Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-cfpbc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T03:49:30.767Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of condensed tannins upon the performance of lambs grazing Lotus corniculatus and lucerne (Medicago sativa)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

Y. Wang ,
G. B. Douglas ,
G. C. Waghorn ,
T. N. Barry ,
A. G. Foote  and
R. W. Purchas
Y. Wang
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
G. B. Douglas
Affiliation:
AgResearch Grasslands, Palmerston North, New Zealand
G. C. Waghorn
Affiliation:
AgResearch Grasslands, Palmerston North, New Zealand
T. N. Barry
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
A. G. Foote
Affiliation:
AgResearch Grasslands, Palmerston North, New Zealand
R. W. Purchas
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

A grazing experiment, conducted for 22 weeks in 1992/93 at Aorangi Research Station, AgResearch Grasslands, Manawatu, New Zealand, compared the productivity of weaned lambs grazing Lotus corniculatus (birdsfoot trefoil) and lucerne (Medicago sativa). Effects of condensed tannins (CT) in lotus were evaluated by studying the responses of lambs to twice daily oral supplementation with polyethylene glycol (PEG). A rotational grazing system with restricted feed allowance was used. Measurements were made of pre- and post-grazing herbage mass, the composition of the feed on offer and diet selected, voluntary feed intake (VFI), liveweight gain (LWG), carcass growth, wool growth and the concentration of metabolites in rumen fluid. For both lotus and lucerne swards, the diet selected was mainly leaf. Lotus contained 34 g total CT/kg dry matter in the diet selected, whilst there were essentially no CT in lucerne. Compared to lambs grazing lucerne, lambs grazing lotus had slightly lower VFI, and higher LWG, carcass weight gain, carcass dressing-out percentage and wool growth. PEG supplementation had no effect on these measurements or upon the composition of rumen fluid in lambs grazing lucerne. However, in lambs grazing lotus, PEG supplementation reduced wool growth (10·9 ν. 12·1 g/day), slightly reduced LWG (188 ν. 203 g/day), increased rumen ammonia concentration, and increased the molar proportions of /.so-butyric, isovaleric and n-valeric acids and protozoa numbers in rumen fluid. PEG supplementation did not affect carcass gain, carcass fatness or the molar proportion of rumen acetic, propionic or n-butyric acids in lambs grazing lotus. It was concluded that the principal effect of CT in growing lambs grazing lotus was to increase wool growth without affecting VFI, thereby increasing the efficiency of wool production, that the greater rate of carcass gain of lambs grazing lotus than those grazing lucerne was mainly caused by factors other than CT and that CT did not affect the rumen fermentation of carbohydrate to major volatile fatty acids.

Type
Animals
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 126 , Issue 1 , February 1996 , pp. 87 - 98
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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

REFERENCES

Bailey, R. W. (1967). Quantitative studies of ruminant digestion. II. Loss of ingested plant carbohydrates from the reticulo-rumen. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 10, 15–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barry, T. N. (1989). Condensed tannins: their role in ruminant protein and carbohydrate digestion and possible effects upon the rumen ecosystem. In The Roles of Protozoa and Fungi in Ruminant Digestion (Eds Nolan, J. V., Leng, R. A. & Demeyer, D. I.), pp. 153–169. Armidale, Australia: Penambul Books.Google Scholar
Barry, T. N. & Forss, D. A. (1983). The condensed tannin content of vegetative Lotus pedunculatus, its regulation by fertiliser application, and effect upon protein solubility. Journal of the Science of Food anil Agriculture 34, 1047–1056.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barry, T. N. & Manley, T. R. (1986). Interrelationships between the concentrations of total condensed tannin, free condensed tannin and lignin in Lotussp. and their possible consequences in ruminant nutrition. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 37, 248–254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barry, T. N., Manley, T. R. & Duncan, S. J. (1986). The role of condensed tannins in the nutritional value of Lotus pedunculatus for sheep. 4. Sites of carbohydrate and protein digestion as influenced by dietary reactive tannin concentration. British Journal of Nutrition 55, 123–137.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Black, J. L., Gill, M., Beever, D. E., Thornley, J. H. M. &Oldham, J. D. (1987). Simulation of the metabolism of absorbed energy-yielding nutrients in young sheep: efficiency of utilization of acetate. Journal of Nutrition 117, 105–115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Costigan, P. & Ellis, K. J. (1987). Analysis of faecal chromium from controlled release devices. New Zealand Journal of Technology 3, 89–92.Google Scholar
Douglas, G. B., Wang, Y., Waghorn, G. C., Barry, T. N., Purchas, R. W., Foote, A. G. & Wilson, G. F. (1995). Liveweight gain and wool production of sheep grazing Lotus corniculatus and lucerne (Medicago sativa). New Zealand Journal of Agriculture Research 38, 95–104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
El-Shazly, K..(1952). Degradation of protein in the rumen of the sheep. 2. The action of rumen micro-organisms on amino-acids. The Biochemical Journal 51, 647–653.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hogan, J. P. (1975). Symposium: Protein and amino acid nutrition in the high producing cow. Quantitative aspects of nitrogen utilization in ruminants. Journal of Dairy Science 58, 1164–1177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, W. T. & Mangan, J. L. (1977). Complexes of the condensed tannins of sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) with Fraction I leaf protein and with submaxillary mucoprotein, and their reversal by polyethylene glycol and pH. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 28, 126–136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirton, A. H. (1989). Principles of classification and grading. In Meal Production and Processing. New Zealand Society of Animal Production Occasional Publication No.11 (Eds Purchas, R. W., Butler-Hogg, B. W. & Davies, A. S.), pp. 143–157. Hamilton, New Zealand: New Zealand Society of Animal Production.Google Scholar
Lee, J., Harris, P. M., Sinclair, B. R. & Treloar, B. P. (1992). The effect of condensed tannin containing diets on whole body amino acid utilisation in Romney sheep: consequences for wool growth. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 52, 243–245.Google Scholar
Lowther, W. L., Manley, T. R. & Barry, T. N. (1987). Condensed tannin concentrations in Lotus corniculatus and L. pedunculatus cultivars grown under low soil fertility conditions. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 30, 23–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marten, G. C. & Jordan, R. M. (1979). Substitution value of birdsfoot trefoil for alfalfa-grass in pasture systems. Agronomy Journal 71, 55–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McNabb, W. C., Waghorn, G. C., Barry, T. N. & Shelton, I. D. (1993). The effect of condensed tannins in Lotus pedunculatus on the digestion and metabolism of methionine, cystine and inorganic sulphur in sheep. British Journal of Nutrition 70, 647–661.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parker, W. J., McCutcheon, S. N. & Carr, D. H. (1989). Effect of herbage type and level of intake on the release of chromic oxide from intraruminal controlled release capsules in sheep. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 32, 537–546.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Purchas, R. W. & Keogh, R. G. (1984). Fatness of lambs grazed on ‘Grasslands Maku’ lotus and ‘Grasslands Huia’ white clover. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 44, 219–221.Google Scholar
Reis, P. J. (1965 a). Variation in the sulphur content of wool. In Biology of the Skin and Hair Growth (Eds Lyne, A. G. & Short, B. F.), pp. 365–379. Sydney, Australia: Angus and Robertson.Google Scholar
Reis, P. J. (1965 b). The growth and composition of wool. III. Variations in the sulphur content of wool. Australian Journal of Biological Sciences 18, 671–687.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reis, P. J. (1979). Effects of amino acids on the growth and properties of wool. In Physiological and Environmental Limitations to Wool Growth (Eds Black, J. L. & Reis, P. J.), pp. 223–242. Armidale, Australia: University of New England Publishing Unit.Google Scholar
Roughan, P. G. & Holland, R. (1977). Predicting in-vivo digestibilities of herbages by exhaustive enzymic hydrolysis of cell walls. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 28, 1057–1064.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Terrill, T. H., Rowan, A. M., Douglas, G. B. & Barry, T. N. (1992 a). Determination of extractable and bound condensed tannin concentrations in forage plants, protein concentrate meals and cereal grains. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 58, 321–329.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Terrill, T. H., Douglas, G. B., Foote, A. G., Purchas, R. W., Wilson, G. F. & Barry, T. N. (1992 b). Effect of condensed tannins upon body growth, wool growth and rumen metabolism in sheep grazing sulla (Hedysarum coronarium) and perennial pasture. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 119, 265–273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Terrill, T. H., Waghorn, G. C., Woolley, D. J., McNabb, W. C. & Barry, T. N. (1994). Assay and digestion of 14C labeIled condensed tannins in the gastrointestinal tract of sheep. British Journal of Nutrition 72, 467–477.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Soest, P. J. (1983). Nutritional Ecology of the Ruminant. Corvallis, Oregon: O&B Books.Google Scholar
Waghorn, G. C. (1990). Effect of condensed tannin on protein digestion and nutritive value of fresh herbage. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 18, 412–415.Google Scholar
Waghorn, G. C. & Shelton, I. D. (1992). The nutritive value of Lotus for sheep. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 52, 89–92.Google Scholar
Waghorn, G. C., John, A., Jones, W. T. & Shelton, I. D. (1987 a). Nutritive value of Lotus corniculalus L. containing low and medium concentrations of condensed tannins for sheep. Proceedings of New Zealand Society of Animal Production 47, 25–30.Google Scholar
Waghorn, G. C., Ulyatt, M. J., John, A. & Fisher, M. T. (1987 b). The effect of condensed tannins on the site of digestion of amino acids and other nutrients in sheep fed on Lotus corniculatusL. British Journal of Nutrition 57, 115–126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, Y., Waghorn, G. C., Barry, T. N. & Shelton, I. D. (1994). The effect of condensed tannins in Lotus corniculatus on plasma metabolism of methionine, cystine and inorganic sulphate by sheep. British Journal of Nutrition 72, 923–935.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed