A note on the relationship between the production rates of volatile fatty acids and their concentration, digestible organic matter and total digestible nutrient intake in buffalo calves

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Volatile fatty acid (VFA) production rates were measured by isotope dilution technique in the rumen of buffalo calves fed on wheat straw plus concentrate, green maize, cow pea and berseem. Correlations derived between the VFA production rates and their concentration and DOM were significant except in animals fed on cow pea. The VFA production rates were also significantly correlated with the TDN intake in all the four feeds tested. The regression equations obtained for the four feeds were different, which suggested that VFA production may vary with the quantity and quality of feed digested. These experiments suggest the use of different regression equations for different feeds.