Comparative anatomy with the nutritional value of grasses

Abstract

 In the last three decades have been conducted studies comparing the nutritional value of forage plants to the arrangement and proportion of tissue to measure the potential digestibility of plants. There is an association between the nutritional value and the proportion of tissues in tropical grasses, checking low digestibility related to high proportions of xylem and sclerenchyma and the NDF, ADF and lignina. There is a significant positive correlation between the bundle sheath cells, sclerenchyma and vascular tissue, with the NDF, ADF and lignin and negative with crude protein. The leaf insertion level influences the proportion of tissues, being that blades from superior insertion level present support structure further developed, with large numbers of support tissue and cell walls thicker. The thickness cell walls of sclerenchyma is strongly influenced by stage of development varies with species. Thus, these tissue alterations affect the chemical composition, so these studies are essential as a tool to assist it in the breeding of forage plants.