INFLUENCE OF SUPPLEMENTATION OF POMEGRANATE DRIED WASTE AS OF NATURAL ANTIOXIDATIVE POTENTIAL SOURCE IN FEEDING DOES RABBITS ON SOME PRODUCTIVE AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE, UNDER HOT CLIMATE CONDITION

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of pomegranatedried waste (PDW) supplementation as natural antioxidant source on somereproductive and productive traits and blood constituents’ doe rabbits,during summer season in Egypt.Twenty eight of New Zealand White (NZW) does aged 6 months withan average weight of 2942.5 ± 48.14 g were used from April and lasted 16weeks with 7 does per treatment groups and allotted into four dietarygroups. First group was served as control, while, 2nd, 3rd, 4th groups werefed control diet with levels 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5% PDW, respectively.Results indicate that PDW levels at 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 with a fewexceptions were ranked first, second and third as had the highest values forfeed intake during pregnancy (P<0.01), and lactation periods (P<0.05),litter size at birth (P<0.01) and weaning (P<0.05), litter weight at weaning(P<0.05), milk production (P<0.01) through 4 weeks of lactation, while itwas lowest values of and pre weaning mortality rate (P<0.0001) duringbirth to weaning age.Doe rabbits receiving 0.5, 1.0 or 1.5% levels of PDW had asignificant decrease in blood triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein(LDL) and very low density lipoprotein (vLDL). The activities of differentblood plasma enzymes were significantly enhanced. Interestingly, PDWlevels increased both the blood plasma antioxidant enzymes (TAC, SODand GPx).These results may indicate that dietary supplementation of PDW couldbe used up to 1.0 % to have a favorable effect in the improvement of doerabbits performance and antioxidant status during summer season in Egypt.