0023-6152

AA00697606

23780

Unrefereed

0023-6152

AA00697606

The effect of temperature and fertilizer level on the chemical composition and nutritive value of green panic (Panicurn maximum var. trichoglume cv. Petrie) was studied. There were three temperature treatments i. e., 20, 25 and 30℃; and three fertilizer treatments at the rate of 0.98, 1.96 and 2.94 kg N,P_2O_5 and K_2O per are i.e., F_1, F_2 and F_3 respectively. Plants were raised from seeds and were grown in the open for seven weeks before transferring into the phytotron. The plants were harvested after 10, 20 and 30 days in the temperature rooms. Dry matter yield increased with increased fertilizer level but was little affected by temperature. Nitrogen increased with increased fertilizer level but decreased with advancing growth period and increasing temperature. All the cell wall constituents increased with increasing temperature but was little affected by fertilizer level. In vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) decreased with increasing temperature (P<0.01) and F_1 was higher than both F_2 and F_3 (P<0.05). IVOMD decreased at the rate of 0.78% unit per degree rise in temperature. Both temperature and nitrogen were negatively correlated with IVOMD but only that of temperature was statistically significant.