Nutritional Characteristics of Miscanthus floridulus and Its Degradation Characteristics in the Rumen of Goats

In order to explore the nutritional components of Miscanthus floridulus at different periods (germination period, elongation stage and head sprouting period) and to study the degradation characteristics of Miscanthus floridulus at the period of elongation in the rumen of goats, five Mindong goats fitted with the permanent ruminal fistula were selected to determine the degradation rate of Miscanthus floridulus at different time points (4, 8, 16, 24, 36, 48, 72 h) in the rumen, and the degradation parameters and effective degradation rate were also calculated. The results showed that: the contents of CP, NDF and ADF in the stems and leaves of Miscanthus floridulus in different periods were quite different. Among them, Miscanthus floridulus at the period of elongation had the characteristics of high biomass and better nutritional quality, which was suitable for the goat farming. The degradation rates of DM, CP, NDF and ADF in Miscanthus floridulus at the period of elongation increased in the rumen of goats with the time variation, and reached the maximum at 72 h, with the degradation rates of 42.94%, 59.31%, 44.15% and 39.65%, respectively, and the effective degradation rates of 30.03%, 40.74%, 29.80% and 27.41%, respectively. The 72 h degradation rate and the effective degradation rate (ED) of CP were significantly higher than those of DM, NDF and ADF (P＜0.05). In summary, Miscanthus floridulus at the period of elongation had higher nutritional value and ruminal degradation characteristic, and was an unconventional roughage forage with development potential.