Rates of particle size reduction and passage are faster for legume compared with cool-season grass, resulting in lower rumen fill and less effective fiber.

Effects of forage family on rates of particle size reduction in, and passage from, the rumen and the relationship of these effects with preliminary dry matter intake (pDMI) were evaluated using 13 ruminally and duodenally cannulated Holstein cows in a crossover design with a 14-d preliminary period and two 18-d treatment periods. During the preliminary period, pDMI of individual cows ranged from 19.6 to 29.5 kg/d (mean = 25.9 kg/d). Experimental treatments were diets containing either a) alfalfa silage (AL) or b) orchardgrass silage (OG) as the sole forage. Silages were chopped to 10-mm theoretical length of cut and contained 42.3 and 58.2% neutral detergent fiber (NDF) for alfalfa and orchardgrass, respectively. Both diets contained approximately 25% forage NDF and 30% total NDF. Feed, orts, rumen, and duodenal samples were wet sieved to fractionate particles above (large) and below (small) 2.36 mm. Indigestible NDF (iNDF) was used as a flow marker. Preliminary DMI, an index of nutrient demand, was determined during the last 4 d of the preliminary period when cows were fed a common diet and used as a covariate. Main effects of forage family and their interaction with pDMI were tested by ANOVA. Approximately 75% of the NDF consumed was large and 25% was small for both treatments, but cows fed AL consumed more iNDF and less potentially digestible NDF (pdNDF) than cows fed OG. The AL diet increased the reduction rate (large to small) compared with OG despite less rumination per unit of forage NDF for AL than OG, suggesting alfalfa NDF was more fragile than orchardgrass NDF. Over 55% of particles in the rumen were below 2.36 mm for AL and OG, indicating that particle size was not a limiting constraint to passage. Passage rates (k(p)) of large iNDF and large pdNDF were similar for AL and OG, but AL increased k(p) of large pdNDF and OG decreased it as pDMI increased. The AL diet increased k(p) of small iNDF and small pdNDF compared with OG, resulting in lower rumen fill for AL than OG. The k(p) of small iNDF and small pdNDF were similar within forage family, suggesting buoyancy was not limiting passage. The OG diet increased rumen pool size of large NDF compared with AL, which likely retained small NDF, contributing to the slower k(p) of small iNDF and small pdNDF observed for OG. Particle size reduction was a prerequisite to ruminal passage but not a constraint. Selective retention of small particles was less for alfalfa than orchardgrass, resulting in lower rumen fill and less effective fiber.