Intake, digestibility, nitrogen balance and performance of crossbreed Boer goats fed with diets containing saltbush (Atriplex nummularia L.) and spineless cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica)

Atriplex nummularia L. (atriplex) foliage and urea-treated straw have been used as nitrogen supplements for Barbarine lambs given Opuntia ficus-indica f. inermis (cactus) and their effects on feed intake, diet apparent digestibility, nitrogen balance and daily gain have been evaluated. Twenty-four lambs (mean live weight 19·9±2·79 kg) were randomly allocated to one of four experimental groups, groups 1–3 received freshly cut pads of cactus ad libitum. Group 1 was supplemented with 600 g untreated barley straw (C+US), while group 2 received 600 g urea-treated straw (C+UTS). Group 3 received 600 g untreated straw and 400 g atriplex (C+A). The amount of atriplex was calculated so that groups 2 and 3 receive iso-nitrogenous diets (i.e. C+UTS and C+A). Group 4 (US+BW) received a diet commonly offered to sheep by Tunisian smallholders, untreated straw ad libitum and 400 g of ground barley grain and wheat bran mixture (50[ratio ]50). A growth trial (60 days) followed by a digestibility trial (8 days) were performed in 1999. Irrespective of dietary treatment, cactus intake was high, averaging 500 g dry matter (DM)/day. It was not affected (P>0·05) with N supplementation, as urea-treated straw or atriplex. Sheep fed cactus-containing diets drank considerably less (P<0·001) water than those on the common diet (US+BW). Nitrogen provision improved significantly apparent digestibility of cactus-based diets. Urea treatment of straw increased content of digestible dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and cell wall (NDF) by 100, 100, 120 and 290 g/kg diet, respectively. There was a further increase when atriplex was provided instead of urea-treated straw. Nitrogen balance was positive across all dietary treatments but was improved when the nitrogen content of cactus-based diets was increased. Sheep fed on cactus and supplemented with atriplex retained the same amount of N as those fed the common diet (US+BW). The efficiency of microbial N production, estimated by the urinary excretion of allantoin, was improved (P<0·05) with N supplementation of cactus-diets (5·7, 12·4 and 11·4 mg/kg digestible OM intake for diets C+US, C+UTS, C+A, respectively). The diet C+US covered maintenance requirements of the sheep (7·7 g of daily gain). Nitrogen supplementation of cactus-based diets raised the average daily gain of lambs. Indeed, sheep given C+UTS or C+A diets grew at a rate of 19·9 or 31·4 g/day, respectively. It is noteworthy to mention that C+A and US+BW diets had similar effect (P>0·05) on sheep growth (31·4 and 39·7 g/day, respectively). It is concluded that cactus may be considered as an emergency feed and water source for sheep in arid and semi-arid zones. Nitrogen supplementation of cactus-based diets with urea-treated straw or atriplex foliage improved the feeding value of these diets and consequently sheep growth. A cactus-based diet, supplemented with atriplex, promoted similar growth in sheep as the commonly used diet (US+BW).

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Crude glycerin is an efficient alternative to corn in the diet of feedlot lambs

Archives Animal Breeding ◽

10.5194/aab-64-387-2021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 64 (2) ◽

pp. 387-393

Author(s):

Fernada Almeida Merlim ◽

Américo Garcia Silva Sobrinho ◽

Thiago Henrique Borghi ◽

Luís Gabriel Alves Cirne ◽

Roberta Lima Valença ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Nitrogen Balance ◽

Crude Glycerin ◽

Ether Extract ◽

Final Body Weight ◽

Randomized Design ◽

Total Carbohydrates ◽

Efficient Alternative ◽

Feedlot Lambs ◽

And Performance

Abstract. The objective of this study was to evaluate the intake, digestibility, nitrogen balance, and performance of feedlot lambs fed diets containing crude glycerin. A total of 30 Ile de France lambs were confined to individual pens at an average age of 45 d: 15.1 kg initial body weight and 32.2 kg final body weight. The animals were distributed in a completely randomized design and fed three diets containing fresh sugarcane as forage (50 %) and concentrate (50 %), with or without the inclusion of 100 and 200 g vegetable crude glycerin per kilogram dry matter (DM) replacing corn. Dietary glycerin inclusion reduced the intake of ether extract (P<0.001) and total carbohydrates (P=0.048) as well as the apparent digestibility of ether extract (P<0.001), but it had no effect on the intake and digestibility of the other nutrients nor on lamb performance. The apparent nitrogen balance of lambs on the three diets was positive. Although it does not affect the intake and digestibility of most nutrients, the inclusion of 100 and 200 g kg−1 DM of crude glycerin in the diet tends to worsen lamb performance, indicating that the ideal level of inclusion should be below 100 g kg−1 DM of crude glycerin.

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Manejo del tamaño de fruto y la calidad de la tuna (opuntia ficus-indica, m) mediante regulación de carga frutal

La Técnica: Revista de las Agrociencias. ISSN 2477-8982 ◽

10.33936/la_tecnica.v0i20.1152 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 19

Author(s):

Adriana Celi Soto ◽

Juan Alcívar Hidrovo

Keyword(s):

Titratable Acidity ◽

Fruit Yield ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Average Weight ◽

Crop Load ◽

Opuntia Ficus Indica ◽

Santiago De Chile ◽

Palabras Clave ◽

And Performance ◽

Fruit Load

Managment the size of fruit and quality of tuna (opuntia ficus-indica, m) by crop load regulation Resumen Con el objetivo de evaluar el efecto de la carga frutal en la tuna (Opuntia ficus-indica, M) sobre el rendimiento y la calidad de los frutos, se realizó un ensayo que consistió en ajustar diferentes niveles de carga frutal por cladodios individuales (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 y 16 frutos/cladodio) en la localidad de El Noviciado, de la comuna Pudahuel en Santiago de Chile. Los tratamientos con menor carga frutal redujeron el rendimiento de frutos pero aumentó la calidad de los frutos en peso fresco, tamaño, relación pulpa/cáscara y firmeza, sin embargo el porcentaje de jugo de la pulpa se redujo al disminuir la carga frutal; la carga no afecto al contenido de sólidos solubles, pH y la acidez titulable de la pulpa. Al comparar las plantas con carga ajustada con aquellas de carga natural, se concluyó que el ajuste de carga permite obtener mayores rendimientos y pesos frescos de frutos para un mismo nivel de carga y que la carga natural tiene un efecto más acentuado en la reducción del peso promedio y rendimiento (al aumentar la carga). Palabras clave: carga frutal; peso fresco; peso pulpa; peso cáscara; pH; sólidos solubles; acidez titulable; firmeza; contenido de jugo. Abstract With the aim of studying the effect of fruit load of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica, M) on fruit yield and quality, two trials were carried out: one in which different fruit loads were adjusted at the cladode levels (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 y 16 fruits/cladode) in The Noviciado of commune Pudahuel in Santiago de Chile. In the test crop load it decreased fruit yield decreased but increased the following variables of fruit quality: fresh weight, size (polar and equatorial diameters), relationship pulp / peel and firmness. Furthermore, in percentage of juice from pulp it was reduced by decreasing the crop load, while no effects of the load on the content of soluble solids, pH and titratable acidity of the pulp was observed. Comparing the adjusted load plants with those of natural load in the town of Novitiate concluded that the load adjustment allows for higher yields and fresh fruit pesos for the same charge level and the natural load has an effect more accentuated in reducing the average weight and performance (by increasing the load). These differences indicate that the growth of the fruits of tuna supply depends mainly assimilated and cladode nutrients on which they develop. Keywords: fruit load; fresh mass; pulp mass; peel mass; pH; soluble solids; titratable acidity; firmness; juice content.

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