Fed Rice Straw Research Articles

Effect of ammoniated rice straw with urine and urea on the amount of digested crude protein, methane gas production and VFA profile of fat tail sheep

<p class="MDPI17abstract"><strong>Objective:</strong> This research aimed to find out the VFAs profile and methane gas production in fat-tailed sheep that fed rice straw ammoniated with commercial urea (T1), and rice straw ammoniated with urine (T2). Eight thin-tailed sheep aged 1.5 with an average body weight of 20 kg were used in this study. All the object studies were placed in individual metabolism cages. The feed concentrate used in this study was 2.3 % from the body weight of livestock, rice straw was ammoniated and water was given ad libitum, and feed was given twice a day at 7.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. Concentrate were given first, then 1 hour later the ammoniated rice straw was given. The drinking water was provided ad libitum.</p><p class="MDPI17abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> This research was conducted in three stages, 1) total collection, 2) measure methane gas production, and 3) rumen fluid collection. A completely randomized design with 2 treatments and 4 replications was used in this study. After all data was collected, then it was analyzed using the Independent T-test using IBM SPSS Statistics 21 software.</p><p class="MDPI17abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> The results show no significance (P > 0.05) on rice straw ammoniated with commercial urea (T1), and rice straw ammoniated with urine (T2) for methane gas production (1,328.68±349.56 vs 1,463.95±215.41), VFA Total (40.74±13.09 vs 34.79±6.34), NH<sub>3</sub> production (9.17±3.67 vs 8.78±2.94). It indicates that ammoniated using commercial urea or urine does not interrupt rumen fermentation.</p><p class="MDPI17abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> It could be concluded that crude protein digestible, methane gas production, and VFAs profile especially the fermentation conditions in the rumen are not affected by ammoniation from commercial urea or urine.</p>

Effects of fodder tree leave supplementation for basal rice straw diet on rumen ammonia, pH, and degradation characteristics in sheep

Fodder tree leaves (FTLs) contain high levels of protein, vitamins, and minerals that play a major role in enhancing roughage intake by ruminants, thus improving low-quality roughage utilization. The study sought to measure the rumen degradation characteristics, pH, and ammonia N concentration of sheep fed rice straw (RS) and supplemented with FTLs. Four forest-type rumen-fistulated rams of an average weight of 19.0±1.2 kg were randomly assigned to one of four treatments in a 4 × 4 Latin Square design. Treatment diets consisted of urea-ammoniated straw (UAS; control), RS+100% Leucaena leucocephala (L), RS+100% Samanea saman (S), and RS+50% L+50% S (LS). Data obtained were subjected to the Glimmix procedure of SAS (2016) and significant means were separated using Tukey’s test at (P<0.05). Treatments differed significantly (P<0.001) in the quantity of readily soluble materials (a), rate of degradation (c), and a potentially degradable fraction (P) with LS recording the highest a, c, and P among the treatments. Ruminal pH and ammonia concentrations differed significantly (P<0.0001) among the treatments. Overall mean rumen pH values obtained ranged from 6.44 in UAS to 6.72 in the S-supplemented diet whereas mean rumen ammonia values ranged from 4.59 mg/100 ml in sheep fed UAS diet to 9.15 mg/L in sheep fed L diet. The pH values obtained imply that the experimental diets could improve rumen fermentation and, hence, serve as good sources of feed for ruminants. The rumen DM degradation values indicated that sufficient amounts of DM would be degraded over a period of time, thus releasing substantial quantities into the small intestines for digestion to provide essential nutrients needed for better animal performance. The rumen ammonia values obtained were higher than the minimum values recommended for optimal microbial activity for animals fed lignocellulosic materials. This indicated that such FTLs could be utilized for moderate animal performance, especially during the dry seasons when natural pastures are qualitatively and quantitatively poor.

Effects of supplementing rice straw with two fodder tree leaves and their combinations on voluntary feed intake, growth, and nitrogen utilization in sheep.

Fodder tree leaves (FTL) are limitless nutrient resources that provide high-quality feed, particularly during the dry season, improving animal diets, and reducing the use of concentrates in ruminant livestock farming. In order to determine the benefits of FTL, two experiments were conducted to measure the voluntary feed intake, growth performance, and nitrogen utilization of forest-type (FT) sheep fed rice straw (RS) and supplemented with either Leucaena leucocephala (LEU) or Samanea saman (SAM) or their equal combination (LS). For the growth trial (Experiment 1), 12 male FT sheep with mean initial body weight (BW) of 17.0 ± 1.0 kg (mean ± SD) were randomly assigned to one of four dietary treatments in a Completely Randomized Design. The diets were Urea-treated RS (UTS) (Control), RS + L (LEU), RS + S (SAM), and RS + 50% L + 50% S (LS). After 14 d of adjustment period, feed intakes and refusals were recorded daily, whereas BW was recorded bi-weekly for 12 wk. Four rams weighing 17.0 ± 1.0 kg BW were randomly assigned to the four treatments over a four period in a repeated (4 × 4) Latin square design to estimate the nitrogen (N) balance study (Experiment 2). Treatment diets were the same as that of Experiment 1. Dry matter intake of straw was highest (P = 0.0001) for sheep fed UTS. However, combining L with S increased (P = 0.0001) straw DM intake compared to feeding L or S alone. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in total feed intake between sheep offered UTS and LS, but both were significantly higher (P = 0.0001) than those offered LEU and SAM. Body weight gain (3.70 kg) and growth rate (196.15 g/d) were highest (P = 0.0001) for sheep offered LS compared to the other treatment groups. Values for N balance differed (P = 0.0001) among treatment diets. N balance for LUE and LS supplemented diets were higher than that of SAM but all were higher (P = 0.0001) than those offered UTS. Leucaena and Samanea leaves could, therefore, be utilized as supplement to poor-quality straws to improve the productivity of small ruminants especially during the long dry seasons in the tropics.

Performance indicators of sheep fed rice straw supplemented with browse leaves

The use of browse leaves as a protein source can help ruminants cope with adverse nutritional stress under unpredictable climatic conditions. The objective of this study was to determine feed intake, digestibility, metabolisable energy intake, weight gain and feed conversion efficiency of sheep fed untreated rice straw supplemented with browse leaves. Four forest type rams with an average weight of 27.75± 0.89 kg (2 years old) and in a replicated 4 x 4 Latin square design were used in the digestibility study. Twelve ram lambs of average weight 13.2 kg ± 0.05 kg were assigned to the experimental diets randomly for 12 weeks in the growth study in a completely randomized design. Animals were fed four diets namely: Untreated rice straw (URS) + Albizzia lebbek (AL) (Control), URS + Moringa oleifera (MO), URS + Ficus exasperata (FE) and URS + Spondias mombin (SM). The dietary treatment influenced (p<0.05) the digestible organic matter in dry matter (DOMD), maintenance energy requirement (MEm), metabolisable energy intake (MEI) and ratio of metabolisable energy intake to maintenance energy requirement (MEI: MEm). The DOMD, MEm, MEI and MEI: MEm were in the range of 965-983 g/kgDM, 3.61-5.36 MJ/d, 9.51-15.8 MJ/d and 2.63-3.38 respectively. The total intake of browse and straw ranged from 428.71 to 487.14 g/d. The average daily gain ranged from 7.14 to 20.24 g/d. The animals fed URS+FE recorded the highest average daily gain (p<0.05) while the animals fed URS+AL recorded the lowest average daily gain (p<0.05). Feed conversion efficiency ranged from 25.97 to 71.45 kg feed/ kg gain. The sheep fed URS+FE were the most efficient (p<0.05) and those fed URS+AL, the least efficient (p<0.05). Supplementation of browse leaves to sheep using untreated rice straw as a basal diet improved digestibility with moderate weight gains. These browse leaves (AL, FE, MO and SM) can be used to supplement poor quality ruminant diets for improved performance particularly during periods of feed scarcity. Key words: Digestible organic matter in dry matter, metabolisable energy, weight gain

Metabolism Energy and Performance of Several Local Cattle Breeds Fed Rice Straw and Concentrate

This study was conducted to examine the effect of different local cattle breeds on energy metabolism and performance fed on rice straw basal diet. Fourty local male cattle (2.5 years; initial BW 300.30±0.68) of Madura cattle (M), Sumba Ongole cattle (SO), Bali cattle (B), and Bali Timor cattle (BT) were used in this study, where types of local breed were used as treatments (10 animals/treatment). The study used a randomized block design (RBD) with cattle's initial body weight as a group. The cattle were fed on rice straw ad libitum and concentrate 2.5% BW (DM 86.53%). The variables measured were energy intake (EI), digestible energy intake (DEI), metaboloizable energy intake (MEI), energy retention (RE), RE to EI ratio, RE to DEI ratio, C2/C3 ratio, the efficiency of hexose conversion to VFA (ECH) and the average daily body weight gain (ADG). The results showed that the different breeds of local cattle had a significant effect (P<0.05) on EI, DEI, MEI, RE, RE to EI ratio, RE to DEI ratio, C2/C3 ratio, and ECH, but had no significant effect on ADG (P>0.05). M has the highest EI, DEI, MEI, and RE 139.52 MJ/day, 99.69 MJ/day, 65.84 MJ/day, and 98.45 MJ/day, respectively, but the highest RE to EI ratio at B, while for the best RE to DE ratio, C2/C3 ratio, ECH, and ADG, at SO were 99.24%, 28.85, 74.97%, and 1.24 kg, respectively. It can be concluded that the best local cattle in terms of performance and feed energy efficiency are Sumba Ongole cattle.

Nutrient digestibility, intake rate, and performance of Indonesian native cattle breeds fed rice straw ammoniation and concentrate

Native beef cattle breeds in Indonesia such as Bali Timor (BT), Bali Flores (BF), Madura (M), and Sumba Ongole (SO) come from different regions with different types of feed because of the different environmental ecosystems. This situation results in native cattle breeds having different microbial compositions and functions. The purpose of this study was to find native cattle breeds fed ammoniated rice straw and concentrate having the highest productivity and feed efficiency. The material used was four native beef cattle breeds with a weight of 210-250 kg and age of 3.5-3.7 years. There were ten for each native cattle and they were fed concentrate and ammoniated rice straw. The amount of concentrate fed was 2% of body weight, while ammoniated rice straw was prepared ad libitum. Randomized Block Design with an initial body weight of cattle as a group was used in this research. Covariance analysis showed that the breed of native cattle had a significant effect (P < 0.05) on average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), feed efficiency (FE), digestibility of dry matter (DMD), organic matter (OMD), neutral detergent fiber (DNDF), acid detergent fiber (DADF) and gross energy (DGE). BF cattle were higher (P <0.05) in nutrient digestibility compared to the other three local cattle breeds and among the three breeds had relatively similar (P > 0.05). In contrast to nutrient digestibility, ADG of SO and M cattle were higher (P < 0.05) followed by BF and BT cattle, respectively. The FC of BT and BF cattle were similar (P > 0.05), but it was high (P < 0.05) compared to M and SO cattle. The conclusion is SO and M cattle have good ability when fattened using ammoniated rice straw and concentrate.

Effects of wood kraft pulp feeding on feed digestibility and rumen fermentation of Japanese Black steer in the middle fattening stage.

We investigated the effects of wood kraft pulp (KP) feeding on feed digestibility and rumen fermentation of Japanese Black (JB) steer in the middle fattening stage. The feeding experiment was carried out a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design using six JB steers (16.2 ± 0.8months of age). Steers were fed rice straw and three concentrated feeds: commercial formula feed (control), formula feed containing 7.5% KP on a dry matter (DM) basis (7.5% KP), and formula feed containing 15% KP on a DM basis (15% KP). Feed digestibility and rumen fermentation parameters were recorded for 3days during the measurement period, after an adaptation phase of 11 days. There was no significant difference in DM intake per day among diets. A slightly higher digestibility of neutral detergent fiber was observed in steers fed 15% KP, compared with those fed other diets (P = 0.059). The butyric acid ratio in rumen fluid was higher in steers fed KP diets than in steers fed control (P = 0.083). The average ruminal pH was unaffected by KP diets. This study suggests that replacing 15% of concentrated feed with KP has little effect on feed digestibility and rumen fermentation in JB fattening steer.

Feeding cashew nut shell liquid decreases methane production from feces by altering fecal bacterial and archaeal communities in Thai local ruminants.

The effect of feeding cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) on fecal fermentation products and microbiota was investigated in Thai native cattle and swamp buffaloes. Four of each animal were fed rice straw and concentrate diet with control pellets without CNSL for 4weeks, followed by the same diet with pellets containing CNSL for another 4weeks, so that CNSL was administered at a level of 4g/100kg body weight. Feces were collected the last 2days in each feeding period. CNSL alkyl phenols were recovered from feces (16%-28%) in a similar proportion to those in the diet, indicating that most functional anacardic acid was not selectively removed throughout the digestive tract. In vitro production of gas from feces, particularly methane, decreased with CNSL feeding. The proportion of acetate in feces decreased with CNSL feeding, whereas that of propionate increased, without affecting total short-chain fatty acid concentration. CNSL feeding changed fecal microbial community, particularly in swamp buffaloes, which exhibited decreases in the frequencies of Treponema, unclassified Ruminococcaceae, and Methanomassiliicoccaceae. These results suggest that CNSL feeding alters not only rumen fermentation but also hindgut fermentation via modulation of the microbial community, thereby potentially attenuating methane emission from the feces of ruminant animals.

Effects of soybean meal supplementation on ruminal kinetics of feed particle size reduction and passage in dairy cows fed rice straw.

Six ruminal-cannulated nonlactating Holstein Friesian cows (mean body weight:660 ± 42.9 kg) were used to investigate the effect of soybean meal (SBM) supplementation on voluntary rice straw (RS) intake, feed particle size reduction, and passage kinetics in the rumen. They were allocated to two dietary treatments: RS alone or RS supplemented with SBM. Voluntary dry matter intake of RS and total tract fiber digestibility was increased by SBM supplementation (p < 0.05). Supplementation with SBM decreased rumination time per dietary dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fiber (NDFom) intake (p < 0.01). Particle size distribution in the rumen and total ruminal NDFom digesta weights were not affected by SBM supplementation. However, the disappearance rates of total digesta and large and small particles from the rumen were increased by SBM supplementation (p < 0.01). Moreover, SBM supplementation increased the rate of size reduction in ruminal particles (p < 0.05). In situ disappearance of DM and NDFom of RS in the rumen was greater in SBM-supplemented cows than in nonsupplemented cows (p < 0.05). This study clearly showed that increased ruminal RS particle size reduction, passage, and fermentation due to SBM supplementation accelerated the RS particle clearance from the rumen and resulted in increased voluntary RS intake of dairy cows.

Nutrient intake, digestibility and rumen metabolites in bulls fed rice straw with or without supplements

Nutrient intake, digestibility and rumen metabolites were determined in rumen - cannulated bulls fed rice straw or straw supplemented with urea, groundnut hay or cotton seed cake. Total dry matter intake (DMI) ranged from 7.55 10 8.29kg/d or 3.66 to 4.04% of liveweight and from 6.48 to 7.21kg/d for organic matter. Total DMI was increased by supplementation with urea and groundnut hay by about 7.6%. However, supplementation with groundnut hay and cotton seed cake reduced straw intake. Digestible organic matter intake (DOMI) was highest on straw supplemented with groundnut hay. There were no dietary differences in the digestibility of dry matter (DMD), organic matter (OMD), cellulose (CD) and hemicellulose (HCD). Digestibility of crude protein (CPD) was higher on the supplemented diets than on basal rice straw. The rumen pa ranged from 6.42 - 8.28; ammonia-N (RAN), 6.74 - 27.70mg/100ml; volatile fatty acids (VFA), 8.79 - 12.40mmol/100ml and bacterial count, 5.73-16.10 (x 10s)/ml and those values were affected by diets (D), period of sampling (P) and their interactions (D x P).

Improving Performance of Heifer Buffalos Fed with Urea-treated Rice Straw Ensiled with Cassava Pulp Supplemented with Concentrates

The objectives of this research were the optimalization of production and reproduction of buffalo heifers through improving feed quality based on rice straw. Twelve heifer buffaloes with body weight of 243 – 350 kg were kept in individual cages and grouped to four. Each groups were randomized to receive three treatments of A, B and C according to Randomized Completely Block Design (RCBD). A was buffalo fed only rice straw. B was buffalo fed rice straw supplemented with concentrate with a dry matter ratio of 70:30. C was similar to B but the rice straw was ammoniated using urea of 4% ensiled with 8% of cassava pulp. In-Vitro test was conducted to measure rumen fermentation product. The results showed the highest of DM and OM digestibility was achieved at C treatment, while the lowest was found at A treatment. Rumen fermentation produsts and its efficiency were the highest in C treatment. In-vivo result showed that ADG of C was higher than that of B and A. Reproductive performance characterized by frequency oestrus for 123 days were an average of 2.5, 2.8 and 4.5 times for A, B and C, respectively. The highest blood metabolite of glucose, urea and erytrocyt was found at C but the leucocyt was lowest compared to A and B. Urea treated rice straw ensiled with cassava pulp and supplemented with concentrate can improve production and reproduction performance of heifer buffaloes.

Nitrate supplementation of rations based on rice straw but not Pangola hay, improves growth performance in meat goats.

ObjectiveSupplemental nitrate is known to be an effective tool to mitigate methane emission by ruminants. Based on theoretical considerations, supplemental nitrate can improve but also deteriorate the growth performance. The overall effect of supplemental nitrate on growth performance, however, is not yet known. The objective of the current study was therefore to evaluate the effect of a higher dose of NO3− on overall growth performance when feeding either Pangola grass hay or rice straw.MethodsThirty-two crossbred, 3-month-old Thai native×Anglo-Nubian crossbred male goats were used. The experiment had a 2×2 factorial design with an experimental period of 60 days. Eight goats were randomly allocated to each dietary treatment, i.e. a ration containing either Pangola hay (Digitaria eriantha Steud) or rice straw (Oryza Sativa) as a source of roughage, supplemented with a concentrate containing either 3.2% or 4.8% potassium nitrate. The rations were formulated to be isonitrogenous. The animals were weighed at the start of the experiment and at days 30 and 60. Feces were collected during the last five days of each 30-day period.ResultsHigh-nitrate increased overall DM intake by approximately 3%, irrespective the source of roughage, but only the goats fed a rice straw-based ration responded with an increase in body weight (BW). Thus, the overall feed conversion ratio (kg feed/kg BW gain) was influenced by roughage source ×nitrate and decreased by almost 60% when the goats were fed rice straw in combination with a high versus a low dietary nitrate content. The digestibility of macronutrients was only affected by the source of roughage and the digestibility of organic matter, crude protein, and neutral detergent fibre was greater when the goats were fed Pangola hay.ConclusionIt was concluded that the replacement of soybean meal by nitrate improves the growth performance of meat goats fed rations based on rice straw, but not Pangola hay.

The effect of a diet based on rice straw co-fermented with probiotics and enzymes versus a fresh corn Stover-based diet on the rumen bacterial community and metabolites\xa0of beef cattle

Improvement of the food value of rice straw is urgently required in rice crop growing areas to mitigate pollution caused by rice straw burning and enhance the supply of high-quality forages for ruminants. The aims of the present study were to compare the effects of fresh corn Stover and rice straw co-fermented with probiotics and enzymes on rumen fermentation and establish the feasibility of increasing the rice straw content in ruminant diets and, by extension, reducing air pollution caused by burning rice straw. Twenty Simmental hybrid beef cattle were randomly allotted to two groups with ten cattle per group. They were fed diets based either on rice straw co-fermented with probiotics and enzymes or fresh corn Stover for 90 days. Rumen fluid was sampled with an esophageal tube vacuum pump device from each animal on the mornings of days 30, 60, and 90. Bacterial diversity was evaluated by sequencing the V4–V5 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Metabolomes were analyzed by gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC–TOF/MS). Compared to cattle fed fresh corn Stover, those fed rice straw co-fermented with probiotics and enzymes had higher (P < 0.05) levels of acetic acid and propionate in rumen liquid at d 60 and d 90 respectively, higher (P < 0.05) abundances of the phyla Bacteroidetes and Fibrobacteres and the genera Ruminococcus, Saccharofermentans, Pseudobutyrivibrio, Treponema, Lachnoclostridium, and Ruminobacter, and higher (P < 0.05) concentrations of metabolites involved in metabolisms of amino acid, carbohydrate, and cofactors and vitamins. Relative to fresh corn Stover, rice straw co-fermented with probiotics and enzymes resulted in higher VFA concentrations, numbers of complex carbohydrate-decomposing and H2-utilizing bacteria, and feed energy conversion efficiency in the rumen.

Exploration of Available Feed Resources, Feeding Practices, Morphometric and Nutritional Status of Horses in Kashmir Valley of India

Nutrition is a critical component of equine health. Horse owners’ knowledge of nutrition is likely to affect their feeding practices. The study was conducted with the aim to survey available feed resources for equines, existing feeding practices and morphometric and nutritional status of horses in four major horse rearing tehsils (Sopore, Pattan, Tangmarg and Gulmarg) of district Baramulla in Kashmir valley. Twelve equine keeping families from each study area were selected at random. The daily dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), digestible energy (DE) and macro minerals (Ca and P) intakes by different classes of horses were calculated from the feed intakes and compared with the nutrient requirement given in the feeding standard. Among body morphometry, body weight (BW) was calculated using body measurements, age was predicted by dentition and body condition scoring (BCS) was done using the Henneke BCS system. Adult horses were being fed rice straw and wheat bran; however, in addition to these, maize grains was fed in Tangmarg and Gulmarg areas, while jaggery was fed as energy supplement in Sopore only. The horses were fed blend of spicy ingredients locally called as “masala”. None of the farmers offered any oil seeds/cakes, compound pelleted feed or mineral supplement to their horses, though, salt licks were allowed to the adult animals on daily basis in all the study areas. The chemical composition of all the feeds and fodders fed to horses in the study areas of district Baramulla were within the ranges as prescribed for Indian feeds and fodders. During the survey, no lactating mare was observed in the entire study areas, while no foal was observed in Sopore and Gulmarg areas. Average age of the adult animal was 7.08±0.29 years, BW was in the range of 224.40 to 271.13 kg, and BCS ranged from 4.28 to 5.21 with an average of 4.93. While adult horses received optimum DM, the daily CP and DE intakes were found to be deficient along with imbalanced Ca and P intake when compared to the standard requirements. Foals were found to get diets deficient in DM, DE, CP and Ca but surplus in P. It was concluded that horse owners of district Baramulla lack basic knowledge on equine nutrition, feeding un-balanced diets to adult horses that were optimum only in terms of quantity; however, foals were fed diets deficient both in quantity as well as quality. The veterinarian-client dialog needs to be enhanced to address the misconceptions of horse owners about nutrition and feeding practices.

Available feed resources, feeding practices and nutritional status of horses in Budgam district of Kashmir valley

A study was conducted in four major horse rearing tehsils (Beerwah, Khag, Chadoora and Budgam) of district Budgam in Kashmir valley regarding available feed resources, feeding practices being followed and nutritional status of horses. Twelve equine keeping families from each study area were selected at random. The daily dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), digestible energy (DE) and macro minerals (Ca and P) intakes by different classes of horses were calculated from the feed intakes and compared with the nutrient requirement given in the feeding standard. Adult horses were being fed rice straw, rice bran and wheat bran; however, in addition to these, bengal gram was fed in areas of Chadoora and Khag only, while maize grains was fed to the horses in Chadoora only. The horses were fed blend of spicy ingredients locally called as ‘masala’. None of the farmers offered any oil seeds/cakes, compound pelleted feed or mineral supplement to the horses, though, salt licks were allowed to the adult animals on daily basis in all the study areas. The chemical composition of all the feeds and fodders fed to horses in the study areas of district Budgam were within the ranges as prescribed for Indian feeds and fodders. While adult horses received optimum DM, the daily CP and DE intake was found to be deficient along with imbalanced Ca and P intake when compared to the standard requirements. Foals were found to get diets deficient in DM, DE, CP and Ca but surplus in P. Lactating mares received daily rations with optimum DM content, excess DE, slightly less CP and excessive Ca and P. It was concluded that the adult horses and lactating mares were being fed rations optimum in terms of quantity, but was not balanced in terms of nutrients; however, foals were fed diets deficient in both in quantity as well as quality.

Effects of short-term fasting on in vivo rumen microbiota and in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics.

ObjectiveFasting may lead to changes in the microbiota and activity in the rumen. In the present study, the effects of fasting on rumen microbiota and the impact of fasting on in vitro rumen fermentation were evaluated using molecular culture-independent methods.MethodsThree ruminally cannulated Holstein steers were fed rice straw and concentrates. The ruminal fluids were obtained from the same steers 2 h after the morning feeding (control) and 24 h after fasting (fasting). The ruminal fluid was filtrated through four layers of muslin, collected for a culture-independent microbial analysis, and used to determine the in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics. Total DNA was extracted from both control and fasting ruminal fluids. The rumen microbiota was assessed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Microbial activity was evaluated in control and fasting steers at various intervals using in vitro batch culture with rice straw and concentrate at a ratio of 60:40.ResultsFasting for 24 h slightly affected the microbiota structure in the rumen as determined by DGGE. Additionally, several microorganisms, including Anaerovibrio lipolytica, Eubacterium ruminantium, Prevotella albensis, Prevotella ruminicola, and Ruminobacter amylophilus, decreased in number after fasting. In addition, using the ruminal fluid as the inoculum after 24 h of fasting, the fermentation characteristics differed from those obtained using non-fasted ruminal fluid. Compared with the control, the fasting showed higher total gas production, ammonia, and microbial protein production (p<0.05). No significant differences, however, was observed in pH and dry matter digestibility.ConclusionWhen in vitro techniques are used to evaluate feed, the use of the ruminal fluid from fasted animals should be used with caution.

Effects of supplementary desalted mother liquor as replacement of commercial salt in diet for Thai native cattle on digestibility, energy and nitrogen balance, and rumen conditions.

Four Thai native cattle were used in a 4×4 Latin square design experiment to evaluate the availability of desalted mother liquor (DML) as replacement of salt in concentrate. Each cattle was assigned to one of the following concentrate feeding treatments: C1, 1% NaCl was added as salt; C2, 2% NaCl was added as salt; D1, 1% NaCl was replaced by DML; D2, 2% NaCl was replaced by DML, on a dry matter (DM) basis. The animals were fed rice straw and experimental concentrates (40:60) at 1.9% of body weight on a DM basis, daily. Acid detergent fiber expressed exclusive of residual ash (ADFom) digestibility in DML treatment was higher than salt treatment (p<.05) and D2 feeding showed the highest value (60.8%). There were no significant differences in blood metabolites, nitrogen retention, ruminal ammonia nitrogen, methane emission or energy efficiency among treatments. Molar percent of acetate on volatile fatty acids in rumen fluid 4hr post-feeding tended to be higher in DML treatment than salt treatment (p=.08). The results indicated that adding DML could improve ADFom digestibility and salt could be replaced by DML up to 2% as NaCl in concentrate without adverse effects on nitrogen balance, rumen conditions, blood metabolites and methane emission.

Feeds and fodder dynamics in selected river basins of Bangladesh

A baseline survey was conducted with the objectives to determine seasonal availability, utilization of feeds and fodder resources and livestock production systems in different river basin areas and to identify the constraints of fodder production in selected river basins of Bangladesh. Based on cattle population, 2 upazilas from each of 10 districts were selected for household survey (HHS). A randomly selected 50 farmers from each upazila were considered for collecting information. After screening a total of 963 HHs were considered for statistical analyses. Results show that about 51%HHs were landless. Having an average population size of 3.3, about 99% HHs in the surveyed areas was keeping cattle, whereas, buffalo was not found in all regions which were found only in1.7% HHs with an average population size of 2.31 per buffalo keeper HH. Sheep was found only in about 1% HHs with an overall number of 3.22 per sheep keeper HH. About 16% HHs were keeping goats with an average size of 2.9 per sheep keeper HH. Significant differences on performance potentials were found both in native and crossbred cows among different regions. It was observed that all types of farm categories HHs reared cattle and most of them reared by tethering (around 23%) and free grazing (around 22%) management systems but semi-grazing was followed by around 14% HHs. Rest of the farmers followed different combinations of methods. Rice straw and naturally grown green grasses were the main roughages for feeding their cattle. About 95% HHs fed rice straw and about 81% HHs fed cut and carry green grass to their cattle. There were no seasonal variations on feeding rice straw but variations occurred for supplying cut and carry green grasses. Concentrates provided to animals in the surveyed areas were mainly rice polish, wheat bran, broken rice, pulse bran and mustard oil cake, among which rice polish and wheat bran were supplied by more HHs (about 93% and 75%, respectively). The variations of supplying concentrates among seasons were very negligible. Although, there were about 1.14% HHs who cultivated some fodder crops, they harvest grains for human consumption and residues for their cattle. However, high yielding varieties of fodders are very rarely cultivated by the farmers for feeding cattle in the riverside regions. The reason not to cultivate fodder and main constraint behind it was not accurately mentioned by the farmers. In the survey among different riverside regions, about48 different native green fodders were obtained in different agro-ecological zones, among which most available native green fodders were Durba, Badla, Kawn, Shama, Khesari, Gamma, Ura, Gobra, Shama and Maskalai. Most of the native grasses are grown more in summer and some others like Kawn, Khesari and Maskalai are grown in winter. Finally, it may be concluded that extensive fodder cultivation program by motivating farmers through training and demonstrating high yielding fodder crops are essential in the riverside regions for increasing productivity of livestock in the respective areas.Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2017. 46 (3): 206-214

Effect supplementation of Urea Molasse Multinutrient Block (UMMB) on the weight gain average of Heifers Peranakan Ongole breed

&lt;p class="Abstract"&gt;An experiment was&#x0D; conducted to evaluate the effects supplementation of urea-molasse multinutrient&#x0D; block (UMMB) on the weight gain of heifers &lt;i&gt;peranakan&lt;/i&gt;&#x0D; &lt;i&gt;ongole&lt;/i&gt; beef cattle based diets with&#x0D; rice straw. Urea molasse multinutrient block were made with different&#x0D; formulations (A and B). A total of 15 heifers &lt;i&gt;Peranakan Ongole&lt;/i&gt; beef cattle were divided into 3 groups. Control&#x0D; group animals were daily fed rice straw as a basal diet without UMMB, group A&#x0D; were daily fed rice straw as a basal diet with UMMB (A), group B were daily fed&#x0D; rice straw as a basal diet with UMMB (B) respectively. Weight gain were&#x0D; measured with Lambourne method weekly. Data on the feeding trial were collected&#x0D; during 4 wk, and were subjected to the Paired T-test analysis of variance&#x0D; (ANOVA). The results of this experiment showed that the UMMB supplementation&#x0D; had no significantly influenced of weight gain average (P &amp;gt; 0.05).&#x0D; With regard to the weight gain average of heifers, the group A showed a highest&#x0D; (9.52 kg), group B (9.38 kg) and control group (6.98 kg), respectively. Based on statistical&#x0D; analyses, it can be concluded that supplementation of UMMB had no effects on&#x0D; average weight gain in this study.&amp;nbsp;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Effect of Delonix regia seed meal supplementation in Thai native beef cattle on feed intake, rumen fermentation characteristics and methane production

The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of supplementing Delonix regia (DR) seed meal on feed intake, digestibility, rumen fermentation, nitrogen balance and CH4 production in Thai native beef cattle fed on rice straw. Four Thai native beef cattle with the initial body weight (BW) of 100±5.0kg were randomly assigned according to a 4×4 Latin square design to receive DR seed meal supplementation at 0, 90, 180 and 270g/d. The present results revealed that the total intake (g/kg BW0.75) was significantly increased with the inclusion of dry matter (DM) seed meal at 270g (P<0.05). DM and OM digestibility were decreased when increasing DR seed meal levels (P<0.05). Ruminal NH3-N concentration increased in beef cattle receiving DR seed meal. Supplementation of DR seed meal did not alter fungal zoospores’ concentration (P>0.05), whereas the protozoal population was at 0, 4h post feeding, and the mean values reduced when increasing the levels of DR seed meal supplemented (P<0.05). The concentration of propionic acid at 4h post feeding and its average concentration were significantly highest when 270g DR seed meal was supplemented (P<0.05). Estimation of CH4 concentrations and CH4 per dry matter intake were found reduced when increasing its DR seed meal concentration. In addition, N absorption, N retention and proportion of N retention to N intake were enhanced when 270g DR seed meal was supplemented (P<0.05). Thus, the inclusion of DR seed meal at 270g/d resulted in improving total feed intake, rumen fermentation and N balance whereas there was reduced DM digestibility, protozoal population and CH4 production in beef cattle fed rice straw base.