Pasture Hay Research Articles

Growth response of post weaned F1 Friesian × Borena (Bos taurus × Bos indicus) crossbred growing heifers fed on wheat straw-based densified complete feed block.

This experiment was designed to investigate the effect of feeding wheat-straw based densified complete feed block (DCFB) on daily weight gain, feed intake, digestibility and feed conversion rate in growing heifer calves. Eight weaned F1 Frisian*Borena (Bos taurus × Bos indicus) crossbred calves (92.5 ± 27.5kg body weight) and 5 months of age were randomly distributed into four groups, each with two animals evaluated under 4 × 4 double Latin Square Design for 240 days. The control treatment was natural pasture hay (NPH) and concentrate mix (CM) fed conventionally in a way that covers 50:50% requirements on dry matter (DM) bases and DCFB prepared by mixing wheat straw (WS) to concentrates mixture in the ratio of 50:50 (T2), 40:60 (T3) and 30:70 (T4), respectively. Each heifer group was fed on each diet for 60 days. At the end of each period the last 7 days were used to collect feed and feacal samples. However, the heifers were weighed each 15 days to estimate daily growth performances. It was found that significant (P < 0.05) differences among groups in average daily gain, feed conversion rate, feed intake and digestibility. The densification of WS and feeding in the form of feed block generally improved feed DM and nutrient intake and digestibility. The increase in the proportion of CM in the DCFBs also increased the DM and nutrient intake and digestibility. Heifer growth rate was higher (P < 0.05) in T1, T3 and T4 diets than T2 groups. Feed conversion ratio was higher (P < 0.05) both in T3 and T4 compared to T1 and T2. The total cost of production per each gram body weight gained was recorded higher (P < 0.05) for calves in the T2 group compared to calves in T1, T3 and T4. In conclusion, maintaining post weaned F1 heifer calves on DCFB composed of wheat straw and a commercial calf's concentrate based diet in the ratio of 40 to 60 would both biologically and economically feasible.

Effects of mung bean (Vigna radiat) haulm and concentrate supplementation on feed intake, body weight gain and carcass characteristics of Menz lambs fed on natural pasture hay

ABSTRACT Thirty-yearling Menz lambs with average initial body weight of 19.72 ± 1.96 kg (Mean ± SD) were used to evaluate the effects of supplementing mung bean haulms (MBH) and concentrate mixture (CM) on feed intake, body weight gain and carcass characteristics of lambs fed a basal diet of natural pasture hay. The lambs were assigned into five treatments in a randomized complete block design as follows: 226 CM (T1), 77 MBH + 192 CM (T2), 154 MBH + 156 CM (T3), 231 MBH + 120 CM (T4), 308 MBH + 87 CM (T5) grams on dry matter basis. Total dry matter (DM), organic matter and metabolizable energy intakes were increased (p < 0.05) with increasing levels of MBH inclusion in the diet. The DM digestibility of T5 was greater (p < 0.05) than T2. The crude protein intake was higher (p < 0.05) in T1 and T2. Average daily gain and carcass characteristics were similar (p > 0.05) among treatments. Feed conversion efficiency for T2 was higher (p < 0.05) than T4 and T5. This study supports the use of MBH as an alternative source of protein up to 308 g (77 g MBH + 192 g CM) for better FCE.

Eastern Gamagrass Responds Inconsistently to Nitrogen Application in Long-Established Stands and within Diverse Ecotypes

Eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) is a highly productive, highly palatable native grass tolerant to both drought and flooding. It has frequently shown great response to nitrogen (N) applications, but the responses of southern native ecotypes in upland and bottomland sites have yet to be reported. The objectives were to measure the responses of long-established eastern gamagrass with different N application rates in two bottomland hay pastures and two upland grazed sites, and to measure the N responses for six diverse ecotypes in a common garden. A randomized block design was used with ecotype as the main block and fertilizer rate as the subplot. In the long-established sites, 75 N peak yields were not statistically different to those of 0 N, while upland yields across the season were consistently higher for 150 N but varied for the bottomland. The common garden ecotypes had no significant difference in yield between treatments when averaged across years. Roaring Springs showed the most consistent and greatest benefit to additional N, more than doubling the dry weight of the control. All remaining ecotypes, however, had more modest responses. Eastern gamagrass responds inconsistently to applications of 75 N, whereas most applications of 150 N generally result in higher yield, though significant increases are not guaranteed.

Productive Performance of Lactating Crossbred Dairy Cows Fed with Wheat Straw‐Based Densified Complete Feed Block

The experiment was designed to determine the effect of feeding densified complete feed block (DCFB) on the production performances of lactating F1 Friesian x Borena crossbred cows. Four mid‐lactating multiparous cows with 2–5 parity having similar milk yield (8–10 l·day−1) were evaluated using 4 × 4 Latin square design for a total of 84 days. The treatments include natural pasture hay supplemented with a concentrate mixture at the rate of 0.5 kg·l−1 of milk yield·cow−1 (T1) and three different wheat straw‐based DCFBs in the ratio of 50 : 50 (T2), 40 : 60 (T3), and 30 : 70 (T4). The result revealed that the average daily dry matter (DM) intake was similar among all dietary treatments except for T2 that had lower (P &lt; 0.05) daily DM intake. The crude protein (CP) and organic matter (OM) intakes for cows in T3 and T4 were comparable (P &gt; 0.05) but significantly higher (P &lt; 0.05) compared to T1 and T2. The neutral detergent fiber (NDF) intake remained the same among treatment groups while T1 consumed higher (P &lt; 0.05) acid detergent fiber (ADF) compared to other diets. Cows in T3 and T4 groups had higher (P &lt; 0.05) DM and OM digestibility but comparable (P &gt; 0.05) NDF and ADF digestibility compared to T1. The CP digestibility and daily average milk yield were higher (P &lt; 0.05) for T4. Daily fat, protein, and lactose yield in the DCFB group showed an increasing trend with the level of concentrate, whereas cows in the T4 group exceptionally produced higher (P &lt; 0.05) yields. Fat‐corrected milk yield (FCM) was lower (P &lt; 0.05) for T4 compared to T1 and T2 groups. Milk fat percentages were lower (P &lt; 0.05) but milk protein percentages were higher for cows in T4 but similar for the rest of the diets. Milk lactose did not vary (P &gt; 0.05) over all the treatments. Milk conversion efficiency was similar (P &gt; 0.05) among the DCFB but higher (P &lt; 0.05) for control cows. The partial budget analysis indicated that net profit and marginal return were much higher for diet in the ratio of 40 : 60. Inclusion of wheat straw at 40% could be an efficient feeding option for F1 Friesian x Borena lactating crossbred cows managed under indoor conditions. However, DCFB manufacturing and distribution at a large scale requires machineries (chopper/grinder, mixer, and compressor). Further study needs to evaluate the storability and strength of the DCFBs under varying storage conditions and the long‐term effect of DCFB on milk yield and quality of improved lactating dairy cows in Ethiopia.

Substitution of concentrate mixture with dried brewery spent grains improved biological and economical performance of 50% Dorper × Menz crossbred sheep.

The study aimed to investigate the potential of dried brewery spent grains (DBG) to substitute concentrate mixture (CM) in a diet of growing 50% Dorper × Menz crossbred ram lamb. Randomized complete block design (RCBD) was used for this study, and experimental animals were stratified into 7 blocks based on their initial body weight and age. Ram lambs from each block were randomly assigned to one of the five treatments. Native pasture hay (NPH) was fed to all experimental animals as a basal diet (ad libtum at 20% refusal) and supplemented with 400g CM (T1) or 300g DBG + 100g CM (T2) or 200g DBG + 200g CM (T3) or 100g DBG + 300g CM (T4) or 400g DBG (T5). Natural pasture hay and total dry matter (TDM) intake were not affected (P > 0.05) by the inclusion of DBG in the CM; however, supplement intake was greater (P < 0.0001) for DBG than CM alone-supplemented group. Metabolizable energy intake was decreased (P < 0.0001) as CM was substituted with DBG, whereas apparent digestibility was comparable (P > 0.05) among treatments. The treatments with the substitution of 50%, 75%, and 100% of CM with DBG were superior (P < 0.001) in body weight gain to the 100% CM-supplemented group, and the substitution of 25% CM with DBG had an intermediate growth rate. The partial budget analysis revealed that the substitution of 50% and 100% CM with DBG gave greater net returns of Birr 881.19 and 854.91 per head, respectively. Based on MRR, 200g CM + 200g DBG is the best treatment, and using this treatment, a farmer can benefit from ETB 8.94 for every 1 ETB investment. Hence, sole DBG or a mixture of DBG with a CM can be used for supplementation in growing 50% Dorper crossbred ram lambs.

Effect of sun dry brewer spent yeast on chemical composition, in vitro digestibility, and ruminal degradation kinetics of wheat straw

BackgroundDry brewer spent yeast (DBSY) has high crude protein (CP) (43.2%) and metabolizable energy (14.3 MJ/kg) contents and it is an alternative animal feed for the improvement of the productive and reproductive performance of the animals. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of DBSY on the chemical composition, in vitro digestibility, and in situ degradability of wheat straw (WS).MethodsLiquid brewer spent yeast (BSY) and water was mixed at a ratio of 1:5, respectively. The mixed debris soaked for 7 h in a 200-L plastic bucket. The water accumulated above the biomass was removed by tilting the container after the BSY was soaked in water. After three days of sun drying, DBSY was collected and removed with a scraper. The DBSY and wheat straw (WS) mixed uniformly. Different ratios of DBSY: WS (0:100, 10:90, 20:80, 30:70, 40:60, and 50:50, respectively, on a DM basis) were prepared. Based on these ratios, the experiment was subjected to a completely randomized design with six treatments comprising DBSY0, DBSY10, DBSY20, DBSY30, DBSY40, and DBSY50. Rumen liquor was collected from the three cannulated Boran-Friesian steers (42 months old and weighed 480 kg). The steers were fed natural pasture hay ad libitum supplemented with 2 kg concentrate per day/head. The sample was incubated in a test tube at 39 °C for 48 h with 10 ml of rumen fluid and 50 ml of buffer solution. The enzymatic digestion with acid pepsin solution was continued for another 48 h. Blank and standard samples were also incubated with buffered rumen fluid for correction and precision check-up of in vitro organic matter digestibility. Digestible organic matter in the dry matter (DOMD) was determined after drying and ashing the residues. The sample (3 g and 2 mm sieve size) with nylon bags (6.5 X 14 cm and 50 μm pore size) was entered sequentially and manually pressed deep into the liquid phase of the ventral sac of the rumen and incubated in the rumens (6, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h) of three fistulated Boran × Holstein–Friesian steers. After removing the bags from the rumen, it was washed in running water for 20 min. The bags with residues were dried at 55 °C for 72 h in an air-forced oven, hot weighed, and finally, the residues recovered for further CP and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) analysis.ResultsThe highest ash, metabolizable energy, estimated digestible CP, DOMD, CP, Ca, P, Cu, Zn contents and the better DM, NDF, and CP ruminal degradability, and the lowest (P < 0.01) crude fibre, acid detergent fibre, NDF, K & Fe contents were observed in DBSY50 than the other DBSY inclusion level. In DBSY50, the potential degradability (PD) and effective degradability (ED) for DM of WS were improved by 52.22% and 56.17%, respectively. In DBSY50, PD and ED (NDF) in WS were increased by 60.34% and 65%, respectively. Similarly, in DBSY50, PD and ED (CP) of WS also improved by 54.20% and 63%, respectively.ConclusionThe inclusion of DBSY can improve the limited utilization of wheat straw, but this study should be verified with a feeding experiment to identify and recommend the most promising, economical and biological inclusion level of DBSY.

Effects of substituting noug seed cake with pigeon pea leaves or desmodium hay on performance of male dairy calves

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of substituting 50% of noug seed cake (NSC) in a concentrate mixture with pigeon pea leaves (PPL) or desmodium hay (DH) on feed intake, digestibility, body weight gain, carcass composition, and meat quality of crossbred male dairy calves. Twenty-seven male dairy calves at 7-8months of age with an average initial body weight of 150 ± 31kg (mean ± SD) were assigned to 3 treatments in a randomized complete block design with 9 replications. Calves were blocked based on their initial body weight and assigned to the 3 treatments. All calves were fed native pasture hay ad libitum (at ⁓10% refusal) supplemented with a concentrate containing 24% NSC (treatment 1) or supplemented with a concentrate where 50% of NSC was replaced with PPL (treatment 2) or a concentrate where 50% of NSC was replaced with DH (treatment 3). Feed and nutrient intake, apparent nutrient digestibility, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, carcass composition, and meat quality (except texture) were similar (P > 0.05) among treatments. Treatments 2 and 3 had more (P < 0.05) tender loin and rib meat than treatment 1. It can be concluded that 50% of NSC in the concentrate mixture can be replaced with either PPL or DH in growing male crossbred dairy calves to achieve similar growth performance and carcass characteristics. Since the substitution of 50% NSC either with PPL or DH resulted in similar outcomes in almost all responses measured, it is recommended to evaluate the complete substitution of NSC either with PPL or DH on the performance of calves.

Different proportions of dried Vernonia amygdalina leaves and wheat bran mixture supplementation on feed intake, digestibility and body weight change of Arsi-Bale sheep fed with natural pasture hay as basal diet.

Animal feed shortage in quality and quantity, and escalating costs of agro-industrial by-products to supplement crop residues and natural pasture hay urged to look for alternative feed supplements. Vernonia amygdalina leaf is one of the potential feed resources to supplement poor quality feeds in ruminant feeding. This experiment was designed to evaluate effects of supplementing dried V. amygdalina leaves (DVL) and wheat bran (WB) mixture on feed intake, digestibility, body weight change and economic feasibility of Arsi-Bale sheep fed with natural pasture hay as basal diet. Twenty intact yearling male sheep with an initial body weight (IBW) of 18.85±0.95kg (mean±SD) were stratified into five blocks (four animals per block) based on their IBW and kept for 90 days of feeding and 10 days of digestibility trials. Four treatment diets comprised ad libitum hay (control, T1) and ad libitum hay plus daily supplementation of 300g dry matter (DM) in a ratio of 2DVL:1WB (T2), 1DVL:1WB (T3) and 1DVL:2WB (T4), and the treatment feeds were randomly assigned to each animal within a block. Data were subjected to the analysis of variance using the GLM procedure of SAS (version 9.1). The results showed that the crude protein contents of hay, DVL and WB were 9.4%, 21.5% and 15.5%, respectively. Supplementation improved (p<0.0001) DM intake (DMI), apparent nutrient digestibility, average daily gain (ADG) and economic return. Sheep supplemented with two parts of DVL and one part of WB resulted significantly (p<0.0001) the highest DMI, DM and nutrient digestibility and a better feed conversion ratio. Consequently, they resulted highest ADG and net return. Sheep fed with a basal diet of natural pasture hay supplemented with two parts of DVL and one part of WB is economical to improve body weight of Arsi-Bale sheep.

Effects of Xylanase and Bacterial Inoculants on In Vitro Rumen Fermentation Pattern of Seasonal Pasture Hay and Green Maize Based Silage

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of xylanase and bacterial inoculants on in vitro rumen fermentation pattern of seasonal pasture hay and green maize based silage. Different silages were prepared by using green maize fodder and seasonal pasture hay in the proportion of 10:0 &amp; 7:3 ratio in plastic jars of 3 kg capacity by adding common salt @ 0.5%, urea @ 1% and molasses @ 1.5% in each silage with seven different treatments, viz., Control (only green maize), PH (green maize and seasonal pasture hay in 7:3 ratio), X (PH added with xylanase), LP (PH added with L. plantarum), LF (PH added with L. fermentum), LPLF (PH added with both bacterial inoculants) and XLPLF (PH added with xylanase and both bacterial inoculants). Xylanase, L. plantarum and L. fermentum were used @ 1500 IU/g, 1 x 106 cfu/g and 2 x 106 cfu/g, respectively. All silages were used for in vitro study after 45 days of ensiling. None of the additives affected rumen pH. IVDMD (in vitro dry matter degradability ) was found significantly (p&lt;0.05) higher in X, XLPLF and LPLF silages. All additives significantly (p&lt;0.01) increased IVOMD (in vitro organic matter degradability) except LF silage as compared to PH silage. Values for total gas production and TVFA (Total volatile fatty acids) production were significantly (p&lt;0.001) increased during in vitro rumen fermentation and that of PF (partitioning factor) were significantly (p&lt;0.001) decreased in all additives inoculated silages as compared to PH silage. Content of NH3-N (Ammonia nitrogen) was significantly (p&lt;0.001) higher in LP silage and that of total N was significantly (p&lt;0.001) higher in X, LP, XLPLF silages as compared to PH silage during in vitro study. It could be concluded that xylanase and lactic acid bacterial (LAB) inoculants improved rumen fermentation quality of silage. Among all additives, xylanase is the best silage additive to improve in vitro rumen fermentation pattern.

Dried-Atella as an affordable supplementary feed resource for a better sheep production: in the case of Washera lambs in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia has a huge livestock population that includes sheep, which can be considered as a significant potential for the advancement of the country's economy. However, due to a shortage of appropriate supplementary feed and its escalating price, the production and productivity of sheep fattening in Ethiopian smallholder farmers are below its potential. Moreover, the use of Dried-Atella as an affordable supplementary feed resource for a better sheep production is not investigated and well documented. The aim of this study was to assess the comparative supplementation effects of Dried-Atella and Niger seed cakes (NSCs) on total dry matter and nutrient intake, body weight change, and carcass characteristics of Washera lambs. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design with three treatments replicated five times. The treatments are described as follows: Treatment 1 = Natural pasture hay (NPH) (800 g/d) + Wheat bran (WB) (160 g/d) + salt and water (ad libitum); Treatment 2 = NPH (800 g/d) + WB (160 g/d) + NSC (163 g/d) + salt and water (ad libitum); and Treatment 3 = NPH (800 g/d) + WB (160 g/d) + Dried-Atella (330 g/d) + salt and water (ad libitum). The finding elucidated that the crude protein (CP) content of Dried Atella, WB, NPH, and NSC were about 25.07%, 16.57%, 4.48%, and 38.04%, respectively. The result also indicated that the average mean value of the feed and CP intake of the sheep fed Dried-Atella was significantly higher than the other treatments (P-value = 0.000). With regard to the CP digestibility and dry matter digestibility, animals supplemented with Dried-Atella were significantly higher than the control group with P-value = 0.000 and P-value = 0.028, respectively. The body weight gain of the sheep is significantly higher (P-value = 0.008) for feeds supplemented with Dried-Atella than feeds without any supplement. In terms of economic profitability, a slightly better benefit was recorded in feed supplements with Dried-Atella than supplements with NSC, animal feed without any supplement exhibited loss. Considering its effect on feed intake, CP intake, and its digestibility, body weight gain, and carcass characteristics of lambs, Dried-Atella is a promising affordable supplementary feed resource for better sheep production in Ethiopia.

Effects of pigeon pea leaves and concentrate mixture on feed intake, milk yield, and composition of crossbred dairy cows fed native pasture hay

Protein supplements are expensive and not easily accessible under small-scale livestock production systems in Ethiopia and other developing countries, which necessitates investigating the alternative protein sources for cost-effective livestock production. Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp) leaves (PPLs) are rich in protein and are well-suited for feeding small ruminants; however, the effect of inclusion of PPL in the concentrate mixture (CM) on the performance of dairy cows was not well documented. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of supplementation of PPL and CM to native pasture hay-based rations on feed intake, milk yield and composition, and blood metabolites of crossbred dairy cows (Holstein × Zebu). A 4 × 4 Latin square design with three replications, balanced for carryover effects, was used for this study. The treatments included native pasture hay provided ad libitum as a basal diet, supplemented with a CM alone (T1), the inclusion of 10% of PPL in the CM (T2), 20% PPL in the CM (T3), or 30% PPL in the CM (T4). Supplements were isocaloric and isonitrogenous. Total DM intake (hay + supplement intake) was similar (P > 0.05) among treatments. Hay intake was greater (P = 0.05) for T1 and T2 than for T4, while supplement intake was the least for T1 (P < 0.05). The treatment groups T2, T3, and T4, where PPL was included, had similar (P > 0.05) supplement intake. Feed intake, milk yield and composition, feed conversion efficiency, body condition score, serum total protein, albumin, globulin, glucose, triglyceride, urea N, creatinine, and cholesterol were similar (P > 0.05) among treatments. The inclusion of up to 30% of PPL in the CM resulted in a comparable performance of crossbred dairy cows as supplementation with CM under the conditions of the current experiment. Therefore, further study is required to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of a higher level of PPL in the concentrate mixture on the performance of lactating crossbred dairy cows.

348 Including Alfalfa in the Diet of Steers fed TMR: Effect on Rumen Fermentation and Performance

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects on dry matter intake (DMI), daily gain (DG), feed efficiency (FE) and rumen fermentation of including fresh alfalfa (FA) on a restricted TMR diet of finishing steers. Twenty steers (8 with 8-mm ruminal catheters), fed a TMR diet (ground corn grain, soybean meal, pasture hay, mineral-vitamin concentrate and Anavrin; 65% DM, 12.8% CP, 23% NDF) were blocked by BW and distributed in 2 feeding treatments (n=10/treatment): 1) TMR offered at a level of 2.8% of BW (DM basis): ‘TMR’ or 2) TMR offered at a level of 1.7% of BW (DM basis) plus FA (22.1% DM, 14.5% CP, 50.3% NDF) offered in an unlimited quantity: ‘PMR+FF’. The experiment lasted 60 d, and steers were weighed every 12 d, for 2 consecutive days each time. DMI was individually measured 3 times for 5 consecutive days, beginning days 20, 34 and 48 days, by difference offered-refused for each feedstuff. Ruminal pH, N-NH3 and volatile fatty acids (VFA) were measured on days 19, 33 and 47, at 0930, 1300, 1500, 1700, 1900, 2100, 0300 and 0930 h. The inclusion of fresh forage resulted in 40% of the total DMI, with no differences on intake (Table 1). However, in the PMR+FF treatment DG and FE tended to be reduced, possibly due to a reduced energy ingestion, considering the fiber content of FA and TMR. As expected, the inclusion of FA in the diet increased pH and acetate, and reduced propionate ruminal percentage, resulting in triplicated acetic/propionate rate. Overall, the inclusion of fresh alfalfa in the diet increased ruminal pH and acetic/propionate rate without affecting DMI. Including fresh alfalfa in finishing steers’ diet could have positive implications on feed costs and meat composition without negatively affecting productivity, but more studies are needed.

Protein supplement potential of Dodonaea angustifolia leaves by replacing atella on nutrient utilization and performance of Farta sheep fed natural pasture hay basal diet.

BackgroundProtein feed resources for ruminant animal productions are deficit in Ethiopia.ObjectivesTo evaluate the supplementation effects of dried Dodonaea angustifolia leaves (DDL), dried traditional brewery by‐product locally called atella and their mixtures on nutrient utilization and growth performance of Farta sheep fed natural pasture hay (NPH) as basal diet.MethodsTwenty‐five yearling intact male Farta sheep with average initial body weight of 14.53 ± 1.35 kg (mean ± SD) were used for the study. The experimental sheep were allocated into five blocks of five animals based on their initial body weight. The experiment lasted for 90 days of feeding trial followed by 7 days of digestibility trial. The experimental feeds were NPH ad libitum + 100% DDL + 100 g wheat bran (WB; T1), NPH ad libitum + 75% DDL + 25% dried atella + 100 g WB(T2), NPH ad libitum + 50% DDL + 50% deried atella + 100 g WB (T3), NPH ad libitum + 25% DDL +75% dried atella +100 g WB (T4) and NPH ad libitum + 100% dried atella + 100 g WB (T5).ResultsNPH, DDL and dried atella contained 7.42, 15.39, 21.13% crude protein (CP) and 66, 36, 34% neutral detergent fiber, respectively. Sheep supplemented with increasing level of atella had more dry matter intake (DMI) and crude protein intake (CPI) and the highest of these DMI and CPI were in T5 (868 g/d for dry matter and 113 g/d for CP). This progressive increased CPI from T1 up to T5 was reflected in a significant (p < 0.001) fibers and estimated metabolizable energy intake in the order of T5 > T4 > T3 > T2 > T1. Significant difference (p < 0.001) was recorded on nutrient utilization and the highest was for T5 and lowest for T1. Average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion efficiency (FCE) were significantly (p < 0.001) increased as the atella inclusion level increased. Sheep in T4 and T5 had the highest ADG and FCE with the order of T5 = T4 > T3 > T2 > T1. ADG was correlated positively and highly significant with nutrients intake and digestibility.Conclusion Atella supplementation better than DDL and then their mixture (T2–T4) supplementation could be recommended in sheep fattening in the study area.

Acacia nilotica leaf meal - potential supplement to 25% dorper crosses of local sheep fed a basal diet of natural pasture hay

This research was conducted to evaluate the replacement potential of Acacia nilotica dried leaf meal for Noug Seed Cake (NSC) to supplement low quality grass hay in the diet of crossbred sheep (25% Dorper). In doing so, four treatments were set up in such a way that 0%, 33%, 67%, and 100% NSC is replaced with dried leaf of Acacia nilotica from a conventional supplement while the treatments were kept isonitrogenous. The experiment was set up in a Randomized Complete Block Design, with initials weight used as the blocking factor. Twenty animals were allocated to the four treatments. The experiment consisted of hundred days of feeding trial followed by evaluation of carcass components at the end. In addition, the experimental feed ingredient was studied in vitro for gas production, methane (CH4) production, fractional rate of degradation (Kd), and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD). In view of chemical composition, grass hay contained lower crude protein (CP = 3.2% DM) and high cell wall contents that makes it lower quality feed. On the other hand, Acacianilotica leaf meal was moderate in quality (CP = 14.3% DM) that can support moderate level of ruminant production. In an in vitro study, Acacia nilotica was found to have lower (P < 0.01) levels of CH4, total gas, kd, and IVDMD compared to the other feed ingredients. This indicates that tannin have an effect on Acacia nilotica feed. Partial and complete replacement of NSC with Acacia nilotica leaf meal significantly increased total dry matter intake (TDMI) (P < 0.001). Average daily gain (ADG) and dressing percentage was also higher for leaf meal supplemented groups. Hot carcass weight was in the range of 14.8–17.8 kg, which is higher than the national average carcass weight for Ethiopian sheep, and it was also found to be higher when NSC was partially (33%) as well as completely replaced by the leaf meal. In general, NSC can be replaced either partially or completely with Acacianilotica leaf meal in the diet of 25% Dorper crosses while weight gain as well as carcass yield is promoted. The maximum inclusion level of Acacia nilotica was 61.3% or 319.2 g per day for 25% Dorper cross sheep fed natural pasture hay as a basal diet.

Effect of processed sweet lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) grain supplementation on growth performance and socioeconomic feasibility of Doyogena sheep in Ethiopia.

BackgroundThe experiment evaluated the effect of supplementing sheep fed natural pasture hay withprocessed sweet lupin grain on growth performance and its economic feasibility. The finding revealed that use of steamed lupin shown to improve the nutritivevalue of the grain and sheep performance.MethodsThe experiment was carried out using 24 yearling lambs with initial body weight of 27.53 ± 2.67 kg (mean ± SD) for 126 days (21 days quarantine, 15 days of adaptation and 90 days growth trial followed by 7 days digestibility trial). The experiment was laid out in a randomised complete block design consisting of four treatments and six blocks. Treatments comprised the feeding of natural pasture hay ad libitum + concentrate mix 440 g (T1), natural pasture hay + 440 g/day roasted, coarsely ground sweet lupin grain (T2), natural pasture hay + 440 g/day sweet lupin grain soaked in water for 72 h (T3), natural pasture hay + 440 g/day steamed sweet lupin grain (T4).ResultsThere was improvements in total dry matter intake and digestibility coefficients of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre in sheep supplemented with processed sweet lupin grains compared (T4) by 58.49%, 24.66%, 39.39%, 22.97% and 39.68%, respectively, over the control group. Specifically sheep supplemented with T4 had significantly higher (p < 0.001) average daily gain (by 51.04%), feed conversion efficiency (46.34%) and daily weight gain (144.78 g/day) compared to the control treatment, respectively. All processing methods resulted in favourable average daily gain and net return, thus can be employed in feeding systems depending on their availability and relative cost.ConclusionsSupplementing sheep fed natural pasture hay with 440 g/day steamed sweet lupin grains improved growth performance and fattening economics of Doyogena sheep compared to T2 (roasted sweet lupin grain), T3 (soaked sweet lupin grain) or the control (T1).

Production aspects of hay of tropical pasture of

Context Tropical pasture have been little explored for haymaking, due to lack of information regarding loss of nutrients and of forage dehydration. Aims This study aimed to evaluate the production aspects of tropical pasture hays. Methods To characterise forage dry mass yield and dehydration rate, we studied the grasses Marandú, Xaraés, Massai, Paredão, Planaltina and Tupã. The water soluble carbohydrates concentration curve, chemical composition and in situ rumen degradability of dry mass, crude protein and neutral detergent fibre were also determined. Key results The highest forage dry mass yield was observed in 2018, when Planaltina and Paredão performed best (6.28 and 5.26 ± 0.41 t of dry matter ha−1, respectively). There was no genotype × dehydration time interaction (P = 0.81) on water soluble carbohydrates. Exposure to sun resulted in a linear decreasing effect (P &lt; 0.01) on water soluble carbohydrates content, with loss of 5.03 g kg−1 for each hour of exposure to the sun during the haymaking process. There was an interaction effect (P &lt; 0.01) between type of material and genotype on the content of dry matter, mineral matter, crude protein and neutral detergent fibre (P &lt; 0.01). In situ degradability of Massai grass dry mass was higher for the hay (758.0 and 253.8 ± 7.9 g kg−1 for hay and in natura material, respectively). Conclusions and implications The greater amount of leaves in relation to stem indicates that Massai grass is more efficient in dehydration during the first hours of exposure to the sun, as well as sustaining lower losses.

Effects of Inclusion of Different Levels of Ethiopian Thyme (&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Thymus schimperi&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; Ronniger) as Natural Additive on Chemical Composition and &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;In Sacco&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; Dry Matter Degradability of Total Mixed Ration and Feed Ingredients

This study evaluated the effects of the inclusion of Ethiopian thyme (Thymus schimperi Ronninger) to natural pasture hay (NPH), noug seed cake (NSC), wheat bran (WB) and total mixed ration (TMR) on the chemical composition and in Sacco dry matter (DM) degradability of the feeds. The Thyme plant used for the study was collected from Dinsho and Tarmaber districts in the highlands of Ethiopia. Samples of the TMR and NPH, WB and NSC with or without thyme were divided into two parts and ground to pass through 1 mm screen for chemical analysis and 2 mm screen for in sacco DM degradability. The TMR contained 50% NPH, 32.5% WB, 14% NSC, 3% molasses and 0.5% common salt. The feed ingredients (NPH, WB and NSC) and the TMR were incubated without thyme or with thyme substituting the diet at 8%, 16% and 24% levels of treatments. The chemical composition of all the feeds differed significantly (P In sacco rumen dry matter degradability of NPH, WB, NSC and TMR was increased (P in sacco DM degradability of NPH at all incubation hours was higher (P Thymus schimperi plant up to a level of 24% DM in feed can reasonably stimulate the growth and activity of the certain rumen microbes that promoted an improvement in ruminal DM degradability of the diet with the thyme inclusion.

Effect of Groundnut (&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Arachis hypogaea&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; L.) Haulm and Maize Bran Mixture Supplementation on Growth and Carcass Characteristics Performance of Local Sheep Fed Pasture Hay Basal Diet

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of groundnut haulm and maize bran mixture supplementations on feed intake, digestibility, body weight gain and carcass characteristics of local sheep fed hay basal diet at Salga sheep farm in Assosa district, Western Ethiopia. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four treatments consisting of six blocks with four animals per block based on their initial body weight of 20.12 ± 0.05 kg (mean ± SD). Treatments comprised of feeding natural pasture hay ad libitum T1 = 0; T2 = 100% maize bran (MB); T3 = 50% MB and 50% Groundnut haulm (GNH), and T4 = 100% GNH. The amount of supplements offered was 300 g/day/animal on DM basis. The daily feed intake, daily body weight gain, feed conversion efficiency, dry matter and nutrient digestibility, and carcass characteristics parameters were measured during the experimental period. The study result indicates that the crude protein (CP) contents were 7.12% and 11.6%, and the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) contents were 67.9% and 57.5% for natural grass hay and groundnut haulm, respectively. The total DM intake was higher (P

Landsat-based Irrigation Dataset (LANID): 30 m resolution maps of irrigation distribution, frequency, and change for the US, 1997–2017

Abstract. Data on irrigation patterns and trends at field-level detail across broad extents are vital for assessing and managing limited water resources. Until recently, there has been a scarcity of comprehensive, consistent, and frequent irrigation maps for the US. Here we present the new Landsat-based Irrigation Dataset (LANID), which is comprised of 30 m resolution annual irrigation maps covering the conterminous US (CONUS) for the period of 1997–2017. The main dataset identifies the annual extent of irrigated croplands, pastureland, and hay for each year in the study period. Derivative maps include layers on maximum irrigated extent, irrigation frequency and trends, and identification of formerly irrigated areas and intermittently irrigated lands. Temporal analysis reveals that 38.5×106 ha of croplands and pasture–hay has been irrigated, among which the yearly active area ranged from ∼22.6 to 24.7×106 ha. The LANID products provide several improvements over other irrigation data including field-level details on irrigation change and frequency, an annual time step, and a collection of ∼10 000 visually interpreted ground reference locations for the eastern US where such data have been lacking. Our maps demonstrated overall accuracy above 90 % across all years and regions, including in the more humid and challenging-to-map eastern US, marking a significant advancement over other products, whose accuracies ranged from 50 % to 80 %. In terms of change detection, our maps yield per-pixel transition accuracy of 81 % and show good agreement with US Department of Agriculture reports at both county and state levels. The described annual maps, derivative layers, and ground reference data provide users with unique opportunities to study local to nationwide trends, driving forces, and consequences of irrigation and encourage the further development and assessment of new approaches for improved mapping of irrigation, especially in challenging areas like the eastern US. The annual LANID maps, derivative products, and ground reference data are available through https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5548555 (Xie and Lark, 2021a).

Assessment of fodder resources in Ethiopia: Biomass production and nutritional value

AbstractFodders are the major feed resource in Ethiopia. This study was conducted to assess biomass production and nutritive value of fodder resources in Ethiopia. A total of 34 scientific papers and 30 Central Statistical Agency (CSA) (Ethiopia) reports for biomass production, and 249 scientific papers for nutritive value were used for this study. The biomass production of crop residues was greatest followed by grazing biomass, enset [Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesem.] and banana (Musa spp.) leaves and pseudostems. The crude protein (CP) concentration of vetch (Vicia spp.) hay, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) hay, cultivated legume species and many indigenous browse species was &gt;150 g kg−1 dry matter (DM). However, the CP value of natural pasture, crop residues, natural pasture hay, rhodes grass (Chloris gayana Kunth) hay, cultivated grass species, sycamore fig (Ficus sychomorus L.), Indianfig pricklypear [Opuntia ficus‐indica (L.) Mill.] and enset and banana was &lt;150 g kg−1 DM. Natural pasture, crop residues, all parts of enset except enset corm, natural pasture hay, rhodes grass hay, and cultivated grass species contained &gt;550 g kg−1 DM neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Enset corm, vetch hay, alfalfa, Chinese banyan (Ficus thonningii Blume), and bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina Delile) contained &gt;10 MJ kg−1 DM metabolizable energy (ME). Crop residues except faba bean straw contained &lt;600 g kg−1 DM in‐vitro digestibility. Methods should be devised for more efficient and effective use of the most widely available crop residues and grazing biomass through better management practices and appropriate supplementation with good quality forages and locally available better quality agricultural and agro‐industrial by‐products.