Effect of feeding red gram stalks based complete diets on nutrient utilization and plane of nutrition in buffaloes

Abstract

Three iso-nitrogenous complete diets in a roughage concentrate ratio of 50:50 were formulated with ground red gram stalks (RGS) at 30, 40 and 50% level in complete diets and were compared with a complete diet containing 50% sorghum stover as sole conventional roughage source (control diet). These diets were evaluated in 4 adult male graded Murrah buffaloes in a 4x4 Latin square design. In each trial, the buffaloes were fed the respective diets for 30days, followed by 7 days metabolism trial and a switch over period of 10d between each trial. The RGS had 4.11% crude protein (CP), 0.64% ether extract (EE) and 60.4% crude fibre (CF). The dry matter (DM) intake by buffaloes was comparable among all the groups, indicating that the diets containing RGS up to 50% were palatable. The DM, organic matter (OM), CF (Pe groups and were higher than the standard Kearl (1982) requirements. The results of this study indicated that RGS could be incorporated in complete diets up to 40% level in buffaloes, while incorporation at 50% level depressed the nutrient digestibility and lowered the nutritive value.