Condensed tannins concentration of selected prairie legume forages as affected by phenological stages during two consecutive growth seasons in western Canada

Li, Y., Iwaasa, A. D., Wang, Y., Jin, L., Han, G. and Zhao, M. 2014. Condensed tannins concentration of selected prairie legume forages as affected by phenological stages during two consecutive growth seasons in western Canada. Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 817–826. Studies have shown that condensed tannins (CT) at appropriate concentrations improve nutrient digestion in animals and influence ecosystem processes. However, knowledge of CT concentration in different phenological stages and different plant parts of non-conventional legumes growing in the western Canadian prairies is lacking for feed and grazing management. The research objectives were to determine the level and distribution of total CT (TCT), extractable CT (ECT) and protein-bound (PCT) or fiber-bound CT (FCT) concentrations in the whole plant of legume forages at different phenological (vegetative, flowering, seed maturity) stages and plant parts (leaves, stems, inflorescences and inflorescences+seedpods) using the Butanol-HCl procedure. Whole pla...