Tef Straw Research Articles

Catalytic Performance Investigation of Alkali and Bifunctional Catalysts Derived from Lignocellulosic Biomasses for Biodiesel Synthesis from Waste Frying Oil.

In this study, alkali and bifunctional catalysts were synthesized for waste frying oil methyl ester (WFOME) synthesis. Coffee husk (CH) and CH blended with Eragrostis tef straw (TS) (CH-TS) lignocellulosic biomasses (LBs) were utilized during the catalysts' synthesis. The alkali catalysts were CH and CH-TS ashes, both modified by KNO3 impregnation. They are designated as C-45 and C-Mix, respectively. Zirconia (ZrO2) promoted CH ash catalysts via precipitation followed by impregnation (Bic-PP) and in situ precipitation-impregnation (Bic-Dm) were the bifunctional ones. CH and CH-TS chars were the supporting frameworks during the catalysts' composite materials (CCMs) preparation. The combustion performance of LBs and CCMs was evaluated and associated with the catalysts' physicochemical properties. Using XRD, SEM, FTIR, alkalinity, TOF, and BET surface area analysis, catalysts were characterized. The combustion performance of the LBs was in the order of TS > CH-TS > CH. Among CCMs, the highest combustion performance was for CCM-Mix (KNO3/(CH-TS char)) and the lowest was for CCM-45 (KNO3/ CH char). The C-Mix catalyst was a light green powder due to the reaction between inorganic components, whereas C-45 was dark gray due to the presence of unburned char. The CCMs for bifunctional catalysts had moderate combustion performance and yielded light gray powdered catalysts containing tetragonal ZrO2. The optimum WFOME yields were 98.08, 97, 92.69, and 93.05 wt % for C-Mix, C-45, Bic-Dm, and Bic-PP assisted WFO transesterification, respectively. The results were obtained at a reaction temperature of 65 °C, time of 1 h, and methanol to WFO molar ratio of 15:1 using catalyst amounts of 5 and 7 wt % for the alkali and bifunctional catalysts, respectively. The greatest moisture resistance was offered by the C-Mix catalyst. The best reusability was for the C-45 catalyst. Catalysts' deactivation modes include active site leaching and poisoning.

Nutritional Content Analysis of Crop Residues in Three Agroecologies in East Gojjam Zone.

Livestock is important and plentiful in Ethiopia, but its potential is not being used to its full extent due to limited supply and inconsistent feed supply. This has a negative impact on livestock productivity in the tropics, where crop residues are used as livestock feed. The analysis of the nutritional content of feed and the measurement of feed production are crucial for maintaining the optimal balance of annual livestock feed and improving livestock production. However, no research has been conducted on the nutritional composition of the crop residues in the East Gojjam zone. Therefore, this study was conducted to analyze the nutritional content of crop residues in the three agroecologies in Ethiopia's East Gojjam zone. Ash, dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and acid detergent lignin (ADL) were analyzed in the feed samples. According to the findings, the overall mean content of DM, ash, OM, CP, NDF, ADF, and ADL was 92.3, 5.2, 87.1, 4.1, 71, 56.6, and 9.6%, respectively. The faba bean has the highest CP (6.2%), followed by barley straws (5.5%), vetch haulms (5.5%), Eragrostis tef (3.7%), wheat straws (3.2%), and maize stover (2.9%). In general, all crop residues contain CP content below the critical CP level required even for livestock maintenance. The highest NDF was found in barley straw (75.1%), which was followed by wheat straw (72.0%), Eragrostis tef straw (70.2%), vetch haulms (69.3%), maize stover (67.4%), and faba bean haulms (67.2%). All types of crop residues were classified as low-quality feed because they contained more than 65% NDF, which could affect feed intake and livestock production. Therefore, crop residues must be improved using mechanical, biological, and chemical methods in order to increase livestock production in the study areas by increasing feed consumption.

Synthesis of lignin-carbohydrate complex-based catalyst from Eragrostis tef straw and its catalytic performance in xylose dehydration to furfural

A new catalyst was successfully prepared by functionalization of the lignin-carbohydrate complex structure in the Eragrostis tef straw via simultaneous carbonization and sulfonation. The physical and chemical properties of the surface of the synthesized catalyst were checked by FTIR and XRD. The FTIR results indicate the prepared catalyst exhibited functional groups such as –SO3H, -COOH, and –OH. The synthesis conditions like the temperature and time of carbonization and sulfonation showed significant effect the amount of the strong acid doped into the carbonized lignin-carbohydrate matrix. The newly prepared catalyst was checked for dehydration of xylose to furfural and revealed of course that it has the potential. The maximum yield of furfural 62.4% was achieved and the catalyst showed excellent reusability for 5 runs without significant loss of catalystic activity. The use of catalysts prepared from Eragrostis tef straw is a green strategy for converting xylose to furfural, as these catalysts are solving the problems associated with the use of mineral acid catalysts.

Effect of Feeding Improved Grass Hays and Eragrostis Tef Straw Silage on Milk Yield, Nitrogen Utilization, and Methane Emission of Lactating Fogera Dairy Cows in Ethiopia.

Simple SummaryIn tropical regions, it is common practice to feed dairy cows poor-quality roughage, but this diet has been shown to decrease animal productivity and increase methane emissions. For these reasons, introducing alternative roughage feeds, such as nutritionally improved forages or bio-chemically treated straw, is essential for improving milk yield, dietary nitrogen utilization, and reducing enteric methane emission from dairy cows. Thus, we evaluated the effects of natural pasture hay, two improved grass hays (Napier and Brachiaria hybrid grasses), and treated teff straw silage feeding as basal diets on nutrient digestibility, milk yield, nitrogen utilization efficiency, and enteric methane emissions using lactating Fogera dairy cows. Our results showed that improved grass hays and treated teff straw silage diet feeding increased milk yield, nutrient digestibility, and nitrogen utilization efficiency as compared to natural pasture hay. Moreover, the cows fed with improved grass hays and treated teff straw resulted in changing the nitrogen excretion pathway from urine to feces, as well as reduction of the methane production per daily milk yield. Hence, these results provide a novel feeding regimen through feeding nutritionally upgraded forages as a basal diet, which improves milk yield, nutrient utilization efficiency, and reduction of methane emission for sustainable dairy production in tropical regions.The nutritionally imbalanced poor-quality diet feeding is the major constraint of dairy production in tropical regions. Hence, alternative high-quality roughage-based diets are required to improve milk yield and reduce methane emission (CH4). Thus, we tested the effects of feeding natural pasture hay, improved forage grass hays (Napier and Brachiaria Hybrid), and treated crop residues (Eragrostis tef straw) on nutrient digestibility, milk yield, nitrogen balance, and methane emission. The eight lactating Fogera cows selected for the experiment were assigned randomly to a 4 × 4 Latin square design. Cows were housed in well-ventilated individual pens and fed a total mixed ration (TMR) comprising 70% roughage and 30% concentrate. The four roughage-based basal dietary treatments supplemented with formulated concentrate were: Control (natural pasture hay (NPH)); treated teff straw silage (TTS); Napier grass hay (NGH); and Brachiaria hybrid grass hay (BhH). Compared with the control diet, the daily milk yield increased (p < 0.01) by 31.9%, 52.9%, and 71.6% with TTS, NGH, and BhH diets, respectively. Cows fed BhH had the highest dry matter intake (8.84 kg/d), followed by NGH (8.10 kg/d) and TTS (7.71 kg/d); all of these intakes were greater (p = 0.01) than that of NPH (6.21 kg/d). Nitrogen digestibility increased (p < 0.01) from the NPH diet to TTS (by 27.7%), NGH (21.7%), and BhH (39.5%). The concentration of ruminal ammonia nitrogen was higher for cows fed NGH than other diets (p = 0.01) and positively correlated with plasma urea nitrogen concentration (R² = 0.45). Feeding TTS, NGH, and BhH hay as a basal diet changed the nitrogen excretion pathway from urine to feces, which can help protect against environmental pollution. Estimated methane yields per dry matter intake and milk yield were decreased in dairy cows fed BhH, NGH, and TTS diets when compared to cows fed an NPH diet (p < 0.05). In conclusion, feeding of TTS, NGH, and BhH roughages as a basal diet to lactating dairy cows in tropical regions improved nutrient intake and digestibility, milk yield, nitrogen utilization efficiency, and reduced enteric methane emission.

English

The experiment was conducted with the objective of studying the carcass characteristics and meat quality of Arsi-Bale lambs (AB) and Afar lambs (Af) fed on tef straw (TS) ensiled with effective microorganisms and supplemented with concentrate. The experimental design was complete randomized block with two factors having 7 replications. Each lamb was fed on TS silage alone, or supplemented with either wheat bran Bokashi alone or mixed with noug seed cake. The results indicated that, except for chilling loss and the dressing percentages the AB were better than the Af in all the carcass characteristics that were improved by supplementation. Most of the carcass linear measurements were influenced only by diet which made the supplemented lambs performed (p>0.05) better (p 0.05) for both breeds, though better (p<0.05) for the supplemented. It is concluded that compared to the Af the AB can produce similar quality but better lean meat yield. Key words: Bokashi, Tef straw silage, meat quality, morphometric carcass measurements, sensory evaluation, physicochemical characteristics.

Aerodynamic Properties of Tef for Separation from Chaff

The knowledge of the aerodynamic characteristics of tef grains and chaff (floating velocity, aerodynamic resistance coefficient) is significant for the construction and operation of machines, which treat substances with air flow and in all cases when substances are moved in the air. Terminal velocity and drag coefficient of tef grain and straw materials (Kuncho variety) have been experimentally measured by suspending the particles in an air stream. The effects of moisture content of tef grain, node position and length of straw on terminal velocity were studied. The results showed that moisture content have significant effects (p<0.01) on terminal velocity. By increasing moisture content from 7.3 to 25.94 % (w.b.), its terminal velocity increased linearly from 2.98 to 3.87 m/s. Drag coefficient of the tef grain decrease from 0.77 to 0.59 as moisture content increase from 7.3 to 25.94 %. The terminal velocity of the straws with different node positions (node free, end node, and middle node) and lengths (1 to 10 cm) were also measured. Keywords: Aerodynamic properties, terminal velocity, drag coefficient, tef, straw, node DOI : 10.7176/CER/11-3-05 Publication date : April 30 th 2019

Growth and carcass characteristics of Afar lambs at two concentrate levels supplementation and slaughter weights fed Tef Straw Basal Diet

An experiment arranged in 2×2 factorial was carried out to evaluate the effect of concentrate levels, targeted live weights, and their interaction on live and carcass performance of Afar lambs. Forty yearling lambs were divided into 5 groups; one group was slaughtered at the beginning of the experiment and the other groups were randomly assigned to four treatments. Significantly (P≤0.05) higher dry matter intake DMI (740.38 g) was noted for lambs assigned to a higher (500 g) concentrate supplemented groups than 688.03 g recorded for lower (300 g) concentrate supplemented categories. Lambs finished for 30 kg live weight took longer (P≤0.001) feeding days (180) than the group targeted 30 kg slaughter body weight, which lapsed 91 days. Animals allotted to 500 g concentrate feed supplementation showed higher (P≤ 0.001) DWG (112.6 g) and FCE (0.15) than 300 g supplemented groups. The effect of concentrate levels and targeted body weights were significant on the majority parameters measured. It could be concluded that 500 g concentrate feed supplement and 30 kg target slaughter weight (T3) is the best strategy to finish yearling Afar lambs in 70 days of feeding for improved performance and economic of feeding. Key words: Afar sheep, carcass, concentrate, slaughter weight, Tef straw.

Livestock feed resources utilization practices in Tanqua-Abergelle district of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia.

A study was carried out with the objective to assess the utilization practices of local feed resources. It was implemented in Tanqua-Abergelle district of the Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia. Lemlem and Gera peasant associations (PAs) were selected purposively based on their potentiality in livestock resources and road access for household (HH) interview purpose. Likewise, Sheka-Tekli and Hadinet PAs were chosen for the purpose of focus group discussion (FGD). A total of 60 HHs (30 from each PA) were selected randomly for interview using semi-structured questionnaire. About 16% of the respondents were female HHs. Two FGDs were held with key informants. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS (2013, version 21) statistical software procedures. The study area is characterized by mixed crop-livestock farming system with high interaction between crop and livestock. Livestock are the mainstay for the farm community with many benefits as sources of draught, meat, milk, income, and manures. Cattle are kept primarily for the purpose of draught power with meat and milk as secondary products, whereas shoats are kept mainly for cash income, manure, meat, and milk. The land holding size per HH was 1.44ha while the herd size was 4.93 tropical livestock unit (TLU). Almost all the land holding (97%) is allocated for crop cultivation with lesser for forage production (<1%) indicating poor attention for fodder harvesting. The cattle herd is composed of local breeds (99%) with less exotic/crossbred (1%), indicating that the livestock rearing is practiced using local breed. Crop residues, natural pastures, stubble grazing, hay, and browsing are the main feed resources for animals. The availability and contribution of each feed vary with season and areas. Sorghum stover is the main feed source in the area and followed by maize stover, Eragrostis tef straw, and pulse straws. Crop residues are fed as basal diet with no or less supplementation using local concentrates like Attela and mill by-products. Industrial by-products are rarely used in the livestock feeding system for their high price and less availability. Likewise, improved forages are not widely utilized as feed sources.

English

This study assessed the effects of storage method and storage duration on the dynamics in nutritional qualities of tef (Eragrostis tef-cereal indigenous to Ethiopia) and wheat straws in Ejere woreda, central highlands of Ethiopia. The trial was designed with a factorial combination of two storage methods (shelter shade, open-air) and four storage durations (zero, two, four and six months). A total of 12 farmers (six conserving tef straw and the rest six conserving wheat straw) were selected for sampling and evaluation of the crop residues. Among the six farmers conserving each of the crop residues, three of them stored the straws in open-air while the other three used shelter shade. All the measured parameters (DM, ash, CP, IVOMD, ME, NDF, ADF and lignin contents) were significantly (p<0.05) affected by storage method and storage durations. The CP, IVOMD and ME contents showed consistently decreasing trends with prolonged storage durations, with higher nutrient losses in straws stored in open air than those stored under shelter. The estimated losses in CP contents during the six months storage period, respectively when stored under shelter and in open air were 30.2 and 41% in tef straw; and 22.3 and 46.9% in wheat straw. Similarly, IVOMD was reduced by 35.8 and 41.1% in tef straw and by 33.3 and 42.6% in wheat straw when stored under shelter and in open air, respectively during the six months storage period. On the other hand, the fiber fractions showed increasing trends with prolonged storage durations, with higher rates of increase in straws stored in open air than those stored under shelter. During the six months storage period, NDF content was increased by 8.5 and 13.6% in tef straw and by 8.9 and 12.9% in wheat straw, respectively when stored under shelter and in open air. The ADF content was increased by 8.4 and 12.2% in tef straw and by 14.9 and 19.3% in wheat straw when stored under shelter and in open air condition, respectively. Lignin content was also increased by 14.2 and 53.1% in tef straw and by 37.7 and 32.2% in wheat straw when stored under shelter and in open air, respectively. The decrease in CP and IVOMD, and the increase in fiber fractions with prolonged storage durations in the crop residues could be attributed to the loss of readily soluble nutrients and the higher concentration of the fibrous materials in the feed DM mainly when stored in open air. The result revealed that quality of crop residues which is inherently low would be substantially reduced further during storage especially when stored in open air. Therefore, supplementation schemes should consider the storage method, storage duration and the associated dynamics in nutritional quality in crop residue-based feeding system of dairy cattle. Key words: Crop residues, nutritional quality, storage method, storage duration, tef and wheat straws.

Effect of Concentrate Supplementation on Performances of Ethiopian Lowland Afar and Blackhead Ogaden Lambs

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of increased concentrate supplementation on nutrient intake, growth performance, carcass characteristics, duration of feeding and profitability of Ethiopian Afar and Blackhead Ogaden (BHO) lambs. Forty-eight lambs (24/breed) initially weighing 17.84±1.6 kg were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments (T) in Complete Randomized Design. Each lamb was fed on tef straw ad libtium and supplemented with 150, 300, 450 g d-1 of concentrate (containing 19.4% crude protein (CP) and 11.28 MJ ME kg-1DM) in T1, T2 and T3, respectively. Intake and growth trial lasted for 126 days, followed by digestibility trial of 7 days. Dry matter (DM) intake increased (p<0.0001) with increasing concentrate offer in lambs in general, but higher (p<0.05) in Afar than in BHO lambs. Intake of CP peaked at the highest level of supplementation. Increased (p<0.0001) digestibility of DM, CP, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) were noted at higher concentrate offer in Afar lambs. Average daily gain of lambs increased (p<0.0001) with increased concentrate, and lambs reached the target weight (25-30kg) for export market relatively within short period of feeding at higher than lower level of concentrate supplementation. Given equal level of concentrate, Afar lambs reached the target weight in less days of feeding than BHO lambs. Increasing concentrate has resulted in increased slaughter weight (SW), hot carcass weight (HCW), dressing percent (DP) and lean-to-fat ratio (LFR) in Afar lambs, while it improved SW, HCW and DP in BHO lambs. This study indicated that increased meat production measured in terms of live weight change and carcass yield in Afar and BHO lambs can be achieved at high concentrate supplementation with profit.

Intake, Digestibility, Body Weight and Carcass Characteristics of Tigray Sheep Fed Tef Straw Supplemented with Sesame Seed Meal or Wheat Bran and their Mixtures

The study was conducted over 90 days feeding and 7 days digestibility trials at Enda Selassie ATVET College to assess the effect of supplementation on feed utilization and carcass characteristics in tef (Eragrostis tef) straw based feeding of Tigray rams. The rams were arranged in a randomized complete block design divided into five blocks based on initial BW. The treatments comprised of ad libitum tef straw (control, T1) and daily supplementation with 300 g dry matter (DM) sole sesame (Sesame indicum) seed meal (SSM, T2), 0.65SSM:0.35 wheat bran (WB, T3), 0.35SSM:0.65WB (T4) and sole WB (T5). Tef straw used in the study contained low (30.6 g kg -1 DM) crude protein (CP) and high (825.8 g kg -1 DM) neutral detergent fiber (NDF) contrary to the supplement feeds. Total daily DM intake and DM intake as a percentage of BW were higher (P T3 > T4 > T5 > T1. Daily BW gain was negative and lower (P ones (50-71.1 g day-1). Out of all supplemented treatments, T5 was lower (P was higher (P Keywords: Tigray Sheep; Body Weight; Carcass; Intake; Sesame Seed Meal; Tef Straw; Wheat Bran

Supplementation of Graded Levels of Wheat Bran to Intact and Castrated Afar Sheep Fed Urea Treated Tef Straw: Effects on Feed Intake, Digestibility, Body Weight and Carcass Characteristics

A feeding and digestibility trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of wheat bran (WB) supplementation on feed utilization and carcass characteristics in urea treated tef (Eragrostis tef) straw (UTTS) based feeding of Afar sheep. Sixteen intact and sixteen castrated Afar sheep with initial body weight (BW) of 15.75 ± 1.57 kg (mean ± SD) were used in a randomized complete block design with 2 sex (intact, T1-T4 and castrated, T5-T8) x 4 levels (0, control; 150 g, low; 250 g, medium; 350 g, high) of WB supplementation on a dry matter (DM) basis. Supplementation promoted higher total DM, crude protein (CP) (P

Feed intake, digestibility, body weight and carcass parameters of Afar rams fed tef (Eragrostis tef) straw supplemented with graded levels of concentrate mix

The experiment was conducted at Alamata Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopia using 20 Afar rams with an initial body weight (BW) of 18.2 +/- 1.76 (mean +/- SD) kg. The objectives were to study the effect of supplementation with concentrate mix consisting of wheat bran (WB), noug seed cake (NSC) and sesame seed cake (SSC) at the ratio of 2:1:1 on dry matter (DM) basis, respectively on feed intake, digestibility, BW gain and carcass parameters of Afar rams fed tef (Eragrostis tef) straw basal diet. The experiment was arranged with four treatments and five replications in a randomized complete block design. The treatments included feeding sole tef straw (T1, control), and daily supplementation with the concentrate mix offered at 150 (T2, low), 250 (T3, medium) and 350 (T4, high) g DM per head. Total DM intake, crude protein (CP) digestibility, daily BW gain (P < 0.001), DM and organic matter (OM) digestibility, and carcass parameters (P < 0.05) were higher in the supplemented than in the control treatment. Intake of tef straw reduced as the level of supplementation increased, whereas the contrary was true for CP intake. Performance in carcass parameters was better for the medium compared to the low level of concentrate mix supplementation. Moreover, the medium level of supplementation did not substitute tef straw intake. Therefore, it is concluded that the medium level of concentrate mix supplement maintained the utilization of the roughage feed and resulted in better carcass parameters.

Supplementation of isonitrogenous oil seed cakes in cactus ( Opuntia ficus-indica)–tef straw ( Eragrostis tef) based feeding of Tigray Highland sheep

The experiment was conducted at Maichew Agricultural Technical Vocational Education and Training College, Ethiopia. Twenty four male yearling Tigray Highland sheep with mean body weight (BW) of 21 ± 2.6 kg (mean ± S.D.) were used to investigate the effect of different protein sources on feed intake, nutrient digestibility, BW change and carcass parameters in a study comprising of 90 days feeding trial, followed by 7 days of digestibility trial and evaluation of carcass parameters. Six individually fed animals were used per treatment in a randomized complete block design. The treatments consisted of ad libitum feeding of tef ( Eragrostis tef) straw plus 172 g dry matter (DM) of cactus ( Opuntia ficus-indica) pear (T1, control) and supplementation with 145 g DM cotton seed cake (CSC) (T2), 195 g DM noug seed cake (NSC) (T3) or 149 g DM peanut cake (PNC) (T4) per head per day. The quantity of the supplements was set to supply 62.5 g crude protein (CP). Tef straw DM intake was depressed (P<0.01) as the result of NSC supplementation. Sheep supplemented with CSC and PNC had higher (P<0.001) total DM intake than the control and NSC supplemented ones. Supplementation with NSC and PNC also resulted in higher (P<0.01) apparent digestibility of DM and OM compared to the control treatment. Supplementation with CSC and PNC resulted in better daily BW gain (P<0.001), feed conversion efficiency (FCE) and dressed carcass weight (P<0.01) compared to the non-supplemented diet. Dressing percentage on slaughter weight base was higher (P<0.01) in supplemented sheep than in the non-supplemented ones. Supplementation with PNC also promoted higher (P<0.05) rib-eye muscle area than in the non-supplemented ones. It was concluded that supplementation with 145 g DM CSC and 149 g DM PNC resulted in better feed intake, BW gain and carcass traits in cactus–tef straw based feeding of sheep.

Effect of supplementation of tef (Eragrostis tef) straw with different levels of noug (Guizotia abyssinica) meal on worked Arsi oxen (Bos indicus)

AbstractSupplementing the tef (Eragrostis tef) straw feed of Arsi oxen (Bos indicus) with 1, 2 or 4 kg per animal per day of noug (Guizotia abyssinica) meal for 90 days improved growth parameters. Supplementation significantly increased feed intake, average daily gain, and the weight of dressed carcass and lean meat. Supplementation with 1 kg of noug meal was the most profitable, giving a net return per animal of US$17.10, whereas a sole diet of tef straw gave a loss of US$18.66 per animal. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd

Effect of different levels of cactus ( Opuntia ficus-indica) inclusion on feed intake, digestibility and body weight gain in tef ( Eragrostis tef) straw-based feeding of sheep

The study was conducted to determine the effect of different levels of cactus ( Opuntia ficus-indica) inclusion on feed intake, diet apparent digestibility and live weight gain in tef ( Eragrostis tef) straw-based feeding of sheep. A randomized complete block design was used to assign 24 male Highland sheep with initial live weight of 17.0 ± 3.9 kg (mean ± S.D.) in six replications to one of the four treatment feeds. The animals in T1 were offered 610 g tef straw on dry matter (DM) basis, and 57.6 g DM noug ( Gouzotia abyssinica) seed cake, and those in T2, T3 and T4 were offered the same quantities of noug seed cake DM with replacement of one fourth, half and three fourths of tef straw DM with spineless cactus DM, respectively. The sheep were kept on the experimental feeds for 118 days. Spineless cactus and tef straw were offered separately to animals in two equal portions at 8:00 and 16:00 h. Common salt and fresh water were offered ad libitum throughout the experimental period. Spineless cactus had a high content of water (880 g/kg fresh weight), ash, especially calcium (45 g/kg DM), but the phosphorus concentration was 2.6 g/kg DM, making the ratio of calcium to phosphorus 17:1. The soluble carbohydrate of cactus was over 251 g/kg DM, whereas it was only 130 g/kg DM in the basal diet. The crude protein (CP) content of cactus (83 g/kg DM) was higher compared to that of the basal feed (76 g/kg DM). High contents of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) (705 g/kg DM) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) (386 g/kg DM) were determined in tef straw than in cactus that had NDF content of 392 g/kg DM and ADF content of 263 g/kg DM. Cactus was readily consumed and the animals preferred cactus to tef straw. The water intake was negatively correlated ( r = −0.88) with cactus intake. Significant differences (P<0.05) were observed between treatments in daily live weight gain and the highest live weight gain (53 g/day) was recorded in sheep fed on T3, whereas the lowest live weight gain (23 g/day) was recorded in animals on T1. The digestibility coefficients for CP, NDF and ADF reduced as the cactus level increased in the diet. It is concluded that inclusion of cactus in the experimental diet or other comparable diets to up to 50% on DM basis for sheep fed tef straw promotes weight gain without causing digestive disturbances common in diets with high cactus inclusion.

Crude protein and mineral composition of major crop residues and supplemental feeds produced on Vertisols of the Ethiopian highland

This study assessed the concentrations of crude protein (CP) and minerals in tef ( Eragrostis tef) and grass pea ( Lathyrus sativus) residues, noug seedcake ( Guizotia abyssinica) and grass pea grain produced on Vertisols of the Ethiopian highland. Soil and feed N and minerals were determined from samples obtained from tef and grass pea crop fields as well as oil extracting plants. The concentration of Ca (16 g/kg), Na (274 mg/kg) ( P < 0.001) and Fe (152 mg/kg) ( P < 0.05) in grass pea haulm exceeded that of tef straw, while the reverse was noted for P and Mn ( P < 0.001). Noug seedcake contained high concentrations of CP (328 g/kg DM) and P (12 g/kg DM), but had low concentrations of other minerals. Grass pea grain had high concentrations of CP (280 g/kg) and Fe (78 mg/kg). The K/(Ca + Mg) ratios of the evaluated feeds were favourable but their Ca:P ratios, with the exception of grass pea grain (1.06), were wide. A strong positive correlation was found between soil Na and the Na content of tef and grass pea residues. Soil P was also positively correlated with tef straw P. For N and the remaining minerals, the correlations between soil and crop residues were not significant (P > 0.05). It was concluded that the observed CP and mineral concentration differences between the examined feed sources can be exploited to ensure optimum supply of CP and most minerals, but Na and Cu deficiencies would likely limit production of animals relying on these feeds.

Effect of Supplementing Graded Levels of Forage Legumes on Performance of Crossbred Calves Fed Tef (Eragrostis tef) Straw

Ebro, A., Nsahlai, I.V., Yami, A. and Umunna, N.N. 2004. Effect of supplementing graded levels of forage legumes on performance of crossbred calves fed Tef (Eragrostis tef) straw. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 26: 107–112. To examine the effect of feeding graded levels of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and lablab hay (Lablab purpureus) on feed intake, weight gain, digestibility and utilization of nutrients, Friesian x Boran (Zebu) crossbred calves were fed ad libitum tef straw alone or supplemented with three levels (0.5, 1 and 1.5% of body weight) of either cowpea or lablab hay. Fifty-six and 28 calves were used for the growth and digestibility studies, respectively. Supplementation increased total dry matter, organic matter, nitrogen, gross energy and digestible energy intakes. Furthermore, increasing levels of supplementation increased average daily gain, nitrogen digestibility and nitrogen retention. Cowpea and lablab did not differ (P<0.05) from each other and thus are equally efficient in improving feed intake, nutrient digestibility and utilization for growth. Supplementation of calves with cowpea or lablab hay at levels lower than 1% of body weight may not substitute for the basal roughage.

Feed intake, digestion kinetics and rumen volatile fatty acids in Menz rams supplemented with Lablab purpureus or graded levels of Leucaena pallida 14203 and Sesbania sesban 1198

35 Menz rams weighing 19.3 ± 0.87 kg (mean ± S.D.) were used in a randomized block design experiment that was conducted for 35 days at Debre Zeit Research Station of the International Livestock Research Institute, Ethiopia. The objectives of the study were to determine feed intake, apparent digestibility, passage rate and level of rumen volatile fatty acids (VFA) in Menz rams fed tef ( Eragrostis tef) straw. The basal diet was supplemented daily on DM basis with dried foliage of Lablab purpureus, LAB – (230 g) or graded levels of Leucaena pallida 14203, namely, LP1 – (170 g), LP2 – (230 g), LP3 – (290 g), and Sesbania sesban 1198, namely, SS1 – (170 g), SS2 – (230 g), and SS3 – (290 g). The nitrogen (N) content of the supplement feeds was over 28.8 g kg −1 DM, whereas it was only 8.5 g kg −1 DM in the basal feed. High contents of NDF (747.6 g kg −1 DM) and ADF (419.5 g kg −1 DM) were determined in tef straw compared to the supplement feeds. Among the supplement feeds, L. purpureus had relatively high NDF (454 g kg −1 DM) and ADF (346.2 g kg −1 DM) content. L. pallida 14203 contained relatively high levels of the anti-nutritive factors, namely, condensed tannins (82.7 Abs g −1 NDF) and soluble phenolics (27.9 g kg −1 DM). Basal feed DM intake ( P < 0.05) reduced with an increase in the level of L. pallida 14203 supplementation. The apparent digestibility of N, ADF and ADL was lower ( P < 0.001) in L. pallida 14203 than in L. purpureus or S. sesban 1198 supplemented rams. L. pallida 14203 promoted lower ( P < 0.05) fractional outflow rate of particulate matter from the rumen and longer rumen mean retention time than L. purpureus and S. sesban 1198. Higher levels of total VFA ( P < 0.001) were observed in S. sesban 1198 than in L. pallida 14203 supplemented rams. It was concluded that the anti-nutritive factors in L. pallida 14203 have a major impact on fractional outflow rate of particulate matter from the rumen, and the digestibility of nutrients, with particular limitations on N digestibility. Increasing levels of S. sesban 1198 supplementation reduced nutrient digestibility due to increased passage rate, and thus supplementation of animals with the lowest level of the fodder tree appears to be more appropriate. The relatively high fiber content of L. purpureus reduced intake and apparent digestibility of feed on a limited scale.

Intake, digestibility and passage rate in Menz sheep fed tef ( Eragrostis tef) straw supplemented with dried leaves of selected multipurpose trees, their mixtures or wheat bran

A digestibility trial was conducted with the objectives to evaluate the effects of supplementing single or mixtures of selected MPTs or wheat bran on feed intake, digestibility, and passage rate in Menz sheep offered a basal feed of tef ( Eragrostis tef) straw. The study was conducted using 36 male Menz sheep with a mean BW of 16.45 ± 0.25 kg in a completely randomized design at Debre Zeit Research Station of the International Livestock Research Institute in Ethiopia. The nine treatments consisted of supplementing sheep fed chopped tef straw with wheat bran (positive control) or dried foliage of the multipurpose trees (MPTs), Sesbania sesban 1198 ( SS1), Sesbania sesban 15019 ( SS2), Acacia angustissima 15132 ( AA), Leucaena pallida 14203 ( LP), or mixtures of SS1 + LP; SS2 + LP; SS1 + AA; SS2 + AA at a ratio of 2:1 each. The supplement feeds were offered at 0.9% of BW on DM basis. The supplement MPTs contained low NDF (18–32%) and high CP (21.7–27.5%), whereas tef straw contained high NDF (72.8%) and low CP (4.5%). Soluble phenolics and condensed tannins were higher in the MPTs than in tef straw. Mixtures of LP with either SS1 or SS2 promoted higher ( P < 0.05) intake of tef straw and total DM, N and ADF than the control treatment. However, no such differences ( P > 0.05) were observed in the digestibility of DM, OM, NDF and ADF between mixtures of LP with SS1 and SS2 and the control treatment. Digestibility of N was higher ( P < 0.05) in animals supplemented with the control feed than those supplemented with the mixture of LP and SS2. Supplementation with the mixtures of AA and both accessions of S. Sesban promoted higher ( P < 0.05) OM, N, supplement and total feed DM intake, N digestibility and feed passage rate compared to single AA. Supplementation with the mixture of SS and LP resulted in higher ( P < 0.05) digestibility of DM, OM, N, NDF and ADF compared to single LP. Feed passage rate was positively correlated ( P < 0.01) with DM and N intake. It is concluded that the limitations imposed on N digestibility by high content of soluble phenolics in AA and condensed tannins in LP can be alleviated by supplementing them as mixtures with SS1.