Preliminary observation on relationship of dry matter intake by sheep with fermentation parameters, chemical composition and in vivo digestibility of forages
1998
Zinash Sileshi(Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization, Addis Abeba (Ethiopia)) | Emyr Owen(The University of Reading, Earily Gate (UK)) | M. K. Theodorou(Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Aberystwyth (UK)) | M.S. Dhanoa(Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Aberystwyth (UK)) | Seyoum Bediye(Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization, Addis Abeba (Ethiopia))
The pressure Transducer Technique (PTT) is based on measurement of gas production from fermentation of forages incubated with rumen inoculum buffered medium. Dry matter (DM) intake and in vivo digestibilities of six forage hays viz panicum, two cultivars of phalaris, Rhodes grass and natural pasture were determined using 36 (24 males and 12 females) local and cross bred (Menz x Awassi) Ethiopian highland sheep. Estimated parameters of gas production and in situ DM disappearances of the forages were determined and linear or multiple regression analyses were used to predict intake from estimated parameters obtained from PTT and Dacron bag methods and chemical compositions. The DM intake (g/M. sup(0.75).d)) ranged from 51.8 (Rhodes grass hay) to 60.8 (Phalaris hay1). The differences between the five forages was small (10 g/M sup(0.75).d)). The in vivo DM digestibility of the forages varied from 54.2 (Rhodes grass hay) to 65.9 (Phalaris hay2) g/100 g DM. DM intake was significantly related to natural detergent fiber (NDF) content (P0.05, square R 0.05) with in situ rate and extent of DM disappearance parameters when used as factors in multiple linear regression. PTT can be used in ranking forages according to their ease of digestion and intake. However, the study used only six forges and the regression equations derived were based on data of low range of DM intake. More data are needed to asses whether PTT can be used in predicting intake of wide range of forges in Ethiopia.
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