• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.194-200
• /
• 2014

This study investigated the chemical composition and ruminal degradability of corn stover in three maize-planting regions in Qiqihaer, Heilongjiang Province, China. The whole stover was separated into seven morphological fractions, i.e., leaf blade, leaf sheath, stem rind, stem pith, stem node, ear husk, and corn tassel. The assessment of nutritive value of corn stover and its fractions was performed based on laboratory assays of the morphological proportions, chemical composition, and in situ degradability of dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF). The chemical composition of corn stover was significantly different from plant top to bottom (p<0.05). Among the whole corn stover and seven morphological fractions, leaf blade had the highest crude protein (CP) content and the lowest NDF and ADF contents (p<0.05), whereas stem rind had the lowest CP content and the highest ADF and acid detergent lignin (ADL) contents (p<0.05). Ear husk had significantly higher NDF content and relatively lower ADL content than other corn stover fractions. Overall, the effective degradability of DM, NDF, and ADF in rumen was the highest in leaf blade and stem pith, followed by ear husk. The results indicate that leaf blade, ear husk, and stem pith potentially have higher nutritive values than the other fractions of corn stover. This study provides reference data for high-efficiency use of corn stover in feeding ruminants.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.24 no.11
• /
• pp.1560-1568
• /
• 2011

This study was conducted to evaluate the yield, nutrient characteristics, ruminal solubility, degradability and disappearance of spent mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) substrates for ruminants. The annual yield of spent Agaricus bisporus substrates was measured to be about 210,000 tons (M/T) in South Korea. The surface soil-removed spent substrates had nutritional characteristics of high crude ash (375 g/kg) and Ca (32 g/kg), medium protein (134 g/kg CP), and high fiber (384 g/kg NDF on a DM basis). Compared with initial mushroom substrates, spent mushroom substrates had twice higher (p<0.0001) CP content and 22.0% lower (p<0.0001) NDF content on an organic matter basis. Compared with raw rice straw, spent rice straw had much higher (p<0.05) predicted ruminal degradabilities and disappearances of DM and CP and a little lower (p<0.05) predicted degradability and disappearance of NDF. In conclusion, the general feed-nutritional value of spent mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) substrates appeared to improve after cultivation of mushrooms.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.61 no.1
• /
• pp.18-27
• /
• 2019

With South Korea's limited capability of feed production because of its relatively small cultivable area, the country is pushed to depend on foreign feed imports despite the immensely fluctuating price of corn. Hence, intensive efforts to increase the total cultivable area in Korea like extending of farming to mountainous area is being practiced. Corn was planted in Goesan County, a mountainous area in the country. Grain and stover were harvested separately in three harvest periods: early-harvest (Aug 8), mid-harvest (Aug 18), and late-harvest (Aug 28). The nutrient composition such as dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), crude fat (EE), organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and non-fibrous carbohydrates (NFC) was determined after harvest. Effective degradability (ED) of the major nutrients (DM, NDF, ADF, and CP) were measured through in vitro fermentation of rumen fluid from Hanwoo (Korean cattle). pH, ammonia-N concentration, volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration, and gas production were periodically measured at 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h. Corn grain showed higher nutrient content and ED than stover. It also had higher gas production but its pH, ammonia-N, and total VFA concentration were lower than corn stover. The best nutrient composition of corn grain was observed in early-harvest (high CP, EE, NDF, OM, NFC, and low ADF). Early-harvest of corn grain also had high effective degradability of dry matter (EDDM), effective degradability of neutral detergent fiber (EDNDF), effective degradability of acid detergent fiber (EDADF), and total VFA concentration. On the other hand, the best nutrient composition of stover was observed in mid-harvest (high DM, CP, NDF, and low ADF). EDDM, EDNDF, and EDADF were pronounced in early-harvest and mid-harvest of stover but the latter showed high total VFA concentration. Hence, early and mid-harvested corn stover and grain in a mountainous area preserved their nutrients, which led to the effective degradation of major nutrients and high VFA production.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.107-116
• /
• 1998

Measurement of DCP is considered inadequate and unsatisfactory means of assessing the protein value of the diet as no distinction is made between the digestion in ferestomach and in the small intestine. Protein meals should be classified on the basis of rumen degradable protein (RDP) and rumen undegradable protein (UDP). Usually, protein meals naturally available with high level of UDP or bypass protein value should be preferred for incorporation in the diet of lactating and growing animals. However, if such resources are non-available or are expensive, protein meals having high degradability can be carefully subjected to heat or formaldehyde treatment to achieve desired level of rumen bypassability. Various studies conducted the world over have revealed that bypass protein feeding to ruminants, especially when animals are fed on crop residue based basal diet, help increasing feed conversion efficiency in growing and lactating ruminants.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.25 no.11
• /
• pp.1559-1567
• /
• 2012

The objective of this study was to evaluate ruminal degradability and intestinal digestibility of crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AA) in hempseed cake (HC) that were moist heat treated at different temperatures. Samples of cold-pressed HC were autoclaved for 30 min at 110, 120 or $130^{\circ}C$, and a sample of untreated HC was used as the control. Ruminal degradability of CP was estimated, using the in situ Dacron bag technique; intestinal CP digestibility was estimated for the 16 h in situ residue using a three-step in vitro procedure. AA content was determined for the HC samples (heat treated and untreated) of the intact feed, the 16 h in situ residue and the residue after the three-step procedure. There was a linear increase in RUP (p = 0.001) and intestinal digestibility of RUP (p = 0.003) with increasing temperature during heat treatment. The $130^{\circ}C$ treatment increased RUP from 259 to 629 g/kg CP, while intestinal digestibility increased from 176 to 730 g/kg RUP, compared to the control. Hence, the intestinal available dietary CP increased more than eight times. Increasing temperatures during heat treatment resulted in linear decreases in ruminal degradability of total AA (p = 0.006) and individual AA (p<0.05) and an increase in intestinal digestibility that could be explained both by a linear and a quadratic model for total AA and most individual AA (p<0.05). The $130^{\circ}C$ treatment decreased ruminal degradability of total AA from 837 to 471 g/kg, while intestinal digestibility increased from 267 to 813 g/kg of rumen undegradable AA, compared with the control. There were differences between ruminal AA degradability and between intestinal AA digestibility within all individual HC treatments (p<0.001). It is concluded that moist heat treatment at $130^{\circ}C$ did not overprotect the CP of HC and could be used to shift the site of CP and AA digestion from the rumen to the small intestine. This may increase the value of HC as a protein supplement for ruminants.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.225-231
• /
• 2009

The objective of this experiment was to study the effects of grass maturity at harvest on the nutritive value of grass silage (GS) in relation to voluntary intake, digestibility, nitrogen (N) utilization and in sacco dry matter (DM) degradability. Silage was cut from a sward dominated by orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) at the late-vegetative (early-cut), internode elongation (mediumcut) and flowering (late-cut) stages of growth. The DM yield at harvest was the lowest for early-cut silage (5.4 t/ha) and increased to 6.5 and 7.0 t/ha for the medium and late-cut silage respectively. As the crop matured, the crude protein (CP) concentration decreased significantly (p<0.05) and there was a marked increase in acid detergent fiber (ADF) concentration (p<0.001). The three different silages were offered to four 18-month old Charolais wether sheep to measure the voluntary intake, in vivo digestibility and N retention over four 21-day periods in an incomplete changeover design. Silage degradability characteristics were determined using four fistulated sheep to measure DM degradability over 3, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h. There was a linear decrease in the voluntary intake of silage fresh matter, DM, organic matter (OM) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF), digestibility of DM, OM, NDF, ADF and CP, and digestibility of OM in DM (Dvalue) ($P_L<0.01$) as harvesting of grass was delayed. Nitrogen intake, N output in urine, N output in faeces and N balance also linearly decreased ($P_L<0.01$) with postponed harvesting of grass for silage. DM degradability and effective degradability (ED) significantly decreased with increasing maturity of grass at harvest. The results suggest that harvesting date has a significant influence on the nutritive value of GS in terms of intake, digestibility, N balance and in sacco degradability in the rumen. It was concluded that early harvest GS ensured higher intake, digestibility, N intake and DM degradability in comparison with the medium and the late cut GS as a result of improved rumen N efficiency and utilization probably due to a better balance of available energy and protein.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.210-214
• /
• 1997

Ruminal degradation characteristics and intestinal availability of crude protein (CP) in four animal-origin feeds (fish meal, meat meal, viscera meal, feather meal) were estimated by mobile nylon bag technique. Three ruminally and duodenally cannulated Holstein dairy cows (average body wt. 550kg) fed a diet containing 40% concentrate and 60% orchard grass hay on a dry matter (DM) basis. Assuming that the outflow rate of diet in rumen is 5% per hour (k =0.05), contents of quickly degradable CP (QDP), slowly degradable CP (SDP), and undegradable CP (UDP) in the rumen were 27.6%, 9.4%, 63.0% for fish meal, 34.3% 28.1%, 37,6% for meat meal, 43.9%, 12.5%, 43.6% for viscera meal, and 14.4%, 15.8%, 69.8% for feather meal, respectively. Intestinal CP degradability was 51.0% for fish meal, 27.2% for meat meal, 37.9% for viscera meal and 56.2% for feather meal. Available UDP in the intestinal tract was contained 288 g, 217 g, 246 g and 423 g per kilogram DM of diet in fish meal, meat meal, viscera meal and feather meal, respectively.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.58 no.9
• /
• pp.33.1-33.7
• /
• 2016

Background: The continuing growth of the ethanol industry has generated large amounts of various distillers grains co-products. These are characterized by a wide variation in chemical composition and ruminal degradability. Therefore, their precise formulation in the ruminant diet requires the systematic evaluation of their degradation profiles in the rumen. Methods: Three distillers grains plus soluble co-products (DDGS) namely, corn DDGS, high-protein corn DDGS (HP-DDGS), and wheat DDGS, were subjected to an in situ trial to determine the degradation kinetics of the dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP). Soybean meal (SBM), a feed with highly degradable protein in the rumen, was included as the fourth feed. The four feeds were incubated in duplicate at each time point in the rumen of three ruminally cannulated Hanwoo cattle for 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, and 48 h. Results: Wheat DDGS had the highest filterable and soluble A fraction of its DM (37.2 %), but the lowest degradable B (49.5 %; P < 0.001) and an undegradable C fraction (13.3 %; P < 0.001). The filterable and soluble A fraction of CP was greatest with wheat DDGS, intermediate with corn DDGS, and lowest with HP-DDGS and SBM; however, the undegradable C fraction of CP was the greatest with HP-DDGS (41.2 %), intermediate with corn DDGS (2.7 %), and lowest with wheat DDGS and SMB (average 4.3 %). The degradation rate of degradable B fraction ($%\;h^{-1}$) was ranked from highest to lowest as follows for 1) DM: SBM (13.3), wheat DDGS (9.1), and corn DDGS and HP-DDGS (average 5.2); 2) CP: SBM (17.6), wheat DDGS (11.6), and corn DDGS and HP-DDGS (average 4.4). The in situ effective degradability of CP, assuming a passage rate of $0.06h^{-1}$, was the highest (P < 0.001) for SBM (73.9 %) and wheat DDGS (71.2 %), intermediate for corn DDGS (42.5 %), and the lowest for HP-DDGS (28.6 %), which suggests that corn DDGS and HP-DDGS are a good source of undegraded intake protein for ruminants. Conclusions: This study provided a comparative estimate of ruminal DM and CP degradation characteristics for three DDGS co-products and SBM, which might be useful for their inclusion in the diet according to the ruminally undegraded to degraded intake protein ratio.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.844-850
• /
• 2002

The potential nutritive value was studied on leaves of seven fodder trees in Central Sudan during dry season at two distinct periods, the early dry and the late. The chemical composition, mineral concentration, in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), in situ OM or nitrogen degradability and estimated metabolizable energy showed a wide variation among fodder tree species and between different periods of the dry season. Crude protein (CP) ranged from 285 to 197 g/kg DM at early dry season, with a significant reduction in late dry season. Ziziphus spina-christi and Balanites aegyptiaca showed the least reduction in CP content. The NDF, ADF and lignin were about 200, 160 and 19 g/kg DM, respectively at the early period, and significantly increased at the late period of the dry season, except for lignin of Z. spina-christi. For mineral concentration, all fodder tree leaves were rich in calcium but poor in phosphorus. In situ OM degradability significantly decreased at the late period of dry season, but values remained as high as over 600 g/kg OM. At both periods, Z. spina-christi showed the highest value, while the lowest was recorded in Acacia seyal. The IVOMD showed a similar trend to those of in situ OM degradability, except for A. seyal. The nitrogen degradability was highest in B. aegyptiaca and lowest in Z. spina-christi at both periods. A significant and positive correlation had existed between CP and IVOMD or in situ OM degradability (r=0.68, p<0.05; r=0.77, p<0.05, respectively). Also, a significant but negative correlation was found between condensed tannins and nitrogen degradability (r=-0.87, p<0.01). Results demonstrated that Z. spina-christi potentially has a good nutritive value as dry season feed or supplement, while A. seyal tends to be less promising. A. nubica and B. aegyptiaca may be a useful source for degradable protein, even though it may have a limited supply of energy to animals. A. tortilis, A. mellifera and A. ehrenbergiana may have potential value for a supplementation of energy or protein, if they were harvested in the early dry season or in wet season as preserved feed. It is highly recommended to supplement with an appropriate amount of phosphorus when these fodder trees were used.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.216-222
• /
• 2017

This study was conducted to examine the effect of corn (Zea mays L.) - soybean (Glycine max L.) silage prepared by intercropping method on the nutritive value of the silage, in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics, dry matter degradability, as well as milk yield and milk composition of dairy cows. In a couple of experiments intercropped corn-soybean silage (CSBS) was compared with corn silage (CS) and/or Italian ryegrass hay (IRG). Numerically, CSBS had higher crude protein, ether extract, and lactic acid contents compared to CS. In vitro rumen fermentation analysis demonstrated that up to a 24-h incubation period, both CS and CSBS showed higher total gas production, ammonia N concentration, and dry matter degradability compared to IRG (p<0.05). The investigation on animals was conducted in a commercial dairy farm located in Gyeongju, South Korea, employing 42 Holstein cows that were divided into 2 group treatments: CS and CSBS in a completely randomized design. Although no significant difference was observed in milk yield, animals fed on CSBS showed significantly higher milk protein (p<0.05) and milk fat content (p<0.01), compared to animals fed on CS. Taken together, our findings indicate that corn-soybean silage that is cultivated, harvested, and prepared through intercropping can improve the protein content of the silage, and can also enhance in vitro rumen fermentation, dry matter degradability, and performance of dairy cattle.