
%0 Journal Article
%A McManus, WR 
%A Robinson, VNE 
%A Grout, LL 
%T The physical distribution of mineral material on forage plant cell walls
%J Australian Journal of Agricultural Research
%D 1977/08/01
%V 28
%N 4
%P 651-662
%K 
%R https://doi.org/10.1071/AR9770651
%U https://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/AR9770651 
%X Data are advanced to show that controlled ashing of plant cell wall material at 500&#176;C for 3 hr provides a convenient method of removing organic matter and permits visual study of mineral material within the plant structure. Evaluation of a range of mature tropical and temperate grass and legume forage species with the scanning electron microscope has shown the existence of a mineralized component over the cell walls. This component is distributed in sheets of thickness varying upwards from c. 0.1 &#181;m and is located on the outer surface of cell walls, possibly constituting a masking layer around digestible organic material of the cell wall. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis shows the major elements constituting this mineral layer to be phosphorus, calcium, sulphur and potassium. 
