The Combinations of Sulfur and Molybdenum Fertilization Improved Antioxidant Capacity in Grazing Nanjiang Brown Goat

To assess the impacts of sulfur (S) and molybdenum (Mo) fertilization on antioxidant capacity of grazing Nanjiang brown goat in copper (Cu)–polluted meadow, and explore the control methods of Cu pollution in natural pasture, fertilizer treatments and grazing experiments were carried out in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of the Western Sichuan Plateau, Sichuan Province, Southwest China. 24 hm² Cu-polluted meadows were fenced and randomly divided into four groups (3 replications/group, 2 hm²/replication): (1) control group, no fertilizer; (2) treatment groups, applied 1 kg Mo+40 kg S, 2 kg Mo+80 kg S, and 3 kg Mo+120 kg S per hectare for group I, group II, and group III, respectively. Seventy-two healthy Nanjiang brown goats (1 year old, 30.9 ± 1.1 kg) were randomly divided into 4 groups (3 replications/group, 6 goats/replication) and assigned to the tested pastures. The grazing experiment lasted for 60 days. The results showed that the contents of N, S, Mn, Zn, and Mo in herbage in fertilized pastures were higher than those in control group (P < 0.01). The contents of Cu and Se in herbage in fertilized pastures were lower than those in control group (P < 0.01). There were no differences among the fertilized pastures (P > 0.05). The contents of Mn, Zn, Mo, and S in serum and liver in the treatment goats were higher than those in control animals (P < 0.01). The contents of Cu and Se in serum and liver in the treatment goats were lower than those in control animals (P < 0.01). There was no difference in Fe and Co contents in herbage, serum, and liver among the four groups (P > 0.05). The levels of Hb, RBC, and PCV in blood in the treatment goats and the activities of SOD, GSH-Px, T-AOC, CAT, and Cp in serum were higher than those in control goats (P < 0.01). The contents of MDA in the treatment goats were lower than those in control animals (P < 0.01). The contents of serum Cu and Mo, and liver Cu in group III were lower than those in group I and group II (P < 0.01). Taken together, the combinations of S and Mo fertilization did not influence the mineral contents in herbage, serum, and liver, but reduced the toxicity of Cu in Cu-polluted grassland and improved antioxidant capacity in grazing Nanjiang brown goat from fertilized pastures.