van Soest, 1970.
Randy D. Shaver, David K. Combs, Daniel J. Few changes have been made to the in vitro assay
Undersander, Lisa M. Bauman, Tina K. Seeger over the years but some researchers and laboratories
University of Wisconsin-Madison have reduced the incubation times from 48 hr to 30 or
24 hr, claiming that shorter incubation times better
describes the digestion potential of NDF in high
producing, lactating dairy cows. Reducing the
Focus on Forage - Vol 3: No. 10 Page 1
incubation time of the in vitro assay to 30 or 24 hr is in vitro NDF digestibility. Both values come out of
logical because feed is not retained in the rumen of a the same in vitro assay described above.
high producing dairy cow for 48 hr. As an example, if the assay starts with 1 gm of dry
matter and, after incubation and filtration, there is 0.2
In the large sense however this issue is somewhat
gm of indigestible NDF left on the filter then 80% of
irrelevant because changing the incubation time of
the dry matter was digested. If the assay started with
the assay reduces the amount of NDF digested
1 gm of dry matter that was 40% NDF then the assay
therefore NDF digestibility values obtained from 30
started with 0.4 gm of NDF. Again, if 0.2 gm of
or 24 hr digestions cannot be compared to 48 hr
undigested NDF remained on the filter after
NDF digestibility values listed in the 2001 NRC.
incubation and filtration, then NDF digestibility
Additionally, the digestibility of forage NDF
would be 50% of the NDF.
incubated for 24, 30 or 48 hr is highly correlated.
Therefore any incubation time point ranks forage
In vitro dry matter and NDF digestibility can be
NDF digestibility in relatively the same manner.
converted to one another by the following equations.
NDFD = [1-{(100-IVTDMD)/NDF}]*100
IVTDMD = 100 – [(100-NDFD)*(NDF/100)]
Where:
NDF = neutral detergent fiber (% of DM)
IVTDMD = in vitro true dry matter
digestibility (% of DM)
NDFD = neutral detergent fiber digestibility
(% of NDF)
What are average NDF digestibility
values for various forages?
First it is very important to remember that total NDF
NDF Digestibility and the 2001 NRC content of the forage is still a dominant factor in
determining overall forage quality. For example a
Recommendations forage that contains 40% NDF is generally of higher
quality than a forage that contains 60% NDF.
The 2001 NRC uses lignin and NDF concentrations
to predict potential NDF digestibility and advises the Differences in NDF digestibility between common
use of an in vitro system as the basis for direct forage species are presented in Figure 1. In general
determination of forage NDF digestibility. This legumes have less total NDF and lower NDF
recommendation is made because a large, more digestibility due to greater lignification as compared
uniform database of in vitro NDF digestibility to grasses. Grass silage and hay have a very wide
references is available. range of NDF digestibility because grass species are
so diverse and are utilized at extreme ranges in
Perhaps the most important challenge with NDF maturity (e.g. grazing vegetative grass versus feeding
digestibility at this time is to develop uniform straw). Corn silage can have a wide range of NDF
references to NDF digestibility that have a common digestibility but it is uncommon to see the extremes
scale. Because the 2001 NRC uses or advises the use because corn silage is harvested and stored within a
of a 48 hr in vitro NDF digestibility procedure it is relatively narrow range of maturity. Extremes in corn
most logical to identify with that reference and scale. silage NDF digestibility can occur when corn silage
is harvested at an over mature stage (NDF
What is the difference between digestibility = low), or when a brown midrib variety
measuring in vitro dry matter and in is used (NDF digestibility = high).
vitro NDF digestibility?
In reality, there is no difference in the assay methods
used to determine in vitro dry matter digestibility and
Focus on Forage - Vol 3: No. 10 Page 2
40%. In older forage evaluation systems forage # 1
Figure 1. NDF Digestibility of forage species.
and #2 are viewed as being identical. When NDF
digestibility is taken into account forage #1 has 7.5
percentage units more total digestible nutrients
(TDN) than forage #2. The additional 7.5 percentage
units of TDN could result in 5 lbs/cow/day of
increased milk yield.
Can NDF digestibility be determined
using near infrared spectroscopy
(NIRS)?
Yes, the NDF digestibility equations (NIRS)
developed for legume/grass silage and hay can
provide reliable estimates of NDF digestibility. Using
What factors influence NDF NIRS to predict NDF digestibility of corn silage has
proved more challenging but acceptable equations for
digestibility? corn silage NDF digestibility are now available.
The primary factor that influences NDF digestibility Using NIRS to routinely screen for variation in
is maturity. In legumes, NDF digestibility decreases forage NDF digestibility combined with occasionally
slowly during the first stages of growth (stem checking suspect forages with wet chemistry in vitro
elongation). However, when cell and stem diameters NDF digestibility procedures is prudent.
increase and the heavily lignified xylem tissue
develops, NDF digestibility decreases rapidly. The
maturity mechanisms in legumes that reduce NDF University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 2001
digestibility are similar in grasses and corn silage.
Plant genetics can also influence NDF digestibility.
In corn, varieties with brown midrib genetics are
known to have more digestible NDF. Also, sorghum
and sudangrass species tend to be more digestible
than corn.
The plant growth environment can influence NDF
digestibility. Generally, plants grown under cooler
conditions or in northern latitudes have higher NDF
digestibility than those grown further south or under
hotter conditions. Within a growing season forages
can change as well. Spring growth alfalfa tends to
have higher fiber digestibility than alfalfa grown
during the summer. Finally, crop management may
influence fiber digestibility. For example, high corn
plant density results in lower fiber digestibility.
What is the influence of NDF
digestibility on total forage
digestibility?
To demonstrate the impact of NDF digestibility on
total forage digestibility, consider the following
example.
Assume that forage #1 and #2 contain 17% CP, 35%
ADF, and 50% NDF. The NDF digestibility of forage
#1 is 60% and the NDF digestibility of forage # 2 is
Focus on Forage - Vol 3: No. 10 Page 3