Nutrient consumption and digestibility in Garut sheep fed with elephant grass and pollard bran

This study aimed to compare the nutrients consumption and digestibility between Garut rams and ewes fed with forage (elephant grass) and concentrate (pollard bran) with a ratio of 60:40 (based on the dry matter). The livestock used were 6 Garut rams and 6 Garut ewes. They were placed in metabolic cages and equipped with feces containers. This research was conducted 14 days for the adaptation period and 5 days for the collection period. During the collection period, feed, feed residue, and feces collection were carried out for analysis. The analysis consisted of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), crude fiber (CF), nitrogen-free extract (NFE), and total digestible nutrients (TDN). The data obtained were used to calculate nutrient consumption and digestibility. Based on the research, it was known that average consumption and digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), crude lipid (CL), crude fiber (CF), nitrogen-free extract (NFE), and total digestible nutrients (TDN) of Garut rams and ewes were not significantly different (P>0.05). All nutrients consumed by rams were higher than ewes, but the nutrients digestibility value in rams was lower than ewes.

A Nutritional Comparison Study of Three Oaks Species Grown in Gara Mountains

The preferred livelihood assets for meat and nutritious milk in thousands villages of Kurdistan rejoin/Iraq are sheep and goats. They generally rely on free roaming in rangeland during the growing seasons. In order to maintain their livestock during the scarcity of forages at winter seasons, the leaves and twigs of (Quercus aegilops, Q. infectoria and Q. libani) are harvested and dried as (dry leaf faggots) at autumn season to use as major substitute of feed. This study was conducted to evaluate the nutritional values of those three oaks species’ leaves at the same time of collecting period. Gara Mountains were chosen due to the wide presence of all three species. Leaves samples were collected at late September 2015 at elevation about 1250 MASL. The results have shown differences in chemical composition. Q. libani recorded higher content of dry matter (DM), ash and crude protein (CP), and lower content of crud fiber (CF). Higher content of ether extract (EE) was recorded in both Q. aegilops and Q. libani. The higher content of nitrogen free extract (NFE) and potassium (K) were recorded in Q. infectoria. While Q. aegilops recorded higher (CF) content. All Quercus species can be used as alternative feed substitute for small ruminant especially with some additives (such as salt, vitamin, and water), but more nutritive value was Q. libani then Q. infectoria followed by Q. aegilops. Therefore, the priority should be for Q. libani in foremost followed by Q. infectoria when dry leaves faggot were made.

Kecernaan Nutrien dan Status Fisiologis Domba Akhir Kebuntingan dengan Ransum Flushing Minyak Sawit dan Minyak Lemuru

The objective of this study was to evaluate nutrient digestibility and physiological status of local sheep at late pregnancy fed with flushing diet containing palm oil, lemuru oil, and their combination. In this research, the livestock used were 12 female local sheep at late pregnancy with an average body weight of 43.58 ± 5.57 kg were placed in metabolic cages. This study used a randomized block design (RBD) with 4 treatments and 3 block replications. The treatments were P1 = control ration (30% grass + 70% concentrate), P2 = control ration + 6% palm oil supplementation, P3 = control ration + 3% lemuru oil and 3% palm oil supplementation, P4 = control ration + 6% lemuru oil supplementation. The feed consumption, nutrient digestibility, and physiological status were measured in this study. The data obtained were analyzed using ANOVA. Means values differences were analyzed using Duncan test. The results showed that the addition of palm oil and lemuru oil to the concentrate diet increased (p<0.05) crude fat consumption, dry matter digestibility, and crude fat digestibility, but decreased (p<0.05) Nitrogen free extract consumption. Addition of palm oil and lemuru oil on the concentrate diet had no significant effect on dry matter consumption, crude protein consumption, crude fiber consumption, crude protein digestibility, crude fiber digestibility, Nitrogen free extract digestibility, and TDN value. The treatments did not affect significantly on physiological status. It can be concluded that the use of 6% palm oil in the ration can increase crude fat consumption and crude fat digestibility in pregnant ewes. Key words: digestibility, ewes, flushing, oil, physiological status

Different Aspergillus niger Strains and Inoculum Levels Affect the Nutritional Composition of Olive Leaves in Solid-state Fermentation

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Aspergillus niger strain and inoculum level on the nutritional composition of olive leaves. The experiment had a 2×3 factorial arrangement of treatments with two A. niger strains (ATCC 200345 [A] and ATCC 9142 [B]) and three inoculum levels (104, 106, and 108). Olive leaves were milled to 2 mm and fermented in solid-state by two different A. niger strains and analysed for nutritional composition. Crude protein (CP) was increased linearly as the inoculum level increased. Ether extract (EE) and crude fiber (CF) were decreased linearly in A strain or quadratically in B strain with increased inoculum levels. Crude ash and nitrogen-free extract content did not differ among groups. Strain A increased neutral detergent fiber (NDF) at higher inoculum level, whereas NDF was decreased as inoculum level increased in B strain. The lowest acid detergent fiber (ADF) was obtained from the B strain or 106 inoculum level. The results showed that the effect of two strains on CP and ADF changed similarly with increased inoculum levels. However, two strains affected EE, CF, and NDF content differently with increased inoculum levels. The optimal situations were 108 inoculum level for higher CP, A104 or B104 for higher EE, B106 for lower CF, B106 or B108 for lower NDF, 106 inoculum level or B strain for lower ADF. B strain at 106 inoculation level can be preferred to obtain an average CP and EE content and lower CF, NDF, and ADF content.

Evaluation of nutrient solution dose and harvest time on forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) in hydroponic fodder system

This study aims to evaluate the effects of adding nutrient solutions and different harvest ages to the productivity and quality of sorghum forage hydroponically. The study was conducted experimentally using a 3x3 factorial randomized block design with 5 groups. Factor A dose of commercial nutrient solution (0, 3, and 5 ml/l). Factor B is the age of harvest (7, 10, and 13 days). The observed variables were plant productivity, nutrient, fiber fraction, and Hydrogen cianide (HCN) content. The results showed that there was a very significant interaction (P<0.01) between the nutrient solution factor and the age of harvest on the content of dry matter (DM), crude fiber (CF), ether extract (EE), ash, and nitrogen free extract (NFE), while the single factor of harvest age had a very significant effect (P<0.01) reducing the content of DM, CP, EE, and NFE. There was no interaction between the addition of nutrient solution and age of harvest to the content of fiber fractions. A single factor in nutrient solution significantly increased (P<0.01) content of acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), cellulose, and lignin, but not hemicellulose. The conclusion is the addition of a nutrient solution to increase growth and fresh production, the content of CF, ash, ADF, NDF, cellulose, lignin and HCN, but a decrease in the content of DM, CP, EE, and NFE. The longer the harvest age will increase growth and fresh production, the content of CF, ash, ADF, cellulose, lignin and HCN, but reduce DM, CP, EE, and NFE.

Proximate Composition of Thai and Cambodian Ready-to-Eat Insects

Samples of ready-to-eat snacks based on Lethocerus indicus, Gymnogryllus vietnamensis, Tarbinskiellus portentosus, Teleogryllus mitratus, Bombyx mori, Omphisa fuscidentalis, and Cybister limbatus were purchased in Cambodia and Thailand, and their proximate chemical composition (including Na and Cl) was analysed. Comparing the results with the few existing references from the literature (based on unprocessed specimens), marked differences occurred. This was expected as the insect chemical composition varies strongly intra- and interspecifically due to taxon, feeding, instar, and processing, among others. In general, the insects mainly consisted of fat (35 to 60%) and protein (25 to 38%), with 2 to 16% nitrogen-free extract, 2 to 15% fibre, 3 to 5% ashes, 0.4 to 1.6% Na, and 0.6 to 1.4% Cl (dry matter base). In this way, this contribution adds to the compositional knowledge about traditional insect-based foodstuffs. The combination of high fat and protein with low carbohydrates makes them suitable to combat nutrition disorders.

Induction, identification, and characterization of autoallo-dodecaploid barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli L.) using in vitro colchicine treatment

Polyploidization is a major trend in plant evolution that has many advantages over diploid. Barnyard grass (Echinochloa crusgalli L.) has many good characteristics, but has not been fully utilized until now. In this study, we report for the first time the in vitro induction of autoallo-dodecaploid E. crus-galli by colchicine treatment. Calli derived from young panicles were transferred to liquid medium containing different concentrations of colchicine (0.01, 0.05, or 0.1% w/v) and incubated for 24, 48, or 72 h. Treatment with 0.05% colchicine for 48 h was the most effective condition for producing polyploid plants, yielding 42.9% dodecaploids. The relative DNA content of the induced dodecaploids was twice that of wild-type hexaploids. The chromosome number of dodecaploids was 2n = 12x = 108, whereas that of hexaploids was 2n = 6x = 54. Compared with the hexaploids, the dodecaploids had larger individual stomata, but a lower stomatal density. There were significant differences between dodecaploid and hexaploid plants in terms of morphological variables, such as plant height, leaf length, panicle length, and grain size. Dodecaploid plants showed the obvious “gigas” effects of polyploid organs, as well as significantly reduced seed set. The nutritional concentrations of crude protein, crude fat, crude ash, and nitrogen-free extract in the dodecaploid were higher than those in the hexaploid, whereas the concentration of crude fiber in the dodecaploid was lower. Compared with the hexaploid, the concentrations of calcium, iron and some free amino acids in dodecaploid plants were significantly higher than in hexaploids. The dodecaploid E. crus-galli had been obtained successfully by treating calli with colchicine. And E. crus-galli has the potential to be developed as a new type of high quality forage crop for cultivation under stress conditions, especially the dodecaploid with its greater nutritional value.

Evaluating the Potential of Tridax procumbens and Asystasia gangetica as Ruminant Feed

Tridax procumbens and Asystasia gangetica are extensively prevalent and can be found from tropical Asia to Africa. Both plant samples were found to have a high nutritional value, especially in protein, and to be highly attractive to ruminants. Therefore, the objectives of the study were to measure and compare the nutrient composition of Tridax procumbens and Asystasia gangetica in terms of the nutritional value for ruminants. Both plants samples were collected at Besut campus, University of Sultan Zainal Abidin. The samples were then washed under tap water to remove foreign matter such as soil to prevent soil contamination in the analysis. Then, the samples were dried in a furnace below 60 - 70˚C and crushed prior to further analysis using proximate analysis. Seven parameters were measured using proximate analysis, which included dry matter (DM), moisture, ash, crude protein (CP), crude fiber (CF), ether extract (EE), and nitrogen-free extract (NFE). The findings in this study show that A. gangetica had significantly higher (p < 0.05) in dry matter (DM) (18.84%), crude protein (CP) (22.27%), and nitrogen-free extract (NFE) (50.25%). However, T. procumbens showed the highest nutrient in moisture (88.70%), ash (12.15%), crude fibre (CF) (25.01%), and ether extract (EE) with 3.71%. Thus, this study revealed that A. gangetica to have a higher potential to be used as an animal feed than T. procumbens.

Nutrient Digestibility and Digestive Enzyme Activity in Fringe Lipped Carp, Labeo fimbriatus (Bloch, 1795), Fed Diets Containing Cottonseed Meal

Advanced fingerlings of Labeo fimbriatus (Bloch, 1795) were reared in aerated indoor plastic tanks to elucidate the dry matter and nutrient digestibility of cottonseed meal (CSM) in the feed. The fish were fed isocaloric formulated diets containing CSM replacing the main ingredients – groundnut cake and rice bran of the control diet at 10, 20, 30 and 40 % levels. Total dry matter digestibility and major nutrient digestibility were estimated using acid insoluble ash as the marker. In general, the digestibility of dry matter, protein, fat, and nitrogen-free extract was higher in CSM incorporated diets than the control diet. While the dry matter and nitrogen-free extract digestibility values were highest at 40 % CSM incorporation level, those for protein and fat digestibility were highest in 30 % and 10 % levels, respectively, showing an apparent reduction thereafter. The incorporation of CSM had a stimulatory effect on most of the intestinal digestive enzymes tested. Fish fed 20 % CSM diet recorded the highest activity of total protease and carboxypeptidases while those fed 30 % CSM diet had highest trypsin and amylase activities; all showing reducing trend consequently. In the case of hepatopancreas, the reducing trend in the activities of protease, chymotrypsin, carboxypeptidase A, and lipase observed with increased incorporation levels of CSM was significant (P < 0.05) and the reduction in the activities of trypsin, amylase and cellulase in CSM fed fish was not significant (P > 0.05). The study indicates the possibility of incorporation of CSM in the diet of L. fimbriatus up to 40 % level without affecting nutrient digestibility.