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Acid Detergent Fiber (acid + detergent_fiber)
Selected AbstractsComparative effect of biofertilizers on fodder production and quality in guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq.)JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 9 2008Seema Mishra Abstract BACKGROUND:Panicum maximum Jacq. is one of the most important fodder grasses of the tropics. For good production and growth it requires high amounts of N fertilizer. Chemical fertilizers have a deleterious effect on soil fertility and are not economical for resource-poor farmers. Utilization of plant growth-promoting bacteria and fungi proved to be beneficial for improving crop production as well as the soil fertility. In the present paper the effect of inoculation of N fixer (Azospirillum brasilense) and P solubilizers (arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi consortia and inoculum of Glomus intraradiaces) was studied in single as well as mixed inoculation on forage yield and quality in guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq.) at different cuttings under the cut-and-carry system. RESULTS: Overall five cuttings were obtained during the year. Dual inoculation, i.e., Azospirillum with indigenous AM consortia, significantly improved fodder growth, production and quality in terms of crude protein (CP) content, while neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) content decreased after this treatment. The density of soil microbes (number of Azospirillum colony-forming units, number of AM spores) was enhanced in mixed inoculation. Chemical fertilizer improved fodder production and CP content significantly over control but also enhanced NDF and ADF content and suppressed the Azospirillum colony-forming units, AM spores and AM root infection. CONCLUSION: It could be concluded from the present study that inoculated N fixer and P solubilizer have a synergistic effect which enhanced overall fodder production, quality and also beneficial microflora in the rhizosphere soil, which also demonstrated the sustainability of biofertilizers. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Nutritional chemistry of foods eaten by gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, UgandaAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 7 2006Jessica M. Rothman Abstract Foods eaten by gorillas (Gorilla beringei) in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP), Uganda, were analyzed for their nutrient content. The goal of the study was to assess the amounts of fiber, protein, and sugars in the foods eaten by the Bwindi gorillas, and to determine whether condensed tannins and cyanide are present in these foods. A total of 127 food plant parts representing 84 plant species eaten by two groups of Bwindi gorillas were collected, processed, and analyzed for their chemical contents. The Bwindi gorilla ate foods that contain 2,28% crude protein (CP), 21,88% neutral detergent fiber (NDF), 14,60% acid detergent fiber (ADF), 2,42% acid detergent lignin (ADL), and ,1,50% water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) on a dry matter (DM) basis. Moisture in these foods ranged from 7% to 96%. Approximately 35% of the foods analyzed contained condensed tannins, and two foods contained cyanogenic glycosides. This is the first detailed report regarding the nutritional chemistry of gorilla foods in Bwindi, many of which are also eaten by other primates. This unique data set adds to our knowledge about the nutritional composition of foods eaten by gorillas across habitats, is useful for understanding aspects of feeding behavior, and provides valuable comparative data for optimizing the diets of gorillas ex situ. Am. J. Primatol. 68:1,17, 2006. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Effect of different levels of Quebracho tannin on nitrogen utilization and growth performance of Najdi sheep fed alfalfa (Medicago sativa) hay as a sole dietANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 5 2009Soliman N. AL-DOBAIB ABSTRACT A commercial tannin source (Quebracho tannin, QT), containing 75% condensed tannins (CT) in dry matter (DM) was used to evaluate the effects of addition of different levels of QT to alfalfa hay on the in vitro degradation kinetics of organic matter (OM) and nitrogen (N) in experiment 1 (Exp. 1), N utilization and microbial N synthesis (MNS) in experiment 2 (Exp. 2) and growth performance of growing Najdi lambs in experiment 3 (Exp. 3). Alfalfa hay was treated with QT at the levels of 0, 1, 2 and 3% of DM to form four treatments of QT0, QT1, QT2 and QT3 to have actual levels of CT being 0, 0.75, 1.5 and 2.25% of DM, respectively. Degradation rate and the effective degradability of N were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) for QT2 and QT3 as compared with the QT0. In Exp. 2, digestibility coefficients for OM, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) at QT3, whereas QT1 and QT2 showed no difference toQT0. In the metabolism trial (Exp. 2), digested N (DN) and urinary N (UN) excretion for QT2 and QT3 were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) compared to QT0 and QT1. The DN and UN as percentage of N intake were 79.2, 76.9, 75.5 and 69.8%; and 24.4, 22.6, 19.9 and 19.6% for QT0, QT1, QT2 and QT3, respectively. QT2 had the highest MNS and the lowest value was in QT3, the MNS of the treatments were 18.1, 18.7, 19.2 and 15.8 g/day for QT0, QT1, QT2 and QT3, respectively. In the growth trial of 56 days duration (Exp. 3, n = 24 lambs), the addition of QT at the level of QT2 enhanced (P < 0.05) the average daily gain and feed conversion rate compared with the QT0, while, QT1 and QT3 had intermediate values. It is concluded that alfalfa hay treated with QT at the level of 2% of DM could be used to protect alfalfa N from ruminal degradation that would lead to improve growth performance of lambs. [source] The effect of dietary ratios of corn silage and alfalfa hay on carbohydrate digestion and retention time of feed particles in the gastrointestinal tract of steersANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 5 2009Taketo OBITSU ABSTRACT Four Holstein steers fitted with duodenal cannula were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design to investigate the effect of the combination of corn silage (CS) and alfalfa hay (AH) in different ratios on the ruminal and intestinal digestion of carbohydrates and feed particle passage rate. Steers were fed mixed diets containing both CS and AH in ratios of 80:20, 60:40, 40:60 and 20:80 on a dry matter basis at 95% of ad libitum feed intake. The increase of AH proportion in diets increased dry matter intake and ruminal digestion of dry matter, non-fiber carbohydrate, neutral and acid detergent fiber linearly. Ruminal digestibility of neutral detergent fiber showed a quadratic response, and total digestibility increased linearly with increasing AH proportion. Digestibility of acid detergent fiber in the rumen was not affected by the dietary treatments, but the total tract digestibility increased as the AH proportion increased. Mean retention time of feed particles in total compartment increased when the AH proportion increased from 20% to 60%, but decreased with further increase of the AH proportion. These results indicate that moderate combinations of CS and AH have an associative effect on ruminal fiber digestion, modifying particle movement in the rumen. [source] Effect of D-mannitol on feed digestion and cecotrophic system in rabbitsANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2009Hamza HANIEH ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the effect of sugar alcohol as an energy source for cecal microbes on digestibility, cecotrophy (i.e. reingestion of microbial products of cecum, cecotrophs) and performance in rabbits. Thus, we fed rabbits an experimental diet that included 5% of D-mannitol, and collected hard feces and cecotrophs to be analyzed for crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), ether extract (EE), crude ash (CA) and dry matter (DM). Cecotrophic behavior of the rabbits was also observed. Feeding D-mannitol increased (P < 0.01) digestibility of ADF, resulting in a decrease (P < 0.05) in the concentration in hard feces. The increase (P < 0.05) in CP concentration was attributed to lower (P < 0.05) digestibility. D-mannitol had a similar modulatory effect on CP and ADF concentrations in hard feces and cecotrophs. Accordingly, estimations of the proportion of nutrients recycled by cecotrophy to dietary intake (PR), obtained by the two calculation methods, showed an increase (P < 0.01) in PR of CP and a decrease (P < 0.05) in that of ADF. Daily weight gain and feed efficiency increased (P < 0.05) for D-mannitol-fed rabbits, while daily feed intake decreased (P < 0.05). These results suggest the possibility of using D-mannitol as a stimulator of cecal microbial growth and cellulolytic activity, and therefore, improved rabbits performance. [source] Effects of herbage intake on goat performance in the mediterranean type natural pasturesANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2009Basri H. HAKYEMEZ ABSTRACT This study aimed at identifying changes in natural pastures during the grazing season and investigating the effects of these changes on pasture feeding potential for high yielding dairy goats. During the study, 12 dairy goats were grazed on a 1.5 ha natural pasture for three months from April to June in 2003, 2004 and 2005. The goats were fed 0.5 kg/day of concentrate as a supplement during the grazing season. Botanical composition, herbage production and intake, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents of the pasture were determined. Live weight, milk yield, milk dry matter (DM) and fat content of the goats were monitored. The data were analyzed using a linear model, which evaluated the effects of grazing seasons in each year. Based on the three-year average, 87% of pasture was herbaceous plants and the remaining was shrubs in DM basis with Cistus creticus, Quercus ithaburensis, Pistacia atlantica and Asparagus acutifolius being the major shrub species. The herbage yield in June was significantly lower than in other months in all years (P = 0.001). In all experimental years, the CP content of the pasture decreased but the structural carbohydrates increased as the grazing season proceeded. While live weight was not affected by grazing periods except for 2004 (P = 0.001), milk yield significantly decreased with advancing grazing period (P = 0.001). The results of the present study indicate that natural pasture has a supportive effect in April and May on the milk yield of lactating goats which are in mid-lactation, and suggested that supplementary feeding is required in consecutive grazing periods. [source] Influence of replacing brewers' grains with green tea grounds on feed intake, digestibility and ruminal fermentation characteristics of wethersANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2008Chuncheng XU ABSTRACT An experiment was conducted to examine feed intake, apparent digestibility, nitrogen balance, ruminal fermentation and blood components of wethers fed diets containing increasing levels of wet green tea grounds (WGTG). The experimental design was a 4 × 4 Latin square with four wethers in four 15-day periods. Wethers were allowed access to diets ad libitum, and allotted to one of four treatments in which WGTG replaced 0% (no WGTG added, CTG), 5% (low level, LBG), 10% (medium level, MTG), and 15% (high level, HTG) of total mixed ration (TMR) dry matter (DM) as wet brewers grains (WBG). All TMR silages were ensiled for 120 days and, irrespective of the WGTG addition, they were well preserved with a high lactic acid content, low pH and ammonia-N contents. There were no differences among treatments in feed intake, with the exception of ether extract intake (P = 0.032). Digestibilities for LTG and MTG treatments were not different from CTG. However, the organic matter, crude protein, acid detergent fiber and energy digestibilities for HTG treatment were lower than the CTG (P < 0.05). As the level of WGTG increased, nitrogen intake did not differ, but fecal nitrogen increased (P = 0.002), while urinary nitrogen decreased (P < 0.001). No differences among treatments were found in pH level and volatile fatty acids concentrations. However, the ruminal ammonia-N of the HTG silage was lower than for the CTG silage at all times (P < 0.05). Increasing concentrations of WGTG in the TMR silage decreased (P = 0.019) plasma urea nitrogen content. Therefore, the possible mixing proportion of WGTG for TMR silages can be 10% of the diet DM. [source] Chemical compositions, feed intakes and digestibilities of crop residue based rations in non-lactating Red Sokoto goats in the subhumid zone of NigeriaANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2003Bunmi S. MALAU-ADULI Abstract The present study was conducted to evaluate the chemical composition, intake and digestibility of crop residue based rations by Red Sokoto goats maintained on natural pastures and Digitaria smutsii hay during the dry season of the year. Twenty-eight non-lactating does were blocked for weight and assigned to 7 treatment groups comprising 4 does each in a completely randomized design. Ration A, the conventional concentrate ration, was used as the positive control, Rations B and C were the two crop residue based test rations, while Ration D, the unsupplemented treatment, was used as the negative control. Each of the supplementation rations was fed at 1% and 2% of the doe's body weight. Ration A had the highest crude protein percentage of 17.19% while Rations B and C had 9.54 and 10.38%, respectively. The naturally grazed pastures and Digitaria smutsii hay (Ration D) contained the least protein: 2.76 and 4.75%, respectively. Ration D also had the highest percentages of acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber and lignin (49.14, 74.73 and 9.49% in hay and 50.29, 8.27 and 11.5% in grazed pastures, respectively). Ration A on the other hand, had the lowest percentages of acid detergent fiber (20.00%), neutral detergent fiber (40.01%) and lignin (4.64%). The results indicated that the supplemented group of does had significantly higher (P < 0.05) dry matter and crude protein intakes as well as nutrient digestibilities than the unsupplemented groups. A comparison of the unsupplemented animals with all the other treatment groups revealed that dry matter digestibility improved by a range of 4.1,27.9%, while crude protein digestibility improved by 17.1,42.2%, the highest value being in does on Ration A. It was concluded that goats were able to subsist and make appreciable gains in the long dry season on crop-based diets that compared favorably with the conventional concentrate rations. Of the two tested crop residue based rations, Ration C is a better supplementation package than Ration B. [source] | ||||||||||