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Efficient utilization of locally available feed resources is needed for further development of livestock productions in the tropics. However, an inadequate supply of nourish grass is common, and limited information exists regarding the chemical composition and digestibility of locally available feed resources in the different season. There were few reliable information concerning nutritive value of Gramineae resources in dry and rainy seasons in the Philippines. Hence, the present study was conducted to identify the chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of nine kinds of locally available Gramineae feed resources in dry and rainy seasons in the Philippines. The concentration of dry matter (DM), crude protein, and crude fiber of grass samples did not differ among species and seasons. The concentration of organic matter (OM), ether extract (EE), crude ash (CA), nitrogen-free extract (NFE), acid detergent fiber, and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) of grass samples differed significantly among species in both seasons except the NDF in the rainy season. However, the OM, CA, and NDF concentrations of the samples showed no differences between seasons. Imperata cylindrica showed the highest concentration of OM among the samples. Brachiaria brizantha had the lowest EE concentration among the grasses. The lowest NFE concentration was identified in Panicum maximum among the grasses. Although the digestibility of DM (DMD), OM (OMD), and NDF (NDFD) of grass samples showed significant differences among species. The DMD, OMD, and NDFD of I. cylindrica were the lowest among the samples, though Pennisetum purpureum showed the highest DMD, OMD, and NDFD among the species. Relatively high nutritive values of P. purpureum were remarkable among the samples in the present survey area.

BACKGROUND Total mixed ration (TMR) is widely used for dairy cattle and needs to be prepared daily because it deteriorates rapidly. Ensiling TMR allows preservation and saves labour at the farm; however, silage fermentation may influence various nutritional components. The objectives of this study were to evaluate nutritional changes and in vitro rumen fermentation of TMR silage that was stored at different temperatures and durations on a laboratory scale in comparison with those of typical TMR before ensiling. RESULTS No distinct changes in crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre and non-fibrous carbohydrate contents were observed during silage fermentation. However, clear changes were observed in the soluble CP and soluble sugar fractions; solubilisation of the CP fraction in TMR silage was enhanced by prolonged storage and higher storage temperatures, and most soluble sugars were lost during ensiling. Short-chain fatty acid concentrations in the in vitro rumen from TMRs before and after ensiling were not significantly different; however, throughout incubation, NH3-N concentrations from TMR silages were significantly higher than those from TMR before ensiling. CONCLUSION A higher ruminal NH3-N concentration from TMR silage may be a result of a shortage of fermentable sugars and enhanced deamination of CP. Feeding TMR ensiled under a high temperature must be investigated to balance proteins and carbohydrates for rumen fermentation. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry

Two related studies were conducted to determine the nutritive value and anthelmintic properties of eight tree legumes used as goat feeds. The degradation characteristics, total extractable phenol (TPEH) and condensed tannin (CT) of Acacia (Samanea saman), Desmanthus (Desmanthus virgatus), Rensonii (Desmodium cineria), Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala), Flemingia (Flemingia macrophylla), Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium), Grandiflora (Sesbania grandiflora), and Sesban (Sesbania sesban) were determined. Except for Flemingia, the different legumes contained highly soluble and degradable components that can provide immediate supply of nitrogen and fermentable matter to meet nutritional needs. Flemingia and Leucaena had more than 65% extractable tannins and contain high condensed tannin (CT) that could potentially reduce gastro-intestinal parasites in goats. Other species had minimal or no CT content. Feeding the tree-legumes provided cheap source of digestible organic matter, while feeding Flemingia and Leucaena was expected to reduce internal parasites in goats because they contained anthelmintics.

Comparative analyses of methanogen diversity in the rumen of crossbred buffalo and cattle fed the same diet in the Philippines was performed by cloning the methyl coenzyme M reductase A (mcrA) gene. The cattle and buffalo libraries consisted of 50 clones each. Comparative analysis of the amino acid sequence revealed that these 2 libraries differed significantly (P < 0.01). The deduced amino acid sequences of the clones were classified into 9 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in buffalo and 11 OTUs in cattle. Sequence similarity between the clones and known cultured methanogens ranged from 86 to 97 % for buffalo and 84 to 99 % for cattle. Methanobrevibacter species were predominant in buffalo (64 % of the clones), and an unknown mcrA was predominant in cattle (52 % of the clones). A large number of clones with low similarity to cultivated methanogens was observed in both buffalo and cattle, suggesting the presence of an unknown methanogen species in their rumen.

This experiment was conducted to investigate the difference between ruminal (solid feed, SF) and abomasal (liquid feed, LF) feeding on the plasma leptin concentration in sheep. The experiment consisted of 2 weeks to adapt the animals to SF, 4 weeks of feeding on SF, 2 weeks adaptation to LF, 8 weeks of feeding on LF, 2 weeks of adaptation to SF, and 4 weeks of feeding on SF. The LF directory flowed into the abomasums of sheep by bottle feeding. Plasma leptin concentration before morning feeding was almost constant in the SF periods, whereas it showed between-day variations when measured during the LF periods. Mean plasma leptin levels were higher for LF (7.77 ± 0.76 ng/mL; mean ± SE) than for SF periods (3.95 ± 0.16 ng/mL; mean ± SE). Although plasma leptin concentration did not show any change after feeding in the SF and LF periods, plasma insulin and glucose levels increased within 15 min after liquid abomasal feeding, but not after solid ruminal feeding. The high plasma leptin concentration during the LF periods in weaned sheep could be due to change of digestible energy intake and changes in plasma insulin and glucose levels accompanying the changes in digestive processes and nutrient supply.

The aim of this experiment was to examine the effect of rumen digesta flow parameters on effective degradability (EDG) and microbial nitrogen (MBN) yield in sheep fed diets of identical provision of both metabolizable energy and rumen degradable nitrogen (RDN). Ruminal degradation parameters of early-harvested perennial ryegrass hay (EH), late-harvested perennial ryegrasses hay (LH) and winter sown barley straw (BS) were determined by a nylon bag technique. Subsequently, three experimental diets (EHD, LHD and BSD) were formulated using the tested forages, sucrose and urea as supplements. An in vivo feeding study was conducted using four rumen cannulated sheep in a partial Latin square design. Digestibility, rate constants of rumen particle breakdown and passage, ruminal fermentation parameters and MBN supply to the small intestine were determined. Animals thoroughly consumed the forages fed at a restricted level. Digestion coefficients were greater for EHD than for LHD and were lowest for BSD (P0.05). The rate constant of large particle breakdown was 4.3, 5.9 and 6.7 %/h, respectively, and small particle passage was 5.3, 4.7 and 6.3 %/h for EHD, LHD and BSD, respectively. The estimates differed (P0.05) between the diets. The overall passage rate constant of total rumen particles was estimated to be higher for BSD than that for EHD or LHD (P0.05). Ruminal fermentation parameters were unaffected by dietary treatments (P0.05). Intake levels of rumen degradable organic matter (RDOM) and RDN were estimated to be greater for LHD than that for EHD or BSD (P0.05). Although dietary arrangements were made to give identical microbial efficiency, the estimated value was higher for EHD than that for LHD or BSD (P0.05); and the MBN yield for BSD was estimated to be lower than that for EHD or LHD (P0.05). Rumen kinetic parameters of degradation and particle flow of forage affected EDG values and MBN yield from forage-related RDN intake, although those had little effect on the efficiency of MBN yield from forage-related RDOM intake.

The feeding value of five browse foliages (Acacia brevispica, Acacia mellifera, Berchemia discolor, Zizyphus mucronata and Maerua angolensis) grown in semiarid area of Kenya were evaluated. Their chemical composition including polyphenolics and in vitro gas production characteristics were determined. The biological activity of the polyphenolics was assessed as the increases in gas production profiles and in vitro true dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) digestibility after in vitro incubation with or without addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a tannin binding reagent. The intake and palatability ranking of the browse foliages by goats and sheep were also investigated. The browse foliages had variable crude protein content (149.5-248.6 g/kg DM) and variable content of neutral detergent fiber (205.1-424.0 g/kg DM). The content of total extractable tannins was generally low (2.4-34.8 g/kg DM). At 24 h of incubation, Z. mucronata produced the highest gas volume, while after 48 h of incubation, B. discolor produced the highest gas volume. M. angolensis had the least gas production potential within the browse foliages. Addition of PEG increased gas production except in A. mellifera and M. angolensis. However, PEG addition did not have any significant effect on in vitro true DM and OM digestibility except in B. discolor, which decreased. The rank order of preference (highest to least) for goats was A. brevispica, Z. mucronata, B. discolor, A. mellifera and M. angolensis while the rank order of preference for sheep was A. brevispica, B. discolor, A. mellifera, Z. mucronata and M. angolensis. The goats had higher intakes of all the browse foliages than sheep. The result of this study highlights the higher feeding value of the browse species as supplemental feed with low quality basal diet with both of animal species except M. angolensis.

Two diets differing in their degrees of ruminal degradation synchronicity between nitrogen (N) and organic matter (OM) were fed to six adult rams at a maintenance level for three months in a two-way layout design combining a randomized block design. Adaptive changes in microbial N (MBN) supply and N balance were investigated for both diets. The in situ rumen degradation parameters of OM and N were determined for four feeds and subsequently were used to formulate the two diets to have different ruminal degradation synchronicity and to be identical with metabolizable energy (ME), metabolizable protein (MP) and ruminally degradable N concentrations. The animals were divided into two groups and fed asynchronous (ASYNC) or synchronous (SYNC) diet, respectively. On days 30, 60 and 90 of each feeding period, a five-day metabolism trial was carried out. Animals consumed their diets thoroughly and did not show marked body weight change during the observation. The apparent digestibility of OM and N did not differ significantly between the diets throughout the periods. The MBN supply was significantly greater for ASYNC than that for SYNC (P < 0.01) and was greater on days 60 and 90 than that on day 30 (P < 0.05). Neither diets nor periods had a significant effect on the efficiency of MBN synthesis. There was a significant period effect on N retention (P < 0.05) together with tendency of diet x period interactions (P = 0.1). There was no significant dietary effect. An improvement in N retention with advancing feeding period was observed for both diets. The plasma urea concentration decreased with feeding period (P < 0.01) and there was a concomitant decrease in urinary N excretion. Plasma glucose concentration tended to increase (P = 0.07). The results suggest that lengthening feeding duration from 30 days might have caused ameliorative changes in the utilization of ME and MP, and may have improved microbe synthesis irrespective of the degradation synchronicity.

The objective of this study was to compare the carcass and meat quality in crossbred cattle and crossbred water buffalo at the same younger age and fed with high roughage in the Philippines. Ten crossbred cattle and 10 crossbred water buffalo, with an average age of 22 months (18–24 months) were used in this experiment. The animals were fed a similar diet, which consisted of 85% Napier or Para grass and 15% concentrate mixture on a dry matter basis, for 180 days before slaughter. Slaughter weight of the crossbred water buffalo was higher (P

The main objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between changes in plasma leptin concentration and feed intake or bodyweight in female and castrated male lambs with fattening. Four female and four castrated male lambs were used and were fed roughage and concentrate supplemented with beef tallow ad libitum for 28 weeks. Although the feed intake and bodyweight increased with fattening in both the castrated male and female lambs, they decreased at 24-28 weeks in the female lambs. At the end of fattening, the crude fat content in the muscle (loin) of the female lambs was significantly higher than in the castrated male lambs (P < 0.05), while the crude protein content in the loin and fillet meat was higher in the castrated male than in the female lambs (P < 0.05). The plasma leptin concentration showed high values at a later stage of fattening (P < 0.05). In the female lambs the plasma insulin concentration increased at a later stage of fattening (P < 0.05) and was positively correlated (P < 0.0001, r = 0.78) with plasma leptin. Plasma metabolites (glucose, nonesterified fatty acid, total cholesterol and triglyceride) concentrations were also changed with fattening. Plasma total cholesterol was positively related to plasma leptin, more closely in the female than in the castrated male lambs (in females, r = 0.63, P < 0.001; in males, r = 0.38, P < 0.01). The accumulation of body fat was probably accelerated by the consumption of a lot of concentrate feed supplemented with treated beef tallow and by the stimulation of insulin with fattening. Consequently, the plasma leptin concentration increased, especially toward the end of the fattening period. The decrease in feed intake and bodyweight after the 24th week of fattening was possibly caused by an increase in leptin that is involved in the homeostatic regulation of body energy by regulating appetite.

The objective of this study was to compare the fattening performance in Brahman grade cattle (crossbred cattle) and crossbred water buffalo at the same young age and fed with high roughage based fattening rations in the Philippines. Ten crossbred cattle and 10 crossbred water buffalo, aged between 18 and 24 months old were used in this experiment. The animals were fed diets consisting of 85% Napier or Para grass and 15% concentrate mixture (CM) on a dry matter (DM) basis. The grass, total DM intake and bodyweight gain were significantly (P

This study was conducted to determine and compare the live traits, carcass yield and the physical, chemical, processing and sensory properties of meat from 20 Brahman grade cattle (crossbred cattle) and crossbred water buffalo (Philippine carabao x Murrah, Bulgarian or Indian) with an average age and weight of 29 months and 434 kg, respectively. The animals were fed a similar diet for 180 days before slaughter. A survey was performed to establish consumer meat preference between the two species. Live weights before slaughter of the two species were found to be different (P < 0.05) with the crossbred water buffalo showing higher bodyweight. However, the crossbred water buffalo had a lower (P < 0.05) dressing yield based on hot carcass weight and chilled carcass weight. The lower dressing yield of crossbred water buffalo can be attributed to its higher (P < 0.05) weights of edible and non-edible slaughter by-products. The chilled carcass yield of the forequarters and hindquarters from crossbred cattle and crossbred water buffalo were comparable when expressed as percent of live weight and chilled carcass weight. The estimated lean yield was higher in crossbred cattle than crossbred water buffalo. Crude protein, ash, fat, cholesterol, myofibrillar, sarcoplasmic and insoluble protein contents of the beef and carabao meat were all similar. Water holding capacity, pH, muscle fiber diameter, tenderness, firmness and marbling score in carabeef were all comparable to the beef. Redness was found to be higher (P < 0.05) in carabeef than the beef as measured with a color meter. The consumer meat preference survey showed that 55.9% selected the beef while 44.1% preferred carabeef. The color and amount of fat on the outside of the beef sample were primary in buyer selection.

We previously demonstrated that postmortem water buffalo meat had higher tenderness than Brahman beef. In order to explain this difference in tenderness, the objective of the current study was to investigate the protease activity in these two meats. Five female crossbred water buffalo (Philippine Carabao×Bulgarian Murrah) and five female crossbred cattle (Brahman×Philippine Native) were slaughtered at 30months of age, followed by immediate sampling of Longissimus thoracis muscle for measurement of protease activity. Results showed that buffalo meat had significantly higher protease activity compared to beef (P

Optimal utilisation of tannin-rich browse tree fodders including Acacia spp. foliages as crude protein (CP) supplements to ruminants in the tropics is limited by less available information on their feed nutritive potential. Two studies were conducted to: (1) determine rate and extent of ruminal dry matter (DM) degradability (DMD) and (2) investigate effect of sun-dried Acacia nilotica (NLM), A. polyacantha (PLM) and Leucaena leucocephala leaf meal (LLM) supplementation on growth performance of 20 growing (7–9 months old) Small East African male goats (14.6 ± 0.68 kg) fed on native pasture hay (NPH) basal diet for 84 days in a completely randomised design experiment in north-western Tanzania. The goats were randomised into four treatment groups consisting of five animals each. Three supplement diets: 115.3 g NLM (T2), 125.9 g PLM (T3) and 124.1 g LLM (T4), which was used as a positive control, were supplemented at 20% of the expected DM intake (DMI; i.e., 3% body weight) to the three animal groups fed on NPH (basal diet) compared to the animals in a control group that were fed on NPH without browse supplementation (T1). NPH had significantly the lowest (P

The relationship between blood plasma level and urinary excretion of allantoin (AN) was examined in sheep and goats during fasting to investigate the possible use of purine derivatives (PD) in urine and/or plasma for estimating the microbial protein production in the rumen, and the further digestion in the lower guts of ruminants. Urinary AN excretion decreased markedly during fasting (0.13 mmol/kgW0.75 per day), although urinary levels of other PD, hypoxanthine + xanthine and uric acid did not differ irrespective of the feeding condition, that is, feeding, fasting and refeeding in both species. The AN concentration in blood plasma also decreased drastically in the starvation period, and was suddenly increased on refeeding in sheep and goats, and these phenomena were very similar to those of urinary AN excretion. Therefore, there was a high positive correlation between plasma AN level and urinary AN excretion, and the coefficient of correlation was statistically significant (P

Browse tree leaves of six species of Acacia (A. angustissima L., A. drepanolobium L., A. nilotica L., A. polyacantha L., A. senegal L., A. tortilis L.) were screened for chemical composition, including minerals and trace elements. Crude protein (CP) varied among the species from 145 (A. senegal) to 229 g/kg DM (A. angustissima). The species had moderate to high levels of minerals. The concentrations of Ca, P, Mg and S varied among the species from 14.6-31.5, 3.5-4.9, 1.4-3.0 and 1.7-2.8 g/kg DM, respectively. The forages showed relatively low concentrations of trace elements. Content of trace elements varied among the species from 4.5-23.8, 99.4-173.6, 146.2-432, 41.0-90.1, 10.9-22.2 and 0.05-0.65 mg/kg DM for Cu, Mo, Fe, Mn, Zn and Co, respectively. All leaves of browse species would meet the normal requirements for Ca, P, Mg and S in ruminants, although some species had higher levels of Ca than tabulated mineral requirements in livestock. Assayed Cu, Mn, Zn and Co would satisfy the lower range of recommended requirements of trace elements depending on their bioavailability. Therefore, browse leaves from Acacias could form good sources of CP and mineral supplements to ruminants.

The objective of this research was to determine the difference in tenderness and some characteristics of water buffalo meat and beef during postmortem aging. Five female crossbred water-buffalo (Philippine Carabao x Bulgarian Murrah) and five female crossbred cattle (Brahman x Philippine Native), were finished on the same diet for 6 months and slaughtered at 30 months of age. The muscle pH was measured at 40 min, 3 h, 7 h, 24 h, and 48 h postmortem. Longissimus thoracis (LT) and semimembranosus (SM) muscles were excised at 2 d postmortem, and shear force was measured at 2, 4, 7, and 14 d postmortem. Glycogen and lactate concentrations were determined from 0, 2, and 4 d LT samples, and myosin heavy chain type of buffalo and cattle LT was determined by ELISA methods. Myofibrillar protein degradation was also observed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting of fast-type troponin T. Results showed that the buffalo meat had significantly lower shear force values compared to beef for LT and SM muscles, which was supported by a difference in troponin T degradation. Postmortem pH decline of buffalo meat was significantly slower than that of beef, which was confirmed by lactic acid concentrations, but was not explained by glycogen content. In addition, there was no significant difference in the ratio of slow to fast type muscle fibers in buffalo and cattle, indicating that myosin heavy chain type was not responsible for the difference in pH decline and tenderness between the buffalo meat and beef. This study demonstrated that the tenderness of water buffalo meat was superior to that of Brahman beef, which may have been due to the difference in pH decline and the subsequent effect on muscle protease activity.

Six Acacia forage species–A. brevispica, A. elatior, A. mellifera, A. nilotica, A. senegal and A. seyal—were analysed for their chemical composition, including phenolics and rumen fermentation characteristics. In vitro gas production technique was used to study the rumen fermentation characteristics and the effect of tannins present in the browse forages on in vitro fermentation by including polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) in the incubation. The forages had high crude protein content (145.7–270.1 g kg−1 DM) and low to moderate content of neutral detergent fibre (220.2–442.8 g kg−1 DM). The forages had variable content of total extractable phenolics ranging from 18.4 to 384.2 g kg−1 DM and total extractable tannins ranging from 7.1 to 364.8 g kg−1 DM (tannic acid equivalent). Fractionation of the condensed tannin flavonoids showed that the delphinidin/cyanidin ratio ranged from not detected:100 to 71:29. The gas production potential ranged from 28.4 to 40.8 mL gas 0.2 g−1 DM. The rate of gas production was highest in A. elatior and lowest in A. nilotica. Addition of PEG-6000 increased gas production significantly (P < 0.05) in all species except A. mellifera. PEG-6000 addition did not have any significant effect on in vitro true dry matter and organic matter degradability but decreased the partitioning factor in all the species. Gas production and degradability parameters correlated positively with the CP content and negatively with the fibre and phenolics contents. Based on chemical composition, gas production and degradability, the forages have high potential nutritive value, especially as supplements to low-quality feeds in the tropics and particularly during the dry season. However, the presence of tannins in terms of high levels and biological antinutritive activity may limit the nutritive potential of some of the forages, such as A. seyal and A. nilotica. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry

An experiment was made to determine the absorption of purine metabolites in dietary nucleic acids through the digestive tract, and also to determine the utilization of nucleic acids absorbed in the body, using growing lambs. Two pairs of 120- and 180-day-old twin female lambs with a bodyweight of 18.2–19.0 kg were kept in metabolism crates and fed on purine-free milk replacement (MR) with supplements of exogenous purine (purine base or purine nucleoside) at a level of 0.2 mmol/BW0.75/d for 5 consecutive days, and thereafter they were maintained in the crates for 4 days. The daily amount of exogenous purine supply was calculated based on the urinary excreted purine derivatives (PD) in lambs fed on milk replacement alone. A urine sample was collected daily for 9 consecutive days, and the urinary excretion of PD was determined daily. Urinary PD excretion opened to increase within 24 h after the dose of purine bases, and the level was recovered on 3 days after ceasing the exogenous purine supply. The recovery of PD in the urine was about 70% of the purine supplement. When purine nucleosides were added to the feed, urinary PD excretion was initiated within 24 h after dosing, and the values were recovered after ending the purine nucleoside supply. The recovery rate of PD in the urine was only 30% of the supplemented purine. The plasma allantoin levels were almost similar after feeding purine bases and purine nucleosides, and the values were mostly in the range (40–60 µmol/L). These findings indicate that an exogenous purine can be directly incorporated into the body, and the purine as nucleoside is more effectively utilized for the synthesis of nucleic acids than as a purine base in the body of growing lambs.

The present study was conducted to determine the effects of selenium (Se) soluble glass bolus (SGB) on blood Se concentrations of mixed-bred (native × Anglo Nubian) pregnant does weighing between 15 and 52 kg and grazing on natural pastures in the Philippines. The control group, consisting of 28 does, was not administered with SGB, while 23 does were administered with SGB every 6 months for a period of 12 months. Forage and blood samples in both groups were collected every 2 months. Their Se, sulfur, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper and zinc concentrations were analyzed using the wet digestion method. The results showed that the grazed forage had concentrations of all these minerals that were far higher than the accepted critical lower levels. The Se concentration was higher (P

The potential nutritional value of six species of browse forage from Kenya harvested during the dry season were evaluated by chemical composition, in sacco dry matter (DM) degradation and in vitro gas production technique. The effect of tannins on the rumen fermentation of the forage was evaluated using polyethylene glycol (PEG) in an in vitro study. The chemical composition of the species of browse forage differed significantly (P < 0.05). The content of organic matter ranged from 846.7 to 946.5 g/kg DM. The forage had a high crude protein content (155.5-280.9 g/kg DM) and variable content of neutral detergent fiber (NDF, 236.2-682.8 g/kg DM). The content of total extractable tannins was generally low (0.6- 38.5 g/kg DM). At 24 h of incubation, the in sacco DM disappearance ranged from 31.2% to 84.2%. The effective DM degradability also ranged from 29.7 to 73.5%. The gas production after 96 h incubation ranged from 17.5 to 44.2 mL/ 200 mg DM. Use of PEG indicated that tannins had an inhibitory effect on rumen microbial fermentation and this is depen- dant upon the amount and activity of the tannins present. The estimated in vitro organic matter digestibility and metab- olizable energy also increased numerically with the PEG addition. The result of this study indicates that such species of browse forage have the potential to be used as feed supplements for ruminants, especially during the dry season.

Forages from grazing lands comprise conventional feed resources for ruminants in the tropical region. A study was conducted to assess fodder productivity and nutritive potential of deferred forages of six silvopastoral traditional fodder banks in central northwest Tanzania, traditionally known as Ngitiri. The grazing lands were dominated by low quality increaser grass species: Eragrostis spp., Aristida spp., Urochloa spp., Rottboellia exaltata, Cenchrus spp., Cynodon spp. and Chloris spp., and forbs species. The grazing lands had low vegetative basal cover that varied (p

The nutritive values of seven native grass species collected in North Sumatra, Indonesia, during dry and rainy seasons were evaluated. The chemical composition, in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), in vitro crude protein digestibility (IVCPD), macro mineral concentrations of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, in vitro gas production profile and metabolizable energy (ME) content of the grasses varied greatly among species and seasons. The crude protein content ranged from 6.6 (Andropogon gayanus) to 16.2% dry matter (Cynodon plectostachyus) in the rainy season, with a significant (P

The effect of dietary energy levels on the urinary excretion of purine derivatives (PD) was investigated in sheep fed hay and concentrate diets. In addition, the possibility of using PD concentrations in spot samples of urine as a useful tool for determining daily PD excretion was also examined. Three female lambs (mean bodyweight (BW) ± standard error, 31.4 ± 1.0 kg) were fed three diets consisting of timothy hay (20 g dry matter/kg BW per day) and rolled barley at three different energy levels (low-energy (LE), medium-energy (ME) and high-energy (HE) at 1.0-, 1.2- and 1.5-fold greater than the maintenance level of energy (450 KJ/BW0.75/day), respectively) in a 3 × 3 Latin square design. The dietary protein level was almost constant (380 mg nitrogen/BW0.75/day as digestible crude protein base) and was adjusted using soybean protein. Digestible organic matter intake (DOMI) increased (P

Information is lacking on the potential of leguminous fodder trees such as Leucaena leucocephala as a feed resource to supplement the native forages in traditional grazing management systems in the tropics. Two studies were conducted (1) to assess traditional fodder banks’ forage nutritive potential on animal production, and (2) to investigate the effect of Leucaena leucocephala leaf meal (LLM) supplementation on growth of steers grazing standing hay basal forages in the dry season. The traditional forages had low nutritive values indicated by low mean crude protein (CP) of 23 g kg−1 dry matter (DM), and high fibre contents of 717, 546 and 153 g kg−1 DM for neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL), respectively. The forages were poorly degraded in sacco and had low metabolisable energy (ME) (4.2–4.6 MJ kg−1 DM). Mean washing losses A, slowly degradable DM fraction, B, potential degradability, (A+B) and mean 48 h DM degradability (DMD) of grazing land forages were 70, 471, 541 and 326 g kg−1 DM, respectively. In the supplementation study, 16 growing steers (160.8±0.24 kg) were randomly allocated into four groups, in a completely randomized design. Four LLM treatment diets (T1, T2, T3 and T4), with four levels: 0, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 kg DM for control, low, medium and high LLM levels, respectively, were randomly allocated to the animals in the four groups for 70 days (d). LLM supplementation (p 0.05) difference in weight gains between animals on T3 and T4 (0.14 vs. 0.26 kg steer−1 d−1, respectively). Standing hay basal forages alone could not sustain animal productivity during dry seasons unless corrected for protein. Higher levels of LLM supplementation prevented weight losses and improved the performance of grazing steers, a management practice thought appropriate to low income pastoralists in semiarid western Tanzania.

A study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the nutritive value of some browse species from Kenya. The species evaluated included: Bauhinia alba, Bauhinia variegata, Bridelia micrantha, Calliandra calothyrsus, Carisa edulis, Cratylia argentea, Gliricidia sepium, Lantana camara, Maerua angolensis, Sesbania micrantha and S. sesban. The browses were evaluated by their chemical composition including phenolics, in vitro gas production and tannin activity (tannin bioassay). All the species had high crude protein content (149-268 g/kg DM) and low NDF content (239-549 g/kg DM). The feeds had varying contents of total extractable tannins (TET) ranging from low (3-22 mg/g DM), moderate (42-58 mg/g DM) and high (77-152 mg/g DM). Calliandra calothyrsus had the highest tannin content. Significant (p

Browse tree leaves from six species of Acacia being: A. angustissima, A. drepanolobium, A. nilotica, A. polyacantha, A. tortilis and A. senegal were screened to quantify levels of extractable total phenolics (TEP), extractable tannin (TET) and condensed tannin (CT). The CT in the leaf samples were assayed for soluble, protein-bond and fibre-bound CT using a modified butanol/HCl technique through improved extraction of tannin in leaf samples with aqueous sodium deodocyl sulphate (SDS)-β-mercaptoethanol solution. Effect of tannins on in vitro organic matter digestibility (OMD) was assessed by polyethylene glycol (PEG) tannin bioassay. Forages had variable crude protein (CP) ranging from 176 g/kg DM in A. nilotica to 229 g/kg DM in A. angustissima. A. nilotica had the lowest (P

The possibility of using Moringa oleifera as a ruminant protein supplement was investigated by comparison between nutritive and anti-nutritive value of its different morphological parts with that of conventionally used Leucaena leucocephala leaf meal (LL). Parameters determined were chemical composition, rumen degradable protein (RDP), acid detergent insoluble protein (ADIP), pepsin soluble protein (PESP), non-protein nitrogen (NPN) total soluble protein (TSP) and protein potentially digested in the intestine (PDI). Total phenols (TP) and total extractable tannins (TET) were also evaluated as anti-nutritive factors. In vitro gas production characteristics were measured and organic matter digestibility (OMD) was estimated basing on 24 h-gas production. Crude protein content ranged from 265-308 g/kg DM in M. oleifera leaves (MOL) and seed cake (MOC) respectively. Leucaena leucocephala and Moringa oleifera soft twigs and leaves (MOLSTL) had CP content of 236 and 195 g/kg DM while Moringa oleifera soft twigs alone (MOST) and Moringa oleifera bucks (MOB) had 160, 114 and 69.3 g/kg DM respectively. RDP was highest in (MOC) (181 g/kg DM) followed by (MOL) (177 g/kg DM) and was lowest in MOB (40 g/kg DM). The proportion of the protein that was not available to the animal (ADIP) was (p

This study was carried out to evaluate the potential nutritive value of commonly found grasses collected at native pasture in West Sumatra, Indonesia during dry and rainy seasons. Variables measured included chemical composition, in vitro digestibility, concentration of Ca, P and Mg, gas production and metabolizable energy (ME) content of the grasses. The results showed that species and season had significant effect on chemical composition and mineral concentration. Crude protein content in the dry season ranged from 6.5% (B. decumbens) to 14.4% (P. maximum) and increased slightly from 7.8% (B. decumbens) to 14. 8% (A. compressus) in the rainy season. Data on fiber fraction showed that grass contained more NDF, ADF and ADL in dry season than in rainy season. Data on mineral concentration showed that C. plectostachyus and P. maximum in dry season had higher Ca than those of other species, while in rainy season P. maximum had highest Ca concentration. In dry season, the DMD varied from 50. 4% (P. purpuphoides) to 59.1% (P. purpureum), while in rainy season ranged from 50.3% (A. gayanus) to 61.8% (P. purpureum). The potential and rate of gas production were significantly (p

Twenty growing crossbred cattle and crossbred water buffalo (carabao) with an average age of 22 (18–24 months) months were equally distributed into two treatment groups according to species. The animals were fed with the same ration made up of corn silage (50%) + wet brewer's spent grain (30%) + concentrate mixture (20%), and their fattening performance was monitored. The digestibilities of the different nutrients were likewise determined. The economics of raising the animals under intensive production system was calculated. Species differences did not influence total dry matter intake of the animals, when expressed as percentage of the bodyweight and per metabolic body size. There were no significant differences in digestion coefficients of the different nutrients, except for crude protein in crossbred water buffalo and crossbred cattle, although the digestibility of dry matter, organic matter and nitrogen free extract tended to be high in the former than in the latter. Likewise, average daily gain (ADG) was similar, although crossbred water buffalo had numerically higher ADG (828.6 vs 785.5 g) than crossbred cattle during the 6 months feeding. During the first 3 months of feeding (1–90 days), the ADG of crossbred water buffalo was 1066.1 g compared to 940.1 g for crossbred cattle. From 91 to 180 days, the crossbred cattle had slightly higher ADG (630.1 vs 591.1 g) but also the difference was not significant. The return above feed cost was comparable for crossbred cattle and crossbred water buffalo during the first 90 days of feeding. However, extending the feeding period from 91 to 180 days, income over feed cost was higher (P

Three crossbred tropical cattle and three crossbred buffaloes, fitted with rumen cannulas, were used to investigate the differences in feed intake, digestibility and parameters with rumen degradation kinetics between cattle and buffalo fed a fattening diet in the Philippines. The animals were fed a diet consisting of 50% corn silage (CS), 30% brewer’s grain (BG) and 20% concentrate mixture (CM) on a dry matter (DM) basis, at a level of 3% bodyweight (BW) as DM. Total DM intake (DMI) and rumen fill were greater ( P 0.05). The weight proportion of consumed feedstuffs differed between cattle and buffaloes ( P 0.05) between the animal species. Nutrients digestibility was higher ( P 0.05) between the animal species. Higher DM degradation rate constant and effective degradability with CS were prominent for buffaloes than for cattle ( P 0.05) between cattle and buffaloes, neither with BG nor CM. The results indicate that the greater digestibility with DM and energy for buffaloes are ascribable to greater effective degradability of CS fed ad libitum level.

This study was conducted to evaluate nutritive value of forages commonly used as ruminant feeds in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Seven species of grasses and five species of legumes were collected during the rainy season. The results showed that chemical composition, in vitro digestibility of dry matter (DMD), organic matter (OMD) and crude protein (CPD), in vitro gas production and metabolizable energy (ME) content greatly varied among the species of grass and legume forages. The CP content ranged from 6.6 to 16.2% in grass and from 17.5 to 29.1% in legumes; while NDF content of grass and legume ranged from 57.2 to 66.2% and from 24.4 to 55.6%, respectively. The DMD, OMD and CPD of grass ranged from 49.1 to 62.2%, 51.9 to 64.4% and 50.5 to 60.3%; while in legumes the values ranged from 59.1 to 71.8%, 65.2 to 72.0% and 68.2 to 71.6%, respectively. The ME content of grass varied from 6.4 to 9.3 MJ/kg and from 6.5 to 8.3 MJ/kg for legumes. In general, within species of grass Cynodon plectostachyus contained higher CP but was lower in NDF that resulted in much higher digestibility; a similar result was also found in Leucaena leucocephala for the legumes. The two forages also contained much higher ME than the others. In conclusion, the nutritive value of forages in North Sumatra, Indonesia during the rainy season was relatively high as ruminant feed, with the best quality noted for Cynodon plectostachyus and Leucaena leucocephala. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2004. Vol 17, No. 11 : 1518-1523)

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential nutritive value of five legume forages (leaves and twigs) in West Sumatra during wet and dry seasons. The chemical composition, in vitro dry matter (IVDMD), organic matter (IVOMD) and crude protein digestibility (IVCPD), in vitro gas characteristics and estimated metabolizable energy (ME) showed variation among legume forages and between different seasons. Crude protein (CP) ranged from 14.2 to 27.8% DM in the wet season, with a significant (p

The purpose of the present study was to understand the mechanisms of action of diquafosol, a stable derivative of uridine 5′-triphosphate, on Cl– transport across the isolated rabbit conjunctiva. Rabbit conjunctivas were isolated and mounted in a modified Ussing chamber. Under short-circuit conditions, the effects were determined of mucosal (tear) side diquafosol application on the short-circuit current (Isc). Diquafosol rapidly and dose-dependently increased the Isc at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 968 µM when added to the mucosal side of the conjunctiva. In the absence of the serosal Cl–, the Isc induced by 10 µM diquafosol was substantially reduced. On the contrary, in the absence of mucosal side Na+, the diquafosol-induced increases in Isc were unchanged. Following 45-min preincubation, the P2Y2 antagonist suramin inhibited the diquafosol-induced increases in the Isc whereas the P2Y1 antagonist pyridoxal-phosphate-6-azophenyl-2′4′-disulfonic acid had no effect. These studies suggest that diquafosol stimulates net Cl– secretion from the serosal to the mucosal side via stimulation of P2Y2 receptors in the rabbit conjunctiva.

Fang, S.G., Wan, Q.H. and Fujihara, T. 2003. Loss of genetic variation in giant panda due to limited population and habitat fragmentation. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 24: 137–144. The present study was designed to investigate effects of population size and habitat fragmentation on the long-term survival of giant panda. Genetic diversity including band-sharing coefficient, gene frequency, heterozygosity, numbers of alleles and genetic variability were estimated in two populations of the giant panda, which inhabited in Liangshan Mountain and Qionglai Mountain, respectively. The results showed that the decrease of genetic variation caused by genetic drift in Liangshan panda population coincide with the fact that this isolated population had less immigration individuals from the other populations. On the contrary, the Qionglai panda population possessed relatively high genetic variation due to the possible gene flow among the fragmented populations inside the Qionglai Mountain. This finding also indicates t...

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the feeding value of Pennisetum macrourum , commonly known as wild Napier grass, as a feed for cattle. Experiment 1 was a nutritive value determination using four crossbred steers and four diets in a 4×4 Latin square design experiment. The four diets were: wild Napier grass + mineral/vitamin mixture (WN), wild Napier grass + 0.5 kg fishmeal + 0.5 kg maize bran + mineral/vitamin mixture (MB+FM), wild Napier grass + 0.5 kg molasses + mineral/vitamin mixture (MO) and wild Napier grass + 0.5 kg fishmeal + 0.5 kg molasses + mineral/vitamin mixture (MO+FM). Wild Napier grass contained 668, 256 and 78 g/kg DM of NDF, ADF and CP, respectively. The DM intake (67.9, 118.9, 96, 132.9 g/kg for animals on WN, MB+FM, MO and MO+FM, respectively) differed ( P P P P P P P

We investigated in vivo whether UTP and ATP increased periodic acid and Schiff's reagent (PAS)-positive glycoprotein release from rabbit conjunctival goblet cells. Fifty microL of UTP or ATP at the concentrations of 0.003, 0.03, 0.3, 3.0, 8.5% (54 microM-154 mM) or saline were applied to rabbit eyes. Impression cytology was performed on the upper nasal bulbar conjunctiva and the cells were stained with PAS. To clarify purinergic receptor-mediated involvement in this response, suramin (1%; 7 mM), P2Y(2) antagonist and pyridoxal-phosphate-6-azophenyl-2',4'-disulphonic acid (PPADS, 0.01%; 167 microM), P2Y(1) antagonist were applied in the rabbit conjunctival sac for 10 min. before UTP or ATP application. Images of the specimens were taken with a digital camera mounted on a microscope and the PAS staining area was measured using an image analyzing system. UTP or ATP eye drop instillation transiently decreased the PAS staining area in a dose-dependent manner, but it gradually recovered after another 30 min. Saline instillation had no effect until 60 min. later. All of the agonists-induced declines were inhibited by pretreatment with 1% (7 mM) suramin but not 0.01% (167 microM) PPADS. UTP and ATP stimulate PAS-positive glycoprotein secretion via P2Y(2) receptor on goblet cells in the rabbit bulbar conjunctiva in vivo.

Over the last 100 years giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) have been separated into six completely isolated mountain ranges. DNA fingerprinting revealed different differentiation patterns in giant pandas, including early-stage, late-stage, recent divergence and recent genetic depression. A separation around 10 000 years ago resulted in highly significant differences in DNA fingerprints and morphological characteristics between Qinling and Sichuan populations. Supported by morphological differences, the genetic data were used to classify the Qinling population as a new subspecies, A. m. qinlingensis, while the Sichuan populations were classified into the original subspecies, A. m. melanoleuca. Thus, the Qinling population deserves management as a separate unit. In the Sichuan populations, two management units were defined, including Qionglai-Minshan and Daxiangling-Xiaoxiangling-Liangshan. Our data suggest urgent measures are needed to establish green corridors between subpopulations in each mountain range to increase gene flow and genetic variation to ensure long-term survival.

An experiment was carried out to determine endogenous excretion of allantoin (AN) in lambs and kids fasted and fed on a purine-free diet (milk replacer: MR). After weaning (40–50 days after birth), the animals were reared by feeding on MR until they were 120 days old. At 8 months of age, they were fasted for 8 days, and then re-fed on MR for 13 days. After weaning, AN excretion gradually decreased almost to a constant level at 80–120 days after birth (mean 0·14 mmol/kgW0·75/day). In goat kids, there was variation but no definite trend in urinary AN excretion in the period 40–120 days (mean 0·35 mmol/kgW0·75/day). Urinary AN excretion was very low after fasting for 8 days, mean values (per kgW0·75/day) being 0·13 mmoles for lambs and 0·17 mmoles for goat kids. In lambs, urinary AN excretion did not increase following subsequent re-feeding of MR, and for goat kids the increase was small. Changes in plasma AN concentration after fasting and re-feeding showed a similar response to that of urinary AN excretion for both sheep and goats so that there was a high positive correlation between the plasma AN and urinary AN excretion (r=0·881 for lambs and r=0·853 for kids). It is concluded that, in these young animals, urinary AN excretion rapidly responds to changes in plasma AN and is therefore likely to be a useful practical indication of endogenous PD excretion.

Browse tree legume leaves from Acacia spp (A. nilotica, A. tortilis, A. polyacantha), Dichrostachys sp, Flagea villosa, Piliostigma thonningii, Harrisonia sp were evaluated for nutritive potential (chemical compositions and degradability characteristics) compared to Gliricidia sepium. Effect of tannins anti-nutritive activity on digestibility was also assessed by polyethylene glycol (PEG) tannin bioassay. Crude protein (CP), ash, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) differed (p A. nilotica>P. thonningi>F. villosa>Dichrostachys sp>A. tortilis>A. polyacantha. Addition of PEG resulted to (p