Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T23:54:52.587Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effects of energy and nitrogen supplementation of silage diets on rumen fermentation in fistulated heifers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

T. W. Griffiths  and
I. H. Bath
T. W. Griffiths
Affiliation:
The Agricultural Institute, Dunsinea, Castleknock, Co.Dublin
I. H. Bath
Affiliation:
School of Veterinary Medicine, Trinity College, Dublin
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Experiments were carried out to assess the effects of silage diets given with and without supplementary energy as barley and/or nitrogen as groundnut meal or urea on rumen fermentation in growing heifers.

Silage based diets resulted in a stable pH and a high molar percentage of acetate in rumen liquor. Total V.F.A. concentrations were significantly increased by supplementary energy plus protein but were not consistently increased by energy only, and were linearly related to M.E. intake but not to D.M. digestibility. Effects of energy and nitrogen supplementation on the molar percentage of rumen V.F.A. were small and not always significant.

Rumen NH3-N levels were normal on the basal silage diets and were linearly related to N intake. Levels were significantly reduced by energy supplementation but significantly increased by protein supplementation. Results are discussed in relation to energy and nitrogen utilization on silage based diets.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 80 , Issue 1 , February 1973 , pp. 89 - 95
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1973

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

Agricultural Research Council (1965). The Nutrient Requirements of Farm Livestock No. 2. Ruminants. London: Agricultural Research Council.Google Scholar
Anderson, B. K. & Jackson, N. (1971). Volatile fattyacids in the rumen of sheep fed grass, unwilted and wilted silage and barn dried hay. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 77, 483–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Balch, D. A. & Rowland, S. J. (1957). Volatile fatty acids and lactic acid in the rumen of dairy cows receiving a variety of diets. Br. J. Nutr. 11, 288–98.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bath, I. H. & Rook, J. A. F. (1963). The evaluation of cattle foods and diets in terms of the ruminal concentrations of volatile fatty acids. I. The effect of level of intake, frequency of feeding, the ratio of hay to concentrates in the diet, and of supplementary feeds. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 63, 341–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bath, I. H. & Rook, J. A. F. (1965). The evaluation of cattle foods and diets in terms of the ruminal concentrations of volatile fatty acids. II. Roughages and succulents. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 64, 67–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beever, D. E., Thomson, D. J., Pfeffer, E. & Armstrong, D. G. (1971). The effect of drying and ensiling grass on its digestion by sheep. Sites of energy and carbohydrate digestion. Br. J. Nutr. 26, 123–34.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blaxter, K. L. & Wainman, F. W. (1964). The utilisation of the energy of different rations by sheep and cattle for maintenance and fattening. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 113–28.Google Scholar
Castle, M. E. & Watson, J. N. (1969). Effect of level of protein in silage on the intake and production of dairy cows. J. Br. Grassld Soc. 24, 187–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castle, M. E. & Watson, J. N. (1970). Silage and milk production; a comparison between grass silages made with and without formic acid. Br. J. Grassld Soc. 25, 65–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chalmers, M. I. (1961). Protein synthesis in the rumen. In Digestive Physiology and Nutrition of the Ruminant, p. 205–25. London: Butterworths.Google Scholar
Chalmers, M. I. & Hughes, A. D. (1969). Single amino acids as non-protein nitrogen sources for adult sheep. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 28, 34A.Google ScholarPubMed
Conway, E. J. (1962). In Microdiffusion analysis and Volumetric Error. London: Crosby Lockwood.Google Scholar
Czerkawski, J. W. & Breckbnbridge, G. (1969). Distribution of polyethylene glycol in suspensions of food particles especially sugar beet pulp and dried grass pellets. Br. J. Nutr. 23, 559–65.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Erwin, E. S., Marco, G. J. & Emery, E. M. (1961). Volatile fatty acid analyses of blood and rumen fluid by gas chromatography. J. Dairy Sci. 44, 1768–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fleck, A. (1970). Automated analysis of nitrogenous compounds. Total nitrogen determination. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 29, 81–5.Google Scholar
Griffiths, T. W., Spillane, T. A. & Bath, I. H. (1973). Studies on the nutritive value of silage with particular reference to the effects of energy and nitrogen supplementation in growing heifers. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Head, M. J. (1959). Protein utilisation by the dairy cow. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 18, 108–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Head, M. J. & Murdoch, J. C. (1965). The influence of supplements of flaked maize on the digestibility by steers of silage, fresh lucerne and hay. J. Br. Grassld Soc. 20, 106–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hogan, J. P. & Phillipson, A. T. (1960). The rate of flow of digesta and their removal along the digestive tract of the sheep. Br. J. Nutr. 14, 147–55.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hughes, A. D. (1970). The non-protein nitrogen composition of grass silages II. The changes occurring during the storage of silage. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 75, 421–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hume, I. D., Moir, R. J. & Somers, W. (1970). Synthesis of microbial protein in the rumen. I. Influence of the level of nitrogen intake. Aust. J. agric. Res. 21, 283–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kistner, A. (1965). Possible factors influencing the balance of different species of cellulolytic bacteria in the rumen. In Physiology of Digestion in the Ruminant, pp. 419–31. Butterworths: London.Google Scholar
Lewis, D. (1961). The fate of nitrogenous compounds in the rumen. In Digestive Physiology and Nutrition of the Ruminant, pp. 127–36. London: Butterworths.Google Scholar
Smith, R. H. (1959). The development and function of the rumen in milk fed calves. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 52, 72–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vant Klooster, A. Th. & Rogers, P. A. M. (1970). The use of Cr-EDTA as an inert reference substance to measure the volume in and rate of flow of fluid and metabolites out of the reticulo-rumen of cows. Neth. J. vet. Sci. 3, 113–26.Google Scholar
Williams, V. J. & Christian, K. R. (1959). Concentrations of end-produots and morphological types of rumen bacteria in silage fed sheep. N.Z. Jl agric. Res. 2, 387–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar