Comparative determination of digestibility and energy contents of Heliz and Parzuk with traditional forages by in vivo and in vitro methods

Selçuk Altaçli,Suphi Deni̇z,Mahmut Eki̇nci̇

doi:10.30704/http-www-jivs-net.427603

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine digestibility and energy contents of plants heliz (Prangos pabularia) and parzuk (Hippomarathrum microcarpum) with in vivo and in vitro methods and also to compare them to traditional. Seven male Red Karaman hoggets were used in the trial. Digestibilities of four different forages were determined with classical and two-stage digestibility methods. Moreover, energy contents of forages were also estimated using both digestibility values. In situ degradation characteristics of these forages were also evaluated. In the in vivo trial for digestibility, the degrees of digestibility of four different forage plants were determined by ‘’missing block trial pattern’’. In vivo organic matter digestibility (OMD) of parzuk and heliz (75.52% and 73.46%) were higher than those of dried meadow grass (68.94%) and dried alfalfa hays (65.81%), (P&lt;0.05). These difference were reflected in energy contents and DE (digestible energy) (3.33 and 3.24Mcal/kg dry matter (DM)), ME (2.73 and 2.65 Mcal/kg) and NEL (net energy lactation) (1.73 and 1.68 Mcal/kg DM) values of parzuk and heliz were higher than those of meadow grass (3.04, 2.49 and 1.57 Mcal/kg DM) and dried alfalfa (2.90, 2.38 and 1.49 Mcal/kg DM) hays, (P&lt;0.05). In the two-stage digestibility method, OMD values were 71.88, 68.85, 66.99 and 58.52% for parzuk, heliz, meadow grass hay and dried alfalfa hay, respectively (P&lt;0.05) The highest OMD was observed in parzuk with two-stage digestibility method, while OMD of heliz and dried meadow grass were similar to that of parzuk, OMD of dried alfalfa was similar to that of dried meadow grass but less than those of parzuk and heliz (P&lt;0.05). In in situ experiment, degradability of dried alfalfa, parzuk and heliz were rapid after 4 hours incubation but degradability of meadow grass hay were slow. Dry matter digestibility of meadow grass hay, dried alfalfa hay, parzuk and heliz was 72.45, 76.36, 88.36 and 84.21%, respectively at end of 48 hours incubation period (P&lt;0.05). In conclusion, parzuk and heliz grown at highlands, in case of cultivation, these plants can be alternative forages to other high quality forages such as alfalfa hay.

Highlights

Prangos pabularia and Hippomarathrum microcarpum, which grow widely in the high plateaus of the East Anatolia Region and are used by the local people to feed their sheep, have a considerable potential in meeting the high-quality forage requirements of livestock in the region
The ratio of OM was found to be lower than other forage because the dry matter (DM) contents of the forage used in this study are similar, but the ratio of ash in dried alfalfa is high (Table 1)
The crude protein (CP) content of H. microcarpum and P. pabularia are similar to the CP contents of dried meadow grass, whereas their neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) content are lower than those in dried meadow grass and dried alfalfa

Summary

Introduction

Prangos pabularia and Hippomarathrum microcarpum, which grow widely in the high plateaus of the East Anatolia Region and are used by the local people to feed their sheep, have a considerable potential in meeting the high-quality forage requirements of livestock in the region. In Turkey, it grows in high regions at an altitude of 1,000 to 2,800 m, such as Kastamonu, Giresun, Kars, Erzurum, Ağrı, Konya, Kahramanmaraş and Hakkari. It is a perennial plant with a height of 50 to 150 cm (Davis, 1972). In a study conducted in Iran by Eilami and Noroozian (1995), it is reported that the replacement of dried alfalfa, which constitutes 60% of the ration for Karakul lambs, with this plant at a ratio of 12%, 24%, 48% and 60% does not affect the fattening performance and carcass quality. In Turkey, alfalfa is mainly used as a dried fodder in the nutrition of livestock (Çerçi et al, 2011)

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Results