Effect of forage:concentrate ratio and type of forage on protozoa population in sheep rumen and Rusitec fermenters | Efecto de la relación forraje:concentrado y del tipo de forraje de la dieta sobre las poblaciones de protozoos en el rumen de ovejas y en fermentadores Rusitec
2009
Martínez, M.E., Universidad de León (España). Facultad de Veterinaria | Ranilla, M.J., Universidad de León (España). Facultad de Veterinaria | Ramos, S., Universidad de León (España). Facultad de Veterinaria | Tejido, M.L., Universidad de León (España). Facultad de Veterinaria | Carro, M.D., Universidad de León (España). Facultad de Veterinaria
The aim of this study was to study the effects of forage:concentrate (F:C) ratio and type of forage in the diet on protozoa populations in sheep rumen and Rusitec fermenters. The four experimental diets had F:C ratios of 70:30 (HF) or 30:70 (HC) and either alfalfa hay (AL) or grass hay (GR) as forage. Protozoa counting was done on two consecutive days after 12 days of feeding the diets. Neither F:C ratio (P=0.63) nor the type of forage (P=0.78) affected Isotrichidae numbers in sheep. Entodininiinae represented 91.2 and 88.0% of total protozoa for HF and HC diets, respectively. Diplodiniinae and total protozoa numbers were greater (P<0.001 and 0.03) for HC diets compared to HF ones, but Ophryoscolecinae numbers were not affected (P>0.10) by any of the dietary factors. Protozoa were maintained in all fermenters, but their numbers were between 83 (HFGR) and 470 (HCAL) times lower than those in sheep rumen. Isotrichidae and Diplodiniinae protozoa disappeared from the fermenters fed the HC diets, but they were present in low numbers (0.07-0.17 x10E3/mL) in the ones receiving the HF diets. Ophryoscolecinae protozoa were completely washed out of all fermenters, probably due to their long generation time. Entodiniinae represented 100% of all protozoa in the fermenters fed the HC diets, indicating that no other protozoa were able to survive. In the fermenters fed HF diets, Entodiniinae were 95.1 and 98.4% of total protozoa for AL and GR diets, respectively.
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