Using probiotics to improve the utilization of chopped dried date palm leaves as a feed in diets of growing Farafra lambs

The study determined the ability of three probiotics to improve the nutritional value of date palm leaves in diets of growing lambs. Twenty male Farafra lambs (26 ± 0.33 kg) were randomly allocated to one of four treatments (n = 6) and fed: a control or basal diet (C; 70% concentrate + 30% date palm leaves without additives) and supplemented with Bacillofort containing 2 × 1011 CFU of Bacillus subtilis/g (BAC treatment), Lacotpro containing 1 × 1012 CFU of Lactobacillus acidophilus/g (LAC treatment) or ZAD containing 6 × 108 CFU of R. albus/g (ZAD treatment) at 4 g of all additives for 150 days. As a result of this study, LAC improved (P < 0.05) growth performance and feed efficiency compared to control. Additives increased (P = 0.001) concentrations of albumin, triiodothyronine, and thyroxine, hemoglobin concentration and red blood cells and decreased (P = 0.001) globulin and urea-N. Additives increased hot carcass (P = 0.040) while BAC increased Longissimus dorsi, meat and fat without affecting water holding capacity compared to other treatments. In the metabolism experiment, BAC increased the digestibility of crude protein, while BAC and ZAD increased the digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, and neutral detergent fiber. Additives did not affect nitrogen (N) intake and urinary N; however, decreased fecal N and increased N balance compared to the control. BAC and ZAD increased ruminal volatile fatty acids concentration compared to the control. Based on our results, Lacotpro could be used to improve growth performance and feed efficiency, while Bacillofort could be used to improve meat quality of in lambs

Utilization of Waste Date Palm Leaves Biomass Ensiled with Malic or Lactic Acids in Diets of Farafra Ewes under Tropical Conditions

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the ensiling of date palm leaves (DPL) with organic acids (lactic or malic acid) for 45 day as a feed for lactating ewes under desert conditions. Two weeks before expected parturition, 50 multiparous lactating Farafra ewes (mean &plusmn; SD: 2 &plusmn; 0.3 parity, 34 &plusmn; 1.9 kg bodyweight, 25 &plusmn; 2.4 months of age, and 555 &plusmn; 13.0 g/day of previous milk production) were equally divided into five treatments in a completely randomized design for 90 day. The ewes in the control treatment were offered a diet composed of a concentrate feed mixture and DPL at 60:40 on a dry matter (DM) basis ensiled without additive. In the other treatments, DPL (ensiled without organic acids) in the control treatment was replaced with DPL ensiled with lactic or malic acid (at 5 g/kg DM) at 50 or 100% levels. Organic acids linearly and quadratically increased (p &lt; 0.01) DPL and total intakes and digestibilities of DM, organic matter, crude protein, and nonstructural carbohydrates without affecting fiber digestibility. Malic and lactic acid treatment also increased the concentrations of ruminal total volatile fatty acids, acetate, propionate, and ammonia-N. Additionally, malic and lactic acid-treated DPL increased serum glucose concentration and total antioxidant capacity. Without affecting daily actual milk production, treatments increased (p &lt; 0.001) the daily production of energy-corrected milk (ECM), fat-corrected milk (FCM), milk energy output, milk contents of fats, and feed efficiency. Organic acid-treated DPL increased (p &lt; 0.05) the proportions of total polyunsaturated fatty acids and total conjugated linoleic acids and the unsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio in milk. It is concluded that feeding DPL ensiled with malic or lactic acid at 20 or 40% of total diet DM increased daily ECM and FCM production, nutrient utilization efficiency, and milk quality. No differences were observed between lactic and malic acid treatment of DPL during ensiling; therefore, both of them are recommended to treat DPL for silage preparation

Feeding Date-Palm Leaves Ensiled with Fibrolytic Enzymes or Multi-Species Probiotics to Farafra Ewes: Intake, Digestibility, Ruminal Fermentation, Blood Chemistry, Milk Production and Milk Fatty Acid Profile

The present experiment evaluated the feeding of date palm leaves (DPL) ensiled with fibrolytic enzymes (ENZ) or multi-species probiotics (MSP) on nutrient utilization and lactational performance of ewes. Fifty multiparous lactating Farafra ewes were used in a completely randomized design for 90 d. The treatments consisted of the control diet with a concentrate feed mixture and date palm leaves (at 60:40, DM basis) ensiled without additive (control) or DPL ensiled with ENZ or MSP replacing control DPL at 50 or 100%. Both ENZ and MSP increased (p &lt; 0.01) DPL and total intakes, digestibility of all nutrients, concentrations of ammonia, total volatile fatty acids, acetate and propionate in the rumen. Increased milk production, concentrations of fat, lactose and energy in milk, and feed efficiency were observed with MSP and ENZ compared to the control treatment. Moreover, ENZ and MSP increased (p &lt; 0.05) the concentrations of total n3, n6 fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acids and decreased (p &lt; 0.001) the atherogenicity. The differences between ENZ and MSP and between the low and high replacement levels were minor for all measured parameters. Ensiling of DPL with MSP or fibrolytic enzymes is recommended to improve feed efficiency and improve lactational performance of ewes

Contribution of non-wood forest products for household income in rural area of Sudan – A review

Non-wood forest products (NWFPs) constitute a vital sources of household income for millions of people worldwide. This review paper focuses on NWFPs in Sudan aiming to elucidate their contribution across different region. It also examines key tree species that underpin rural and urban income, along with their applications. The study involves an analysis of published papers on NWFPs from 1994 to 2023. Findings indicate that NWFPs contribute over 50% to Sudanese household income, with variation tied to local species diversity. Intriguingly, NWFPs exhibit a higher significance for impoverished livelihoods. Notably, marketable fruits like Ziziphus spina-christi, Balanites aegyptiaca, Adansonia digitata, Tamarindus indica, and Grewia tenax feature prominently in rural income generation. Nonetheless, several species, pivotal to household income, are alarmingly classified as endangered by IUCN. While more than ten tree species cater to local subsistence, only a fraction enter international trade. To enhance household income, it is recommended that sustainable harvesting and value addition practices be taught to rural communities

Financial and technical assessment of kenaf cultivation for producing fiber utilized in automotive components

The kenaf plant is eco-friendly, renewable, low in cost and not meant to be a food source, owing to its potential commercial value in Malaysia, the government has allocated millions of ringgit for research to develop a viable kenafbased industry. This study is an attempt to assess the financial and technical performance of kenaf cultivation to produce fiber usage in automotive components. The financial data were collected through interviews with kenaf growers and from group discussions as well as production data collected from CMPC (Kenaf Processing and Marketing Centre) Bachok-Kelantan. The financial data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel software while Eview8 was used to analyze the production data. Three scenarios of kenaf production per hectare were assumed which were 15, 12 and 10 ton. According to the data analysis; the results revealed when kenaf production was 15 ton/ha, the farmer made a maximum profit of 37% from the subsidy provided by the Lembaga Kenaf Dan Tembakau Negara (LKTN) or National Kenaf and Tobacco Board, which was more than double the profit margin without subsidy. The financial analysis illustrated that all the three scenarios were viable when using the Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) as an indicator. However, the production of 15 ton per hectare was the best of the three scenarios due to the five-year payback period, which was equal to half the period run on the model of the financial analysis. Additionally, the analysis of the production input (labor and chemicals) showed a significant effect on kenaf production as indicated in the analysis of Ordinary Least Square (OLS)