Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T05:29:38.865Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The utilization of the dietary energy of pangola and setaria by young growing beef cattle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

G. D. Tudor
Affiliation:
Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Animal Research Institute, Yeerongpilly, Queensland, 4105 Australia
D. J. Minson
Affiliation:
C.S.I.R.O. Division oj Tropical Crops and Pastures, St Lucia, Queensland, 4067 Australia

Summary

The net energy values for growth and fattening of two artificially dried tropical grasses-, pangola (Digitaria decumbens) and setaria (S. sphacelata var. sericea cv. Nandi), of similar estimated metabolizable energy content (8·07 and 7·96 MJ/kg D.M.) were determined with cattle using a slaughter technique. Growing cattle with a mean initial weight of 175 kg were given equal quantities of dry matter of the two grasses at each of three planes of nutrition above maintenance for a period of 152 days.

The initial energy, fat and protein content of the total body of the 24 test animals was estimated from regressions relating fasted live weight to theśe components, derived from 12 similar cattle slaughtered at the beginning of the feeding period. The final energy, fat and protein content of the test animals was determined directly by chemical analysis. The metabolizable energy (ME) content of the grasses was estimated from the level of digestible energy (DE) determined with eight cattle, assuming that ME = 0·815 DE.

The cattle fed pangola gained more live weight, empty-body weight, fat, protein and energy than animals fed similar quantities of setaria. The net energy value for growth and fattening (NEf) was determined using regressions relating energy retention to the quantity of dry matter eaten. NEf in MJ/kg dry matter was 2·27 for pangola and 1·31 for setaria.

Efficiency of utilization of ME for growth and fattening (kf) was.27·7% for pangola and 16·9% for setaria. These values for tropical grasses are lower than any values reported for temperate pasture species. Thus the lower efficiency of utilization of ME may cause the lower production of cattle which graze tropical grasses.

It was concluded that as the kf values of different tropical grasses are not constant, kf values should be measured on a wider range of tropical grasses so that this factor can be taken into account when evaluating grasses in animal production systems.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1982

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

Agricultural Research Council (1980). The Nutrient Bequirements of Ruminant Livestock. Farnham Royal: Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux.Google Scholar
Annison, E. F. & Armstrong, D. G. (1970). Volatile fatty acid metabolism and energy supply. In Physiology of Digestion and Metabolism in the Ruminant (ed. Phillipson, A. T.), pp. 422437. Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Oriel Press.Google Scholar
Association Of Official Agricultural Chemists (1970). Official Methods of Analysis. 10th edn.Washington, D.C.: Association of Official Agricultural Chemists.Google Scholar
Beever, D. E., Terry, R. A., Cammell, S. B. & Wallace, A. S. (1978). The digestion of spring and autumn harvested perennial ryegrass by sheep. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 90, 463470.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaxter, K. L., Wainman, F. W., Dewey, P. J. S., Davidson, J., Denerley, H. & Gunn, J. B. (1971). The effects of nitrogenous fertilizer on the nutritive value of artificially dried grass. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 76, 307319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Corbett, J. L. (1981). Determination of the retention of energy and nutrients by confined animals. In Forage Evaluation: Concepts and Techniques (ed. Wheeler, J. L. and Mochrie, R. D.), pp. 191206. Melbourne: C.S.I.R.O. and American Forage and Grassland Council.Google Scholar
Corbett, J. L., Langlands, J. P., McDonald, I. & Pullar, J. D. (1966). Comparison by direct animal calorimetry of the net energy values of an early and a late season growth of herbage. Animal Production 8, 1327.Google Scholar
Evans, T. R. & Bryan, W. W. (1970). Animal production from pangola (Digitaria decumbens) and Setaria sphacelata cv. Nandi at different nitrogen levels and stocking rates. Annual Report Division of Tropical Pastures 1969–1970, pp. 3031. C.S.I.R.O.Google Scholar
Garrett, W. N. (1980). Energy utilization by growing cattle as determined in 72 comparative slaughter experiments. In Proceedings European Association Animal Production, Symposium Energy Metabolism, Cambridge 8, 37.Google Scholar
Johnson, A. D. & Simons, J. G. (1972). Direct reading emission spectioscopy analysis of plant tissue using a briquetting technique. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 3, 19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milford, R. & Minson, D. J. (1965). The energy value of ryegrass and cocksfoot assessed by a slaughter technique with lambs. British Journal of Nutrition 19, 373382.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ministry Of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1975). Energy allowances and feeding systems for ruminants. Technical Bulletin 33. London: H.M.S.O.Google Scholar
Minson, D. J. (1972). The digestibility and voluntary intake by sheep of six tropical grasses. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 12, 2127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minson, D. J. (1980). Nutritional differences between tropical and temperate pastures. In Grazing Animals (ed. Morley, F. H. W.), pp. 143157. Amsterdam: Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Minson, D. J. (1981 a). The measurement of digestibility and voluntary intake of forages with confined animals. In Forage Evaluation: Concepts and Techniques (ed. Wheeler, J. L. and Mochrie, R. D.), pp. 159174. Melbourne: C.S.I.R.O. and American Forage and Grassland Council.Google Scholar
Minson, D. J. (1981 b). A flexible two component feeding system derived from Blaxter's three component metabolisable energy system. Animal Feed Science and Technology 6, 223234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morris, J. G. & Moir, K. W. (1964). Methods of determining the chemical composition of dead animals. In Carcase Composition and Appraisal of Meat Animals (ed. Tribe, D. E.). Technical Conference, Melbourne (1963). Melbourne: C.S.I.R.O.Google Scholar
National Research Council (1976). Nutrient Requirements of Domestic Animals. Number 4. Nutrient requirements of beef cattle. Fifth edn. Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Science.Google Scholar
Ribeiro, J. M. C. R., MacRae, J. C. & Webster, A. J. F. (1981). An attempt to explain differences in the nutritive value of spring and autumn harvested dried grass. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 40, 12A.Google Scholar
Ribeiro, J. M. C. R., Webster, A. J. F. & MacRae, J. C. (1979). An attempt to explain the differences in net energy values of first and third out dried grass. Animal Production 28, 429430.Google Scholar
Snedecor, G. W. & Cochran, W. G. (1967). Statistical Methods, 6th edn.Iowa State University Press.Google Scholar
Stobbs, T. H. & Sandland, R. L. (1972). The use of latin square change-over design with dairy cows to detect differences in the quality of tropical pastures. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 12, 463469.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomson, D. J. (1979). Production and the prediction of growth. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 38, 303308.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thomson, D. J. & Cammell, S. B. (1979). The utilization of chopped and pelleted lucerne (Medicago sativa) by growing lambs. British Journal of Nutrition 41, 297310.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thornton, R. F. & Minson, D. J. (1973). The relationship between apparent retention time in the rumen, voluntary intake, and apparent digestibility of legume and grass diets in sheep. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 24, 889898.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Soest, P. J. (1963). Use of detergents in the analysis of fibrous feeds. 2. A rapid method for the determination of fibre and lignin. Journal of the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists 46, 829835.Google Scholar
Van Soest, P. J. & Wine, R. H. (1967). Use of detergents in the analysis of fibrous feeds. IV. Determination nation of plant cell wall constituents. Journal of the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists 50, 5055.Google Scholar