Ruminant Animals Research Articles

Dietary fiber and animal health: A mini review

This mini review describes dietary fibers, their source and compositions. It explores the importance of fiber in the animal diet, health benefit and how fiber contributes to the production of healthy animals in post antibiotics era. The review also discusses fiber fermentation, role in nutrient digestion, enzyme production and how the gut microbiota responds to a selection of fibers. And the components of fiber that increases microbiota which are commensal to the mucus and epithelium of gut. Lastly, recommendations are made on how dietary fiber could be used to achieve maximum advantages in terms of nutrient utilization, performance, and gut health in both monogastric and ruminant animals.

PEMANFAATAN LIMBAH PERTANIAN TANAMAN PANGAN SEBAGAI PAKAN TERNAK RUMINANSIA DI KECAMATAN WAELATA KABUPATEN BURU

Background: This study aims to determine the types of agricultural waste, the use of waste as ruminant feed, and the knowledge of farmers regarding agricultural waste processing. Methods: This research was conducted using survey methods and direct observation in the field. The sampling technique was carried out by purposive sampling, namely three villages (Parbulu, Debowae, and Waelo) based on the highest number of farmers and 30 farmers. Results: This study shows the purpose of raising livestock as a saving 66.67% and the rest as a side business 33.33%. Forage that was given grass and agricultural waste was 76.67% and grass was 23.33%. Utilization of food crop agricultural waste as ruminant animal feed is still low at 23.33%, which provides rice straw agricultural waste in the form of hay as an additional feed and there are 76.67% (23 respondents) who do not know and apply feed processing technology from agricultural waste. Conclusion: The use of agricultural waste of food crops as feed for ruminants in Waelata District, Buru Regency is still very low. This is due to the low level of knowledge and the application of feed processing technology from agricultural waste by farmers/breeders.

Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Display Potent Activity against Cryptosporidium parvum.

The protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium is a leading cause of diarrheal disease (cryptosporidiosis) and death in young children. Cryptosporidiosis can be life-threatening in individuals with weak immunity such as HIV/AIDS patients and organ transplant recipients. There is currently no effective drug to treat cryptosporidiosis in the pediatric and immunocompromised population. Therefore, there is an urgent need to expedite the drug discovery process in order to develop new and effective therapies to reduce the global disease burden of cryptosporidiosis. In this study, we employed a drug repurposing strategy to screen a library of 473 human kinase inhibitors to determine their activity against Cryptosporidium parvum. We have identified 67 new anti-cryptosporidial compounds using phenotypic screening based on a transgenic C. parvum strain expressing a luciferase reporter. Further, dose-response assays led to the identification of 11 hit compounds that showed potent inhibition of C. parvum at nanomolar concentration. Kinome profiling of these 11 prioritized hits identified compounds that displayed selectivity in targeting specific families of kinases, particularly tyrosine kinases. Overall, this study identified tyrosine kinase inhibitors that hold potential for future development as new drug candidates against cryptosporidiosis. IMPORTANCE The intestinal parasite Cryptosporidium parvum is a major cause of diarrhea-associated morbidity and mortality in children, immunocompromised people, and young ruminant animals. With no effective drug available to treat cryptosporidiosis in humans and animals, there is an urgent need to identify anti-parasitic compounds and new targets for drug development. To address this unmet need, we screened a GSK library of kinase inhibitors and identified several potent compounds, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors, that were highly effective in killing C. parvum. Overall, our study revealed several novel compounds and a new family of kinases that can be targeted for anti-cryptosporidial drug development.

Farang (Psidium guajava L.) Dried Leaf Extracts: Phytochemical Profiles, Antioxidant, Anti-Diabetic, and Anti-Hemolytic Properties for Ruminant Health and Production.

Due to its advantageous antioxidant phytochemical components, Psidium guajava L. has become an indispensable plant in pharmaceutical formulations, playing a crucial role in safeguarding human health. On ruminant animals, however, there has been limited investigation. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the phytochemical profiles and biological potential of Farang (P. guajava L.) leaf extracts for ruminant health. Methanolic and hexanoic extracts from various agricultural areas were prepared over a five-month period. By means of HPLC-DAD, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), essential oil (eugenol), tannin (gallic acid), cinnamic acids (caffeic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, sinapic acid, and ferulic acid), and flavonoids (catechin, rutin, myricetin, quercetin, apigenin, and kaempferol) were detected and quantified. Solvent type, but not cultivation site or sampling time, explained the observed variation in phytochemical profile. Phytochemicals were found in lower concentrations in hexanoic extracts than in methanolic extracts. Catechin and sinapic acid were discovered to be the two most abundant phytochemicals in the methanolic extract of Farang leaf, followed by other phenolic compounds, essential oils, and water-soluble vitamins. Compared with the methanolic extract, the hexanoic extract of Farang leaves was less effective at scavenging oxidation in terms of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide, and superoxide, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Hexanoic extract was found to be less protective against oxidative damage in ruminant erythrocytes than methanolic extract in terms of inhibiting hemoglobin oxidation, lipid peroxidation, and hemolysis. According to the findings of this study, the leaves of Farang (P. guajava L.) are a potential source of phytochemical compounds with wellness properties for ruminant production.

Effect of Sodium Hydroxide Treatment on Chemical Composition and Feed Value of Common Reed (Phragmites australis) Straw

This research was undertaken with the aim of determining the effect of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) treatment on the chemical composition, in vitro gas production, neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD) and true dry matter digestibility (TDMD), dry matter intake (DMI), and relative feed value (RFV) of common reed (Phragmites australis) straw. Reed straw was treated with 0% (control), 1%, 2%, and 3% NaOH and stored in 1.5-L glass jars in triplicate for 21 days. NaOH treatment had a significant effect on the chemical composition, in vitro gas production, NDFD and TDMD, DMI, and RFV of the reed straw. While it decreased the cell wall content of the reed straw, it significantly increased the NDFD, TDMD, DMI, and RFV. The neutral detergent fiber content of the reed straw decreased with NaOH treatment in a dose-dependent manner and ranged from 56.03% to 65.05%, whereas the NDFD increased and ranged from 53.10% to 59.99%. Metabolizable energy, organic matter digestibility, and TDMD values were improved, ranging from 9.15 to 10.19 MJ/kg DM, 58.46% to 65.05%, and 55.29% to 62.33%, respectively. The estimated RFV and DMI also improved, ranging from 84.70% to 95.58% and from 1.87% to 2.14% of body weight, respectively. The most effective treatment dose of NaOH was 3%. Therefore, it can be suggested that NaOH treatment has the potential to improve the nutritive value of reed straw. However, before large applications, further in vivo investigations are required to determine the effects of NaOH treatment on the feed intake and production of ruminant animals.

Dynamics of rumen microbiome in sika deer (Cervus nippon yakushimae) from unique subtropical ecosystem in Yakushima Island, Japan

Yaku sika deer (Cervus nippon yakushimae) are endemic to Yakushima Island, whose landscape covered with primary evergreen forest is recognized as a World Heritage Site. In this study, the rumen bacterial microbiota (RBM) of wild Yaku sika was characterized using high throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes combined with targeted cultivation and functional analyses. Comparative analyses of RBM datasets from other ruminant animals revealed distinct community structure among domesticated and wild ruminants. Wild Yaku sika RBM exhibited higher species richness than other sika deer (i.e. wild Ezo sika and domesticated sika deer), likely reflecting their dietary variations associated with unique ecosystem in the island. The Yaku sika RBM of high deer population density samples exhibited higher diversity and contained higher proportion of Firmicutes than those of lower density samples. Moreover, the highest abundance of tannase gene were observed in individuals from the highest population density area, consistent with the previous observation that Yaku sika in the high density areas expanded their feed to include tannin-rich unpalatable plants. This study indicated that RBM of unique wild Yaku sika contribute to the flexibility of dietary shift and thus maintaining nutritional status of Yaku sika under high density conditions.

Image-based analysis and quantification of biofouling in cultures of the red alga Asparagopsis taxiformis

Methane is an extremely potent yet short-lived greenhouse gas and is thus recognized as a promising target for rapid climate change mitigation. About 35% of anthropogenic methane emissions are associated with livestock production, and most of these emissions are the outcome of enteric fermentation in ruminant animals. The red seaweed Asparagopsis is currently considered the most efficient feed additive to suppress methane emissions from enteric fermentation but is not currently available on commercial scale. The ongoing effort to successfully commercialize Asparagopsis requires the development of pest control frameworks which rely on the quantitative assessment of biological contamination in cultures. Here we present a low-cost readily available approach for quantifying biofouling in Asparagopsis taxiformis cultures based on microscopic examination and automated image analysis. The proposed methodology is demonstrated to estimate contamination associated with Asparagopsis biomass with error rates lower than 2% over a wide range of contamination levels and contaminating organisms, while significantly cutting down image processing time and allowing for frequent contamination quantification.

Microstructural evolution during acid induced gelation of cow, goat, and sheep milk probed by time-resolved (ultra)-small angle neutron scattering

Milks from small ruminant animals, such as goat and sheep, have gained increasing interest from the industry for the manufacture of various dairy products such as yoghurts. Heat treatment of milk is typically applied to improve the yoghurt texture. Here, time-resolved ultra-small angle neutron scattering (USANS) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) were employed to probe in situ the microstructural evolution of cow, goat, and sheep milks in D2O during acidification as affected by the heat treatment. Milk gelation can be envisaged as the progressive aggregation of the building blocks (casein micelles) in a fractal manner, which leads to the formation of micron scaled (∼3–10 μm) protein agglomerates. The heat treatment considerably enhanced the gelation of all milks, which is reflected by a faster increase in the fractal dimensions and aggregate sizes. For all three types of milks, similar final plateau fractal dimensions were observed for unheated (∼2.2–2.4) and heated milks (∼2.4–2.5), suggesting similar mass fractal microstructures in the size range probed by USANS. The final storage modulus after 10 h (G′final) follow the order of heated sheep milk ≈ sheep milk ≈ heated cow milk > cow milk > heated goat milk > goat milk. The colloidal calcium phosphate (CCP) dissolution kinetics tracked by SANS followed a similar trend as the evolution of the sample acidity (pD-value) and are not significantly affected by the types of milk or the heat treatment. This study shows a great potential of using time resolved USANS and SANS to investigate the microstructural evolution of protein aggregation and gelation.

Exploring the Phytochemical Profiles and Antioxidant, Antidiabetic, and Antihemolytic Properties of Sauropus androgynus Dried Leaf Extracts for Ruminant Health and Production

Sauropus androgynus has become an essential plant in pharmaceutical formulations due to its beneficial antioxidant phytochemical components, participating in the antioxidant defense system and playing an important role in protecting human health. However, no research has been conducted on ruminant animals. This study aimed to evaluate the phytochemical profiles and biological potential of S. androgynus leaf extracts for ruminant health. Methanolic and hexanoic extracts from each commercially and noncommercially cultivated site were prepared over the course of five consecutive months. By means of HPLC-DAD, vitamins (ascorbic acid), essential oils (eugenol), tannins (gallic acid), cinnamic acids (caffeic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, sinapic acid and ferulic acid), and flavonoids (catechin, rutin, myricetin, quercetin, apigenin, and kaempferol) were detected. Variations in phytochemical composition were depending on solvent type but not on cultivation site or sample period. Methanolic extracts contained more phytochemicals than hexanoic extracts. Ascorbic acid and rutin were discovered to be the two most abundant phytochemicals in the methanolic extract of S. androgynus leaf, followed by essential oils, cinnamic acids, and tannins. In comparison to hexanoic extract, methanolic extract of S. androgynus demonstrated to be more efficient against oxidation scavenging: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (IC50 = 13.14 ± 0.055 (mg/mL)), nitric oxide (IC50 = 55.02 ± 1.338 (mg/mL)) and superoxide (IC50 = 25.31 ± 0.886 (mg/mL)), as well as α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC50 = 9.83 ± 0.032 (mg/mL)). Similarly, methanolic was found to be more protective than hexanoic against oxidative damage in ruminant erythrocytes, with IC50 values (mg/mL) for hemoglobin oxidation, lipid peroxidation, and hemolysis of 11.96 ± 0.011, 13.54 ± 0.012, and 5.940 ± 0.005, respectively. These findings suggested that the leaves of S. androgynus are a prospective source of phytochemical substances with health-promoting qualities for ruminant production.

Opportunities beyond CO2 for climate mitigation

Opportunities beyond CO2 for climate mitigation

Evaluation of Some Forage as Feed for Ruminant Animal: Chemical Composition, In Vitro Rumen Fermentation, and Methane Emissions

This experiment aimed to evaluate chemical composition, in vitro rumen fermentation, digestibility, and methane emissions of forages including bede grass, gamal (Gliricidia sepium), Indigofera, lamtoro (Leucaena leucocephala), elephant grass, mini elephant grass and Thai elephant grass. Forage samples were dried at 60oC for 24 hours, then ground to 1 mm sieve. The ground samples were used subsequently to determine the chemical composition and in vitro rumen fermentation test. Incubation was carried out in a water bath at 39oC for 48 h without replication. The results showed that all forages contained various crude protein at a range of 9-20% DM. The proportion of neutral detergent insoluble CP (NDICP) and acid detergent insoluble CP (ADICP) in forage was generally low, but the highest was found in bede grass. The highest NH3 concentration was found in Indigofera incubation, and lowest was in bede grass. All forage samples, except for mini elephant grass and Indigofera, had IVDMD and IVOMD below 70%. We identified low methane emissions from forage at 48 hours of incubation. It was concluded that legumes had a higher crude protein than in grass species and had low methane emissions. However, the relatively low digestibility of legume may limit its utilization.

Reducing Enteric Methanogenesis through Alternate Hydrogen Sinks in the Rumen

Climate change and the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from agriculture has resulted in significant pressure on the livestock industry for advanced practices that are environmentally more sustainable. Livestock is responsible for more than 15% of anthropogenic methane (CH4) emission via enteric fermentation and improved strategies for mitigating enteric CH4 production therefore represents a promising target to reduce the overall GHG contribution from agriculture. Ruminal CH4 is produced by methanogenic archaea, combining CO2 and hydrogen (H2). Removal of H2 is essential, as its accumulation inhibits many biological functions that are essential for maintaining a healthy rumen ecosystem. Although several other pathways occur in the rumen, including reductive acetogenesis, propionogenesis, nitrate, and sulfate reduction, methanogenesis seems to be the dominant pathway for H2 removal. Global warming is not the only problem associated with the release of CH4 from ruminants, but the released GHG also represent valuable metabolic energy that is lost to the animal and that needs to be replenished via its food. Therefore, reduction of enteric CH4 emissions will benefit not only the environment but also be an important step toward the efficient production of high-quality animal-based protein. In recent decades, several approaches, relying on a diverse set of biological and chemical compounds, have been tested for their ability to inhibit rumen methanogenesis reliably and without negative effects for the ruminant animal. Although many of these strategies initially appeared to be promising, they turned out to be less sustainable on the industrial scale and when implemented over an extended period. The development of a long-term solution most likely has been hindered by our still incomplete understanding of microbial processes that are responsible for maintaining and dictating rumen function. Since manipulation of the overall structure of the rumen microbiome is still a significant challenge targeting key intermediates of rumen methanogenesis, such as H2, and population that are responsible for maintaining the H2 equilibrium in the rumen could be a more immediate approach. Addition of microorganisms capable of non-methanogenic H2 sequestration or of reducing equivalents are potential avenues to divert molecular H2 from methanogenesis and therefore for abate enteric CH4. However, in order to achieve the best outcome, a detailed understanding of rumen microbiology is needed. Here we discuss some of the problems and benefits associated with alternate pathways, such as reductive acetogenesis, propionogenesis, and sulfate and nitrate reduction, which would allow us to bypass H2 production and accumulation in the rumen.

Effects of Nutritional Practices and Production Systems on Small Ruminants’ Health in Rural Households in Ekiti State, Nigeria

The study assessed the effect of nutritional practices and production systems on the health of small ruminant animals reared among rural households in Ekiti State. A total number of 120 rural households were interviewed using a multi-stage random sampling procedure to elicit information from them. About 78.32 percent were within their active age range, 50.00 percent were married with minimum household size of 5 persons, had least educational qualification and 41.66 percent reared sheep and goats. Disease outbreak (50.00%), accident (33.33%) and stillbirth (16.66%) are the common factors responsible for mortality experienced by the farmers, while diarrhea is the prevalent disease experienced by them. More than half (58.13%) of the respondents practices self-medication by purchasing antibiotics meant for humans from medicine stores and very few of them (18.33%) received intervention from the government in terms of medication. Only 33.00% of them offer supplementary feeding to their animals during the dry season. Chi-square analysis revealed a significant relationship (p=0.05) between nutritional practices and the health system of the small ruminants. Also, the Pearson Moment Product Correlation also revealed that a significant correlation (rcal= 0.927) exists between production systems and the health of small ruminants in the study area which is significant at 0.05 level of probability. The study, concludes that if animals are poorly managed and fed, they could be predisposed to diseases and injuries.

Phosphorus, stable isotopes and fatty acids of soils as tools for recognizing a Bronze Age droveway in the Valli Grandi Veronesi (North Italy)

This study focuses on the surroundings of the terramara of Castello del Tartaro in the lowland of Valli Grandi Veronesi (North Italy) outside a Bronze Age village enclosed by channels and embankments, where two groups of double parallel side drainage ditches running from northwest to southeast were found. This evidence has been interpreted as a “Big Road” and more precisely a droveway, possibly used for the passage of cattle. The road was sampled along a section, at 4 different levels of depth, and the content in inorganic and organic phosphorous was assessed. In the sampled section the content of phosphorus shows the presence of discontinuities and strong phosphorus accumulation in the layers under the arable land. The analysis of the stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen attests to traces of herbivores, while the comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography analysis identified a high number of significant fatty acids suggesting the presence of fats from ruminant animals. The results, as a whole, corroborate the hypothesis of a droveway. This hypothesis agrees with both paleobotanical and zooarcheological data from the territory around the embanked settlements. This study thus underlines the importance of cattle husbandry within the complex commercial relationships that characterized the Bronze Age.

The infectious disease trap of animal agriculture.

Infectious diseases originating from animals (zoonotic diseases) have emerged following deforestation from agriculture. Agriculture can reduce its land use through intensification, i.e., improving resource use efficiency. However, intensive management often confines animals and their wastes, which also fosters disease emergence. Therefore, rising demand for animal-sourced foods creates a "trap" of zoonotic disease risks: extensive land use on one hand or intensive animal management on the other. Not all intensification poses disease risks; some methods avoid confinement and improve animal health. However, these "win-win" improvements alone cannot satisfy rising meat demand, particularly for chicken and pork. Intensive poultry and pig production entails greater antibiotic use, confinement, and animal populations than beef production. Shifting from beef to chicken consumption mitigates climate emissions, but this common strategy neglects zoonotic disease risks. Preventing zoonotic diseases requires international coordination to reduce the high demand for animal-sourced foods, improve forest conservation governance, and selectively intensify the lowest-producing ruminant animal systems without confinement.

Integrative analysis of the metabolome and transcriptome provides insights into the mechanisms of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins biosynthesis in Trifolium repens

Anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin (PA) are plant natural products beneficial to human and livestock health. In particular, the legume forage with proper PA contents can prevent lethal pasture bloat in ruminant animals. To study the mechanism underlying anthocyanin and PA biosynthesis in legume forages, comparative transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses were performed with ‘Purple’ and ‘Haifa’ white clovers. Metabolic analyses revealed that pelargonidin may be the most important source of color in ‘Purple’. Cyanidin-3-O-(6''-O-p-coumaroyl)-glucoside, petunidin-3-O-(6''-O-p-coumaroyl)-rutinoside, and delphinidin-3-O-rutinoside-7-O-glucoside might contribute to PA biosynthesis. Additionally, 67 differentially expressed genes in anthocyanin and PA biosynthetic pathways were discovered between ‘Purple’ and ‘Haifa’. Among them, DFR (dihydroflavonol-4-reductase), LDOX/ANS (leucoanthocyanidin oxygenase/anthocyanidin synthase), (leucoanthocyanidin reductase), ANR (anthocyanidin reductase), and UFGT (UDPglucose:flavonoid-3-O-glucosyltransferase) may be key determinants of the differences in anthocyanin and PA biosynthesis. Finally, A hypothetical model of gene expression regulating the synthesis of PAs and anthocyanins in white clover was proposed, which could provide a molecular genetic basis for future candidate genes validation and breeding high-PA white clover cultivars.

Effects of various macroalgae species on methane production, rumen fermentation, and ruminant production: A meta-analysis from in vitro and in vivo experiments

A meta-analysis was performed to examine the dietary inclusion of marine macroalgae species to target methane (CH4) reduction from ruminant animals and the effects on rumen fermentation and animal performance. A literature search was conducted from global scientific databases, resulting in 25 in vitro and 22 in vivo studies eligible to be integrated in a database. A total of 673 experimental units comprising 537 in vitro and 136 in vivo experimental units were analyzed by using mixed model methodology in SAS and multivariate analysis in R Studio. Principal component analysis (PCA) from in vitro dataset revealed difference effects of brown, green, and red macroalgae on CH4 production without a pronounced pattern on rumen fermentation. Likewise, PCA from in vivo dataset supported the in vitro results whereas Ascophyllum nodosum (brown) and Asparagopsis taxiformis (A. taxiformis; red) species showed noticeably separated clusters on CH4 production. Mixed regression analysis from in vitro and in vivo databases showed interaction effects (P < 0.001) between levels × species on CH4 production and the percentages of acetate (C2), propionate (C3), butyrate (C4) whereas A. taxiformis showed the greatest effects on the decrease of C2 and increase of C3 proportions (P < 0.001), among other species. Additionally, dietary levels of A. taxiformis had strong linear decrease (R2= 0.946; P < 0.001) on CH4 (g/d) and curvilinear effect on CH4 when expressed as g/kg DMI (R2= 0.687; P < 0.001). When considering the types of animals, A. taxiformis decreased (P < 0.001) CH4 by 64.76 % in beef cattle but the effect in dairy cows and small ruminant were non-significant (P > 0.05) compared with control diet as a reference. Curvilinear effect on in vitro organic matter digestibility (P = 0.043) and linear degreased on crude protein digestibility (P = 0.029) were found. Feeding macroalgae did not affect dry matter intake (DMI), average daily gain (ADG), milk production and milk composition except for milk lactose which linearly increased (R2= 0.731; P = 0.002) by increasing Ascophyllum nodosum level. In dairy cows, the inclusion of A. taxiformis increased iodine concentration by more than six-fold increase (P < 0.001) while other species had no substantial effect on iodine concentration. Taken together, macroalgae can be used as feed ingredients for ruminants to decrease CH4 emissions without detrimental effects on metabolism and production performance in ruminant livestock. Notwithstanding, feeding A. taxiformis > 10 g/kg DM of diet may result in an unfavorable effect on the high bromoform and iodine residuals in milk. Future in vivo study using less-explored species that had been tested in vitro need to be conducted.

Relationships between Agronomic Traits of Moringa Accessions and In Vitro Gas Production Characteristics of a Test Feed Incubated with or without Moringa Plant Leaf Extracts.

The use of medicinal plants and their extracts has recently attracted the attention of many researchers as a methane (CH4) mitigation strategy. This study evaluated the relationship of agronomic traits of Moringa accessions with in vitro gas production measurements and feed digestibility from ruminants. Twelve Moringa accessions were grown at the Roodeplaat experimental site of the Agricultural Research Council in Pretoria, South Africa. Agronomic traits, such as seedling survival rate, leaf yield, canopy and stem diameter, plant height, number of primary branches, plant vigor, greenness, chlorosis, disease and pest incidences were recorded. The leaves were harvested in the fifth month after transplanting to the field. Freeze-dried leaves were extracted with methanol, and their total phenolic and total flavonoid contents were determined. The extract was applied at a dose of 50 mg/kg of dry matter (DM) feed for in vitro gas production studies. Most of the growth and agronomic traits, i.e., seedling survival rate, leaf yield, canopy diameter, plant height, number of primary branches, the score of plant vigor, and greenness, total phenolics and flavonoids were significantly different among the accessions except for stem diameter and chlorosis score. All accession leaf extracts significantly reduced the total gas and CH4 production compared with the control with equal or higher in vitro organic matter digestibility. Higher CH4 inhibition was obtained in Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) A3 (28.4%) and A11 (29.1%), whereas a lower inhibition was recorded in A1 (17.9%) and A2 (18.2%). The total phenolic (0.62) and total flavonoid (0.71) contents as well as most agronomic traits of the accessions were positively correlated with the CH4 inhibition potential of the accessions. Moringa oleifera accessions A3, A8 and A11 resulted in higher in vitro CH4 inhibition potential and improved organic matter digestibility of the feed with equal or higher adaptability performances in the field. Thus, there is a possibility of selecting Moringa accessions for higher antimethanogenic activity without compromising the feed digestibility by selecting for higher total phenolics, total flavonoids and agronomic performances traits. There is a need for further study to determine the long-term adaptability of promising accessions in the study area with concurrent antimethanogenesis efficacy when used in the diet of ruminant animals.

Uji Daya Hasil dan Penampilan Galur Mutan Harapan Sorgum Manis di Citayam, Bogor

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench) including cereals is also called a multipurpose plant because the seeds can be used as a food, industrial materials such as flour, starch. In addition, the stems and leaf can be used as ruminant animal feed and the stem biomass is squeezed to produce juice for the bioenergy raw material (bioethanol) and fresh drinks. However, sorghum is not originated from Indonesia, therefore, genetic diversity is limited. The efforts to improve and increase the genetic diversity are carried by mutation breeding. At the Center for Research and Technology Radiation Process (PRTPR), Nuclear Energy Research Organization (ORTN), National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). Research objective is to obtain mutants with superior characteristics of growth and yield, better than the original parent. Sweet sorghum plant breeding research using induced mutation technique using gamma rays sourced from Cobalt-60 to improve agronomic characteristics and quality. A number 9 promising mutant lines GH1, GH2, GH3, GH5, GH6, GH7, GH9, GH10 dan GH38, were included as 3 controls plant namely Cty-43 (parent), Samurai 1 and Numbu varieties (national control). Grown during drought season 2020 of BB-Balitbiogen located in Citayam, Bogor. Data measurements were callected for several agronomic characters including grain yield, analyzed by using ANOVA softwares SAS method versi 9.1. The results showed GH9 mutant line highest grains yield (9.87 t/ha), GH10 highest biomass production (64.83 t/ha) and GH1 the highest (12.53% brix) significantly higher than the 3 controls have yields 6.22, 7.22 and 7.89 t/ha grains, 41.36, 44.40 and 52.33 t/ha biomass and 8.96, 9.00 and 11.32 % brix sugar content.

Water footprints and efficiencies of ruminant animals and products in China over 2008–2017

Over half of global livestock-related water consumption is for ruminants. Securing the increasing demand for ruminant products and their nutritional supply worldwide, especially in developing countries with limited and scarce water resources, poses new challenges. However, the evaluations of water appropriation (i.e., water footprints) and efficiencies of ruminant animals and products in time and space within large developing and populous countries remain unclear. Taking three ruminant animals (beef cattle, cows, and mutton sheep) and their meat and milk products produced within the most populous developing country, China, over the period 2008–2017 as the study case, we estimate and analyse provincial water footprints (WFs) by colours as well as their efficiencies from both perspectives of water and nutrients. The results show that the national average unit WFs decreased across species of ruminant. The northern provinces had higher unit WFs of three ruminants than the southern provinces. The WFs of beef were higher than those of the other ruminant animal products. Feed crops contributed 99% of the consumptive WFs of ruminant production in China. The water use efficiency for growing feed crops of the three ruminants increased in most provinces during the study period, which led to decreased proportion of inefficient WF of three animal products. The nutrition conversion efficiency of some animal products is found to overcome the well-known gaps between the WFs for a unit nutrient from animal products versus crops. For example, although the WF of fat per kilogram of mutton was triple of its ingested feed crops, the fat content can increase by six times when the feed crops were converted to mutton. This study reveals the necessity of evaluating the environmental impact of ruminant products from the dual perspectives of resource utilization efficiency and nutrient conversion efficiency, with a feasible evaluation method.