Nutrient Movements through Ruminant Livestock Production Systems

Considerable attention has been paid to reducing nutrient emissions from ruminant livestock in the last few decades. This area will continue to attract considerable research in the future due to increasing farm sizes in some developed countries as well as the increasing demand for meat and dairy products, particularly in developing countries. This paper discusses the deposition and losses of carbon and nitrogen in soils and plants in grazed and harvested forage systems as well as utilization and losses of both nutrients by ruminants in both systems. The paper also outlines several soil, plant, and animal-focused strategies that can be used to reduce carbon and nitrogen losses from ruminant livestock systems. These strategies will become increasingly important due to the need to feed the growing population of the world while reducing environmental pollution from ruminant livestock systems

Effect of Ferulic Acid Esterase Enzyme Application on the \u3ci\u3ein Vitro\u3c/i\u3e Digestibility and \u3ci\u3ein Situ\u3c/i\u3e Rumen Degradability of Tropical Grasses

Tropical grasses are the primary staple diet of most of the domesticated ruminants in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. However, dry matter (DM) digestibility (DMD) and intake levels of these C4 grasses are considerably low, partly because of high lignin contents. Ferulic acid also impedes fibre digestion in such forages due to formation of cross linkages with digestible xylans. Certain esterase enzymes have been shown to cleave ferulic acid cross linkages in wheat bran but no studies have examined whether such enzymes can be used to increase the digestion of tropical grasses. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of a ferulic acid esterase preparation applied at different rates on the digestibility of C4 grasses

Productivity and economic feasibility of cultivated forage and food crops in the central highlands of Ethiopia

The study was conducted to evaluate the yield performance of improved forage and food crops and to estimate the profitability of fodder and food crops in Holetta and Ejere areas, central highlands of Ethiopia during 2019 and 2020 cropping seasons. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications and evaluated two annual forage crops, two perennial forage crops, and two cereal food crops. Data on herbage dry matter (DM) yield was collected for forage crops while straw and grain yields were measured for food crops. Partial budget analysis was made to evaluate the economic feasibility of forage and food crops production. The result revealed that the herbage DM yield varied (P<0.05) at each location during each production year and combined over years and between the two locations. The straw and grain yields of food crops also varied (P<0.05) between the two production years and locations. The nutritive values of herbage and straw yields of forage and food crops differed (P<0.05) for all measured parameters. The crude protein and in-vitro dry matter digestibility of perennial forage crops were relatively higher than annual forage crops and straw of food crops. The partial budget analysis result indicated that the gross revenue (GR) and net return (NR) obtained from food crops were the highest followed by annual forage crops while the least was recorded from perennial forage crops during the first year of production. However, perennial forage crops produced the higher GR and NR than food crops and annual forage crops in the second year of production. In the second year of production, among the forage crops, Desho grass generated 308, 293, 287, and 232% while Rhodes grass generated 99, 92, 90, and 62% more NR than wheat, sole oat, barley, and oat/vetch mixtures, respectively. The benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of perennial forage crops was the lowest (3.0 for Desho and 1.6 for Rhodes) in the first year of production but the ratio was the highest (17.2 for Desho and 8.6 for Rhodes) in the second year of production. This confirms the better economic feasibility of perennial forage crops as they can be maintained using minimal management cost once they have been established

Effects of Different Cutting Height on Nutritional Quality of Whole Crop Barley Silage and Feed Value on Hanwoo Heifers

The present study evaluated the effects of different cutting height on nutritive value, fermentation quality, in vitro and in vivo digestibility of whole crop barley silage. Whole crop barley forage (Yuyeon hybrid) was harvested at height of 5, 10, and 15 cm from the ground level. Each cutting height was rolled to make round bale and ensiled for 100 days. After 100 days of ensiling, pH of silage was lower (p<0.05) in 5 cm, but no difference between 10 and 15 cm of cutting height. The content of lactate and lactate to acetate ratio were increased (p<0.05) in 5 cm of cutting height, whereas the acetate content was higher (p<0.05) in 10 and 15 cm than that of 5 cm cutting height. Aerobic stability was greater (p<0.05) in silages of 10 and 15 cm of cutting height. Three total mixed rations (TMR) were formulated with silages from the three different cutting heights (TMR5, TMR10, and TMR15) incorporated as forage at 70:30 ratio with concentrate (dry matter [DM] basis). In vitro dry matter digestibility was higher (p<0.05) in the TMR5 and TMR10 than that in TMR15, whereas in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility was higher (p<0.05) in the TMR10 and TMR15 than that in TMR5. Concentration of NH3-N was highest (p<0.05) in the TMR10 followed by TMR15 and TMR5. Total volatile fatty acid was decreased (p<0.05) with increased cutting height. The digestibility of DM and neutral detergent fiber were highest (p<0.05) in TMR15, than those in TMR5 and TMR10, whereas acid detergent fiber digestibility was higher (p<0.05) in TMR5 than that in TMR10. The results showed that increasing cutting height, at least up to 10 to 15 cm, of whole crop barley forage at harvest (Yuyeon) may be beneficial for making silage for TMR formulation and increasing digestibility of DM and NDF

Mucuna pruriens Detoxification through Ensiling

Mucuna pruriens is grown for food and feed despite its L-Dopa concentration (2-6% by wt), which is toxic to monogastrics. The aim of this study was to determine if the L-Dopa concentration of Mucuna could be reduced by ensiling. The objective of Experiment 1 was to examine how long it takes to decrease the pH of ensiled Mucuna to 4.5. Crushed Mucuna beans (6 mm) were ensiled in the dark at room-temperature (18 to 25°C) for 0, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days in vacuum-sealed bags. A pH of 4.5 and an L-Dopa concentration of 1.3% (54%) reduction) were recorded after 28 days. The objective of Experiment 2 was to study the effect of particle size of ensiled Mucuna on L-Dopa concentration and fermentation and nutritional characteristics. Ensiling Mucuna that had been ground to particle sizes of 2, 4 and 6 mm for 28 days decreased the L-Dopa concentration from 2.8%) in the unesiled bean to 1.2, 1.6, and 1.1%, respectively. Ensiling also reduced the water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentration and pH and increased the ammonia-N (NH3N) concentration. Neither ensiling nor particle size affected concentrations of ether extract (EE; 5%), CP (23-25%), starch (38-40%), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF; 17- 20%). Dry matter losses (< 1%) and mold or yeast counts were unaffected by particle size. Aerobic stability was maintained beyond 657 hours in all treatments and the lactate:acetate ratio of all samples exceeded 3.0. In conclusion, ensiling Mucuna bean for 28 days reduced the L-Dopa concentration by 43 to 61% while preserving most nutrients. Particle size had minimal effects on nutritional composition or fermentation indices

Effect of Sonication and Two Solvent Extraction Methods on the L-dopa Concentration and Nutritional Value of Mucuna pruriens

Mucuna pruriens beans are high in crude protein (CP; 25-30%) and starch (39-41%), but also contain toxic L-Dopa. Methods to reduce L-Dopa to a safe threshold (< 0.4%) are often costly and little is known about their impact on the nutritional value of the bean. The objective of this study was to examine effects of three extraction methods on L-Dopa concentration and nutritional composition of finely (1 mm) or coarsely (6 mm) ground beans. Methods evaluated included extraction in solutions of acetic acid (ACD, pH 3) or sodium hydroxide (ALK, pH 11) for 8 hours or sonication (SON) for 5 minutes. All extraction methods decreased the L-Dopa concentration of fine Mucuna particles from 2.8 to < 0.2%, decreased their CP and water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentrations by 24-31% and 78-81%, respectively and increased their NDF and starch concentrations by at least 62 and 14%, respectively. Sonication reduced the ether extract (EE) concentration of fine particles from 5.5% to 4.2% but ACD and ALK did not. Sonication and ACD did not reduce the L-Dopa concentration of coarsely ground beans but ALK reduced it from 2.8 to 2%. Sonication also reduced CP, WSC, and ether EE concentrations of coarse particles by 6, 17, and 27%, respectively and ALK increased their starch concentration by 17%. Therefore, the extraction methods reduced L-Dopa of fine Mucuna particles to safe levels but increased their NDF and starch concentrations at the expense of WSC and CP concentrations. Extraction methods were less effective at reducing the L-Dopa in coarse particles and had fewer, less consistent effects on their nutritional composition

Livestock feed resources in the West African Sahel

Limited supply of quality feed is the most important factor limiting livestock productivity in many sub‐Saharan African (SSA) countries. Having a systematic inventory of available feed resources, identifying main challenges and potentials for improvement is the first step towards designing development strategies to improve feed quality and quantity. The objective of this study was to review the available feed resources and their quality in West African Sahel across different agro‐ecological zones and to identify the research gaps and strategies to improve feed resource availability. The West African Sahelian zone is home to 135 million people who herd 173 million head of ruminant livestock. The main feed resources for grazing ruminants are pastures and crop residues; commercially formulated feeds are increasingly being used in poultry and pig production, particularly in peri‐urban areas. Feed resources for livestock are diverse and vary markedly across agro‐ecological zones in the West African Sahel and across seasons in terms of type, quantity, and quality. Given that crop residues are among the most important feed resources, there is need to invest in promoting adoption of proven methods for improving their quality and preserving it. Given poorly developed feed markets in the Sahelian rural areas and cities, strengthening the feed value chain is critical for improving the feed resource base in West Africa. Additional critically important needs are to increase awareness about the importance of feed quality, to create quality‐based feed marketing systems, and to appreciate and enhance women's roles in feed production