Intake, retention time in the rumen and microbial protein production of Bos indicus steers consuming grasses varying in crude protein content
T. Panjaitan A B , S. P. Quigley A , S. R. McLennan C , T. Swain C and D. P. Poppi A DA Schools of Animal Studies and Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, Qld 4343, Australia.
B Present address: Balai Pengkajian Teknologi Pertanian, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia.
C Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, Yeerongpilly, Qld 4105, Australia.
D Corresponding author. Email: d.poppi@uq.edu.au
Animal Production Science 50(6) 444-448 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN09197
Submitted: 11 December 2009 Accepted: 16 March 2010 Published: 11 June 2010
Abstract
Feed intake, rumen function, microbial protein (MCP) production and the efficiency of MCP production were determined in steers fed four different forage hays varying markedly in crude protein content. Low quality tropical forage (speargrass and Mitchell grass) hays had lower crude protein content, higher neutral detergent fibre content and lower digestibility than a medium quality tropical forage (pangola grass) hay and a temperate forage (ryegrass) hay. Steers fed speargrass and Mitchell grass hays had lower MCP production (80 and 170 g MCP/day, respectively) and efficiency of MCP production [78 and 79 g MCP/kg digestible organic matter (DOM), respectively] than steers fed pangola grass (328 g MCP/day; 102 g MCP/kg DOM) and ryegrass (627 g MCP/day; 135 g MCP/kg DOM) hays, which was directly related to the supply of DOM and rumen degradable protein. Intake was greatest for ryegrass hay, followed by pangola grass, Mitchell grass and speargrass hays [17.6, 15.6, 10.1 and 5.5 g DM/kg W.day, respectively]. The retention time of DM in the rumen was 72.1, 47.7, 28.6 and 19.1 h for speargrass, Mitchell grass, pangola grass and ryegrass hays, respectively, with a similar trend apparent for the retention time of neutral detergent fibre, lignin, chromium-EDTA and ytterbium labelled digesta. The difference in the protein : energy ratio of absorbed substrates (measured as efficiency of MCP production) did not appear to account for all the differences in intake, nor did a purely physical mechanism.
Acknowledgements
The skilled technical assistance of P. Isherwood, A. Gibbon, L. Gardiner, M. Halliday and J. Kidd is appreciated. This work was funded by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). T. Panjaitan was in receipt of a John Allwright Fellowship from ACIAR.
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