Winter annual small grain forage potential. I. Dry matter yield in relation to morphological characteristics of four small grain species at six growth stages

Abstract

Small grains offer a potential animal feed at a time when moisture is usually available in the Southeast. The four major winter annual small grains, barley, oats, rye, and wheat, have not been compared as potential feed sources in the same study in the past. These four small grains were harvested at six stages of growth: vegetative, boot, heading, milk, soft dough, and hard dough. Harvest dates, dry matter (DM) yield, DM yield of regrowth following initial harvest, DM concentration, and the proportions of leaf, stem and inflorescence were measured and used to evaluate the four species for silage production and grazing potential. Rye and barley reached boot prior to the suggested planting date for corn in the Piedmont of North Carolina and dry matter yields ranged from 4.72 to 6.71 Mg ha^‐1 and were harvested. Barley reached milk, soft dough, and hard dough earlier than the other species and was equal to or higher than the other species in proportion of DM in leaf DM yield and total DM yield in 1982 and 1983. Wheat DM yield was second to barley from heading to hard dough in 1982 and 1983. Barley DM yield was 69 to 80% of wheat from boot through soft dough in 1984.     

Macronutrient variation in small grain forage as related to specie and variety

Abstract

Incidence of grass tetany on small grain pastures has been related to forage Mg content and K/Ca + Mg ratio. The objective of this study was to relate P, K, Ca, Mg, and the K/Ca + Mg ratio in winter forage to specie and variety. In one year on unlimed soil with low pH, rye forage tended to be higher in P than oats, barley, or wheat. P content increased the next year on higher pH soil with less specie differences. K differed little with specie, and was higher in November than later harvests. Rye tended to be higher in Ca both years, especially in the early harvest. Percent Mg was lower for wheat the first year on the low pH soil than the other species, and percent Mg increased in all species at all harvests the next year on higher pH soil with wheat having similar Mg levels to the other species. The K/Ca + Mg ratio of wheat was higher than rye, oats, and barley on the low pH soil. Liming reduced this ratio to near 2.2 on all species. Grass tetany has been reported more likely to occur when K/Ca + Mg is over 2.2, and this study suggests rye, followed closely by oats and barley, would maintain lower ratios than wheat under conditions of low Mg availability.     

Responses of eastern gamagrass [Tripsacum dactyloides (L.) L.] forage quality to nitrogen application and harvest system

Eastern gamagrass is a warm-season perennial with good forage yield and quality, but both may be increased with nitrogen (N) fertilization. The effects of N and harvest management on neutral- and acid-detergent fibers (NDF and ADF), lignin, in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), and crude protein (CP) were studied. Nitrogen (0, 50, or 100 kg ha^?1) was applied by broadcasting or knife placement, and forage was harvested from 1- or 2-cut systems. Data were obtained during four years of N treatment, and three intervening years with no N treatment. Neutral- and acid-detergent fibers and lignin were usually lower, and IVDMD and CP were generally higher in the 2-cut than in the 1-cut system. Increasing N affected forage quality in minor ways, except for CP. When 100 kg ha^?1 was applied, CP was increased over no N by 0.14 in the 1-cut system and by 0.25 in cut 1 of the 2-cut system.     

Ensiling properties of sweet sorghum

Abstract

Sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] cultivars have been bred for high sugar content; with accompanying adequate forage yield, the crop may offer potential for ensiling. “Wray”; sweet sorghum, a good sugar producer, was grown under field conditions to determine nutritional quality and subsequent animal performance of silage from the yield. In one experiment, “Wray”; was compared to “FS‐5”;, medium‐tall forage sorghum, at four reproductive stages of growth, in regard to agronomic characteristics and chemical composition. In another study, the “Wray”; sweet sorghum was harvested in early and late reproductive stages and stored in experimental silos. Ensiling losses were measured; in addition, the silages were offered to sheep to determine in vivo digestibility (IVODMD) and intake. In the first experiment, dry matter yields of both sweet and forage sorghum increased during the reproductive period, from 6.2 to 11.9 and 7.7 to 13.9 Mg/ha, respectively; at maturity, grain yields were 651 and 3,526 kg/ha, respectively. Total available carbohydrates tended to be higher in the forage type (23.4%) than in the sweet sorghum (19.9%). Average in vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD) was similar for both sorghums at 60.2%, but sweet sorghum IVDMD tended to be higher than forage sorghum at the hard‐dough stage (61.4 versus 55.1%) . In the second experiment, intake was greater when lambs were offered hard‐dough stage silage (1,240 g/lamb/day) versus bloom‐stage silage (878 g/lamb/day), even though IVODMD was similar (average 60.6%) at both harvest stages. The silages appeared to be properly ensiled, as silage pH was less than 4.0; however, effluent and dry matter losses were greater with bloom‐stage silage. These differences probably were due to the slight dry matter differential between the two <22.3 and 26.6%, respectively). To maximize yield, sweet sorghum should be ensiled at the hard‐dough stage. Resulting silage may be higher in digestible dry matter than that of medium‐tall forage sorghums, which produce grain.     

Regrowth in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and rye (Secale cereale L.)

Regrowth after cutting at four development stages, from heading to grain maturity, was investigated in a pot experiment containing three rye and four barley varieties. Regrowth in the barley varieties decreased strongly from heading to grain maturity. Rye generally showed stronger regrowth than barley after late cutting, but only the perennial variety ‘Soperta’ regenerated as many tillers at cutting as formed when harvested at the ripe grain stage. In both species, significant differences were found between varieties. The level of soluble carbohydrates reached a maximum between heading and maturity, but differences in regrowth could not be explained by such differences. Total N decreased from heading to maturity, except for perennial rye, where an increase was observed towards ripening. It is, however, uncertain whether this was an effect rather than a cause of the regrowth.     

Effect of Nitrogen Fertilizer Rate and Harvest Season on Forage Yield,Quality, and Macronutrient Concentrations in Midland Bermuda Grass

Bermuda grass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] is a major forage for grazing and hay production in the southern United States. The objectives of this study were to determine effects of nitrogen (N) fertilization rate (0, 112, 224, 336, and 448 kg ha^?1), split spring and summer applications of N at the 224 and 448 kg ha^?1 rates, and harvest periods (spring and summer) on forage yield, crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), total digestible nutrients (TDN), and concentrations of phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and calcium (Ca in Midland Bermuda grass. Data were collected from 2002 to 2008 as part of an ongoing, long-term soil fertility experiment in southern Oklahoma. Repeated measures analysis of these long-term data showed that forage yield responses to N rate varied with year and harvest time with up to 2.5-fold yield differences among years. Nitrogen fertilization increased CP, TDN, and macronutrient P and Mg and decreased ADF and NDF. Crude protein was increased by ≥50%, and ADF and NDF dropped by up to 25% with the greatest N rate. In general, split N applications did not affect forage yield but produced low-quality forage compared to single N application in spring. Split application of 448 kg N ha^?1 gave forage with CP, TDN, ADF, and NDF similar to the Bermuda grass receiving 336 or 448 kg N ha^?1 as a single application. Spring forage had better forage quality than summer harvests. While N fertilization increased forage Mg and P concentrations by more than 50% during both spring and summer, it had no effect or slight increased K and Ca concentrations. In the southern Great Plains, despite the weather-dependent variability in forage yield of Bermuda grass, N application increase forage quality.     

Effects of organic solid cattle manure application on nutritive value of winter cereal forages

Nutritive value of winter cereal forages is one of interested subjects of farmers for animal feeding. Field experiments were established in 2007–2008 and 2008–2009 growing seasons in northeast Turkey to investigate the effect of organic solid cattle manure application (0, 10 and 20 Mg ha^?1 yr^?1) on nutritive value of three annual cereals for forage. The winter cereal forages were: wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), oat (Avena sativa L.) and rye (Secela cereale L.). ADF (acid detergent fiber), NDF (neutral detergent fiber) CP (crude protein), nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, sodium, zinc and boron (N, P, K, S, Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Na, Zn and B) concentrations were researched in this study. Wheat had the highest CP, N, Ca, Cu, Na and Zn concentration, whereas oat had the lowest ADF and NDF and the highest K, Fe and Mn concentrations. The greatest Mg and P concentrations were determined in rye. Organic solid cattle manure applications had no effect on N and CP contents, but it decreased ADF and NDF contents. However, in most cases it positively affected the P, B, Cu, Fe, Mg and Na concentrations, whereas it decreased K, Ca, Mn and Zn concentrations. The results showed that wheat and oat are more nutritive species than rye in terms of animal feeding and the organic solid cattle manure, in some cases increased the nutritive values of wheat, oat and rye under organic agriculture conditions.     

Whole Forage Barley Crop Quality as Affected by Different Deficit Irrigation and Fertilizing Systems

Effects of organic, biological, and chemical fertilizers along with water-deficit regimes were investigated on forage barley in a field experiment during 2007–2008. Irrigation regimes were nonstressed (NS), moderately stressed (MS), and severely stressed (SS) and fertilizer treatments were no fertilizer (NF), phosphorus and nitrogen biofertilizers (BF), chemical fertilizer (CF), vermicompost (VC), chemical fertilizer + vermicompost (CV), and chemical fertilizer + biofertilizer (CB). Water stress reduced leaf/stem ratio and dry-matter digestibility (DMD), but increased crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF). However, the effect of water deficit on DMD, ash, and NDF depended on the fertilizer treatment. In BF and CV, the barley forage had the greatest DMD and least ash and NDF under water-deficit conditions. The integrated fertilizing systems are more reliable than conventional systems to produce high-quality forage barley in arid environments with late water stress or water deficit irrigation system.     

近红外光谱法测定玉米秸秆饲用品质

为了对玉米秸秆的饲用品质进行可靠、便捷、快速的分析和评价,该研究以不同品种、密度、氮肥和水分处理的不同发育时期和不同部位玉米秸秆为试验材料,应用近红外光谱（NIRS）技术和偏最小二乘法（PLS）,采用一阶导数+中心化+多元散射校正的光谱数据预处理方法,构建了玉米秸秆体外干物质消化率（IVDMD）、酸性洗涤纤维（ADF）、中性洗涤纤维（NDF） 和可溶性糖（WSC）含量的NIRS分析模型。所建立的IVDMD、ADF、NDF和WSC含量的NIRS校正模型决定系数（R2cal）分别为0.9906、0.9870、0.9931和0.9802,交叉验证决定系数（R2cv）分别为0.9593、0.9413 、0.9678和0.9342,外部验证决定系数（R2val）分别为0.9549、0.9353、0.9519和0.9191,各项标准差（SEC、SECV和SEP）为0.935～1.904,相对分析误差（RPD）均大于3。结果表明,各参数的NIRS分析模型可用于玉米秸秆饲用品质的分析和品种选育的快速鉴定。     

Rapid prediction of acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent lignin of rice materials by near-infrared spectroscopy

A rapid predictive method based on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was developed to measure acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent lignin (ADL) of rice stem materials. A total of 207 samples were divided into two subsets, one subset (approximately 136 samples) for calibration and cross-validation and the other subset for independent external validation to evaluate the calibration equations. Different mathematical treatments were applied to obtain the best calibration and validation results. The highest coefficient of determination for calibration (R2) and coefficient of determination for cross-validation (1-VR) were 0.968 and 0.949 for ADF, 0.846 and 0.812 for NDF, and 0.897 and 0.843 for ADL, respectively. Independent external validation still gave a high coefficient of determination for external validation (r2) and a low standard error of performance (SEP) for the three parameters; the best validation results were SEP = 0.933 and r2 = 0.959 for ADF, SEP = 2.228 and r2 = 0.775 for NDF, and SEP = 0.616 and r2 = 0.847 for ADL, indicating that NIR gave a sufficiently accurate prediction of ADF and ADL content of rice material but a less satisfactory prediction for NDF. This study suggested that routine screening for these forage quality parameters with large numbers of samples is possible with NIRS in early-generation selection in rice-breeding programs.     

Salt tolerance of grain crops in relation to ionic balance ability to absorb microelements

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of exchangeable Na on the growth and absorption of metal elements in barley, rye, and maize. The plants were cultivated in soils whose exchangeable sodium percentages (ESP) were 6.6 (saline soil: Saline), 17.4 (saline-sodic soil: Sodic 1), and 39.6 (sodic soil: Sodic 2), which were prepared from Tottori sand dune soil (Control). The dry weight (DW) and concentrations of metal elements Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn, and Cu) in shoots were analyzed. The shoot DW was smaller with higher ESP, but in barley the difference between all the treatments was no longer observed with time. In Sodic soils, the growth of barley was vigorous, whereas rye growth was poor, and maize plants died by 5 weeks after planting. The Na concentration in shoots of all the species was higher with higher ESP. The K concentration in shoots was low at the early growth stage, but in barley it was higher in the Saline and both Sodic soils than in the Control at the subsequent stages. The concentrations of Ca and Mg in shoots of barley and maize in the Saline and both Sodic soils were higher than those in the Control, but in rye the concentrations were lowest in Sodic 2. The concentrations of Mn, Zn, and Cu in barley shoots in the Saline and bothSodic soils tended to be higher than those in the Control, whereas in rye they were lower than in the Control in both Sodic soils. Barley showed a higher ability to absorb low available microelements than rye and maize. These results indicate that barley is tolerant to sodicity as well as salinity, maize is tolerant to salinity, but is very sensitive to sodicity, and rye is moderately sensitive to both stresses. We suggest that the tolerance of grain crops to ESP involves a tolerance to a high Na concentration in shoots, the ability to keep suitable concentrations of essential cations in the presence of a high concentration of Na in shoots and the ability to absorb low available microelements.     

Effect of Selenium on Mineral Content and Nutritive Value of Melilotus officinalis L.

Plants of Melilotus officinalis L. were subjected to two different treatments: a) no selenium (Se), and b) addition of 3 mg Se L^?1 irrigation water for 45 days and samples of leaves, stems and roots were analyzed for Se, potassium (K), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), calcium (Ca), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn). Crude protein (CP) content, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) were also estimated for the aerial plant tissues. In Se-treated plants Se mainly accumulated in leaf tissues, various changes in macronutrient concentrations were detected, while the micronutrient content decreased significantly. In addition, leaf CP, NDF and ADF content decreased, while IVOMD increased, possibly indicating ameliorated nutritive value. According to our findings, M. officinalis could be used either as a dietary supplement, in mixture with non-accumulator species, for livestock feed deficient in Se or for restoration of grasslands in seleniferous soils.     

Influence of Seeding Date and Growing Season Conditions on Forage Yield and Quality of Four Annual Crops in Northeastern Saskatchewan

Field experiments were conducted in 2002 and 2003 on a Black Chernozem (Udic Boroll) silty clay soil at Melfort, Saskatchewan, to determine the effects of seeding date on forage dry-matter yield (DMY) and quality [protein and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents] of four annual crops [barley (Hordium vulgare L.), oat (Avena sativa L.), triticale (×?Triticosecale Wittmack L.), and foxtail millet (Setaria italica L. Beauv; hereafter called Golden German millet)] with various maturities as well as different growing-season temperature and moisture requirements. Seeding date had a significant effect on forage DMY of all four crops in each 2002 and 2003. In 2002, the greatest forage DMY for barley, oat, triticale, and Golden German millet was achieved on 3 July, 22 June, 3 July, and 24 May, respectively. In 2003, the greatest forage DMY was from the 24 May seeding date for all four crops. In both 2002 and 2003, protein content in forage tended to decrease as DMY increased in all crops. In 2002, protein content in forage tended to be greater for the cereals with the early seeding dates and lowest days to harvest. The greatest protein content in forage for Golden German millet occurred at the latest seeding date but the fewest days to harvest. In 2003, the greatest protein content in forage occurred at the latest seeding date and fewest days to maturity for all four crops. In both 2002 and 2003, ADF content in forage responded inversely to protein content in forage. The ADF content in forage tended to increase as DMY of all crops increased and days to harvest increased. The seeding date for maximum DMY of cool-season crops was greatly influenced by the growing-season conditions in this study whereas the seeding date of the one warm-season crop was not. In conclusion, the findings suggest that date of seeding of annual forage crops would affect forage yield, and rainfall distribution throughout the growing season also plays a significant role in annual crop forage yields. As long as there is adequate precipitation later in the growing season, late seeding can also result in good forage yields.     

Nitrogen fertilization and maturity influence the phenolic concentration of wheat grain (Triticum aestivum)

This work investigated the influence of N fertilization and grain maturity on total phenolic concentration (TPC) of wheat caryopses. A pot experiment was conducted, using soft spring wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Thasos) which was treated with four different amounts of nitrogen (0.25–2.00 g N pot^?1) and harvested at three different development stages (medium milk stage, late milk stage, and dough maturity). Phenolic compounds were extracted and analyzed as total phenolic concentration in three discrete fractions: free soluble, conjugated soluble and insoluble bound forms. TPC of free phenolic compounds rose with increasing N supply while TPC of conjugated soluble phenolics decreased at the same time. Insoluble phenolics were less affected by N treatment. Total phenolic concentration also changed with the development stage of caryopses and reached a peak at the late milk stage.     

高寒地区联合固氮菌肥对青稞的促生效应研究

在高寒地区,通过裂区试验研究联合固氮菌菌肥对青稞生长的影响。结果表明,本试验研制的联合固氮菌肥符合《农用微生物菌剂》质量标准(GB 20287-2006)。联合固氮菌肥对青稞主根长度(乳熟期)、地下生物量(完熟期)、粗蛋白含量(抽穗期、灌浆期和乳熟期)、子粒产量均有显著的促进作用。其中,固氮菌肥+半量氮肥(1/2CN)处理,对于株高(苗期)、地上生物量(灌浆期、乳熟期和完熟期)、主根长度(乳熟期)、根体积(灌浆期)、地下生物量(乳熟期和完熟期)、粗蛋白含量(整个生育期)、子粒产量等与对照相比差异显著(P0.05);而与全量氮肥(CN)处理相比,其株高(抽穗期、灌浆期和乳熟期)、叶绿素含量(整个生育期)、地上生物量(抽穗期和乳熟期)、主根长度(灌浆期和完熟期)、根体积(抽穗期、灌浆期和完熟期)、地下生物量(整个生育期)、粗蛋白含量(完熟期)虽低于CN处理,但两者间并无显著差异。说明在一定生育期内,半量氮肥+固氮菌肥(1/2CN)处理表现出了与全量氮肥相近的促生效果,即在该地区以"联合固氮菌肥+半量氮肥"的施用方式可以节省一半氮肥(56.25 kg/hm2)。     

Partial Purification of a Water-Extractable Rye (Secale cereale) Protein Capable of Improving the Quality of Wheat Bread

Rye water-soluble extracts contain a protein fraction that, when added at low concentrations to a straight-dough breadmaking recipe, significantly increased bread volume. Enrichment of the active component is possible by anion-exchange fractionation with diethylaminoethyl-cellulose (DEAE), by ammonium sulfate precipitation, or by using rye bran or shorts milling fractions as the starting material. The active material was not bound to DEAE-cellulose. With ammonium sulfate precipitation, the fractions obtained at 30, 40, and 50% saturation were active in straightdough baking experiments. Iso-electric focusing revealed that fractions active in breadmaking invariably contained alkaline protein fractions (pI > 7.5). Inactivation of enzyme material by boiling the water-soluble extract from rye destroyed all breadmaking activity. The activity of the bread improver was additive to that of potassium bromate but not to that of ascorbic acid. It was not counteracted by catalase, showing that it does not work by a mechanism involving the production of hydrogen peroxide. The extract was not able to overcome the detrimental effect on bread quality resulting from mixing dough in a nitrogen atmosphere.     

Effect of Glyphosate Application on Hagberg Falling Number of Wheat

A study was conducted to investigate management of Hagberg Falling Number (HFN) by creating more homogenous wheat through glyphosate applications at soft and hard dough stages individually, without compromising wheat quality. The effect of the treatments varied over cultivars and seasons. Thousand kernel mass (2003/04), hectolitre mass (2003/04 and 2004/05), and protein content (2003/04 and 2004/05) were negatively affected by soft dough stage treatments for all three cultivars included in the study. Days to harvest and growing degree days were significantly reduced with the soft dough treatment. Yield and preharvest sprouting were not affected. α-Amylase activity varied over season, cultivar, and treatment. HFN measured for Tugela-DN treated at soft dough stage produced a significantly higher HFN compared with the control (2004/05). None of the other cultivars at the various treatments indicated any HFN response to glyphosate application. Germination was severely affected by soft dough stage glyphosate application in the first year of evaluation. Studies into the effect of the various treatments on the repeatability of the HFN test, indicated that glyphosate treatment managed to produce a certain amount of stability for two of the three cultivars, but the treatment that resulted in the stability varied between seasons.     

高水分苜蓿干草捆防霉复合添加剂配方筛选

为有效保存高品质苜蓿干草探索一种新型防霉复合添加剂,该试验选择5个主要防霉及载体成分,每个成分设置4个不同浓度水平,利用正交试验设计L16(45)进行防霉复合添加剂配方优化方案筛选。结果表明,硫酸钠和钠基膨润土为影响干草保存品质的2个主要影响因子;硫酸钾对提高干物质(dry matter,DM)和可溶性糖(water soluble carbohydrate,WSC),降低中洗纤维(neutral detergent fiber,NDF)和酸洗纤维(acid detergent fiber,ADF)效果最好;钠基膨润土明显改善了干草中粗蛋白(crude protein,CP)质量分数,是干草中CP、非蛋白氮(non-protein nitrogen,NPN)、灰分Ash含量的主要影响因子;而亚硫酸钾和a-淀粉酶对干草品质的改善作用相对次之;正交表试验设计结果分析表明,优化复合添加剂最优组合为硫酸钠35.51%,亚硫酸钾32.78%,硫酸钾1.64%,a-淀粉酶0.03%,钠基膨润土21.85%,葡萄糖8.19%。其添加后能够维持或提高高水分苜蓿干草贮藏后的干物质、粗蛋白、可溶性糖和灰分的含量,同时能够降低干草中中性洗涤纤维和非蛋白氮的含量。该组合添加剂在干草中的添加量为每吨干草添加1.15kg,应用成本为每吨干草11.5元。     

Influence of non-cellulose structural carbohydrate composition on plant material decomposition in soil

The C mineralisation pattern during the early stage of decomposition of plant materials is largely determined by their content of different carbohydrates. This study investigated whether detailed plant analysis could provide a better prediction of C mineralisation during decomposition than proximate analysis [neutral detergent solution (NDF)/acid detergent solution (ADF)]. The detailed analysis included sugars, fructans, starch, pectin, cellulose, lignin and organic N. To determine whether differences in decomposition rate were related to differences in hemicellulose composition, the analysis particularly emphasised the concentrations of arabinose and xylose in hemicelluloses. Carbon dioxide evolution was monitored hourly in soil amended with ten different plant materials. Principal component and regression analysis showed that C mineralisation during day 1 was closely related to free sugars, fructans and soluble organic N components (R ² = 0.83). The sum of non-cellulose structural carbohydrates (intermediate NDF/ADF fraction) was not related to C mineralisation between days 1 and 9. In contrast, a model including starch and protein in addition to the non-cellulose structural carbohydrates, with the hemicelluloses replaced by arabinose and xylose, showed a strong relationship with evolved CO₂ (R ² = 0.87). Carbon mineralisation between days 9 and 34 was better explained by xylan, cellulose and lignin (R ² = 0.72) than by lignocellulose in the ADF fraction. Our results indicated that proximate analyses were not sufficient to explain differences in decomposition. To predict C mineralisation from the range of plant materials studied, we propose a minimum set of analyses comprising total N, free sugars, starch, arabinose, xylan, cellulose and lignin.     

Evaluation of lignin and lignin‐nitrogen fractionation following alternative detergent fiber pre‐treatment methods

Abstract

Decomposition of plant material, compost, or mulch may be monitored or predicted by measuring certain key parameters in live or senescent material. Lignin is one of the key parameters to measure as it provides an indication of soil quality. This study evaluates the most promising detergent clean‐up procedures for pre‐treating plant material to provide a more rapid method for lignin determination. Performance was tested with a variety of plant material, typical of vegetation analyzed in decomposition, nutrient cycling and natural ecosystem studies. Lignin‐nitrogen (N) and fiber‐N residues were also determined to assess the efficiency of the clean‐up processes. Good agreement was obtained for lignin on a range of plant material between the time‐consuming classical Klasson method and either modified neutral detergent fiber (NDF) excluding sodium sulphite and Dekalin, or the acidified detergent fiber (ADF) pre‐treatments. We recommend either of the detergent pre‐treatment procedure as they provide rapid and effective preliminary steps for precise lignin determination. Residual lignin‐N following NDF and ADF detergent pre‐treatment methods were on average respectively 31% and 24% of the plant nitrogen.