A feeding trial was carried out on ten Sardinian does. 5 does (group F) were fed with alfalfa

hay and the other 5 (group C+F) with alfalfa hay + 0.6 kg of concentrate to measure the

digestibility of these feeds. The digestibility was measured by marker method (lignin) and by

the enzymatic method. The marker method showed that the addition of concentrate to the hay

increased the OM digestibility. The second method showed similar results. The Authors

calculated a regression equation between "in vivo" and "in vitro" digestibility of OM in the

C+F group. The changes in lignin composition before and after the digestion were analyzed

Brandano, Paolo

Pulina, Giuseppe

Serra, Antonio

UnissResearch

ANNAbl 
DELLA FACOLTÀ DI AGRARIA DELL'UNIVERSITÀ 
____________ SASSARI __________ __ 
DIRETTORE: P. BULLITTA 
COMITATO DI REDAZIONE: P. BRANDANO - P. BULLITTA - P. DEIDDA 
M. GREPPI - L. IDDA - F. MARRAS - G. PALMIERI - A. VODRET 
studI s.ssar.sl 
ORGANO UFFICIALE 
DELLA SOCIETÀ SASSARESE DI SCIENZE MEDICHE E NATURALI 
Ann. Fac. Agr. Univo Sassari (1): 1988-1992, 34: 7-12 
ALFALFA HAY DIGESTIBILITY IN SARDINIAN DOES(1) 
Antonio SERRA(2) - Giuseppe PULINA(3) - Paolo BRANDANO(4) 
SUMMARY 
A feeding trial was carried out on ten Sardinian does. 5 does (group F) were fed with alfalfa 
hay and the other 5 (group C+F) with alfalfa hay + 0.6 kg of concentrate to measure the 
digestibility of these feeds. The digestibility was measured by marker method (lignin) and by 
the enzymatic method. The marker method showed that the addition of concentrate to the hay 
increased the OM digestibility. The second method showed similar results. The Authors 
calculated a regression equation between "in vivo" and "in vitro" digestibility of OM in the 
C+F group. The changes in lignin composition before and after the digestion were analyzed. 
Keywords: Sardinian does, Alfalfa hay, Digestibility. 
RIASSUNTO 
Digeribilità del fieno di medica in capre sarde 
In una prova condotta su 10 capre Sarde, di cui 5 (gruppo F) alimentate con fieno di medica 
e 5 (gruppo C+F) alimentate con fieno di medica + kg 0,6 di concentrati, è stata misurata la 
digeribilità delle razioni con il metodo dei marcatori interni (lignina) e con quello enzimatico. 
L'aggiunta di concentrati al fieno ha comportato un aumento, rilevato da entrambi i metodi, 
della digeribilità della SO. Sui dati del gruppo C+F è stata calcolata un'equazione di 
regressione fra digeribilità della SO "in vivo" ed "in vitro". È stata analizzata inoltre la 
composizione chimica della lignina prima e dopo la digestione. 
Parole chiave: Capre Sarde, Fieno di medica, Digeribilità. 
(I) Comunicazione presentata al 41 0 Congresso Annuale della Federazione Europea di Zootecnica, Tolosa 
(F) 9-12/7/1990. Lavoro eseguito con il contributo finanziario del C.N.R. (Contratto n. 88.02376.06-
89.00502.06; Titolare Prof. Paolo Brandano). 
(2) Coordinatore generale dell'Istituto di Zootecnica della Facoltà di Agraria dell'Università di Sassari, 
Via E. De Nicola 07100 Sassari. Tel. 079/229300. 
(3) Professore associato di Tecnologia delle produzioni ovine e caprine. Ibidem. 
(4) Professore ordinario di Zootecnica speciale 10. Ibidem. 
8 
INTRODUCTION 
The Sardinian goat population is almost exclusively made up of the Iocai Mediterra-
nean type: the Sardinian breed (2) (3). There are about 300,000 head and they 
account for about a quarter of the ltalian goat population. 
The importance of the breeding of these goats stems from their capacity, typicai of 
the species (6), to make use of the roughgrazing found in vast areas of Sardinia which 
is not suitable for cattle and sheep. Their production Ievel, however, is Iow, due, 
among other factors, to the feed, which is most1y based on shrubs and grass, with few 
concentrates. 
Feeding with concentrates and alfalfa hay during periods of scarse grazing produces 
a good milk yield whilst maintaining the quality (4). It is particulary important to 
calculate correct1y the nutritive value of the feedstuffs, and this depends on their 
digestibility (9) (17). This is usually determined with sheep (15). The digestibility 
both "in vivo" and "in vitro" of equai rations was different for the two species (11) 
(12) (14) (lO). Therefore it was important to have the "in vivo" data on Iactating 
goats, and in particular on animais of indigenous breeds (19). Lignin is an easily 
applied endogen marker for the determination of the digestibility in normai breeding 
conditions. 
Howewer, this technique is not very reliable, due to the degradation and solubiliza-
tion of varying amounts of lignin in the digestive tract (7) (8) (1). In spite of this, the 
technique has sometimes produced some good results (e.g. the digestibility of alfalfa 
hay by goats (14)) comparable to those of the traditionai method of totai collection 
(18). 
A feeding triai was conducted on Sardinian do es with the aim of studying the 
digestibility and the changes in the lignin composition (5) (13) (before and after 
digestion) of rations made up of alfalfa hay and alfalfa hay + concentrate. 
MATERIALS AND METHODS 
lO mature does, at the start of Iactation, were divided into two groups and one group 
was fed alfalfa hay ad lib. (group F) while the other received alfalfa hay + kg 0.6 of 
concentrate (group C+F) for 12 weeks. During the eleventh week, daily samples were 
taken from the totai faeces of each individuaI goat. The individuaI milk yield and feed 
intake were registered and feedstuff samples were taken. 
Standard ASPA chemicai analyses (16) were used on the feedstuff (tab. 1) and faeces 
samples. The digestibility was calculated by the internallignin (8) marker method 
(ADL). 
Using the same samples, the organic -matter digestibility was determined by the 
enzymatic pepsin-cellulase method (16). 
9 
Table 1 - Chemical eomposition of feeds (in %). 
Alfalfa hay Concentrate 
Dry matter 89.46 89.86 
On dry matter 
- Crude protein 19.63 14.44 
- Ether extra et 1.24 2.44 
- Crude fibre 28.42 11.54 
- Ash 12.62 8.78 
- N-free extra et 38.09 62.80 
-NDF 43.38 28.87 
- ADF 30.52 12.30 
-ADL 5.87 0.68 
A PERKIN-ELMER 240B analyzer was used to carry out elementary chemical 
analysis on the ADL of the feedstuff and faeces samples. 
ANOVA and regression analyses were carried out on the data to show the differences 
between treatments and the relationship between enzymatic and "in vivo" digestibility. 
FinalIy, the energetic values of the ingested rations were calculated by the INRA 
method (20). 
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 
The dry matter intake and milk production, per kilo of metabolic weight for group 
F and C+F, were g 91 ±20 vs 107 ±8 (DMI) and g 21 ±2 vs 45 ± 15 (MP). 
The apparent digestibility (tab. 2) calculated by the lignin method, of nearly alI the 
main nutrients examined was statisticalIy higher in group C+F. 
The OM enzymatic digestibility of C+F rations was higher than that in the F ration 
(73.78% vs 68.95%). 
Correlation analysis has showed a strong relationship between organic matter 
digestibility obtained by the enzymatic method and that obtained by the marker 
method. The regression equation was: 
y = -60.77 + 1.691x (r=0.8125; RSD=0.637; P ::::; 0.05) 
in which y and x are the digestibility percentage of the organic matter in vivo and in 
vitro respectively. 
Energy intake in both groups expressed in UFL calculated on the in vivo digestibility, 
was very similar to the requirements calculated by MORAND-FEHR et al. (17). 
Elementary lignin analysis (tab. 3) showed a slight reduction of nitrogen, carbon and 
10 
Table 2 - Apparent digestibility coefficients (AD C) by lignin (ADL) 
method and energetic value of diets. 
ADC (in %) F 
Organic matter 57.2± 2.1 
Crude pro te in 64.8± 5.1 
Ether extract 3.0± 12.4 
Crude fibre 48.1± 1.9 
N-free extract 62.6± 1.6 
NDF 52.7± 1.8 
ADF 49.1± 2.9 
UFL/kg DM 0.6344 
* p ~O.05; ** P ~O.O1. 
C+F 
63.4 ± 1.3** 
67.0± 1.5 
39.4±2.0** 
51.0± 1.4* 
69.5 ± 1.5** 
54.3±2.2 
51.3±2.5 
0.7661 
Table 3 - Elementary composition (in % of M.W.) of the ADL in alfalfa hay, the concentrate 
and faeces. 
N C H 0* 
Alfalfa hay 2.44 52.82 6.83 37.91 
Concentrate 2.58 47.80 5.43 44.19 
Group F 2.03±0.42 49.12±2.80 5.51±0.22 43.34±3.38 
Group C+F 2.19±0.58 47.77 ± 1.40 5.35 ±0.11 44.70±1.65 
* Calculated by difference. 
hydrogen, which was, however, the same in both groups. This demonstrates that any 
degradation of the compound has not been influenced by feeding and therefore the 
apparent digestibility data of the rations are comparable. 
CONCLUSIONS 
The ADL method for estimating the digestibility of rations made up alfalfa hay with 
or without concentrates is easy to use under the normal breeding condition of the 
Sardinian goat. 
Althoug it is not very accurate, it is technically useful for the estimation of the 
nutritive value of the rations fed to lactating goats. 
The energy requirements of the lactating Sardinian does, calculated by the INRA 
standard, conform with the intake of energy that we observed. 
11 
The doses of concentrates used in this work do not seem to limi t the technical 
application of the method. They produced an increase in the digestibility of the 
principal nutrients, as was to be expected. 
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12 
19) SILANIKOVE N. (1986) - Interrelationships between feed quality, digestibility, feed consumption, 
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Si ringrazia il Dr. P. Rassu ed il Sig. R. Rubattu per la collaborazione prestata. 
Lavoro pervenuto in redazione il 30-9-1990. 
Gli estratti possono essere richiesti a: 
Prof. Giuseppe Pulina - Istituto di Zootecnica - Facoltà di Agraria - Via De Nicola 07100 Sassari 
Te!. 079/229305. 


Alfalfa hay digestibility in Sardinian does

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