Effect of dietary cotton stalk on nitrogen and free gossypol metabolism in sheep

Objective This study was to investigate the effects of dietary cotton stalk on nitrogen and free gossypol in sheep. Methods Treatments included 25% cotton stalk (Treat 1), 50% cotton stalk (Treat 2), and a control (no cotton stalk). Six Xinjiang daolang wethers were cannulated at the rumen and duodenum and fed one of these diets. The effects of these diets on nitrogen and free gossypol absorption and metabolism were determined. Fifteen healthy Xinjiang daolang wethers were assessed for daily gain, tissue lesions, and free gossypol accumulation. Results Dry matter intake decreased with increasing dietary cotton stalk. Total tract dry matter digestibility did not significantly differ among treatments. Dietary cotton stalk significantly decreased volatile fatty acids and increased ammonium nitrogen in the rumen. Nitrogen intake was significantly higher in Treat 2 than in the control or Treat 1. Nitrogen retention and free gossypol intake increased with dietary cotton stalk. Duodenal free gossypol flow did not increase, and free gossypol almost disappeared from the rumen. The free gossypol content of plasma and tissue was increased with dietary cotton stalk with liver free gossypol> muscle free gossypol>kidney free gossypol. Elevated dietary free gossypol decreased platelets, hemoglobin, and serum iron. Aspartate aminotransferase and γ-glutamyltransferase increased in Treat 2. With high long-term dietary cotton stalk intake, liver cells were swollen, and their nuclei dissolved. Renal cells were necrotic and the interstitia were enlarged. Conclusion With short-term cotton stalk administration, only a small amount of free gossypol is retained in the body. In response to long-term or high free gossypol cotton stalk feeding, however, free gossypol accumulates in, and damages the liver and kidneys

Mechanism Research of Fermented Tomato Pomace and Its Effect on Oxidation Resistance of Transition Dairy Cows

This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of replacing corn silage with ensiled tomato pomace on dry matter intake and apparent digestibility of diets. Eight close up dry Holstein cows were used in 2 ×2 Latin square design. The animals were fed control (0% tomato pomace silage) and experimental (10% corn silage replaced by tomato pomace silage) diets. The result showed that dry matter intake in experimental group was 9.77±0.44 kg/d, which was significantly higher than in control group (p0.05). The substitution of tomato pomace silage in diet was associated with an increase of dry matter intake, dietary supplement of ensiled tomato pomace without any adverse effect on their health performance

The Cotton Stalk and Its Utilization as Ruminant Feed Resource in

Two separate experiments were carried out: the first one involved a study of the chemical and some intrinsic feed characteristics of raw cotton stalk (CS) and the efficiency of chemical, biological treatments on the improvement of the feed value of CS. CS was treated with chemical treatment by mixing 3% Ca (OH)2 (CS+Ca), 3% urea (CS+U), 3% urea+3% Ca (OH)2 (CS+Ca+U). Moreover, CS was treated with biological treatment by inoculation of either Lentinus edodes (CS+Po) or Pleurotus ostreatus (CS+Pl) or crushing CS by adding minor ingredient processed into pellet feed, samples from all treatment were analyzed for the nutrients, In vitro dry matter digestibility (INDMD) and free gossypol detoxification rate. The second investigated was the use of crushed or granulation CS as a test feed followed by voluntary feed intake and preference test with sheep. CS+Ca+U treatment can reach up the CP and IVDMD to 9% and 36%, respectively. CS+Po decreased the fiber component and improved CP content and IVDMD. The free gossypol content declined and the free gossypol detoxification rate reached more than 50%. By feeding sheep under the same level of concentrate and corn silage, the voluntary feed intake and daily weight gain in granulation group is higher than in crushing group (p<0.05). Crushing CS by adding minor ingredient processed into a pellet feed was best in terms of improved nutritional quality, feed intake and preference, and it was safe and practical method that can be widely used in sheep production systems, to promote the CS feed utilization in similar areas

Rumen Degradability and Post-ruminal Digestion of Nitrogen and Amino acids by Cows Grazing Temperate Pasture

This experiment was conducted to evaluate nutrient digestion in the rumen and flow to the duodenum of steers grazed on orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L., OG) or meadowfescue (Festuca pratensis Huds., MF.) pastures located on northern part of Japan without supplement. Fifty-two digestion trials were carried out grazing Holstein steers fitted with cannulas in the rumen, duodenum and distal ileum in the three years. The pastures were divided into several paddocks, and the steers grazed each paddock for a day and allowed double of dry requirements the grazing cattle. The pre-grazing herbage mass did not significantly differ between pastures but the crude protein (N×6.25) content of herbage ranged from 19.3% to 27.5% on OG pasture and from 20.0% to 32.8% on MF pasture. Total N and AA-N intake did not differ but the degradability of dietary nitrogen in the rumen (RDN) was higher in MF than in OG pasture. The ratio of RDN to OM truly digested in the rumen was negatively related to the apparent N absorption in the rumen, and it was suggested that the amount of apparent N absorption in the rumen would be positive when the ratio was above 25g/kg. Non-ammonia nitrogen (NAN) and AA-N flows to the duodenum of steers were lower in MF than in OG pasture. Duodenal AA flows were more linked to duodenal NAN flows and accounted for approximately 60% of duodenal NAN flows. The proportion of methionine and lysine slightly increased in the duodenal flows compared with the consumed AA, but a comparison between the essential AA composition of milk and the lean tissue indicated that duodenal digesta was most limiting in methionine, lysine, arginine, and histidine, and that deficiencies of arginine and histidine for milk production were relatively small

Potential Water Retention Capacity as a Factor in Silage Effluent Control: Experiments with High Moisture By-product Feedstuffs

The role of moisture absorptive capacity of pre-silage material and its relationship with silage effluent in high moisture by-product feedstuffs (HMBF) is assessed. The term water retention capacity which is sometimes used in explaining the rate of effluent control in ensilage may be inadequate, since it accounts exclusively for the capacity of an absorbent incorporated into a pre-silage material prior to ensiling, without consideration to how much the pre-silage material can release. A new terminology, ‘potential water retention capacity’ (PWRC), which attempts to address this shortcoming, is proposed. Data were pooled from a series of experiments conducted separately over a period of five years using laboratory silos with four categories of agro by-products (n = 27) with differing moisture contents (highest 96.9%, lowest 78.1% in fresh matter, respectively), and their silages (n = 81). These were from a vegetable source (Daikon, Raphanus sativus), a root tuber source (potato pulp), a fruit source (apple pomace) and a cereal source (brewer’s grain), respectively. The pre-silage materials were adjusted with dry in-silo absorbents consisting wheat straw, wheat or rice bran, beet pulp and bean stalks. The pooled mean for the moisture contents of all pre-silage materials was 78.3% (±10.3). Silage effluent decreased (p<0.01), with increase in PWRC of pre-silage material. The theoretical moisture content and PWRC of pre-silage material necessary to stem effluent flow completely in HMBF silage was 69.1% and 82.9 g/100 g in fresh matter, respectively. The high correlation (r = 0.76) between PWRC of ensiled material and silage effluent indicated that the latter is an important factor in silage-effluent relationship