Finger Millet Straw Research Articles

Effect of dietary incorporation of silkworm pupae meal on in vitro rumen fermentation and digestibility

This experiment was conducted to study the effect of supplementation of different inclusion levels of defatted silkworm pupae meal (DSWP) on in vitro rumen fermentation and digestibility. Eleven concentrate mixtures were formulated with graded levels of DSWP by replacing 0 (T0), 10 (T1), 20 (T2), 30 (T3), 40 (T4), 50 (T5), 60 (T6), 70, (T7), 80 (T8), 90 (T9) and 100% (T10) of soybean meal (SBM) protein of the control concentrate mixture. In vitro experiments were conducted to study the effect of supplementation of different levels of DSWP in the concentrate mixture on finger millet straw (FMS) based diets (30:70). In vitro total gas production (IVTGP), pH, ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), total volatile fatty acids (TVFA), partitioning factor (PF), microbial biomass production (MBB), metabolizable energy (ME), in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) were determined. No significant difference was observed in pH, NH3-N, TVFA, PF, MBB, ME, IVDMD and IVOMD among treatments (T0 to T10). The results indicated that DSWP can be safely incorporated in the concentrate mixture by replacing 100% conventional protein without affecting the rumen fermentation and digestibility. Hence, it was concluded that supplementation of DSWP up to 100% had no significant effect on in vitro rumen fermentation and digestibility on FMS based ration.

Effect of Supplementing Slow Release Nitrogen Product on the Lactation Performance of Dairy Cows

A study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of feeding slow-release nitrogen product (SRNP) on the lactation performance of crossbred dairy cows. Eight crossbred cows in mid-late lactation were used in a Youden Latin square design. Treatment diets were T1 containing 2% urea in the concentrate portion of diet, and T2 and T3 diets containing 2 and 4 percent of SRNP, replacing urea on iso-nitrogen and iso-soluble nitrogen basis. The SRNP used in the study was a polymer coated urea compound containing 42% total N with 52.1% soluble N. The diet of the experimental cows comprised corn silage and finger millet straw as roughage source and a compounded feed mixture. There were no differences (P>0.05) in DM intake, milk yield (both total and 4%fat FCM) or milk constituents of cows among the treatment groups. A similar (P>0.05) digestibility of nutrients in the diets of three experimental groups indicated that the supplementation of SRNP had no influence on the utilization of nutrients in the lactating dairy cows. In the current feeding management system, comprising of corn silage, finger millet straw and a compounded feed mixturein the diet of dairy cows, feeding SRNP to replace urea on isonitrogenbasis was found not advantageous. It is concluded that the slow-release nitrogen product used in the present study can replace urea in the diet of lactating dairy cowswithout affecting their performance.

Nutritional evaluation of spent maize (Zea mays) cobs as roughage source in sheep feeding

A study was conducted to compare the conventional finger millet (Eleucine coracana) strawbased diet (T1) with urea and salt-treated (1% each, w/w) maize (Zea mays) cob-based diet (T2) on the growth performance of lambs. Sixteen Bannur lambs (3 to 5 months-old, body weight ranging from 8 to 15 kg) were divided into two groups of eight each in a completely randomized design. Twelve weeks feeding trial was carried out with an initial adjustment period of one week and six days of digestion trial at the end of the experiment. Chemical analyses revealed that maize cob was comparable with finger millet straw except for lower crude protein (4.10 vs 2.61%) and higher neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) (64.25 v/s 80.88%; 2.73 vs 6.78%). Cumulative gas (ml/200mg DM/24 h) production and energy density (ME MJ/kg DM) was higher in urea treated maize cob (41.68 and 7.88) as compared to untreated maize cob (37.37 and 7.33) or finger millet straw (36.76 and 7.19). There was significant (P<0.05) difference in total dry matter (DM) intake between the treatment groups (T1: 401 and T2: 319 g/d). Significant (P<0.05) difference was also observed in the overall organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre (ADF) intake between the treatment groups. The average daily gain (g/day) and feed conversion ratio (g DMI/g body weight gain) for T 1 and T 2 groups was statistically nonsignificant (T1: 31.55 and 12.71; T2: 39.29 and 8.12). The mean apparent digestibility of nutrients (DM, OM, ether extract and NDF) was comparable between the treatment groups except for ADF. The digestible OM on DM basis (%) between the treatment groups was also comparable. It was concluded that, urea-treated maize cobs can be utilized as roughage source for feeding small ruminants during the periods of scarcity.

Enhanced delignification of lignocellulosic substrates by Pichia GS115 expressed recombinant laccase.

Utilization of energy-rich crop residues by ruminants is restricted by the presence of lignin, which is recalcitrant to digestion. Application of lignin degrading enzymes on the lignocellulosic biomass exposes the cellulose for easy digestion by ruminants. Laccases have been found to be considerably effective in improving the digestibility by way of delignification. However, laccase yields from natural hosts are not sufficient for industrial scale applications, which restricts their use. A viable option would be to express the laccase gene in compatible hosts to achieve higher production yields. A codon-optimized synthetic variant of Schizophyllum commune laccase gene was cloned into a pPIC9K vector and expressed in P. pastoris GS115 (his4) under the control of an alcohol oxidase promoter. Colonies were screened for G418 resistance and the methanol utilization phenotype was established. The transformant yielded a laccase activity of 344 U·mL-1 after 5 days of growth at 30°C (0.019 g·mL-1 wet cell weight). The laccase protein produced by the recombinant Pichia clone was detected as two bands with apparent molecular weights of 55 kDa and 70 kDa on SDS-PAGE. Activity staining on native PAGE confirmed the presence of bioactive laccase. Treatment of five common crop residues with recombinant laccase recorded a lignin loss ranging between 1.64% in sorghum stover, to 4.83% in finger millet, with an enhancement in digestibility ranging between 8.71% in maize straw to 24.61% in finger millet straw. Treatment with recombinant laccase was effective in enhancing the digestibility of lignocellulosic biomass for ruminant feeding through delignification. To date, a number of hosts have been adventured to produce laccase in large quantities, but, to our knowledge, there are no reports of the expression of laccase protein from Schizophyllum commune in Pichia pastoris, and also on the treatment of crop residues using recombinant laccase for ruminant feeding.

Feed Intake and Nutrient Digestibility of Konkan Kanyal Goats Fed Finger Millet Straw Supplemented With Varying Levels of Dried Poultry Dropping Based Diets

Feed Intake and Nutrient Digestibility of Konkan Kanyal Goats Fed Finger Millet Straw Supplemented With Varying Levels of Dried Poultry Dropping Based Diets

Effect of tamarind seed husk supplementation on ruminal methanogenesis, methanogen diversity and fermentation characteristics

ABSTRACTTamarind seed husk, an agricultural waste, was evaluated both in vitro & in vivo as a methane-ameliorating agent. Basal diets for in vitro study were formulated using finger millet straw and concentrate in 70:30 proportions, and tamarind seed husk was included as part of the concentrate with equal (w/w) replacement of wheat bran to achieve 2.5 (T1), 5.0 (T2) and 10.0% (T3) levels. Based on the in vitro results, two levels (2.5%, T1 and 5.0%, T2) of tamarind seed husk were selected for the in vivo study in male cattle to investigate the effect on enteric methane emission. Fifteen crossbred cattle divided into three groups were assigned to the following diets: control (T0, no husk), test group 1 (T1, 2.5% husk) and test group 2 (T2, 5.0% husk). The in vivo study showed a decrease of about 17% in enteric methane emission with a higher level (5%) of tamarind seed husk supplementation. The in vivo study demonstrated a non-adverse impact of supplementation on dry matter intake and digestibility, while rumen methanogens notably decreased at 5% inclusion level. It may be concluded that tamarind seed husk supplementation achieved significant methane reduction via direct inhibition of rumen methanogens without affecting fibre degradability.

Enteric methane mitigation in sheep through leaves of selected tanniniferous tropical tree species

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of supplementation of three selected tanniniferous tropical tree leaves of Ficus benghalensis, Artocarpus heterophyllus and Azadirachta indica on enteric methane emission, rumen fermentation characteristics and protozoal population in 20 native Indian adult male sheep (Mandya). The experiment was conducted in randomized block design with four treatments of five animals each. The sheep in control group (CON) were fed on complete feed block (CFB) comprising finger millet straw and concentrate in the ratio of 60:40 (DM basis) without any inclusion of tropical tree leaves. Sheep in three test groups i.e. FIC, ART and AZA were also fed complete feed block prepared from finger millet straw and concentrate in the same ratio (60:40) as control, but wheat bran in concentrate mixture of test groups was partially replaced (10 parts w/w) with selected tanniniferous tropical tree leaves of Ficus benghalensis, Artocarpus heterophyllus and Azadirachta indica, respectively. The condensed tannin intake in sheep between 7.15 and 10.8g/kg dry matter intake via selected tanniniferous tropical tree leaves did not influence dry matter and digestibility. About 20–26% reduction (p<0.05) in enteric methane emission is achievable simply through the supplementation of selected tree leaves in straw based diet. The reduction in protozoal numbers (p<0.05) due to selected tropical leaves supplementation appeared as primary cause for the reduction in enteric methane emission. The study confirmed that entodinimorphs protozoa are more vulnerable to the condensed tannin supplementation. The study established that significant reduction in methane emission is feasible without affecting feed fermentation characteristics. However, studies in large productive (growing, lactating) ruminants are warranted in order to explore the persistency of ameliorative effect in long term and improvement in productive performance thereof.

Metagenomic insights into the rumen microbial fibrolytic enzymes in Indian crossbred cattle fed finger millet straw

The rumen is a unique natural habitat, exhibiting an unparalleled genetic resource of fibrolytic enzymes of microbial origin that degrade plant polysaccharides. The objectives of this study were to identify the principal plant cell wall-degrading enzymes and the taxonomic profile of rumen microbial communities that are associated with it. The cattle rumen microflora and the carbohydrate-active enzymes were functionally classified through a whole metagenomic sequencing approach. Analysis of the assembled sequences by the Carbohydrate-active enzyme analysis Toolkit identified the candidate genes encoding fibrolytic enzymes belonging to different classes of glycoside hydrolases(11,010 contigs), glycosyltransferases (6366 contigs), carbohydrate esterases (4945 contigs), carbohydrate-binding modules (1975 contigs), polysaccharide lyases (480 contigs), and auxiliary activities (115 contigs). Phylogenetic analysis of CAZyme encoding contigs revealed that a significant proportion of CAZymes were contributed by bacteria belonging to genera Prevotella, Bacteroides, Fibrobacter, Clostridium, and Ruminococcus. The results indicated that the cattle rumen microbiome and the CAZymes are highly complex, structurally similar but compositionally distinct from other ruminants. The unique characteristics of rumen microbiota and the enzymes produced by resident microbes provide opportunities to improve the feed conversion efficiency in ruminants and serve as a reservoir of industrially important enzymes for cellulosic biofuel production.

Performance of Goat Kids Fed Detoxified Castor Bean Meal Based Concentrate Feed Mixtures

In order to study the performance of stall-fed goat kids fed concentrate mixture containing detoxified castor (Ricinus communis) bean meal (CBM), 12 non-descript male goat kids (3–4 months old) were assigned equally in completely randomized design to three concentrate feed mixtures (CFM). The CFM prepared using groundnut cake (GNC) served as the control and the test CFMs were prepared using either 4% lime-treated or 2% salt-treated CBM replacing 100% GNC-protein. All animals received their daily DM requirement in the form of their respective CFM to the extent of 80% of CP requirement while the chaffed finger millet straw was provided ad libitum for 260 days. The DM intake was significantly (P<0.05) higher in test diets fed groups than in control. However, no significant difference was observed in ADG and FCR among different groups. The digestibility of proximate principles except CP was lower (P<0.05) in test diets compared to control. However, the digestibility of NDF and ADF as well as the retention of N, Ca and P were similar among different diets. The blood biochemical parameters viz., haemoglobin, SGPT, SGOT, alkaline phosphatase, serum total protein, albumin and globulin at different intervals of the experiment also remained similar among different treatments. The feed cost/kg live weight gain was comparable between different groups. It was inferred that CBM after detoxification can substitute 100% protein of conventional oil cake both nutritionally and economically for chevon production.

Water consumption rate of konkan kanyal goats (Capra hircus) fed finger millet straw supplemented with varying levels of dried poultry dropping based diets

This study was conducted to estimate the water intake of konkan kanyal goats fed finger millet straw supplemented with varying levels of dried poultry droppings based diet. Thirty konkan kanyal goats aged above 12 months weighing 14.00-14.67 Kg were used in a randomized block design (RBD) experiment. The experimental goats were randomly assigned to five treatments (TI-T5). T1 were goats fed with 0 % dried poultry droppings based diets (DPDBD), T2 were fed with 20 % dried poultry droppings based diets (DPDBD), T3 were fed with 40 % dried poultry droppings based diets (DPDBD), T4 were fed with 60 % dried poultry droppings based diets (DPDBD), T5 were fed with 80 % dried poultry droppings based diets (DPDBD. Water was offered at 5 L per goats daily. Water and feed refusal were recorded on a daily basis before feeding in the morning. Feed and feaces samples were analyzed for proximate constituents. Live weight changes were also measured. Results revealed that treatment groups supplemented with dried poultry droppings based diets had superior water intake compared to the control group. Daily water intake of the experimental goats was 1.4, 2.2, 3.5, 2.7, and 1.7 L per head, respectively. Konkan kanyal goats fed finger millet straw supplemented with varying levels of dried poultry dropping based diets requires up to 3.5 L of water per head per day for optimum utilization of the feed.

Source of Carbohydrates from Different Grains on Rumen Microbial Protein and Milk Production in Native Dairy Cows

Objective of the study was to evaluate effect of carbohydrates from maize, sorghum and oats grains on rumen microbial protein (MBP), milk yield and milk composition in dairy cows. Total soluble sugars (TSS) present in grain were 3 to 4% which were non-reducing sugars. Soya meal contained 5% TSS. Deoni breeds of zebu cows were fed ad libitum finger millet straw (Elusine coracana) as basal roughage. Sixteen cows were randomly divided in 4 × 4 Latin square design and supplemented with concentrate (CS) consisted of soya meal without any grain as control (CG) and maize (T1), sorghum (T2) or oats (T3) as grain source of energy. Although CS intake in CG, T1, T2 and T3 was 0.71, 1.17, 1.39 and 1.55 kg/d, respectively (P<0.01), no significant difference observed in total dry matter intake. Among 3 grains, MBP was lesser on maize and higher on sorghum. MBP production on oats and sorghum was statistically comparable. Sorghum was used more efficiently than oats grain. MBP flow to duodenum was 124 g/d in CG and only 9% lesser than T1 while, 51% and 42% lesser than T2 and T3 which was due to difference in CS intake. Efficiency of MBP, gN/MJ ME intake, was 3.34 in T2 compared to 2.53, 2.5 and 1.92, respectively in T1, T3 and CG (P<0.05). Repeated measure analysis indicated no significant difference within fortnights and among groups for 4% FCM yield and milk composition. Milk fat in CG was only 3.80% while it was more than 4% in TGs (P<0.05). In conclusion, addition of sorghum grain in CS had significant impact on rumen MBP and milk fat %. MBP production was more efficient on sorghum grain. Oats grain was statistically comparable to sorghum and had more impact on milk yield than milk composition. Milk yield and milk SNF constituents were affected without grain source in CS.

Bioethanol production from finger millet (&lt;i&gt;Eleusine coracana&lt;/i&gt;) straw

The possibility of producing bioethanol from the biomass of finger millet straw was studied. The effects of temperature, acid concentration, hydrolysis time, and substrate concentration were investigated. The result showed that a maximum sugar content of 79.04 and 82.01 %w/w was achieved using phenol-sulfuric acid and Fehling method, respectively, from hydrolysis of 10 % biomass concentration at 2 % sulfuric acid, 35oC reaction temperature, and 4 days of hydrolysis time. The optimized hydrolyzate sample was fermented at optimized pH 6.0, 4 g/L yeast concentration, 32.5 oC reaction temperature, 4 days of fermentation time, and maximum of 7.28 %w/v of ethanol content was obtained using Pycnometer measurement. In general, the bioethanol achieved from FMS (7.28 %) at optimized conditions were highly promising and hence, it can be employed as an alternative lignocellulosic feedstock for bioethanol production rather than using food crops such as corn, sugarcane, etc.Keywords: Acid hydrolysis, bioethanol, finger millet straw, fermentation, Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Influence of detoxified neem seed cake on diet digestibility, body weight change, hormonal profiles, immune response and testicular gene expression in male sheep

The present study was conducted to find out the effect of supplementing defatted and detoxified neem (Azadirachta indica) seed cake as a partial replacement of soybean meal (SBM) in the diet of growing lambs. Male lambs of uniform body weight (8.31±0.32kg) were randomly allotted to three groups such as control (diet containing SBM) and two test diets with defatted and detoxified neem cake (DNC) at two levels (34g and 68g per kg of diet) replacing 25% and 50% nitrogen of SBM (DNC-25 and DNC-50). The respective diets (concentrate mixtures along with finger millet (Eleucine corocana) straw) were fed individually to lambs for a period of 140 days. The repeated measure ANOVA indicated that lambs on DNC treatments grew on par with control across all the periods and no interaction was observed. The difference in the dry matter intake was not found to be significant (P>0.05) in any of the three study groups. Similarly apparent nutrient digestibility, nitrogen balance, rumen and hormonal profiles did not differ (P>0.05) across the groups. Humoral and cell mediated immune response measured in terms of antibody titre and lymphocyte proliferation assay was also the same (P>0.05) across the groups. The relative gene expression of IGF-I and LHR transcripts in testes tissue was positively influenced (P<0.05) in DNC-50 treatment (3–4 fold increase) as compared to control and DNC-25. No histopathological changes were observed in vital organs of sheep fed DNC diets compared to control. It can be concluded that based on the studied parameters, DNC can replace 50% of SBM nitrogen with 3–4 fold increase in gene expression in testes tissue.

Effect of Supplementation with Non-Conventional Feeds on Feed Intake and Body Weight Change of Washera Sheep Fed Urea Treated Finger Millet Straw

This study was conducted at Bure Agricultural college during 2010. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the effect of supplementation with noug seedcake (NSC), wheat bran (WB) and their mixtures on feed intake and live weight change of growing lambs. Twenty five growing Washera lambs with initial live weight of 17.8 +1.72 (mean + SD) were used in feeding trial were used. The lambs were blocked based on their initial live weight and randomly assigned to one of the five treatments, giving five animals per treatment. The treatments consisted of feeding of sole urea treated finger millet straw as control (T1) and supplementation of the basal diet with mixtures of NSC & WB at 100:0, 70:30, 30:70 and 0:100% for T2, T3, T4 and T5, respectively. The level of supplementation was 300 g/d on dry matter (DM) basis. Supplementation of NSC, WB and their mixtures significantly increased the intake of total DM (743-843 g/d) and total CP (99–134.34 g/d) when compared to control (589.49g/d) and (49.4 g/d) respectively. Lambs in control group consumed higher urea treated millet straw DM (589.49g/d) as compared to the supplemented treatments (443-543 g/d).Supplementation of urea treated millet straw with concentrates (T2-T5) promoted higher daily weight gain which ranged between 50.2-71.3 g/day. Among the supplemented treatments, lambs supplemented with the higher proportion of WB (70%) in T4 and sole WB (100%) in T5 gained more weight than the lambs in T2 and T3. Therefore, it could be concluded that supplementation of sole WB (T5) and mixtures of 70% WB + 30% NSC (T5) could be recommended as optimal level for better utilization of nutrients and animal performance on a given basal diet.

Comparison of Energy Estimates of Mixed Diets Obtained from RIVGPT and in-vivo Digestibility Trials in Lactating Cows

To compare the energy estimates of mixed diets obtained from rumen in vitro incubation for gas production (RIVIGP) and digestion trial (DT) in lactating cows, six cows in mid lactation were divided in to three groups of two each. Three mixed diets were prepared by using finger millet straw (FMS) and concentrate supplements (CS) in the ratio of 41:59 (Diet-1&3) and 43:57 (Diet-2). These diets were tested in three periods in a switch over design. Each period lasted for four weeks with an adjustment period of three weeks and digestion trial for one week. The metabolisable energy (ME, MJ kg-1 DM) content of FMS was 6.6 and CS ranged from 10.5 to 11.4. The ME content of mixed diets at maintenance level of intake obtained by DT for diets-1,2 and 3 were 9.3, 9.7 and 9.5 MJ/kg DM respectively. The corresponding ME values obtained from RIVIGP were 8.9, 9.3 and 9.4 respectively. The mean ME output (Maintenance + 4%FCM yield + weight gain) for the diets-1,2 and 3 were 104.9, 112.3 and 106.9 MJ/d respectively. The ME intake estimated from ME obtained from DT and RIVIGP for the diets-1,2 and 3 were 107.7 and 111.9; 116.6 and 116.9; 103.1 and 110.2 respectively. Hence, the observed performance of growing ram lambs expressed in terms of the total ME output was accountable to the extent of 99.5 and 95.4% of ME intake estimates obtained from ME values derived by DT and RIVIGP respectively.

Effect of dietary energy on seminal plasma insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), serum IGF-I and testosterone levels, semen quality and fertility in adult rams

The objective of the present study was to modulate seminal plasma insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) by dietary energy and assess the relationship among testosterone and IGF-I levels, semen quality and fertility in adult rams. Twenty-four 1-yr old adult Nellore rams were equally divided into three groups (n = 8) and fed with three different concentrate mixtures formulated using conventional ingredients and finger millet (Eleucine corocana) straw to ensure rams received with similar amount of crude protein with three levels of energy. Rams in low-energy group were offered diets with 20% less energy than the control energy group (optimum energy, 100%, recommended energy level), whereas rams in high energy group were offered diets with 20% more energy than the optimum energy group. Semen was collected from rams 60 days after start of the experimental feeding. The percentages of progressive forward motility, functional membrane integrity and mitochondrial membrane potential of the spermatozoa were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in control and high energy groups as compared to low-energy group. Feeding of low-energy diet significantly (P < 0.05) decreased spermatozoa VSL, VCL and VAP when compared to control and high energy fed groups. The number of spermatozoa binding/oocyte was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in control (11.23 ± 0.20) and high energy (10.57 ± 0.19) groups as compared to the low energy (6.14 ± 0.01) group. The serum and seminal plasma IGF-I levels were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in control and high energy fed groups as compared to the low-energy group. The serum testosterone and cholesterol levels were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the control group as compared to the low-energy group. The seminal plasma fructose levels in optimum energy fed animals were significantly (P < 0.05) higher as compared to other two groups. The seminal plasma IGF-I level had positive correlation with progressive forward motility (r = 0.7) and other velocity (linearity, r = 0.7; straightness, r = 0.7) parameters. The study suggested that the modulation of seminal plasma IGF-I levels by dietary energy is possible and the optimum level of seminal plasma IGF-I is necessary and sufficient to influence semen quality.

Feed Intake, Digestibility and Live Weight Change of Lambs Fed Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana) Straw Supplemented With Atella, Noug Seed (Guizotia abyssinica) Cake and Their Mixtures

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Effect of different rumen degradable nitrogen levels on microbial protein synthesis and digestibility in sheep fed on finger millet straw (Eleucine coracana) based diet

Studies were conducted to determine adequate rumen degradable nitrogen (RDN) levels for optimum microbial protein synthesis and digestibility of nutrients in adult Bandur sheep fed on finger millet straw (FMS) based diet. Thirty Bandur sheep were divided into five groups of six animals each using a balanced completely randomized design. Animals in all groups were fed FMS as a basal roughage and solvent-extracted soybean meal (SBM) as a nitrogen source. The sheep in group 1 (G1) were offered FMS for ad libitum intake. Animals in group 2, 3, 4 and 5 (G2, G3, G4 and G5) were supplemented with SBM to provide RDN level of 16.2, 20.7, 24.7 and 26.6g/kg digestible organic matter intake (DOMI) or 24.9, 31.8, 38.1 and 41.0g/kg digestible organic matter apparently digested in the rumen (DOMR) respectively, along with FMS. The daily total dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) intakes showed a linear increase (P<0.05) with increasing levels of RDN supplementation. Digestibility coefficients of DM, OM (linear: P<0.01), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE) (quadratic: P<0.001), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) (quadratic: P<0.05) increased as the level of RDN supplementation increased from G1 to G5. The values for total purine derivatives (TPD) excretion (mmol/day and mmol/kgW0.75) (quadratic: P<0.05), the levels of microbial purine absorption and microbial nitrogen supply (MNSg/day, g/kgDOMI and g/kgDOMR) (quadratic: P<0.01) increased, while microbial nitrogen to total urinary nitrogen ratio (MN:UN) decreased (linear: P<0.01) with the increased RDN level, indicating the efficient conversion of RDN into microbial protein synthesis for G2 animals among the RDN supplemented groups. This study indicated that 16gRDN/kgDOMI or 25gRDN/kgDOMR may be adequate for optimum microbial protein synthesis and digestibility of nutrients, thereby improving plane of nutrition in sheep fed on finger millet straw based diet. The additional RDN supplied beyond certain limit (above 16gRDN/kgDOMI or 25gRDN/kgDOMR) may not be beneficial for improving the digestibility of diet especially on straw based diets.

Microbial protein synthesis, nitrogen capture efficiency and nutrient utilisation in sheep fed on finger millet straw (Eleucine coracana)-based diet with different rumen-degradable nitrogen levels

Microbial protein synthesised in the rumen is a very important protein source for ruminants. It is essential to provide an adequate amount of rumen-degradable nitrogen (RDN) for optimum microbial protein synthesis in the rumen on straw-based diets. The objective of this study was to determine the RDN requirement for optimum microbial protein synthesis (MPS), nitrogen capture efficiency (NCE) and nutrient utilisation in Nellore rams fed on a finger millet straw (FMS)-based diet. Thirty-six Nellore sheep were randomly divided into four groups of nine animals each using a balanced, completely randomised design. The animals in group 1 (RDN0) were fed with ad libitum FMS. Those in groups 2, 3 and 4 (RDN1, RDN2 and RDN3) were supplemented with groundnut cake to provide RDN levels of 14, 18 and 23 g RDN kg⁻¹ digestible organic matter intake (DOMI) or 21, 27 and 35 g RDN kg⁻¹ digestible organic matter apparently digested in the rumen (DOMR) respectively along with FMS. The digestibility coefficients of all nutrients and MPS increased (P < 0.05) quadratically with increasing level of RDN supplementation. NCE decreased linearly (P < 0.05) as the level of RDN increased. The results suggest that 12 g RDN kg⁻¹ DOMI or 19 g RDN kg⁻¹ DOMR may be adequate for optimum MPS, NCE and digestibility of nutrients in sheep fed on an FMS-based diet.

Rumen degradable nitrogen requirements for optimum microbial protein synthesis and nutrient utilization in sheep fed on finger millet straw (Eleucine coracana) based diet

Studies were conducted to determine the rumen degradable nitrogen (RDN) requirement levels for optimum microbial protein synthesis and nutrient utilization in Nellore rams fed on finger millet straw (FMS) based diet. Thirty six Nellore sheep were randomly divided into four groups of nine animals each using the balanced completely randomized design. Animals in all the groups were fed finger millet straw as a basal roughage and groundnut cake (GNC) was offered daily in two equal halves in the morning (8.00AM) and evening (4.00PM) as RDN source. The animals in group I (GI) were fed with ad libitum FMS. Animals in group II, III and IV (GII, GIII, and IV) were offered GNC @ 12.4, 16.6, and 21.1g RDN/kg digestible organic matter (DOM) along with FMS. The daily total dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) intakes linearly increased (P<0.05) with increasing level of RDN supplementation while there was no difference in total DM and OM intake/kg W0.75 among different experimental groups. The digestibility coefficients of DM (P<0.001), OM (P<0.001), crude protein (CP) (P<0.001), ether extract (EE) (P<0.001), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) (P<0.01) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) (P<0.03) increased quadratically with increasing level of RDN supplementation from GI to GIV. The purine derivatives (PD) excretion, microbial purine absorption and microbial nitrogen supply (MNSg/day) linearly increased (P<0.001) as the level of RDN supplementation increased. There was no difference in nitrogen capture efficiency (NCE) and microbial nitrogen to total urinary nitrogen ratio (MN:UN) among the RDN supplemented groups. This study indicated that 12g RDN/kg digestible organic matter intake (RDNg/kg DOMI) or 18g RDN/kg OM apparently digested in the rumen (RDNg/kg DOMR) may be adequate for optimum microbial protein synthesis and digestibility of nutrients, there by improved plane of nutrition in sheep fed on finger millet straw based diet.