Growth Performance and Methane Production of Thai Native Beef Cattle under Grazing and Cut-Carry Ruzi Grass with or without Concentrate Supplementation

Despite of concentrate supplements in ruminant diets have been recognized as an influence enteric methane abasement strategy, very few studies have investigated the effects of concentrate supplementation on enteric methane emission under grazing conditions of Thailand. This study aimed to measure growth performance and methane emission from Thai native beef cattle raising under grazing or cut and carry forage with or without concentrate supplementation. Thirty Thai native beef cattle heifers and steers were allocated to a randomized complete block design with six replications. Treatment is feeding systems were continuous grazing in natural pasture: control (T1), rotational grazing in Ruzi grass pasture (T2), cut and carry of Ruzi grass (T3), rotational grazing in Ruzi grass pasture + concentrate (1% of BW) (T4) and cut and carry of Ruzi grass + concentrate (1% of BW) (T5), respectively. Body weight was negative in continuous grazing natural grassland (T1), rotational grazing (T2) and cut-carry Ruzi grass without concentrate supplementation (T3). Continuous grazing natural grassland without concentrate (T1) gave 7.46 %Ym and was within a range of 6.5±1.0 %Ym (IPCC, 2006).  Thai native beef cattle assigned to confinement systems with cut and carry of Ruzi grass plus 1% body weight concentrate supplementation (T5) released methane of 3.05 %Ym.  Our results suggest that to improve the growth performance and mitigate methane emission of Thai native beef cattle, cut and carry of Ruzi grass with 1% body weight concentrate supplementation should be used.Peer reviewe

Feed intake, digestibility and energy partitioning in beef cattle fed diets with cassava pulp instead of rice straw

Objective This study was conducted to assess the effects of replacing rice straw with different proportions of cassava pulp on growth performance, feed intake, digestibility, rumen microbial population, energy partitioning and efficiency of metabolizable energy utilization in beef cattle. Methods Eighteen yearling Thai native beef cattle (Bos indicus) with an average initial body weight (BW) of 98.3±12.8 kg were allocated to one of three dietary treatments and fed ad libitum for 149 days in a randomized complete block design. Three dietary treatments using different proportions of cassava pulp (100, 300, and 500 g/kg dry matter basis) instead of rice straw as a base in a fermented total mixed ration were applied. Animals were placed in a metabolic pen equipped with a ventilated head box respiration system to determine total digestibility and energy balance. Results The average daily weight gain, digestible intake and apparent digestibility of dry matter, organic matter and non-fiber carbohydrate, total protozoa, energy intake, energy retention and energy efficiency increased linearly (p<0.05) with an increasing proportion of cassava pulp in the diet, whereas the three main types of fibrolytic bacteria and energy excretion in the urine (p<0.05) decreased. The metabolizable energy requirement for the maintenance of yearling Thai native cattle, determined by a linear regression analysis, was 399 kJ/kg BW0.75, with an efficiency of metabolizable energy utilization for growth of 0.86. Conclusion Our results demonstrated that increasing the proportion of cassava pulp up to 500 g/kg of dry matter as a base in a fermented total mixed ration is an effective strategy for improving productivity in zebu cattle

Environmental impacts of extensive and intensive beef production systems in Thailand evaluated by life cycle assessment

Beef production is rapidly increasing and is accordingly becoming intensified in Southeast Asia, and the changes in beef production systems could contribute to large changes in the environmental impacts, taking into account the emission intensity of beef production. Here we assessed and compared the environmental impacts of extensive and intensive beef production systems in northeastern Thailand, using life cycle assessment (LCA). The extensive system was based on grazing and forage from grassland, and the intensive system houses cattle in the fattening phase and uses purchased concentrate feed as well as home-grown forage. An LCA model was developed based on data collected by site investigations of beef farms as well as literature and LCA databases. The processes associated with the beef-farming life cycle, i.e., animal management including biological activities of the cattle, grassland management, purchased feed production, and waste treatment were included within the LCA system boundary. The functional unit was defined as 1 kg of liveweight of marketed beef cattle. The environmental impacts of the extensive and intensive beef production systems were 14.0 and 10.6 kg CO2 equivalents for climate change, 3.5 and 11.3 MJ for energy consumption, 47.4 and 61.8 g SO2 equivalents for acidification, and 30.4 and 33.9 g PO43- equivalents for eutrophication, respectively. These impacts except for eutrophication were significantly different (P < 0.05) between the two systems. The enteric CH4 emissions were the largest sources for climate change, and the manure-related emissions were the largest sources for acidification and eutrophication. In the intensive system, the purchased feed contributed a great deal to energy consumption and to some extent to other impact categories. Our results suggested that the ongoing intensification of beef production in Thailand reduces GHG emissions while increasing impacts on energy consumption and acidification. These results provide helpful information to develop a strategy to balance the increasing productivity with the environmental sustainability of beef production in developing countries

In Sacco Degradation Characteristics of Protein Feed Sources in Brahman-Thai Native Crossbred Steers

The nutritive value of six protein feed sources were determined using the nylon bag technique in rumen fistulated Brahman-Thai native crossbred steers. The steers were fed 0.5% BW of concentrate and rice straw ad libitum. Nylon bags containing 5.0 g of each feed were immersed in duplicate at each time point in the ventral rumen of each steer for 2, 4, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h. The data were fitted to the equation P = a+b (1-e-ct) and effective degradability was calculated using a theoretical rumen out flow rate of k = 0.05/h. The treatments were 1) kapok seed meal, 2) soybean meal, 3) coconut meal (solv-extd), 4) peanut meal, 5) whole cotton seed and 6) fish meal assigned according to a completely randomize design with four replications. The results indicate that the rapidly soluble fraction (a), potentially degradable fraction (b), degradation rate (c) and potential degradation (a+b) of DM, OM and CP were different among treatments (P < 0.01). Effective degradability of DM, OM and CP calculated as a percentage of the nutrient were ranked from high to low: DM degradability: soybean meal (60.96%), peanut meal (52.02%), whole cotton seed (47.35%), coconut meal (solve-extd) (42.52%), fish meal (42.37%) and kapok seed meal (24.31%); OM degradability: soybean meal (59.74%), peanut meal (52.17%), whole cotton seed (46.35%), fish meal (46.22%), coconut meal (solv-extd) (39.93%), and kapok seed meal (28.69%); CP degradability: whole cotton seed (74.17%), kapok seed meal (68.18%), fish meal (47.32%), soybean meal (46.42%), peanut meal (45.35%) and coconut meal (solv-extd) (32.61%). The data provids information on combinations of energy and protein sources with similar ruminal degradation, and thus may lead to improved feeding values for ruminants

Nutritional Evaluation of Energy Feed Sources for Ruminant Using In Vitro Gas Production Technique

ABSTRACT Five energy feed sources were used to evaluate for nutritive value using the in vitro gas production technique. The rumen mixed microbe inoculums were taken from fistulated Brahman-Thai native crossbred steers. The energy feed source treatments were 1) corn meal, 2) cassava chip, 3) broken rice, 4) rice bran and 5) rice pollard. The treatments were assigned to completely randomize design (four replications). The results indicated that soluble gas fractions (a) (-32.39, -50.98, -34.02, -21.67 and -3.39 mL, respectively), the fermentation of the insoluble fraction (b) (132.39, 150.98, 134.02, 119.09 and 62.66 mL, respectively), rate of gas production (c) (0.12, 0.19, 0.08, 0.11 and 0.06 %/h , respectively) and potential of extent of gas production (a+b) (164.79, 201.97, 168.05, 140.76 and 66.05 mL, respectively) were significantly different (P&lt;0.01) among energy feed sources. The cumulative gas volumes at 24, 48 and 96 h after incubation were significantly different (P&lt;0.01). Cassava chip exhibited the greatest gas production characteristics and gas volume. These results together with its locally available at an inexpensive cost cassava chip was one of the potential energy source for beef and dairy cattle

Effect of synchronizing the rate of degradation of dietary energy and nitrogen release on growth performance in Brahman cattle

The objective of this research was to determine the effect of synchronizing the rate of degradation of dietary energy and nitrogen release on growth performance in Brahman beef cattle. Fifteen Brahman cattle, 1.5 years old, with an average initial body weight of 184.8±11.1 kg were assigned to one of three treatments according to a randomized complete block design. Dietary treatments contained 3 levels of synchrony index (0.39, 0.56 and 0.74) that were derived from laboratory chemical composition analysis and degradation kinetics using nylon bag technique. Diets were fed at the rate of 2.5% BW by separate concentrate and roughage. Average daily gain increased linearly (P<0.05) with increase levels of synchrony index in the diets. The digestibility of dry matter, organic matter and neutral detergent fiber increased linearly (P<0.01). The digestibility of acid detergent fiber increased linearly (P<0.05). Ruminal total volatile fatty acids concentration increased linearly (P<0.05) at 6 h post feeding. Higher concentration and fluctuation of ruminal ammonia nitrogen and blood urea nitrogen were observed in animals that received lower synchrony index in their diets. Rumen microbial population tended to increase with diets having higher levels of synchrony index. The results indicated that synchronized rate of dietary energy and nitrogen degradation improved ruminal fermentation and digestibility, thus this increased the growth rate in Brahman cattle fed with ricestraw- based diets

Estimation of Rumen Undegradable Protein with In Situ Nylon Bag and In Vitro Enzymatic Technique in Tropical Concentrate Feedstuffs

Seventeen concentrate feedstuffs were used to study the relationships between the in vitro enzymatic technique and the in situ nylon bag technique for rumen undegradable protein determination. Feedstuffs were divided into 6 groups, 1) energy feed, 2) all protein feed, 3) feed higher than 15% crude protein (CP), 4) feed higher than 20% CP 5) feed lower than 20% CP and 6) all test feed. It was found that all test feed had the lowest relationship (R2 = 0.16, P 15%CP)