The Inclusion of Concentrate with Quebracho Is Advisable in Two Forage-Based Diets of Ewes According to the In Vitro Fermentation Parameters
2019
Pablo Jose Rufino-Moya | Mireia Blanco | Sandra Lobón | Juan Ramon Bertolín | Ramón Armengol | Margalida Joy
Ewes receive hay or graze on fresh pastures supplemented with concentrates to fulfil their lactation requirements. Quebracho (<i>Schinopsis balansae</i>) can be added to change the ruminal fermentation. Fermentation parameters of forages alone and 70:30 forage:concentrate diets with control and quebracho concentrate were compared after 24 h of in vitro incubation. Fresh forage diets produced less gas (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and had greater IVOMD (<i>p</i> < 0.001), ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>-N) content, valeric acid, branched-chain volatile fatty acid proportions, and lower propionic acid proportion than the hay diets (<i>p</i> < 0.01). In the hay diets, methane production increased with control concentrate (<i>p</i> < 0.01) and tended to decrease with quebacho concentrate (<i>p</i> < 0.10). The inclusion of both concentrates increased the acetic:propionic ratio (<i>p</i> < 0.01), and only the inclusion of quebracho concentrate increased the IVOMD (<i>p</i> < 0.01). In the fresh forage diets, gas and methane production increased with the inclusion of the control concentrate (<i>p</i> < 0.05), but methane production decreased with quebracho concentrate (<i>p</i> < 0.01). The inclusion of quebracho concentrate reduced the NH<sub>3</sub>-N content and valeric acid proportion (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In conclusion, the inclusion of quebracho concentrate would be advisable to reduce the CH<sub>4</sub> production and NH<sub>3</sub>-N content in fresh forage diets and to increase the IVOMD in hay diets in comparison with the forages alone.
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