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Title:   Author  item
                                            Grabber, Johnitem
                                            Hatfield, Ronalditem
                                            PANCIERA, M - UNIV ALASKA, FAIRBANKSitem
                                            WEINBERG, P - UNIV ALASKA, FAIRBANKS
  Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
                                    Publication Type: Abstract Only
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 11/4/1999
                                    Publication  Date: N/A
                                    Citation: N/AInterpretive Summary:
                                Technical Abstract: Alfalfa degradability declines significantly with plant maturation due to accumulation of a highly lignified xylem ring in stems. Xylem and nonxylem tissues dissected from Vernal alfalfa internodes were analyzed for cell- wall constituents and degradability as an initial step in identifying how lignin restricts fiber degradability. Cell walls comprised 730 g kg-1 of  xylem and 500 g kg-1 of nonxylem tissues. Fungal enzymes released only 200 g kg-1 of total sugars from xylem walls containing 286 g kg-1 of acetyl bromide lignin. Nonxylem walls, with 42% less lignin, had a 350% greater release of total sugars indicating that lignin-matrix interactions differed between tissue types. In both tissues, the release of sugars from glucuronoxylans was extremely low. Unlike grasses, poor xylan degradation was not related to ferulate-lignin cross-linking. Elucidation of lignin- xylan interactions may reveal strategies for improving alfalfa  degradability.


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