Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T04:59:18.264Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Nutrient metabolism and rumen micro-organisms in sheep fed a poor-quality tropical grass hay supplemented with sulphate

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

M. Morrison ,
R. M. Murray  and
A. N. Boniface
M. Morrison
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Tropical Veterinary Science, James Cook University of North Queensland, Townsville, 4814 Qld., Australia
R. M. Murray
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Tropical Veterinary Science, James Cook University of North Queensland, Townsville, 4814 Qld., Australia
A. N. Boniface
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Tropical Veterinary Science, James Cook University of North Queensland, Townsville, 4814 Qld., Australia
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

A feeding trial was performed during 1986, in Townsville, Australia, to describe alterations in nutrient metabolism, and the coincident gross changes in rumen microbiology, when a sulphurdeficient diet was supplemented with inorganic sulphur. Eight Merino sheep were fed ad libitum a spear grass (Heteropogon contortus) hay of low sulphur content (0·4 g/kg DM), supplemented with all other essential minerals. Upon supplementation, daily sulphur intake was increased to c. 0·75 g and four animals continued to be fed ad libitum (group A) whilst the remaining animals were restricted in feed intake (group B). Sulphur supplementation caused a twofold increase in the feed intake of group A (P < 0·05). In both groups of animals, sulphur supplementation increased the fermentation of cotton thread cellulose (P < 0·05), as well as of ground plant dry matter (P < 0·05), suspended in the rumen in nylon bags for 24 and 48 h. The apparent digestibility of organic matter (AOMD) was also increased by sulphur supplementation; from 30·6 to 39·3% in group A (P < 0·05) and from 35·1 to 41·5% in group B (P > 0·05). The difference in AOMD between groups with sulphur supplementation was not significant, despite group B maintaining a longer retention of fluid digesta in the rumen (20·7 v. 25·3 h) with a significantly lowered rumen volume (4·68 v 3·67 litres, P < 0·05) and outflow of fluid digesta from this site (5·31 v 3·58 litres/day, P < 0·05). Sulphur supplementation increased the molar proportion of acetic acid in rumen fluid (P < 0·05) but lowered propionic and butyric acids in group A (P < 0·05). Only the molar proportion of propionic acid in rumen fluid was significantly lowered in group B (P < 0·05). In both groups of animals, counts of fluid-borne rumen bacteria, protozoa and sporangia of rumen anaerobic fungi (RAF) all increased significantly with sulphur supplementation (P < 0·05 in all instances), but no significant differences were observed between groups in microbial counts, despite the different feeding regimes. The increase in sporangial forms of RAF was most marked; no sporangial forms were detectable until the diet was supplemented with sulphate and measurable concentrations of rumen sulphide were observed. This is the first account of nondetectable concentrations of RAF brought about by the nutritional status of the diet.

Type
Animals
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 115 , Issue 2 , October 1990 , pp. 269 - 275
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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

REFERENCES

Akin, D. E., Gordon, G. L. R. & Hogan, J. P. (1983). Rumen bacterial and fungal degradation of Digitaria pentzii grown with or without sulphur. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 46, 738–748.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anon. (1974). Technicon Reference Bulletin. Method No. SE40001-FD4. Tarrytown, New York: Technicon Instruments Corporation.Google Scholar
Bird, P. R. (1972). Sulphur metabolism and excretion studies in ruminants. IX. Sulphur, nitrogen and energy utilisation by sheep fed a sulphur-deficient and a sulphate-supplemented, roughage based diet. Australian Journal of Biological Sciences 25, 1073–1085.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bray, A. C. & Hemsley, J. A. (1969). Sulphur metabolism of sheep. IV. The effect of a varied dietary sulphur content on some body fluid sulphate levels and on the utilisation of urea-supplemented roughage by sheep. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 20, 759–773.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bryant, M. P. (1973). Nutritional requirements of the predominant rumen cellulolytic bacteria. US Federation Proceedings 32, 1809–1813.Google ScholarPubMed
Clare, N. J. & Stevenson, A. E. (1964). Measurement of feed intake by grazing cattle and sheep. X. Determination of nitrogen in faeces and feeds using an autoanalyser. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 7, 198–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dekker, R. F. H. & Richards, G. N. (1973). Digestion of polysaccharide constituents of tropical pasture herbage in the bovine rumen. Part II. Spear grass (Heteropogon contortus). Carbohydrate Research 27, 1–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Downes, A. M. & McDonald, I. W. (1964). The chromium-51 complex of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid as a soluble rumen marker. British Journal of Nutrition 18, 153–162.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Elliot, R., Norton, B. W. & Ford, C. W. (1985). In vivo colonization of grass cell walls by rumen microorganisms. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 105, 279–283.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Erwin, E. S., Marco, G. J. & Emery, E. M. (1961). Volatile fatty acid analysis of blood and rumen fluid by gas chromatography. Journal of Dairy Science 44, 1768–1771.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gordon, G. L. R. (1985). The potential for manipulation of rumen fungi. Reviews in Rural Science 6, 124–128.Google Scholar
Gulati, S. K., Ashes, J. R., Gordon, G. L. R. & Phillips, M. W. (1985). Possible contribution of rumen fungi to fibre digestion in sheep. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of Australia 10, 96.Google Scholar
Hart, S. P. & Polan, C. E. (1984). Simultaneous extraction and determination of ytterbium and cobalt ethylenediamine tetraacetate complex in faeces. Journal of Dairy Science 67, 888–892.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, C. M. & Nishita, H. (1952). Microestimation of sulphur in plant materials, soils and irrigation waters. Analytical Chemistry 24, 736–742.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kennedy, P. M. & Siebert, B. D. (1972). The utilisation of spear grass (Heteropogon contortus). II. The influence of sulphur on energy intake and rumen and blood parameters in cattle and sheep. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 23, 45–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kennedy, P. M. & Siebert, B. D. (1973). The utilisation of spear grass (Heteropogon contortus). III. The influence of dietary sulphur on the utilisation of spear grass by sheep. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 24, 143–152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lindsay, J. R., Weston, R. H., Purser, D. B. & Davis, P. (1983). The effect of sulphur supplementation on the digestion of alkali treated roughage fed to sheep. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of Australia 8, 148.Google Scholar
Moir, R. J. (1975). The role and requirements for sulphur in ruminant nutrition. In Sulphur in Australasian Agriculture (Ed. McLachlan, K. D.), pp. 109–116. Sydney University Press: Sydney.Google Scholar
Morrison, M., Liang, Z. J., Murray, R. M., Kennedy, P. M. & Hogan, J. P. (1986). Sulphur nutrition of fibre fermenting microbes. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of Australia 11, 106–109.Google Scholar
Mottershead, B. E. (1971). Estimation of sulphur in biological materials using the Technicon Autoanalyser. Laboratory Practice 20, 483–484.Google ScholarPubMed
Orpin, C. G. & Greenwood, Y. (1986). Nutritional and germination requirements of the rumen chytridiomycete Neocallimastix patriciarum. Transactions of the British Mycological Society 86, 103–109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Playne, M. J. (1969). Effects of sodium sulphate and gluten supplements on the intake and digestibility of spear grass and Townsville lucerne hay by sheep. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 9, 393–399.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steel, R. G. D. & Torrie, J. H. (1980). Principles and Procedures of Statistics. 2nd edn.London: McGraw Hill International.Google Scholar
Warner, A. C. I. (1962). Enumeration of rumen microorganisms. Journal of General Microbiology 28, 119–128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weston, R. H., Lindsay, J. R., Purser, D. B., Gordon, G. L. R. & Davis, P. (1988). Feed intake and digestion responses in sheep to the addition of inorganic sulphur to a herbage diet of low sulphur content. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 39, 1107–1119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, C. H. & Twine, J. R. (1977). Determination of nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium in plant material by automatic analysis. Technical Paper, CSIRO Division of Plant Industry No. 24.Google Scholar
Windham, W. R. & Akin, D. E. (1984). Rumen fungi and forage fibre degradation. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 48, 473–476.CrossRefGoogle Scholar