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Rate of production of protozoa in the rumen and the flow of protozoal nitrogen to the duodenum in sheep and cattle given a pelleted diet of lucerne hay and barley

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

B. S. Punia
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, University of Sydney, Camden, NSW 2570, Australia
J. Leibholz
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, University of Sydney, Camden, NSW 2570, Australia
G. J. Faichney
Affiliation:
CSIRO, Division of Animal Production, PO Box 239, Blacktown, NSW 2148, Australia

Summary

Two crossbred wethers (c. 45 kg) and two Hereford heifers (c. 215 kg) were fitted with permanent cannulas in the rumen and abomasum and given a diet of lucerne hay and barley (60:40). Organic matter (OM) intakes were 0·67 kg/day for sheep and 3·14 kg/day for cattle.

The mean numbers of protozoa in the rumen fluid were 9·3 × 105/ml for sheep and 7·4 × 105/ml for cattle. 14C-labelled protozoa were prepared by incubating rumen fluid in vitro with [14C]methyl choline and then isolating them by sedimentation and differential centrifugation. The labelled protozoa were returned to the rumen of each of the donor animals in a single injection. The specific radioactivity in mixed protozoa isolated from the rumen was measured for 3 days. The protozoal pool size was 10 and 12 g N in the sheep and 64 and 44 g N in the cattle. Protozoal N contributed, on average, 48% of the total N in the rumen.

Production of protozoal N in the rumen was 9·5 and 11·2 g/day for the sheep and 49·5 and 38·6 g/day for the cattle. The flow of protozoal N from the abomasum was calculated to be 1·6 and 2·9 g/day for sheep and 17·3 and 13·3 g/day for cattle. Thus, on average, 79% of the protozoal N was recycled within the rumen of the sheep and 65% within the rumen of the cattle. Protozoal N made up 11–20% of total N flow from the abomasum. The turnover times of 14C-labelled protozoa injected into the rumen of the sheep and the cattle were similar (26·2 and 26·8 h for sheep; 30·8 and 27·5 h for cattle) and were similar to those for protozoa isolated from the rumen of sheep after direct intraruminal injection of [14C]methyl choline (28 and 36 h).

Type
Animals
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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