The effect of supplementation with Leucaena leucocephala and maize bran on voluntary food intake, digestibility, live weight and milk yield of Bos indicus × Bos taurus dairy cows and rumen fermentation in steers offered Pennisetum purpureum ad libitum in the semi-humid tropics

1995 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Muinga ◽  
J. H. Topps ◽  
J. A. Rooke ◽  
W. Thorpe

AbstractAn experiment was carried out to evaluate dairy performance and rumen fermentation from a forage-based diet supplemented with Lucaena leococephala (leucaena) and maize bran. Bos indicus (Ayrshire/Brown Swiss) х Bos taurus (Sahiwal) cattle were offered Pennisetum purpureum (napier grass) ad libitum either unsupplemented (N) or supplemented on a dry-matter (DM) basis with 1 kg (LL) or 2 kg leucaena (LH) or 2 kg leucaena together with 1 kg DM maize bran (LHM). Food intake, milk yield, diet apparent digestibility and nitrogen balance were measured using eight cows (mean live weight 384 (s.d. 41) kg in two 4х4 Latin squares. Rumen fermentation was measured using four rumen fistulated steers (mean live weight 352 (s.d. 12) kg in a 4 х 4 Latin square. Performance was recorded during the last 7 days of each 21-day experimental period. Supplementation increased food intake (6·3, 7·6, 7·9 and 8·7 kg DM per day; P < 0·01; s.e.d. 0·24) and milk yield (5·1, 5·4, 5·5 and 6·5 kg/day; P < 0·01; s.e.d. 0·28) for N, LL, LH and LHM respectively. Supplemented diets tended to be more digestible compared with napier grass as the sole food (organic matter apparent digestibility coefficients 0·54, 0·55, 0·57 and 0·57; s.e.d. 0·020; N, LL, LH and LHM, respectively) and N balance increased progressively with supplementation.Supplementation progressively increased rumen ammonia-nitrogen concentrations in steers and the rate of rumen degradation of napier grass increased when leucaena (diets LL and LH) was offered. The results suggest that supplementation of napier grass with leucaena increased DM intake owing to increased ammonia concentrations and rates of napier degradation in the rumen. Supplementation of the forage diet with 1 kg DM maize bran did not significantly reduce the rumen degradation of napier grass and increased the molar proportions of propionate which may have increased the efficiency of utilization of metabolizable energy and therefore milk production.

1992 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Khalili ◽  
T. Varvikko ◽  
S. Crosse

AbstractAn experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of forage type and level of concentrate supplementation on forage intake, diet digestibility and milk production. Twenty-four crossbred cows (Bos taurus × Bos indicus), in early lactation, were allocated to the following six dietary treatments: native grass hay (H) or oat-vetch hay (OV), offered ad libitum, and supplemented with either 0, 2·5 or 5·0 kg per cow per day of a wheat-middling-based concentrate. A four-period, partially balanced, change-over design was used and the treatments were arranged as a 2 × 3 factorial.The daily dry-matter (DM) intake was 640 g (P < 0·001) higher with cows on (H) diets compared with those on OV diets. However, OV diets were more digestible (0·675 v. 0·566, P < 0·001) resulting in 800 g higher (P < 0·05) daily intake of digestible DM. The daily milk yield was 1·24 kg higher (P < 0·001) for cows on OV diets compared with H diets. Milk fat concentration was higher (P < 0·05), but milk protein concentration was lower (P < 0·001) with H diets. The rates of rumen degradation of DM and nitrogen of OV were higher than of H for all incubation periods; similarly the values of the rate constant of DM and nitrogen were greater for OV than for H.The daily DM intake increased by 3·72 kg/day (P < 0·001), when the amount of concentrate increased from 0 to 5·0 kg/day, indicating a minor substitution of basal forage by concentrate. The apparent DM digestibilities of the diets were higher when the diets were supplemented with concentrates. The milk yield increased linearly (P < 0·001), when the level of concentrate supplement increased from 0 to 5 kg, resulting in 0·52 kg more milk per day per kg additional concentrate given.


1992 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Muinga ◽  
W. Thorpe ◽  
J. H. Topps

AbstractScarce and poor-quality food resources limit smallholder dairy production in the tropics. Food resources for zerograzing may be improved by intercropping Pennisetum purpureum (napier grass) with Leucaena leucocephala leguminous hedgerows. To evaluate dairy cow performance from this alley cropping system, 36 Ayrshire/Brown Swiss × Sahiwal cows in a 2×3 factorial design were individually fed from the 3rd week of lactation for 14 weeks on diets of napier fodder harvested at 1·0 m or 1·5 m and offered ad libitum, supplemented with 0, 4 or 8 kg fresh weight leucaena fodder. Average daily milk yield during the 2nd week of lactation was a covariate in the analyses of milk yield, and post-partum live weight a covariate in the analyses of dry matter (DM) intake and live-weight change.Napier harvesting height and leucaena level had independent effects on performance. Napier height (1·0 m or 1·5 m) significantly (P < 0·01) affected daily napier DM intake (9·3 and 6·8 kg), total daily DM intake (10·5 and 7·9 kg), daily live-weight losses (165 and 490 g) and daily milk yield (8·6 and 6·9 kg respectively). Leucaena supplementation (0, 4 or 8 kg) significantly (P<0·01) increased total daily DM intake (7·8, 9·3 and 10·4 kg), reduced daily live-weight loss (560,235 and 175 g), and increased daily milk yield (7·3, 7·7 and 8·3 kg respectively). The results show that reasonable dairy performance can be achieved in the tropics by supplementing a napier fodder basal diet with leucaena forage, and highlight the importance of the stage of harvesting of the napier fodder. The results are discussed in relation to the nutrient requirements for milk production given by the Agricultural Research Council (1980 and 1984).


1996 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 381-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Abdulrazak ◽  
R. W. Muinga ◽  
W. Thorpe ◽  
E. R. Ørskov

AbstractTwo experiments were carried out to evaluate the effect of incremental levels of Gliricidia sepium (gliricidia) and Leucaena leucocephala (leucaena) on forage intake, diet apparent digestibility, microbial nitrogen supply and live-weight changes in cattle. In each experiment, 20 intact and five fistulated crossbred steers (Bos taurus × Bos indicus) were used. Napier grass basal diet was offered ad libitum alone or supplemented with 7·5, 15, 22·5, or 30 g dry matter (DM) per kg metabolic body weight (M075) gliricidia (experiment 1) or leucaena (experiment 2). In experiment 1, total DM intake increased but not significantly with gliricidia supplementation (5·2, 5·1, 5·2, 5·4, 5·7 (s.e.d. 0·21) kg/day) while intake of napier grass was depressed linearly (5·2, 4·7, 4·5, 4·3, 4·2 (s.e.d. 0·21) kg/day; P < 0·05). In experiment 2, supplementation with leucaena increased the total DM intake linearly without depressing the intake of napier grass (5·2, 5·8, 6·2, 6·6, 6·7 (s.e.d. 0·31) kg/day; P < 0001 and 5·2, 5·3, 5·3, 5·3, 5·0 (s.e.d. 0·21) kg/day respectively). Neither gliricidia nor leucaena supplementation affected the apparent digestibility of the diet or in sacco DM degradation characteristics of the forages. Rumen ammonia and live-weight gain were increased linearly (P < 0·05) by supplementation from 130 to 215mg/l (experiment 1) and 75 to 113mg/l (experiment 2), from 306 to 478 g/day (experiment 1) and from 538 to 850 g/day (experiment 2), respectively. However, since the responses were linear, further experiments are required to quantify the responses to higher levels of these legume supplements.


1977 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. P. Ledger ◽  
A. R. Sayers

SUMMARYGroups of Bos indicus (Boran) and Bos taurus (Hereford) × Bos indicus steers were kept at constant live weights of 185, 275 and 450 kg for periods of up to 24 weeks. Maintenance of these live weights was achieved by control of the daily ration of a diet having an energy concentration of 10·477 MJ metabolizable energy (ME)/kg d.m. AS time progressed it was noted that less of the diet had to be fed daily to maintain constant live weight. Body composition of steers slaughtered at 0, 12 and 24 weeks showed that the live weights had been maintained by the compensating effect of empty body weight gains and digestive tract content-weight losses.No significant differences were found between slaughter groups for the energy values of the boneless carcass meat nor the internal deposits of empty digestive tract, omental and mesenteric fat. It was therefore concluded that there had been a progressive increase in the efficiency of energy utilization for the production of edible meat.The percentage reduction of daily food intake from 3 to 24 weeks necessary to maintain the prescribed live weights ranged from 51·8% for the 185 kg Borans to 17·9% for the 450 kg ¾ Boran × Hereford cross-breds.Comparison with published estimates for maintenance of live weight showed that after 24 weeks at constant live weight the 185 and 275 kg Borans and the 450 kg ¾ Borans needed 50·5, 37·9 and 34·2% less and the 275 kg Hereford × Boran cross-breds and 450 kg ¾ Herefords 40·8 and 37·9% respectively less food than estimated.Correction for age effects on the fasting metabolic rates of the 185 and 275 kg weight groups reduced the difference between theoretical and actual maintenance requirements from 50·5, 37·9 and 40·8% to 37·3, 29·3 and 33·8% respectively.Attention is drawn to the need to differentiate between the live-weight maintenance needs of fast and slow growing animals which may be of similar live weights but differing ages.


1977 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Frisch ◽  
J. E. Vercoe

SUMMARYFood intake, eating rate, weight change and fasting metabolic rate were measured on 12 animals of each of the following breed-types: Hereford × Shorthorn (HS), Brahman × HS (BX) and Africander × HS (AX). Measurements were made on ad libitum and fixed levels of lucerne and ad libitum and fixed levels of low-quality tropical pasture hay (approx. 1·2% N) during feeding periods of about 100 days' duration.The BX and AX were heavier and either gained more weight or lost less weight than the HS on all diets. At feeding levels close to maintenance, which included the ad libitum pasture hay diet, adjustment for differences in either live weight or intake did not alter the unadjusted ranking of the breeds. On ad libitum lucerne, however, adjustment for either weight or intake showed higher gain in the HS than in the BX. The voluntary food intake per kg live weight was consistently and significantly highest for the HS and lowest for the BX. Rates of eating were not significantly different for the different breed-types but they were higher for high-quality lucerne and for the lower level of feeding. Fasting metabolic rate per kg live weight was highest for the HS and lowest for the BX; the difference between the breeds varied with the previous dietary treatment. The ratio of voluntary food intake to fasting metabolism was practically constant between breeds and animals within breeds, though different between diets.Correlations for animals within breeds and years between the various parameters within diets and between diets are presented.


1979 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. N. Peart ◽  
J. M. Doney ◽  
W. F. Smith

SummaryMilk yield of 2-year-old Scottish Blackface and of East Friesland × Scottish Blackface ewes rearing single or twin lambs was estimated by the oxytocin method on 1 day each week up to the 14th week of lactation. Both groups of ewes had been reared from birth under good nutritional conditions. They were housed in individual pens from mid-pregnancy and offered a liberal ration of a pelleted concentrate food until parturition. Similar food was offered ad libitum during lactation.The cross-bred ewes rearing singles or twins produced significantly more milk in the first 12 weeks (181 and 258 kg respectively) than did pure Blackface ewes in the same period (144 and 208 kg respectively). The pattern of lactation differed between breeds. Cross-bred ewes attained higher maximum yields between the second and sixth weeks (2·37 and 3·32 kg/day, respectively, for single- and twin-suckled ewes) than did the Blackface ewes (1·97 and 2·88 kg/day). The yield from the cross-breds was sustained at a higher level throughout lactation. In the third 4-week period cross-bred ewes rearing single and twin lambs produced 116 and 92%, respectively, of their yield in the first 4 weeks whilst Blackface ewes produced 87 and 65%, respectively.In the sixth week of lactation the milk produced by the two breed groups was similar in quality (mean value of solids-not-fat 11·04% and fat 5·48%) but by the 11th week the fat percentage of milk produced by Blackface ewes had increased significantly to 7·34% whereas that of the cross-breds had remained almost unchanged.Single-suckled ewes gained weight throughout lactation but twin-suckled ewes remained relatively constant. Lambs reared as singles by cross-bred or Blackface ewes reached a mean live weight of 36·2 and 35·0 kg at 102 days of age, respectively, compared with 33·6 and 30·1 kg for twin lambs. Food intake of all ewes increased until the fifth or sixth week of lactation.


1986 ◽  
Vol 106 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer C. Sneddon

SummaryTwo steers (Bos indicus and Bos indicus x Bos taurus) were acclimatized to an ambient temperature of 30 °C before working at this temperature on two treadmills (gradients 0 and 6°) for 2 h (one on each treadmill) whilst carrying a load equivalent to 10% of body weight. The study was then repeated at an ambient temperature of 15 °C. The effect of variation between animals, ambient temperature and rate of energy expenditure were tested on the linear regression model EEw = A PHR + B (where EEw is the energy expenditure (w/kg0·75) and PHR is the percentage increase of working heart rate over resting heart rate).Animal and ambient temperature had no significant effect on the model. The gradient of the regression line was significantly greater (P < 0·01) when the animals were expending energy at the higher rate (about 30 W/kg live weight0·75) than when they were expending energy at the lower rate (about 14 W/kg live weight0·75).


Author(s):  
Jigme Dorji ◽  
Dhendup ◽  
Iona M. MacLeod

SummaryThe Nublang is a unique dual-purpose breed ofBos indicuscattle found in Bhutan. They have been crossed with Mithun (Bos frontalis) andBos taurusbreeds in an effort to improve milk production leading to a decline in the population of purebred Nublang. An alternative to crossbreeding would be the genetic improvement of milk yield within purebred Nublang, thus allowing conservation and sustainable utilization of the pure breed. It is important to measure the genetic variability (heritability) of milk yield to assess the potential for genetic improvement within Nublang. Therefore this study estimated phenotypic and genetic parameters of milk yield using 2 052 test day milk yields from 66 cows recorded from 1997 to 2013 in the National Nublang Farm, Tashiyangphu. The average daily milk yield (DMY) was 2.12 ± 0.7 litres (N 2 052, range: 0.3–5.0 L, CV: 34 percent). Parity, month in milk and year all had a significant effect on DMY (P&lt; 0.05). The average lactation milk yield (LMY) was 519.2 ± 151 L (N: 261, range: 115–881.7, CV: 29.1 percent) and average lactation length was 239 days. LMY was significantly influenced by parity (P&lt; 0.05) and season of calving. The heritability of DMY and LMY was 0.22 ± 0.16 and 0.13 ± 0.20, respectively. The repeatability estimates were 0.45 ± 0.05 and 0.49 ± 0.08 for DMY and LMY, respectively. Overall the heritability and repeatability estimates of milk yields indicate potential for genetic improvement of milk yield in Nublang cattle through selection. However, it is recommended that a larger dataset is generated to enable more precise estimates of genetic parameters.


2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos F Aguilar-Pérez ◽  
Eduardo R Valencia-Heredia ◽  
Jorge S Santos-Flores

Introducción. El objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar el cambio de peso, consumo y conversión alimenticia de toretes estabulados, durante su adaptación y engorda, con una dieta integral de excretas frescas de cerdo, melaza y pasto Taiwán (Pennisetum purpureum), y una dieta convencional de balanceado comercial y Taiwán. Material y métodos. Se utilizaron doce toretes cruzados (Bos taurus x Bos indicus) con peso vivo y edad promedio de 271.3 ± 51.9 kg y 378 ± 79 días, respectivamente. Los animales se dividieron en dos grupos para ser engordados hasta su peso al mercado (450 kg) con una dieta integral de excretas frescas de cerdo (EFC) (45%), melazaurea (31%) y Taiwán (24%) (Tratamiento Experimental,TE); y con una dieta convencional de balanceado comercial (40%) y Taiwán (60%) (Tratamiento Testigo,TT). Resultados. El consumo voluntario de materia seca (CVMS) para TE fue alto desde la segunda semana del período de adaptación (2.8 kg/100 kg PV). Al término de este período (28 días), no se encontraron diferencias significativas (p›0.05) entre tratamientos para ganancia diaria de peso (GDP): 0.982 kg para TT y 0.798 kg para TE, aunque el CVMS y la conversión alimenticia (CA) fueron ligeramente mejores para TT (7.56 vs 7.09 kg MS/animal/día y 7.62 vs 8.89 kg MS/kg de ganancia). La GDP durante el período de engorda fue similar en ambos tratamientos, 0.677 para TT y 0.628 kg/animal/día para TE (p›0.05). Aunque el CVMS fue ligeramente mayor para TT (9.74 vs 8.77 kg MS/animal/ día), la CA fue muy similar en ambos tratamientos (14.39 vs 13.96 kg MS/kg ganancia para TT y TE, respectivamente). Conclusiones. Se concluye que con el uso de EFC en la engorda de toretes se pueden obtener ganancias de peso similares a las de algunas dietas convencionales.


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