Leveraging traditional crops for food and feed: a case of hulless barley (Hordeum vulgare) landraces in Ethiopia

This study explored food-feed traits in genotypes of 25 indigenous Ethiopian landraces, 13 landraces introduced into Ethiopia and 5 local checks of hulless barley (Hordeum vulgare). The genotypes were evaluated for straw fodder quality traits and the traits were related to grain yield and straw yield. The genotypes were grown in Ethiopia during the 2016 cropping season using augmented design consisting of 5 complete blocks. Results of the study showed high genotypic variability in grain yield (5.1 t/ha), straw yield (7.03 t/ha) and straw content of crude protein (CP: 29.1 g/kg), neutral detergent fiber (NDF: 77 g/kg), acid detergent fiber (ADF: 41 g/kg), acid detergent lignin (ADL: 22.7 g/kg) and invitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD: 72 g/kg). Further, cluster analysis determined 6 genotypes i.e. 243231, 241790, 219177, 243235, 241787, 241789 among Ethiopian landraces that showed food-feed traits with an average of 3.44 t/ha of grain, 5.64 t/ha of straw and 55.9 g/kg of CP. The correlation between grain yield with straw yield and nutritive value parameters was insignificant. Principle component analysis determined that either CP, NDF or IVOMD can express the nutritive value of hulless barley straw. The study highlights the natural genotypic variation in grain yield and straw traits in hulless barley that can be exploited using appropriate breeding methods to develop varieties with a combination of food traits for human food and feed traits for livestock feed. These varieties would be particularly beneficial for mixed crop-livestock systems that are predominant in developing countries

Integrating straw yield and quality into multi-dimensional improvement of lentil (Lens culinaris )

BACKGROUND: Lentil straw is an important source of fodder for livestock in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East. However, improvement programmes of lentil do not pay attention to straw traits, neither are straw traits considered in release criteria of new varieties. This study aimed to determine whether straw traits can be integrated into multi‐trait improvement of lentil. RESULTS: Wide genotypic variation (P 0.05) was found between grain yield. CONCLUSION: The possibility to simultaneously improve grain yield and nutritive traits of lentil straw

Can ruminant metabolizable energy of barley, chickpea and lentil straw be predicted using chemical composition?

This study attempted to generate simple and robust models to predict metabolizable energy (ME) content of barley, chickpea and lentil straw using chemical composition. Crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL) and ME of 1933, 487 and 489 straw samples of barley, chickpea and lentil respectively were determined using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy. The samples belonged to 1933 genotypes of barley, 79 genotypes of chickpea and 66 genotypes of lentil. Barley samples were collected from experimental locations of International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Morocco. Chickpea and lentil samples were collected from Ethiopian Institute of agricultural Research experimental locations. Data of each crop was randomly divided into two sets, a training set (75% of the data) and a deployment set (25% of the data). Crude protein, NDF, ADF and ADL were regressed on ME and Box-cox transformed ME of the training sets to generate prediction models. Coefficients of these models were used to calculate residuals and prediction error (PE) in both training and deployment sets. Criteria used in the screening algorithm were low PE (95th percentile of PE≤4) and homogenous residuals in both training and deployment sets. Barley and chickpea models were unable to predict ME of deployment samples with a 95th percentile of PE less than 4. Heterogeneity of residuals of the deployment set was found in lentil model (positive residuals= 64% of overall residuals). Accordingly, chemical composition from NIR is a poor predictor for ME of straws of barley, chickpea and lentil to formulate rations for farm management and a direct measurement of ME of these straws is still required

Feasibility of heart girth models in estimating live weight of fat‐long‐tailed sheep

Fat deposition in the brisket of Ethiopian fat‐long‐tailed sheep may interfere with the correlation between heart girth (HG) and live weight (LW), bringing into question the accuracy of HG models for LW prediction that are currently in use. This study assessed the accuracy of published HG‐based prediction models of the live weight of Ethiopian sheep breeds. Furthermore, the study identified accurate and robust models that predict the LW of the sheep using HG. Live weight and HG of 1,020 sheep from Bonga, Adilo and Horro breeds were measured. First, data collected from the study was used to gauge the preciseness of previously published prediction models of each breed. Second, the data of individual breeds were divided into a calibration set for model construction and a validation set for model validation. Live weight was regressed on HG to construct simple linear, Box‐Cox, quadratic and allometric prediction models. Prediction error of published models was >20%. Models constructed for each breed did not differ in R2. However, only simple linear models with transformed LW (Adilo: Log10(LW) = 0.408 + 0.015*HG, Bonga: Log10(LW) = −36.6 + 0.882*HG, Horro: LW0.5 = −1.26 + 0.085*HG) had homogenous residuals and prediction error of ≤ 10%. Heart girth models currently used to predict LW of Adilo, Bonga and Horro sheep of Ethiopia are not sufficiently accurate as they have PE higher than 10%. Prediction models generated by the current study could replace the published models for an accurate estimation of LW of the three breeds for husbandry, marketing and veterinary purposes

Pistachio (Pistacia vera) by-products as ruminant feed: a review on production, management and utilization in arid and semi-arid areas in the Middle East

This review presents recent knowledge of the inclusion of pistachio by-products in diets of ruminants. Pistachio harvesting and processing result in considerable amounts of by-products which include hulls (the outer cover of fruit), woody shells (mesocarp), blank fruits, clusters (sometimes referred as twigs) and leaves. The by-products can be preserved by natural drying or ensilaging. This review evaluates pistachio by-products in terms of chemical composition, nutritive value and their effects on ruminant performance and product quality. Their nutritive value is affected by factors which include type of by-product, pistachio variety, harvesting time and preservation method. Pistachio by-products can use as a source of protein and energy in ruminant feeding to support maintenance and production of meat, milk, wood and hair. Their replacement value in diets of growing, fattening and lactating ruminants ranges between 21-35%.The replacement values of silage from pistachio by-products ranges between 15-24%. However, the presence of high levels of copper and phenolic compounds in pistachio by-products may restrict their inclusion in high proportions into ruminant diets. There is need for more research on the inactivation of phenolic compounds in pistachio by-products so that they can be fed to ruminants in larger proportions. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effects of pistachio by-products on production and reproduction performance of ruminants as well as product quality. The presence of pesticides, fungicides and phenolic compounds in pistachio by-products necessitate identifying the effect of long term feeding on livestock health

Spineless cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) and saltbush (Atriplex halimus L.) as feed supplements for fattening Awassi male lambs: effect on digestibility, water consumption, blood metabolites, and growth performance

The effect of replacing 13.6% and 20.3% of a total ration of fattening Awassi lambs by two combinations of fresh saltbush (Atriplex halimus) and fresh spineless cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) cladodes at a ratio of 1.9:1 (TRT1) and 1.7:1 (TRT2) on water intake, digestibility, blood metabolites, and fattening performance was evaluated. Thirty-six lambs with average initial live weight 34.5 ± 4.18 kg were randomly assigned to three diets (control, TRT1, and TRT2). The control received a diet containing 166 g/kg barley straw and 834 g/kg of commercial concentrate mixture; TRT1 comprised 126 g barley straw, 739 g/kg concentrate mixture, 47 g/kg spineless cactus, and 89 g saltbush; TRT2 comprised 67 g/kg barley straw, 704 g/kg commercial concentrate mixture, 86 g/kg spineless cactus, and 144 g saltbush. A growth trial of 100 days (10 days of adaptation and 90 days of collection) followed by a metabolism trial of 17 days (10 days of adaptation and 7 days of a total feces and urine collection) was carried out. Daily dry matter intake, digestibility of crude protein, ether extract and nutrient detergent fiber, nitrogen balance, average daily gain, feed conversion ratio, and blood metabolites were not significantly affected by the treatment. Water consumption in TRT2 was significantly 16% less compared with the control. A combination of saltbush and spineless cactus at a ratio of 1.7:1 (TRT2) replaced 60% of barley straw and 16% of concentrate mixture without adverse effects on health and growth performance of Awassi male lambs. This represents a potential reduction in feed costs for smallholder farmers

Selecting for food-feed traits in desi and kabuli genotypes of chickpea (Cicer arietinum)

The study explored the genetic and environmental variability in chickpea for food-feed traits. Seventy nine genotypes of 17 early-maturing desi genotypes, 19 early-maturing kabuli genotypes and 43 late-maturing kabuli genotypes were evaluated for food-feed traits in 7 trials laid out in a randomized complete block design in 3 locations in Ethiopia. All trials showed wide genotypic ranges in various traits related to grain yield, straw yield and straw quality. Analysis of variance for individual trials showed significant (P<0.05) effects of genotype, location and their interaction on grain and straw yields, CP, IVOMD and NDF in all populations. Correlation analysis exhibited either positive or insignificant correlations with straw yield in all trials. The correlation between IVOMD and grain yield was insignificant in all trials. Grain yield correlated significantly (P<0.001) and positively to NDF in early maturing kabuli, however, the correlation was moderate (r= 0.396). Grain yield correlated either weakly or insignificantly to CP and Ca in the trials. The correlation between P and grain yield was ignored as the straw content of P was very small in all genotypes (<1.78 g/kg). Weak or absence of correlations between grain yields with straw traits would enable chickpea breeders to manipulate grain yield and straw traits independently. This presents an opportunity to identify parental genotypes for improving grain yield and straw traits for individual locations

Selecting for food-feed traits in early and late maturing lentil genotypes(Lens culinaris)

To explore genetic and environmental variability of food-feed traits in lentil genotypes, straws of 78elite genotypes and 4 checks of early and late maturing lentil types were evaluated for their nutritive value and potential trade-offs of the nutritive parameters with straw yield and grain yield. Further, effects of genotypic and environmental sources on variation in the nutritive value were also determined. Straw nutritive traits were analyzed by a combination of conventional laboratory techniques and Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy. Results from eight trials carried out across 3 different sites in Ethiopia showed highly significant genotypic variation (P<0.05) in grain yield, straw yields and straw nutritive traits. This confirmed the existence of exploitable genetic variation in these traits. Similarly, the relationship between grain yield and straw yield was positive. The correlation between grain yield and nutritive parameters of straw was insignificant or negative. The correlation between maturity types and straw traits was either neutral or negative. Genotype by environment interactions were significant (P<0.05) for straw yield and nutritive traits indicating that variation in the traits is dependent of environment. It is possible to develop genotypes with a combination of food-feed traits from early and late maturing lentil types to address the high demand for grain and livestock fodder in various agro ecological zones in mixed crop-livestock farming systems using appropriate breeding approaches

Eye-balling and heart girth models for live weight estimation of highly admixed Sudani shorthorn zebu cattle for precise production and veterinary services

Cattle production is a key pillar of food security in Africa. Majority of African cattle is highly admixed with unknown breed composition. Accurate estimation of live weight (LW) of these cattle would improve precision of feeding, veterinary services and pricing resulting in an improvement in profitability. This study assessed estimating LW of admixed Sudani zebu cattle using eyeballing and heart girth (HG) models. Live weight and HG of 432 Baggara cattle, an admixed Sudani breed, was measured. Three models (a simple linear, a simple linear with box-cox transformed LW and a quadratic) were generated using 382 heads and validated using 50 heads. A published model (LW (kg) = 3.54*HG (cm) - 322.63) was validated using the data of this study. The error of LW estimation by a breeder and five cattlemen was recorded. All constructed models had high R2 (0.725 - 0.728). However, the 95th percentile of the prediction error of the constructed and published models was higher than 20%. The 95th percentile of LW estimation error of all participants was high (>20%). Accordingly, HG models and eyeballing are not suitable methods to determine LW of highly admixed zebu cattle for production, veterinary and marketing purposes as they are prone to high rate of error