Plant fragment Incubation times (h) SED
T
F T F
0 0.25 0.5 1 2 4 8 24
Leaf 1.5a 1.8ab 2.3c 2.3c 2.5d 3.2e 4.4f 4.6g 0.14  0.07 <0.001 NS
Stem 1.6a 1.7a 1.9bc 2.0c 2.4d 3.0e 4.2f 5.0g        
T, effect of incubation time. F, effect of plant fragment F x T interaction effects was not significant. Values within the same row with different superscripts were significantly different (P< 0.05). SED, standard errors of differences of means
Table 3: Bacterial 16S rDNA quantity (ng g-1 Remaining Dry Matter (RDM)) attached to leaf and stem fragments incubated for up to 24 h in the presence of mixed rumen bacteria.