Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T12:04:12.076Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of amount of Panicum virgatum hay offered on intake, apparent digestibility and short-term intake rate of rams

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2016

C. M. Ferri ,
N. P. Stritzler ,
H. J. Petruzzi  and
E. D. Cerqueira
C. M. Ferri
Affiliation:
Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, PO Box 300, 6300 Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina
N. P. Stritzler
Affiliation:
Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, PO Box 300, 6300 Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina EEA Anguil ‘Ing. Agr. Guillermo Covas’, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, PO Box 11, 6326. Anguil, La Pampa, Argentina
H. J. Petruzzi
Affiliation:
Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, PO Box 300, 6300 Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina EEA Anguil ‘Ing. Agr. Guillermo Covas’, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, PO Box 11, 6326. Anguil, La Pampa, Argentina
E. D. Cerqueira
Affiliation:
Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, PO Box 300, 6300 Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina
Get access

Abstract

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum cv. Alamo) standing hay was cut and offered to 16 rams. The rams were randomly allocated to one of the following levels of feeding: 0·5; 1·0; 1·5 and 2·0 ✕ maintenance. The forage was offered twice a day to the animals; no supplements were given. The animals were individually penned and fitted with faeces collection bags. After 8 days for adaptation, in vivo dry matter apparent digestibility (DMD) and proportion of blades and stem + sheath of the consumed forage were measured for 8 days. DMD varied from 0·310 (0·5) to 0·391 (2·0) and the proportion of the blade fraction in the diet from 0·44 (0·5) to 0·78 (2·0). The short-term intake rate (STIR) of rams was measured for 5 days. The animals were divided randomly into four blocks, with one ram of each treatment in each block. After 4 h without food and 15 min intervals between blocks, the amount of forage consumed during 4 min of active eating was measured. The amounts consumed were (in g DM per min per 50 kg live weight): 0·5: 8·2; 1·0: 7·8; 1·5: 5·3 and 2·0: 5·3 (0·5 = 1·0 > 1·5 = 2·0; P < 0·01). The results show that offer rate of P. virgatum affects the blade: stem + sheath ratio of intake and, therefore, the nutritive value of the diet. Level of feeding before measuring STIR influences the amount of forage consumed during the test.

Keywords

digestibilityfood intakehayPanicum virgatumrams
Type
Ruminant nutrition, behaviour and production
Information
Animal Science , Volume 71 , Issue 2 , October 2000 , pp. 341 - 347
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agricultural and Food Research Council. 1993. Energy and protein requirements of ruminants. An advisory manual prepared by the AFRC Technical Committee on Responses to Nutrients. CAB International, Wallingford.Google Scholar
Alexander, R. H. and McGowan, M. 1966. The routine determination of in vitro digestibility of organic matter in forages. An investigation of the problems associated with continuous large scale operation. Journal of the British Grassland Society 21: 140–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allen, M. S. 1996. Physical constraints on voluntary intake of forages by ruminants. Journal of Animal Science 74: 3063–3075.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arnold, G. W. 1985. Ingestive behaviour. In Ethology of farm animals (ed. Fraser, A. F.), pp. 183–200. Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Arnold, G. W. and Birrell, H. A. 1977. Food intake and grazing behaviour of sheep varying in body condition. Animal Production 24: 343–353.Google Scholar
Association of Official Analytical Chemists. 1975. Official methods of analysis, 12th edition. Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Arlington, VA.Google Scholar
Baumont, R., Malbert, C. H. and Ruckebusch, Y. 1990. Mechanical stimulation of rumen fill and alimentary behaviour in sheep. Animal Production 50: 123–128.Google Scholar
Beckman, J. J., Moser, L. E., Kubik, K. and Waller, S. S. 1993. Big bluestem and switchgrass establishment as influenced by seed priming. Agronomy Journal 85: 199–202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Belesky, D. P. and Fedders, J. M. 1995. Warm-season grass productivity and growth rate as influenced by canopy management. Agronomy Journal 87: 42–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bhargava, P. K., Ørskov, E. R. and Walli, T. K. 1988. Rumen degradation of straw. 4. Selection and degradation of morphological components of barley straw by sheep. Animal Production 47: 105–110.Google Scholar
Colebrook, W. F., Black, J. L. and Kenney, P. A. 1985. Effect of sensory factors on diet selection by sheep. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of Australia 10: 99–102.Google Scholar
Dougherty, C. T., Bradley, N. W., Cornelius, P. L. and Lauriault, L. M. 1989. Short-term fasts and the ingestive behaviour of grazing cattle. Grass and Forage Science 44: 295–302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fernández-Rivera, S., Midou, A. and Marichatou, H. 1994. Effect of food allowance on diet selectivity and intake of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) stover leaves by sheep. Animal Production 58: 249–256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferri, C. M., Jouve, V. V., Stritzler, N. P. and Petruzzi, H. J. 1998. Estimation of intake and apparent digestibility of kleingrass from in situ parameters measured in sheep. Animal Science 67: 535–540.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forbes, J. M. 1996. Integration of regulatory signals controlling forage intake in ruminants. Journal of Animal Science 74: 3029–3035.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Greenhalgh, J. F. D. 1982. An introduction to herbage intake measurements. In Herbage intake handbook (ed. Leaver, J. D.), pp. 1–10. British Grassland Society, Berkshire, UK.Google Scholar
Greenwood, G. B. and Demment, M. W. 1988. The effect of fasting on short-term cattle grazing behaviour. Grass and Forage Science 43: 377–386.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harrison, S., Romney, D. L., Phipps, R. H. and Owen, E. 1998. Short term intake rate (STIR) as a method of ranking the intake potential of forage mixtures by dairy cows. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science, 1998, p. 193 (abstr.).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hogan, J. P., Keeney, P. A. and Weston, R. H. 1985. Factors affecting the intake of feed by grazing animals. In Temperate pastures: their production, use and management (ed. Wheeler, J. L., Pearsons, C. J. and Robards, G. E.), pp. 317–327. Australian Wool Association, CSIRO, Australia.Google Scholar
Journet, M. 1986. Regulation of food intake on ruminants. In Agriculture: new developments and future perspectives in research on rumen function (ed. Neiman-Sørensen, A.), pp. 141–156. Commission of the European Communities, Luxembourg.Google Scholar
Jung, G. A., Shaffer, J. A., Stout, W. L. and Panciera, M. T. 1990. Warm season grass diversity in yield, plant morphology, and nitrogen concentration and removal in north-eastern USA. Agronomy Journal 82: 21–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kenney, P. A. and Black, J. L. 1984a. Factors affecting diet selection by sheep. I. Potential intake rate and acceptability of feed. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 35: 551–563.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kenney, P. A. and Black, J. L. 1984b. Factors affecting diet selection by sheep. I V. Level of feeding. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 35: 839–843.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kenney, P. A., Black, J. L. and Colebrook, W. L. 1984. Factors affecting diet selection by sheep. III. Dry matter content and particle length of forage. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 35: 831–838.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ketelaars, J. J. M. H. and Tolkamp, B. J. 1991. Toward a new theory of feed intake regulation in ruminants. Doctoral thesis, Agricultural University Wageningen, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Kristensen, V. F. and Ingvartsen, K. L. 1986. Prediction of feed intake. In Agriculture: new developments and future perspectives in research on rumen function (ed. Neiman-Sørensen, A.), pp. 157–181. Commission of the European Communities, Luxembourg.Google Scholar
Laredo, M. A. and Minson, D. J. 1973. The voluntary intake, digestibility and retention time of sheep of leaf and stem fractions of five grasses. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 24: 875–888.Google Scholar
Magai, M. M., Sleper, D. A. and Beuselinck, P. R. 1994. Degradation of three warm-season grasses in a prepared cellulase solution. Agronomy Journal 86: 1049–1053.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minson, D. J. and Wilson, J. R. 1994. Prediction of intake as an element of forage quality. In Forage quality, evaluation and utilization (ed. Fahey, G. C.), pp. 533–563. ASA, CSSA, and SSSA, WI.Google Scholar
Moseley, G. and Antuna Manendez, A. A. 1989. Factors affecting the eating rate of forage feeds. Proceedings of the XVI international grassland congress, Nice, France, pp. 789-790 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Newman, J. A., Penning, P. D., Parsons, A. J., Harvey, A. and Orr, R. J. 1994. Fasting affects intake behaviour and diet preference of grazing sheep. Animal Behaviour 47: 185–193.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ørskov, E. R. 1991. Manipulation of fibre digestion in the rumen. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 50: 187–196.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ørskov, E. R. and Viglizzo, E. F. 1994. The role of animals in spreading farmers’ risks: a new paradigm for animal science. Outlook on Agriculture 23: 81–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Osafo, E. L. K., Owen, E., Said, A. N., Gill, M. and Sherington, J. 1997. Effects of amount offered and chopping on intake and selection of sorghum stover by Ethiopian sheep and cattle. Animal Science 65: 55–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patterson, D. M., McGilloway, D. A., Cushnahan, A., Mayne, C. S. and Laidlaw, A. S. 1998. Effect of duration of fasting period on short-term intake rates of lactating dairy cows. Animal Science 66: 299–305.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Poppi, D. P., Hughes, T. P. and L’huillier, P. J. 1987. Intake of pasture by grazing animals. In Livestock feeding on pasture. New Zealand Society of Animal Production occasional publication no. 10, pp. 55–63.Google Scholar
Posler, G. L., Lenssen, A. W. and Fine, G. L. 1993. Forage yield, quality, compatibility, and persistence of warm-season grass-legume mixtures. Agronomy Journal 85: 554–560.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Provenza, F. D. 1995. Postingestive feedback as an elementary determinant of food preference and intake in ruminants. Journal of Range Management 48: 2–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Romney, D. L. and Gill, M. 1998. Measurement of short term intake rate (STIR) to predict in vivo parameters in sheep. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science, 1998, p. 98 (abstr.).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schneider, B. H. and Flatt, W. P. 1975. The evaluation of feeds through digestibility experiments. University of Georgia Press, Athens, Georgia, USA.Google Scholar
Shand, W. J., Ørskov, E. R. and Morrice, L. A. F. 1988. Rumen degradation of straw. 5. Botanical fractions and degradability of different varieties of oat and wheat straws. Animal Production 47: 387–392.Google Scholar
Steel, R. G. D. and Torrie, J. H. 1960. Principles and procedures of statistics with special reference to the biological sciences. McGraw-Hill, New York, USA.Google Scholar
Stritzler, N. P., Pagella, J. H., Jouve, V. V. and Ferri, C. M. 1996. Semi-arid warm-season grass yield and nutritive value in Argentina. Journal of Range Management 49: 121–125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stritzler, N. P., Rabotnikof, C. M., Lorda, H. and Pordomingo, A. 1986. Evaluación de especies forrajeras estivales en la Región Pampeana Semiárida. III. Digestibilidad y consumo de Digitaria eriantha y Bothriochloa intermedia bajo condiciones de diferimiento. Revista Argentina de Producción Animal 6: 67–72.Google Scholar
Tilley, J. M. A. and Terry, R. A. 1963. A two stage technique for the in vitro digestion of forage crops. Journal of the British Grassland Society 18: 104–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Soest, P. J. and Robertson, J. B. 1985. Analysis of forages and fibrous foods. Cornell University Press, New York.Google Scholar
Velasquez, J. E., Owen, E. and Mould, F. L. 1999. Effects of amount offered on the intake and selection of barley straw by growing cattle. Animal Science 68: 211–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wahed, R. A., Owen, E., Naate, M. and Hosking, B. J. 1990. Feeding straw to small ruminants: effect of amount offered on intake and selection of barley straw by goats and sheep. Animal Production 51: 283–289.Google Scholar
Wilson, J. R. 1984. Tropical pastures. In Control of crop productivity (ed. Pearson, C. J.), pp. 185–197. Academic Press, London.Google Scholar