• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.481-491
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• 2024

Objective: This study determined fermentation characteristics of commonly used feedstuffs, especially tropical roughages, for dairy cattle in Southeast Asia. This information is considered relevant in the context of the observed low milk fat content and milk production in Southeast Asia countries. Methods: A total of 29 feedstuffs commonly used for dairy cattle in Vietnam and Thailand were chemically analysed and subjected to an in vitro gas production (GP) test. For 72 h, GP was continuously recorded with fully automated equipment and methane (CH₄) was measured at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 30, 36, 48, 60, and 72 h of incubation. A triphasic, nonlinear, regression procedure was applied to analyse GP profiles while a monophasic model was used to obtain kinetics related to CH₄ production. Results: King grass and VA06 showed a high asymptotic GP related to the soluble- and non-soluble fractions (i.e. A1 and A2, respectively) and had the highest acetate to propionate ratio in the incubation fluid. The proportion of CH₄ produced (% of GP at 72 h) was found to be not different (p>0.05) between the various grasses. Among the selected preserved roughages (n = 6) and whole crops (n = 4), sorghum was found to produce the greatest amount of gas in combination with a relatively low CH₄ production. Conclusion: Grasses belonging to the genus Pennisetum, and whole crop sorghum can be considered as suitable ingredients to formulate dairy rations to enhance milk fat content in Vietnam/Thailand.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.637-647
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• 2019

Objective: The study aimed at quantifying seasonal and spatial variations in availability and nutritive value of herbaceous vegetation on native pastures and supplement feedstuffs for domestic ruminants in Western Kenya. Methods: Samples of herbaceous pasture vegetation (n = 75) and local supplement feedstuffs (n = 46) for cattle, sheep, and goats were collected in 20 villages of three geographic zones (Highlands, Mid-slopes, Lowlands) in Lower Nyando, Western Kenya, over four seasons of one year. Concentrations of dry matter (DM), crude ash (CA), ether extract (EE), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), gross energy (GE), and minerals were determined. Apparent total tract organic matter digestibility (dOM) was estimated from in vitro gas production and proximate nutrient concentrations or chemical composition alone using published prediction equations. Results: Nutrient, energy, and mineral concentrations were 52 to 168 g CA, 367 to 741 g NDF, 32 to 140 g CP, 6 to 45 g EE, 14.5 to 18.8 MJ GE, 7.0 to 54.2 g potassium, 0.01 to 0.47 g sodium, 136 to 1825 mg iron, and 0.07 to 0.52 mg selenium/kg DM. The dOM was 416 to 650 g/kg organic matter but differed depending on the estimation method. Nutritive value of pasture herbage was superior to most supplement feedstuffs, but its value strongly declined in the driest season. Biomass yields and concentrations of CP and potassium in pasture herbage were highest in the Highlands amongst the three zones. Conclusion: Availability and nutritive value of pasture herbage and supplement feedstuffs greatly vary between seasons and geographical zones, suggesting need for season- and region-specific feeding strategies. Local supplement feedstuffs partly compensate for nutritional deficiencies. However, equations to accurately predict dOM and improved knowledge on nutritional characteristics of tropical ruminant feedstuffs are needed to enhance livestock production in this and similar environments.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.1849-1857
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• 2007

The experiment was carried out using fistulated multiparous Holstein Friesian crossbred (75% Holstein Friesian and 25% Red Sindhi) dairy cows in their dry period fed on untreated rice straw to evaluate the nutritive value of local protein feed resources using the in sacco method and in vitro pepsin-pancreatin digestion. Experimental feeds were cottonseed meal (CSM); soybean meal (SBM); dried brewery's grains (DBG); palm kernel meal (PSM); cassava hay (CH); leucaena leaf meal (LLM). Each feedstuff was weighed into duplicate nylon bags and incubated in each of the two rumen fistulated cows for 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 48 h. Rumen feed residues from bags of 16 h incubation were used for estimation of lower gut digestibility by the technique of in vitro pepsin-pancreatin digestion. Ruminal ammonia-nitrogen ($NH_3-N$) concentrations did not differ between treatments or time with a mean of 5.5 mg%. Effective degradability of DM of CSM, SBM, DBG, PSM, CH and LLM were 41.9, 56.1, 30.8, 47.0, 41.1 and 47.5%, respectively. Effective degradabilities of the CP in feedstuffs were 49.6, 59.2, 40.9, 33.5, 47.3 and 65.0% for the respective feedstuffs. The CP in vitro pepsin-pancreatin digestibility as ranked from the highest to the lowest were SBM, CSM, LLM, CH, DBG, PSM, respectively. The intestinal and total tract digestion of feedstuffs in the current study were relatively lower than that obtained from previous literature. The results of this study indicate that SBM and LLM were highly degradable in the rumen, while CH, CSM and DBG were less degradable and, hence resulted in higher rumen undegradable protein. Soybean meal and LLM could be used to improve rumen ecology whilst CH, CSM and DBG could be used as rumen by-pass protein for ruminant feeding in the tropics.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.574-584
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• 2019

Objective: Research was conducted to test the effect of including fiber-rich feedstuffs in practical pig diets on nutrient digestibility, nitrogen balance and ammonia emissions from slurry. Methods: Three Vietnamese fiber sources were screened, namely cassava leaf meal (CL), cassava root residue (CR), and tofu by-product (TF). Accordingly, a control diet (Con) with 10% of dietary non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) and three test diets including one of the three fiber-rich feedstuffs to reach 15% of NSP were formulated. All formulated diets had the same level of crude protein (CP), in vitro ileal protein digestible and metabolisable energy, whereas the in vitro hindgut volatile fatty acid (VFA) production of the test diets was 12% to 20% higher than the control diet. Forty growing barrows with initial body weight at $28.6{\pm}1.93kg$ ($mean{\pm}standard$ deviation) were allocated to the four treatments. When pigs reached about 50 kg of body weight, four pigs from each treatment were used for a nitrogen balance trial and ammonia emission assessment, the remaining six pigs continued the second period of the feeding trial. Results: The TF treatment increased fecal VFA by 33% as compared with the control treatment (p = 0.07), suggesting stimulation of the hindgut fermentation. However, urinary N was not significantly reduced or shifted to fecal N, nor was slurry pH decreased. Accordingly, ammonia emissions were not mitigated. CR and CL treatments failed to enhance in vivo hindgut fermentation, as assessed by fecal VFA and purine bases. On the contrary, the reduction of CP digestibility in the CL treatment enhanced ammonia emissions from slurry. Conclusion: Dietary inclusion of cassava and tofu byproducts through an increase of dietary NSP from 10% to 15% might stimulate fecal VFA excretion but this does not guarantee a reduction in ammonia emissions from slurry, while its interaction with protein digestibility even might enhance enhanced ammonia emission.