Abstract
The effect of urea treatment of roughages and the digestibility of feeds for ruminants was studied in southern Niger. Cereal straws, legume crop residues and concentrates were collected in the dry season. Cereal straws were millet stover, sorghum stover with its fractions (leaves and sheath, stems), <i>Diheteropogon hagerupii</i>, <i>Eragrostis tremula</i> and Schizachyrium <i>exile</i> and legume crop residues were groundnut haulms and cowpea husk. Cereal straws and cowpea husk were either untreated or treated with urea. <i>In vitro</i> digestibility characteristics were determined using rumen fluid from fistulated Jersey cows and metabolizable energy (ME) was determined through gas production after 24h of incubation. Cereal straws had different (P<0.001) apparent degradability (Apdeg), degradation rate (C), halflife to the maximum gas volume (T<sub>1/2</sub>), degradation efficiency factor (DEF) and ME. Whereas, urea treated cereal straws had higher (P<0.001) (C) and increased (P<0.01) ME. Legume crop residues did not affect (P>0.05) <i>in vitro</i> parameters, however, treating cowpea husk decreased (P<0.05) gas production and (T<sub>1/2</sub>) but increased ME (p<0.01). Concentrate degradation and kinetics parameters varied (P<0.001) strongly, while Apdeg and true degradability varied (P<0.01) leaving microbial yield (MY) unaffected. These findings will contribute to better utilization of the concerned feed resources by ruminants in Niger and related environment.
Highlights
Nutritive value of feed is determined by its chemical composition and digestibility [1]
In Niger, high quality feeds are only available during the rainy season which lasts for four months per annum, whereas during the dry season feeds are scarce and have low nutritive value
Feeds were grouped into three classes: (1) cereal straws: millet stover (Pennisetum typhoides), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) stover, Eragrostis tremula, Schizachyrium exile and Diheteropogon hagerupii; (2) legume crop residues: groundnut (Arachis hypogea) haulms and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) husk; and (3) concentrates: millet bran, wheat bran and cottonseed cake
Summary
Nutritive value of feed is determined by its chemical composition and digestibility [1]. Chemical treatment and/or supplementation with protein sources were used to improve the quality of these straws [2, 4] research for development projects have accorded more attention on urea treatment due to its advantage of improving intake, digestibility and nitrogen content and reducing the use of concentrate [2, 4]. The tendency these days is the use of agro-industrial by-products and crop residues for feeding ruminants in Niger [5] without due regard for nutritive values in West African countries.
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