Nutritional composition of Sprengel's sedge (Carex sprengelii)

Abstract

2012. Nutritional composition of Sprengel's sedge (Carex sprengelii). Can. J. Plant Sci. 92: 867Á871. Sprengel's sedge (Carex sprengelii) has been documented as a primary graminoid species in riparian woodlands and forested areas of the northern Plains. Currently, there is no documentation of the nutrient content of Sprengel's sedge. The objective of this study was to determine the nutritional value of Sprengel's sedge of riparian woodlands in eastern North Dakota. Plants were clipped to 2.5 cm from the soil surface at 2-wk intervals during the growing seasons of 2009 and 2010. Multiple whole-plant samples were collected from five randomly selected sites at two different locations during each collection period. Plant tissue was analyzed for crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), calcium, and phosphorus. The CP concentrations declined from over 20% in May to under 10% in October. Sprengel's sedge, based on IVOMD, met energy requirements for a 550 kg lactating cow early in the growing season; however, as the growing season progressed it was unable to meet energy requirements. Irrespective of year, Sprengel's sedge maintains a high CP level throughout a typical grazing season; however, digestible energy becomes deficient. Grazing strategies that promote spring and early summer grazing or supplementation of a high-energy feed source to compensate for the decrease in energy are recommended. Norland, J. E. 2012. Composition nutritionnelle du carex de Sprengel (Carex sprengelii). Can. J. Plant Sci. 92: 867Á871. On sait que le carex de Sprengel (Carex sprengelii) est une espe`ce graminoı¨de qui affectionne les bois rivulaires et les zones forestie`res des plaines nord-ame´ricaines. Pour l'instant, on ne posse`de toutefois aucune donne´e sur sa valeur nutritive. La pre´sente e´tude devait pre´ciser la composition nutritionnelle du carex de Sprengel poussant dans les boise´s rivulaires de l'est du Dakota Nord. Les plantes ont e´te´coupe´es jusqu'a`2,5 cm de la surface du sol toutes les deux semaines pendant la pe´riode ve´ge´tative de 2009 et 2010. De nombreux plants entiers ont e´te´pre´leve´s dans cinq sites choisis au hasard, a`deux endroits, durant chaque pe´riode d'e´chantillonnage. Les tissus ve´ge´taux ont ensuite e´te´analyse´s et on a de´termine´la concentration de prote´ines brutes (PB), de fibres au de´tergent acide et de fibres au de´tergent neutre, ainsi que la digestibilite´in vitro de la matie`re organique (DIVMO) et la teneur en calcium et en phosphore. La concentration de PB passe de 20 % en mai a`moins de 10 % en octobre. Selon la DIVMO, le carex de Sprengel satisfait aux besoins e´nerge´tiques d'une vache en lactation de 550 kg au de´but de la pe´riode ve´ge´tative, mais ne re´ussit plus a`le faire a`mesure que la saison avance. Le carex de Sprengel garde une forte teneur en PB durant la saison de paissance typique, peu importe l'anne´e. Il y a ne´anmoins carence au niveau de l'e´nergie digestible. On recommande donc des re´gimes ...

Mineral Contents in Aboveground Biomass of Sedges (Carex L., Cyperaceae)

“…In 2 from the 11 studied species the level of calcium was significantly lower than optimal. Similar results were obtained by [9] in C. sprengelii, [10] and in C. geyeri and C. atherodes in [68] of the grassy sward. In spite of this, the majority of sedge species investigated in this study were characterized by comparable (and sometimes higher) Ca contents as C. pilosa [65] or many grasses, e.g., Poa pratensis, Lolium perenne, Lolium multiflorum, Dactylis glomerata, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Phleum pratense, Nardus stricta or Digitaria sanguinalis [28,49].…”

“…In C. mulinensis, P content gradually decreased along the growing season [22]. Similar results were obtained by [9] in C. sprengelii. However, the P concentration in Sprengel's sedge in the mentioned study never declined below livestock requirements [69], maintaining a minimum P level throughout the growing season.…”

“…In many countries, sedges and communities with sedge participation are utilised as pastures for domestic animals, which constitute the components of fodder for animals, especially C. atherodes, C. rostrata, C. geyeri, C. eleocharis, C. macroechaeta, C. aquatilis and C. sprengelii. From the point of view of plant production for fodder, sedges play a significant role as forage, which is associated, among other factors, with the content of organic matter, digestibility and plant mineral composition, e.g., [6][7][8][9].…”

“…The data usually relate to the contents of the elements in sward or hay from communities with sedge participation. However, only a few papers have presented the content of selected macro and microelements in selected sedge species [6,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Most of the works on the elemental composition of sedges are related to other issues (e.g., soil or water contamination and the ability of sedges to uptake particular elements).…”