Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T19:55:41.807Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

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

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

R. W. Muinga ,
J. H. Topps ,
J. A. Rooke  and
W. Thorpe
R. W. Muinga
Affiliation:
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Research Centre, PO Box 16, Kikambala, Kenya
J. H. Topps
Affiliation:
University of Zimbabwe, PO Box 167, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe
J. A. Rooke
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, 581 King Street, Aberdeen AB9 1UD
W. Thorpe
Affiliation:
International Livestock Centre for Africa, PO Box 80147, Mombasa
Get access

Abstract

An 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.

Keywords

dairy cowsrumen fermentationsteerssupplementstropical Africa
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 60 , Issue 1 , February 1995 , pp. 13 - 23
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alexander, R. H. and McGowan, M. 1966. The routine determination of in vitro digestibility of organic matter in forages — an investigation of the problems associated with continuous large scale operation. Journal of the British Grassland Society 21:140–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Agricultural Research Council. 1980. The nutrient requirements of ruminant livestock. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Slough.Google Scholar
Association of Official Analytical Chemists. 1984. Official methods of analysis. 14th ed. Association of Official Analytical Chemists. Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Australian Agricultural Council. 1990. Feeding standards for Australian livestock. Ruminants. Ruminants sub-committee CSIRO. Australia.Google Scholar
Bamualim, A., Stachiw, S., Jones, R. J. and Murray, R. M. 1984. The effect of fresh Leucaena leucocephala as a supplement on the utilization of pasture hay by goats. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 15:259–262.Google Scholar
Bamualim, A., Weston, R. H., Hogan, J. P. and Murray, R. M. 1984. The contribution of fresh Leucaena leucocephala to post-ruminal digestible protein for sheep fed tropical pasture hay supplemented with urea and minerals. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 15: 255–258.Google Scholar
Botts, R. L., Hemken, R. W. and Bull, L. S. 1979. Protein reserves in the lactating dairy cow. Journal of Dairy Science 62: 433–440.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boniface, A. M., Murray, R. M. and Hogan, J. P. 1986. Optimum level of ammonia in the rumen of cattle fed tropical pasture hay. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 16: 151–154.Google Scholar
Brumby, P. J. and Gryseels, G. 1985. Stimulating milk production in milk deficient countries of Africa and Asia. In Milk production in developing countries (ed. Smith, A. J.), pp. 62–72. Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Chenost, M. and Sansoucy, R. 1990. Nutritional characteristics of tropical feed resources: natural and improved grasslands, crop residues and agro-industrial by-products. In Feeding dairy cows in the tropics. FAO animal production and health paper no. 86, pp. 66–81.Google Scholar
Cronje, P. B., Nolan, J. V. and Leng, R. A. 1991. Acetate clearance rate as a potential index of the availability of glucogenic precursors in ruminants fed on roughage-based diets. British journal of Nutrition 66: 301–312.Google Scholar
Dixon, R. M. 1986. Effects of dietary concentrates on rumen digestion of fibrous feedstuffs. Animal Feed Science and Technology 14:193–202.Google Scholar
Dixon, R. M. and Mora, M. 1983. Particulate matter breakdown and removal from the rumen in sheep given elephant grass forage and concentrates. Tropical Animal Production 8: 254–260.Google Scholar
Dixon, R. M. and Parra, R. 1984. Effects of alkali treatment of forage and concentrate supplementation on rumen. digestion and fermentation. Tropical Animal Production 9:68–80.Google Scholar
Forbes, J. M. 1986. The voluntary food intake of farm animals. Butterworth, London.Google Scholar
Goering, H. K. and Van Soest, P. J. 1970. Forage fibre analysis. US Department of Agriculture, handbook no. 379.Google Scholar
Hunter, R. A. and Siebert, B. D. 1985. Utilization of low-quality roughage by Bos taunts and Bos indicus cattle. The effect of rumen degradable nitrogen and sulphur on voluntary food intake and rumen characteristics. British journal of Nutrition 53: 649–656.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jaetzold, R. and Schmidt, H. 1983. National conditions and farm management information. Farm management handbook of Kenya. East Kenya 2 C.Google Scholar
Kang, B. T., Reynolds, L. and Attah-Krah, A. N. 1990. Alley farming. Advances in Agronomy 43: 315–359.Google Scholar
Keulen, J. van and Young, B. A. 1977. Evaluation of acid-insoluble ash as a natural marker in ruminant digestibility studies. Journal of Animal Science 44: 282–287.Google Scholar
Lawes Agricultural Trust 1987. Genstat 5. Statistics Department. Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden.Google Scholar
Leng, R. A. 1990. Factors affecting the utilization of ‘poor quality’ forages by ruminants particularly under tropical conditions. Nutrition Research Reviews 3: 277–303.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mahyuddin, P., Little, D. A. and Lowry, J. B. 1988. Drying treatment drastically affects feed evaluation and feed quality with certain tropical forage species. Animal Feed Science and Technology 22: 69–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mould, F. L., Ørskov, E. R. and Mann, S. O. 1983. Associative effects of mixed feeds. I. Effects of type and level of supplementation and influence of the rumen fluid pH on cellulolysis in vivo and dry matter digestion of various roughages. Animal Feed Science and Technology 10: 15–30.Google Scholar
Muinga, R. W. 1992. Nutrition and performance of dairy cows in coastal lowland Kenya in relation to utilization of local feed resources. Ph.D. thesis, Aberdeen University.Google Scholar
Muinga, R. W., Thorpe, W. and Topps, J. H. 1992. Voluntary food intake, live weight change and lactation peformance of crossbred cows given ad libitum Pennisetum purpureum (napier grass var. Bana) supplemented with leucaena forage in the lowland semi-humid tropics. Animal Production 55: 331–337.Google Scholar
Muinga, R. W., Thorpe, W. and Topps, J. H. 1993. Lactational performance of Jersey cows given napier fodder (Pennisetum purpureum) with and without protein concentrates in the semi-humid tropics. Tropical Animal Health and Production 25: 118–128.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mureithi, J. G. 1992. Alley cropping with leucaena and fodder production in smallholder farms in coastal lowland Kenya. Ph.D. thesis, University of Reading.Google Scholar
Ørskov, E. R. and McDonald, I. 1979. The estimation of protein degradability in the rumen from incubation measurements weighted according to rate of passage. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 92: 499–503.Google Scholar
Perdok, H. B. 1987. Ammoniated rice straw as a feed for growing cattle. Ph.D. thesis, University of New England, Armidale, Australia.Google Scholar
Preston, T. R. 1986. Better utilization of crop residues and by-products in animal feeding. Research guidelines 2. A practical manual for research workers. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome.Google Scholar
Preston, T. R. and Leng, R. A. 1987. Matching ruminant production systems with available resources in the tropics and sub-tropics. Penambul Books, Armidale, Australia.Google Scholar
Rooke, J. A., Borman, A. L. and Armstrong, D. G. 1990. The effect of inoculation with Lactobacillus plantarum on fermentation in laboratory silos of herbage low in water-soluble carbohydrate. Grass and Forage Science 45:143–152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Technicon Instrument Corporation 1976. Technkon Industrial System, Method No. 321–74A. New York, USA.Google Scholar
Vadiveloo, J. and Fadel, J. G. 1992. Compositional analyses and rumen degradability of selected tropical feeds. Animal Feed Science and Technology 37: 265–279.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waldo, D. D. R. and Tyrell, H. F. 1980. The relation of insoluble nitrogen intake to gain, energy retention and nitrogen retention in Holstein steers. In Protein metabolism and nutrition (ed. Oslage, H. J. and Rohr, K.), pp. 572–577. European Association for Animal Production.Google Scholar
Wouters, A. P. 1987. Dry matter yield and quality of napier grass on farm level 1983-1986. Ministry of Livestock Development, National dairy development project report, Naivasha, Kenya.Google Scholar