Factors affecting degradation of barley straw in sacco and microbial activity in the rumen of cows fed fibre-rich diets. JI: The level of supplemental fishmeal

A diet composed of 76.2% untreated barley straw + 23.8% rye grass hay was given to three nonlactating cows at 90% of ad libitum intake. The cows were supplemented via cannulae with three differents levels of fishmeal in arder to make the ration up to 8%, 10% and 14% crude protein on a dry-matter basis. Treatments were arranged in a Latin Square design. Nylon bags containing untreated barley straw were incubated in the rumen 01 the cows for up to 72 h. Degradability of dry matter, total organic matter and the individual components of the cell wall of barley straw were affected by the protein level of the dlel. The Inclusion of fishmeal to a Ievel of 14% dietary protein produced the highest degradability of all parameters measured. The protein level also affected ammonia and total VFA concentrations; both fermentation products were highest in the treatment with the high fishmeal level. Rumen pH and rumen outflow rate of Iiquid and particulate phases were not affected by protein level. The ATP concentration found in the solid residue, remaining after removal of the liquid phase from the rumen content, Increases with increasing fishmeal level., while ATP in the Iiquid phase remained unchanged. This indicates that, under the conditions of this study, fishmeal exerts its effects on the microbes intimately associated lo the fibre, and not upon the whole microbial population. The microbial DNA concentration of digesta nylon bags increased during the first 24 h of incubation and then decreased until the end of incubation, indicating a process of colonization and depletion of degradable substrates.Resúmenes de Trabajos presentados en otras publicaciones (por docentes de la UNLPam.), Publicado en Animal Feed Science Technology, 70: 11-22, 1998

Toward Practical Biological Control of Parasitic Nematodes in Domestic Animals

In a series of laboratory and field experiments where the nematophagous fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora was mixed directly with feces it has been demonstrated that it is possible to use nematophagous fungi for biological control of animal parasitic nematodes. A procedure used for selection of nematophagous fungi that can pass the digestive tract of ruminants, horses, and pigs is described. The selected fungus, Duddingtonia flagrans, has been used in further field experiments, and the results have confirmed that by the addition of D. flagrans to feed supplement it is possible to reduce the parasitic burden significantly