Sorghum Stover Research Articles

Effect of Moringa, Subabul and Guava Leaves Either Sole or in Combination on Nutrient Utilization, Nitrogen Balance of Ram Lambs

Background: The use of alternate feed resources like tree leaves is key element in addressing the problems derived from climate change and food shortages that demand establishment of sustainable feeding system for ruminants. Methods: A study was conducted on 36 Nellore cross ram lambs (6-7 months; 18.48±0.29 kg BW) randomly allotted to six dietary treatments to evaluate the effect of 20% dietary inclusion of moringa (MOR) subabul (SBL) and guava (GVL) leaves either sole or in combination (MS and MG mixture incorporated at 60:40 and 40:60, respectively) in concentrate mixture on nutrient utilization, plane of nutrition and nitrogen balance. The control group concentrate mixture contained maize, de-oiled rice bran, cotton seed cake and soybean meal as major ingredients and in the 5 experimental concentrate mixtures, de-oiled rice bran and soybean meal were partially replaced with moringa (MOR20), subabul (SBL20), guava (GVL20), moringa and subabul mixture (MS20) and moringa and guava mixture (MG20), by including them at 20%. Animals were fed with respective concentrate mixtures to meet about 80% of protein requirements and sorghum stover was offered ad libitum to meet the nutrient requirements of lambs for maintenance and growth as per ICAR (2013). Result: Dietary inclusion of tree leaves had no effect on the intake of various nutrients viz. DM, OM, CP, EE, CF, NFE, NDF,ADF, Hemicellulose and cellulose and were comparable (P greater than 0.05) among the six dietary groups. The crude protein and crude fibre digestibility improved (P less than 0.01) in tree leaves included diets compared to control, while ether extract (EE) digestibility was lower (P less than 0.01) in tree leaves included diets compared to CON. The DCP, TDN (%) and ME content was higher (P less than 0.05) in MS20, MG20 and MOR20 groups compared to CON. The N intake (g/d), excretion through faeces and urine (g/d), total N excretion and total N balance (g/d) was comparable among the different dietary groups.

Evaluation of brown midrib (bmr) sorghum stover as potential renewable biomass feedstock for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) production employing Paraburkholderia Sacchari and Cupriavidus necator

Evaluation of brown midrib (bmr) sorghum stover as potential renewable biomass feedstock for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) production employing Paraburkholderia Sacchari and Cupriavidus necator

Sorghum stover and winery solid wastes co-digestion: application of iron oxide nanoparticles for biogas yield optimisation

One approach to addressing energy security issues is to produce renewable and sustainable bioenergy using abundant waste resources through anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD). However, the lignocellulosic nature of these biomass resources makes them recalcitrant, and pretreatment is required to make them more amenable to conversion. Iron oxide nanoparticles (ION) have been shown to increase methane yield significantly when added to biomass resources. This study aimed to investigate the effect of ION application on Sorghum stover (SS) and Winery solid waste (WSW) under mesophilic conditions. Hydrothermal synthesis was used to obtain Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Biomethane potential (BMP) tests were carried out in semi-continuous batch reactors with and without ION singly and combined SS: WSW (1:1) during a 30-day retention period. The results showed that the ION application on WSW delivered a higher biogas yield (380 mL), indicating an increase of 162% in biogas production compared to the sample without ION (145 mL). In addition, CH4 generation went from 30 to 114 mLCH4, indicating a 280% increase. However, adding ION to SS inhibited CH4 production. The study found that ION addition significantly improved biogas yield, especially with WSW, where the increase was more than triple, of interest to bioenergy and waste management practitioners.Graphic

Removal of sorghum stover from feed choices has no confounding effect on the quantity and quality of diets selected by group or individually fed sheep

ABSTRACT The study determined the effect of reducing dietary ingredients and group feeding on diet selection, nutrient intake and digestibility in choice-fed sheep. Three feeds comprising of veld hay (VH), sorghum stover (SS) and maize stover (MS) were offered ad-libitum while lucerne hay (LH) and bean straw (BS) were offered at restriction. Twelve sheep were allocated into three groups (i) group-fed in 3 sheep per pen, (ii) individually fed and, (iii) individually fed with SS exclusion. Sheep were rotated across the groups in four periods of 10 days. Diet selected, intake, refusals, spillages and faeces were monitored for seven days. The proportion of BS and LH consumed did not differ between group-fed and individually fed sheep with or without SS inclusion. Intake of MS and SS was lower in individually fed sheep while intake of VH was higher (p < 0.05). The proportion of BS and MS selected among individually fed sheep was similar with or without SS inclusion (p > 0.05). Diet selection was influenced by group feeding, but not the removal of SS. The scarcity of one dietary component may not result in the selection of undesired but available feeds if the quality is similar or poorer to the absent feed.

Investigation of the effects of ternary deep eutectic solvent composition on pretreatment of sorghum stover

AbstractBiomass‐derived deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have been introduced as promising pretreatment and fractionation solvents because of their mild processing conditions, easy synthesis, and green solvent components from biomass. In recent DES studies, solvent‐based third constituents like water, ethanol, and others improve the processibility of typical binary DESs. However, the impacts of these components are not well understood. Here, two solvent‐based constituents, including water and ethylene glycol, were applied to 3,4‐dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHBA)‐based DES system for improving the conversion efficiency of cellulose‐rich fraction and the properties of lignin fraction. Chemical composition, enzymatic digestibility, degree of polymerization of cellulose and physicochemical properties of lignin were used to evaluate the impact of each third constituent on biomass processing. Ternary ChCl‐DHBA DESs exhibited better performances in delignification, fermentable sugar production, and preservation of β‐O‐4 ether linkage in lignin compared with binary ChCl‐DHBA DES.

PERFORMANCE AND HAEMATOLOGICAL INDICES OF BALAMI RAMS FED CATTLE URINE-ENSILED SORGHUM STOVER AS SOURCE OF NON-PROTEIN NITROGEN

A 90-days feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of replacing fertilizer grade urea with cattle urine in sorghum stover silage on the performance and haematological indices of Balami rams. Five diets were formulated. Diet 1 (control) contained sorghum stover ensiled with fertilizer grade urea (FGU) while diets 2, 3, 4 and 5 had 25, 50, 75 and 100% levels of cattle urine as replacement for FGU. Twenty (20) rams of the Balami breed were allotted to the five diets in replicates of four in a completely randomized design. Data on daily feed intake, weight gain and haematological indices were collected Results showed no significant influence of cattle urine on daily feed intake. However, Daily weight gain was significantly (P&lt;0.05) higher on T5 (128.11 g) and T4 (124.08 g) which were the same, than on other diets which also did not differ (101.67 – 103.65 g). Similarly, Rams fed T5 (34.53 kg) had higher (P&lt;0.05) final weight than those on other diets which were the same (30.30 – 31.93 kg). Feed conversion ratio was significantly (P&lt;0.05) better on T5 (5.74) and T4 (5.88) compared to T1 (7.19), T2 (7.13) and T3 (7.06) which were poorer. All haematological indices did not significantly differ among diets. It was therefore concluded that cattle urine can completely replace fertilizer grade urea as silage additive in sorghum stover and as non-protein nitrogen source in balami rams diets.

MICROBIAL PROTEIN PRODUCTION AND RUMEN METABOLITES PARAMETERS OF YANKASA RAMS FED DIETS CONTAINING DIFFERENT NITROGEN SOURCES WITH BALANITES AEGYPTIACA LEAF POWDER AS RUMEN BUFFER

Experiment was carried out to evaluate the response of growing Yankasa rams to complete sorghum stover based diets containing varying levels of different nitrogen sources with rumen buffer plant on digestible organic matter fermented in the rumen (DOMR), microbial nitrogen (MN) and rumen metabolites. Complete diets containing 16% crude protein (CP) was formulated for the experiment. Urea was incorporated into the diets at 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2% with cottonseed cake at 20, 15, 10, 5 and 0% and designated as diet 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5% respectively. Twenty growing Yankasa rams were used for the experiment and randomly allocated to five treatment groups of four animals each in completely randomized designed (CRD). Rams were fed experimental diets and water ad libitum. The result reveals (P&lt;0.05) difference in DOMR and MN. Higher mean values of 0.37, 0.36 and 0.34 kg/d DOMR were recorded in animal fed diet 2, 3 and 5 with the least value 0.22 kg/day recorded in animals fed diet 4. MN production were higher 11.72, 11.65 and 10.81 g/day in animals fed diet 2, 3 and 5 while the least 7.03 g/day in animals fed diet 4. (P&lt;0.05) difference were observed in rumen pH 0 hour before feeding, total volatile fatty acids (TVFA), acetate, propionate, butyrate and rumen NH3-N 0 hour before and 4 hours after feeding across the diets. NH3-N was within the optimal levels for microbial activities. Inclusion of urea at graded levels of up to 2% in a complete diet has no detrimental effect on performance, DOMR, MN production and rumen parameters. Diet 3 is therefore recommended for growing Yankasa rams.

Production and Characterization of Cellulase Enzyme Produced by Bacillus Isolates from Different Sources

This study was conducted to produce and characterize cellulaseenzymes from Bacillus isolates and to determine the optimum conditionsfor cellulase activity. Four Bacillus isolates were used: iso 9+ fromcompost and iso13, iso23 and iso20 from soil. The four isolates (9+, 23,13 and 20) gave average cellulase activities of 2.89, 3.12, 3.48 and 3.53Unit/ml, respectively. The pH optimum for cellulases from the fourisolates was 6, and the temperature optima were 45, 60, 60 and 80°C,respectively. Cellulases from isolates 13 and 23 were more thermostableand retained 40.2% and 21.9% of their initial activities after incubationfor 110 min at 90°C. Cellulase was produced under solid statefermentation conditions in maize cobs, sorghum stover or bagassepretreated with 2% hydrochloric acid from the above four isolates as wellas from two more isolates (iso4- and iso2-) which were isolated from cowdung. Maximum cellulase activity was 3.78 Unit/ml from isolate 4- usingbagasse and maize cobs as substrate. These results demonstrated thatBacillus isolates 13, 23, 20 and 9+ produced active thermostableextracellular cellulase. Bagasse and maize cobs are suitable as substraesfor production of the enzyme cellulase under solid state fermentation.

Deciphering the influence of soil and feed on the nutritional status of ruminants in rainfed areas using metagenomic analysis

The soil–plant-animal continuum is an emerging domain in biological research and hence, to ascertain this aspect, the present study was conducted in three agro-ecologically different areas in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India. The goal of this work was to explore the impact of feed type and geographical conditions on the growth dynamics of sheep feed with three different diets – sorghum stover (Vizag district), groundnut halums (Krishna district) and red gram chunni (Ranga Reddy district). Animals were fed these diets at night daily for 90 days after their routine daytime grazing. The study regions varied in altitude, annual rainfall and mean temperature. Soil analysis was performed in these regions to check for pH, mineral content, organic carbon and bacterial composition. Growth dynamics (average daily gain of 41.56–77.11 g per day) and feed conversion ratios (6.26–10.93) differed markedly (p < 0.05) among animals in the three regions. Metagenomics sampling of sheep ruminal fluid from sheep reared in the three distinct regions (and separate feed types) was carried out by sequencing 16S rRNA V3-V4 regions. Comparison of alpha diversity and operational taxonomic unit (OTU) richness showed remarkable variations in the Chao1, ACE, Shannon and Simpson indices. The results of this work reveal the relationship between feed type, geographical location and ruminal microflora composition. The presence of numerous genera and species differences were discovered in the three samples, and the presence of several methanogens was confirmed. In conclusion methane emissions from cattle and sheep may be mitigated by altering the feed type, which directly influences the ruminal and gut microflora composition. Further research is recommended in order to determine the optimal relationship between soil and feed and their impact on the nutritional status of ruminants in rainfed areas, taking into account various farming and agroclimatic conditions.

Smallholder farmers practices of crops livestock integration in the district of Aguié (Niger): Agricultural production and livestock feed

Crop production and livestock are main economic activities of most populations in Maradi region. The objective of this work is to study agricultural production and livestock feeding in terms of farming practices of crops livestock integration in 4 villages of Aguié. The results of surveys randomly conducted on a sample of 78 farmers showed that farmers were categorized into two groups, which are farmers (67%) and agro-pastoralists (33%). However, the multivariate analysis of data highlighted existence of three categories of agro-pastoralist farmers, distinct in terms of their means of existence and levels of integration. It was counted 21% of population who have plows and seeders, while 51% have carts. According to distribution of oxen in farms, a proportion of 51% were small farms have no draft oxen, while 45% of farms have a draft oxen, 3 % of farms have a pair of oxen and 1 % of farms has five (5) draft oxen. Cereal production in Kg is 862 ± 419 for Small Farms (SF); 1008 ± 132.7 for Medium Farms (MF) and 5748 ± 4068 for Big Farms (BF). As for production (Kg) of legumes; SF produce on average 293 ±139.3, MF 452 ± 123.7 and the BF 991 ± 208.5. With regard to sales and self-consumption of cereals and legumes, BF carry out these practices in large quantities. In MF, for a millet production of 4,155.99 ± 613.49 kg, the millet stovers are 2,068.85 ± 305.39 kg. Cowpea production in BF is 359.08 ±135.25 kg for 65.64 ± 24.72 kg of cowpea haulms. The sorghum stovers for BF, MF and SF is respectively 566.2; 276.8 and 125.2 kg with land capital in Ha of 8.1 (BF), 3 (MF) and 1.8 (SF). Despite fodder available which is 2,227.5 kg for 0.58 TLU in the SF; 2,441.1 kg for 1.63 TLU at the MF level and 4,414.5 kg for 3.03 TLU, fodder balance is in deficit in all farms according to fodder requirement (Kg/270 days).

Demonstration of Urea Treatment Technology in Selected Kebeles of the Western Zone of Tigray

The study aimed to demonstrate the effect of urea treatment on the utilization of sorghum stover and farmers' perception. It was conducted in four kebeles of Kafta Humera district with one farmer group per kebele. Farmers and agents trained on urea treatment procedures before the experiment. The participating farmers were provided with urea, heavy plastic sheets, and guiding manuals for urea treatment preparation. Weekly meetings were held with group members to address issues and propose solutions. During field visits, data on feed intake, milk yield of cows, and farmers' perception were collected. The results showed that urea treatment technology significantly increased the average daily milk yield of milking cows from 2.39 to 3.85 liters, with an average daily increment of 1.46 liters (61.1%). The analysis indicated that each additional unit of one birr per cow's cost increment resulted in a 1.84 birr benefit from feeding urea-treated sorghum stover as a supplement. Urea treatment also increased sorghum stover intake, reduced wastage, and improved the milk yield and body conditions of lactating local cows. Therefore, it is recommended to introduce urea treatment technology, along with affordable improved feed choppers, to wider areas for further popularization and scaling up of the technology.

EFFECT OF PARTIAL REPLACEMENT OF GROUNDNUT CAKE WITH GUAR MEAL ON BLOOD BIOCHEMICAL PROFILE IN SHEEP FED DENSIFIED CROP RESIDUE BASED COMPLETE FEED BLOCKS

A 120 day trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of replacement of 50% Groundnut cake (GNC) nitrogen with guar meal (GM) on the blood biochemical profile in the ram lambs fed maize and sorghum stover based complete feed blocks. Twenty-four growing ram lambs of 3-4 months age were randomly selected and allocated into 4 groups consisting of 6 animals in each group. The Maize and sorghum stover based complete diets (50 roughage: 50 concentrate) with and without inclusion of GM was prepared and densified into block form and fed to ram lambs. The four dietary treatments were: M1: Maize stover based complete feed blocks (MSCFB) with GNC (34.8% CP) as protein supplement; M 2: MSCFB with guar meal (52 % CP) replacing 50 % GNC nitrogen of M1; S1: sorghum stover based complete feed blocks (SSCFB) with GNC as protein supplement and S2: SSCFB with guar meal replacing 50 % of GNC nitrogen of S2. Blood was drawn at the end of the trial for serum collection and serum metabolites were analyzed according to standard procedures. There was no significant (P&gt;0.05) effect on the concentration of all serum biochemical constituents among the different experimental groups of lambs and all serum biochemical constituents had mean values that were within the normal range. According to the findings of this investigation, replacing 50% GNC nitrogen with GM had no detrimental effect on blood biochemical parameters in lambs.

Nutrient digestibility, nitrogen balance and plane of nutrition in native sheep fed feed blocks containing sorghum stover of different particle size

Vidya, B., Venkateshwarlu, M., Nagalakshmi, D., Chandra, A.S., Preetham, V.C. and Kumari, N.N. 2023. Nutrient digestibility, nitrogen balance and plane of nutrition in native sheep fed feed blocks containing sorghum stover of different particle size. Animal Nutrition and Feed Technology, 23: 175–183.

Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Chromium and Yeast on in vitro Dry Matter Degradability and Rumen Fermentation Pattern

Background: Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), widely used probiotics, was found to increase the utilization of fiber and improve the production in ruminants. The concept of chromium (Cr) supplementation has also received a great deal of attention since past decade, as Cr could have supra-physiological benefits for domestic livestock. The present in vitro experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary chromium and yeast supplementation on in-vitro dry matter degradability and rumen fermentation by rumen simulation technique. Methods: The yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) (Y) (5 x 109 CFU /kg) and chromium (Cr) (1.5 mg/kg) supplementation to sorghum stover based complete diets (Basal diet: 10.58% CP) either alone or in combination on in vitro nutrient degradability and rumen fermentation was assessed by rumen simulation technique. Result: Chromium supplementation alone did not affect the cumulative degradability and effective dry matter degradability in vitro compared to BD. Yeast supplementation enhanced (P less than 0.01) in vitro DM degradability on 12, 24 and 48 h, effective DM degradability and lowered (P less than 0.01) ammonia nitrogen level in comparison to control. When compared to control, combination of yeast and Cr positively affected rumen fermentation pattern and in vitro nutrient degradability but no further improvement was observed compared to only yeast supplementation in diet.

Effect of Feeding Silage Prepared from Fall Army Worm (Spodoptera frugiperda) on Feed Intake and Hematobiochemical Parameters of Red kandhari Heifers

The study objective was to evaluate the feed intake, and hematobiochemical parameters of Red Kandhari heifers fed a total mixed ration (TMR) based on silage produced from a fall army worm (FAW) affected maize fodder compared with silage prepared from normal maize fodder. Two treatment groups, T1 and T2, consisted of 6 Red Kandhari heifers, each having average body weights 164.17 and 165.52 kg for 90 days trial. T1 and T2 groups offered 40% normal maize silage and 40% FAW-affected maize silage, respectively along with 40% concentrate and 20% chaffed sorghum stovers. Fortnightly dry matter intake (kg/day) was observed to be statistically similar (p&gt;0.05) between T1 and T2 groups. The Hematobiochemical parameters viz. Hb, PCV, blood glucose, blood urea nitrogen, ALT and AST concentration were analyzed fortnightly and found statistically not different (p&gt;0.05) between the T1 and T2 group, respectively.

On-station evaluation of straws and stovers with urea to increase utilization in Somali Region

Wheat straw (WS), barley straw (BS), sorghum stover (SS), and maize stover (MS) were subjected to different times of ensiling and urea treatment levels in order to identify the most effective ensiling time and urea treatment level to attain preferable nutritional aptitude. Both straws and stovers were treated with 0.40 and 0.50 g concentration levels of urea solution dissolved in 0.8 L of water and sealed plastic sheet for one to four weeks. Accordingly, to the general observation at the time of opening, there was no mold growth, appeared golden brown in color, and had soft consistency with a strong ammonia smell ensuring the effectiveness of the treatment. The chemical analyses and IVDMD were done at HRCL. The results showed that the urea level had a no-significant effect on all chemical compositions and IVDMD for all urea-treated straws and stovers. Therefore, treatment with 40 g urea may be more economical. On the other hand, negative and significant (P&lt;0.001) correlations existed between IVDMD and fiber fractions for all treatments. While other quality parameters, IVDMD and CP, were strongly correlated (r=0.90) (P&lt;0.01) for WS and BS. The results also revealed that the treatment duration on both straws and stovers should be 28 days. Key words: Treatment, ensiling time, chemical analysis, digestibility, crop residues.

Comparing the Effects of Different Organic Mulching Materials on Weed Control, Soil Moisture Conservation, and Wheat (Triticum Aestivum) Productivity in the Moisture Deficit Areas

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) productivity, in water deficit areas such as Ethiopia, is threatened by low soil fertility, weed infestation and moisture stress. Organic Mulch was believed to avert these challenges but only limited scientific information, on its level of effects (crop yield, soil moisture conservation and weed control), was available. Hence, an experiment was carried out on Cambisols in Tigray/Ethiopia during the 2019/20 growing season following a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Four organic mulch types (maize stalk, sorghum stalk, wheat straw, and finger millet straw), each at the rates of 2 ton ha-1 were compared against the control (no mulch). Their economic visibility was evaluated using partial budget analysis. Our experimental results revealed that mulched plots had a significantly higher weed control efficiency, soil moisture content, grain yield, and net benefit as compared to the control. Mulching in general improved Wheat grain yield by 26.8%, soil moisture (at 0 – 20 cm) by 73.7%, weed control efficiency by 57.4%, and net benefit by 19.7% as compared to the control. Maize and sorghum stover mulches were the most profitable mulch types which increased net benefit by 38.2 and 27.6%, respectively. It can be concluded that organic mulching with Maize and Sorghum stover is a good option to improve crop production, soil moisture and reduce weed infestation in the moisture deficit areas.

Biological depolymerization of lignin using laccase harvested from the autochthonous fungus Schizophyllum commune employing various production methods and its efficacy in augmenting in vitro digestibility in ruminants

A laccase-producing hyper performer, Schizophyllum commune, a white-rot fungus, was evaluated for its ability to selectively degrade lignin of diverse crop residues in vitro. Relative analysis of crop residue treatment using laccase obtained from immobilized cells demonstrated degradation of 30–40% in finger millet straw and sorghum stover, 27–32% in paddy straw, 21% in wheat straw, and 26% in maize straw, while 20% lignin degradation was observed when purified and recombinant laccase was used. Further investigations into in vitro dry matter digestibility studies gave promising results recording digestibility of 54–59% in finger millet straw 33–36% in paddy straw and wheat straw, 16% in maize straw for laccase obtained from cell immobilization method, whereas 14% digestibility was observed when purified and recombinant laccase was used. Sorghum stover recorded digestibility of 13–15% across all straws treated with laccase. The results obtained elucidated the positive influence of laccase treatment on lignin degradation and in vitro dry matter digestibility. The present research gave encouraging figures confirming the production of laccase using the cell immobilization method to be an efficient production method commensurate with purified and recombinant laccase under conditions of submerged cultivation, proclaiming a cost-effective, environmentally safe green technology for effectual lignin depolymerization.

Effect of feeding of sorghum stover based complete feed blocks containing guar meal as protein supplement on reproductive efficiency, hormone profile and antioxidant status in Deccani ewes.

Guar meal (GM) can be considered as an alternative protein source for the livestock and has a potential value as a feed to animals with a high protein content ranging between 45–55%. A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of partial replacement of groundnut cake (GNC) with guar meal (GM) on reproductive efficiency, hormone profile, antioxidant status in Deccani ewes fed sorghum stover based complete feed blocks (SSCFB). Twenty-one non-pregnant Deccani ewes (b. wt. 23.34 ±0.40 kg; 2–4 years old and body condition score 2.51±0.56) were randomly divided into three groups to contain 7 animals each in a completely randomized design. Three dietary treatments viz. S1: conventional feeding (sorghum stover and concentrate mixture fed separately in 50:50 ratios to meet the requirement), S2: SSCFB with GNC as protein supplement in concentrate mixture and S3: SSCFB with GM replacing GNC nitrogen of S2 at 50% level. The ewes were synchronised for estrus with progesterone impregnated intravaginal sponges and naturally mated. The ewes were fed at the rate of 3.1 and 3.7% of their body weight from 1st day of experiment—to 108th day of gestation and from 108th day of gestation to till lambing, respectively. The replacement of 50% of GNC nitrogen with GM and densification of diet had no effect (P>0.05) on average DMI (g), antioxidant status, progesterone concentration, conception rate, non return rate, no of matings per service, lambing rate, body weights of lambs at birth, 15 and 30 days of age. GNC can be partially replaced by GM in the ewes diet without any adverse effect on reproductive parameters, antioxidant status, progesterone concentration and weight of lambs.

Rumen Fermentation and Microbial Nitrogen Supply in Native Sheep Fed Crop Residue based Densified Feed Blocks Varying in Particle Size of Roughage

Background: Roughages with an appropriate particle size are required to maintain the optimum rumen health, fermentation and nutrient digestibility. In this regard, the present study was conducted in sheep to determine the optimum particle size for preparation of complete feed blocks. Methods: Twenty-one adult Deccani rams (19.45±0.80 kg) of 2-3 yrs age were used in a complete randomized design to assess the effect of particle size (PS) of sorghum stover (SS) on rumen fermentation characteristics and microbial nitrogen supply. Rams were divided into 3 groups consisting of 7 animals each and fed complete feed blocks containing 8 mm (SSCFB-8), 12 mm (SSCFB-12) and 16 mm (SSCFB-16) particle sizes of the stover. Rumen liquor was collected using stomach tube from each animal at 0, 2, 4 and 6 h after feeding to assess rumen fermentation pattern. Result: Mean rumen pH was increased (P less than 0.001) with increased PS of the SS in the CFBs and the rams fed SSCFB-12 and SSCFB-16 diets were shown highest (P less than 0.001) pH values. Average ammonia nitrogen concentrations were lower (P less than 0.01) in rams fed SSCFB-16 diet compared to those fed SSCFB-12 or SSCFB-8 diets. The average total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) concentration was decreased with increase in PS of SS in the feed blocks. The rams fed SSCFB-8 diet had shown higher (P less than 0.05) TVFA mean values than those fed SSCFB-12 or SSCFB-16 diets. Microbialnitrogen (g/day, g/kg W0.75) and protein supply (g/day, g/kg W0.75 and g/kg DOMI) was not affected by the PS of sorghum stover in complete feed blocks.Based on the results of the current study the SS ground to 8 mm can be considered as optimum for sheep fed SS based diets.