Seasonal and Diurnal Variation in Water-Soluble Carbohydrate Concentrations of Repeatedly Defoliated Red and White Clovers in Central Kentucky.

Nonstructural carbohydrates of pasture plants, comprising water-soluble carbohydrates (WSCs) and starch, may contribute to excessive consumption of rapidly fermentable carbohydrates by grazing horses. Seasonal and diurnal variation in WSCs were studied in red (Trifolium pratense L.) and white clovers (Trifolium repens L.) subjected to a typical management regime of rotationally grazed horse pastures. Two red and two white clover cultivars from monoculture plots were harvested after 4 weeks of growth from April to October of 2015, in the morning and afternoon of each harvest date. Water-soluble carbohydrates were quantified for each harvest, and starch was quantified for two harvests. Mean monthly WSC concentrations ranged from 80 to 99 mg/g (freeze-dried weight basis), whereas mean starch concentrations were 31 and 40 mg/g. In September, white clover had 14% more WSCs than red clover (P < .0001). Water-soluble carbohydrate concentrations were 10% higher in the afternoon than in the morning (P < .0001). Starch concentrations were 290% higher in the afternoon than in the morning (P < .0001), and nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations in the afternoon averaged 150 mg/g. Further studies are needed to determine whether the mixed grass-legume pastures of central Kentucky accumulate enough nonstructural carbohydrates to present risk factors for equine metabolic or digestive dysfunction.

Effects of Harvest Date, Sampling Time, and Cultivar on Total Phenolic Concentrations, Water-Soluble Carbohydrate Concentrations, and Phenolic Profiles of Selected Cool-Season Grasses in Central Kentucky.

Grasses are a source of nutrients for grazing horses. However, water-soluble carbohydrates (WSCs) of grasses have been implicated in some equine health issues. Grasses also contain phenolic compounds, whose sensory and antimicrobial properties may affect forage intake by horses and horse health. The goals of this study were to assess factors affecting phenolic and WSC concentrations in selected cultivars of cool-season grasses and profile the phenolic compounds. Total phenolics and WSC were quantified in "Linn" and "Calibra" perennial ryegrass (PRG), "Cajun II" tall fescue (Cajun TF), "Persist" orchardgrass (OG), and "Ginger" Kentucky bluegrass (BG), collected in the morning and afternoon of late April, early May, and late May. WSCs were higher in the afternoon (P < .0001), and afternoon concentrations differed among cultivars (P = .011) and decreased by late May (P < .0001). Total phenolics, initially highest in Calibra PRG and Persist OG, decreased or remained constant from late April to late May, except in Persist OG (P < .0001). Total phenolics decreased in the afternoon in Persist OG and Calibra PRG (P = .015). High-performance liquid chromatography revealed similar phenolic profiles in Calibra PRG, Linn PRG, and Cajun TF. These differed from the profiles of Ginger BG and Persist OG. Major peaks were characterized by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The cultivars had a diversity of phenolic compounds possibly worth exploring for properties that may interact with those of WSC to impact equine health.