Estimation of Rumen Undegradable Protein in Forages by Using Neutral Detergent Insoluble Nitrogen at a Single In Situ Incubation Time Point

Neutral detergent insoluble nitrogen (NDIN) was used as a direct estimate of UIP. Forage samples collected from upland range and subirrigated meadow sites over the summer were incubated in situ for a time equivalent to a mean retention time estimated from the digestibility of the forage plus 10 hour to account for a lag in passage of particles from the rumen. Samples also were incubated for 75% of the estimated total mean retention time. The UIP values obtained from the fractional rates of degradation and passage were highly correlated with those estimated from samples incubated for 75% of total mean retention time while incubating the samples longer tended to underestimate the UIP fraction