Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-wq484 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T12:10:33.718Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of synchronizing the rate of dietary energy and nitrogen release on rumen fermentation and microbial protein synthesis in sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

L. A. Sinclair ,
P. C. Garnsworth ,
J. R. Newbold  and
P. J. Buttery
L. A. Sinclair
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leics LE12 5RD, UK
P. C. Garnsworth
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leics LE12 5RD, UK
J. R. Newbold
Affiliation:
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
P. J. Buttery
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leics LE12 5RD, UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The effects of two diets formulated to be either synchronous or asynchronous with respect to the hourly supply of energy and nitrogen on rumen fermentation and microbial protein synthesis were studied in sheep.

In Expt 1, the in situ degradation characteristics of nitrogen (N), organic matter (OM) and carbohydrate (CHO) fractions were determined in winter wheat straw, winter barley, malt distillers dark grains rapeseed meal and fishmeal. The feeds exhibited a large range in degradability characteristics of the nitrogen and energy-yielding fractions.

A computer program was developed based upon the raw material degradation characteristics obtained from the above studies. The program was used to formulate two diets with similar metabolizable energy (9·5 MJ/kg DM) and rumen degradable protein contents (96 g/kg DM) but to be either synchronous (diet A) or asynchronous (diet B) with respect to the hourly rate of release of N and energy. The program was used to predict the hourly release of N, OM and CHO and the molar production of volatile fatty acids (VFA).

In Expt 2, the two diets were fed to four cannulated sheep at the rate of 1 kg/day in four equal portions, in two periods, using a change-over design. Rumen ammonia concentrations followed the predicted rate of N degradation. A maximum concentration of 10·5 and 7 mM for diets A and B respectively was achieved within the first hour of feeding which then fell to 7 and 3 mM respectively. Rumen VFA proportions were more stable for the synchronous diet (A) than the asynchronous diet (B) and were more stable than predicted for both diets. True ruminal degradation of OM and CHO was similar for both diets and close to that predicted, although fibre degradability in diet A was 30% lower than predicted due to a reduction in both cellulose and hemicellulose digested. Microbial protein production was estimated simultaneously with L-[4,5–3H]leucine and a technique based on cytosine. Estimates varied with marker but mean values indicated a 27% greater production of microbial N (g N/kg DM I) with the synchronous diet (A) and an average improvement in microbial protein efficiency (g N/kg OM truly degraded or CHO apparently degraded) of 13%, although neither difference was significant. There was evidence of a greater recycling of N in the animals and a significantly lower content of rumen degradable protein when the sheep were fed the asynchronous diet (B).

The results are consistent with the view that synchronizing the rate of supply of N and energyyielding substrates to the rumen micro-organisms based upon ingredient in situ degradation data can improve microbial protein flow at the duodenum and the efficiency of microbial protein synthesis.

Type
Animals
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 120 , Issue 2 , April 1993 , pp. 251 - 263
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

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

Agricultural Research Council (1984). The Nutrient Requirements of Ruminant Livestock. Supplement No. 1. Slough: Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux.Google Scholar
Akin, D. E. (1988). Biological structure of lignocellulose and its degradation in the rumen. Animal Feed Science and Technology 21, 295–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arias, C., Burroughs, W., Gerlaugh, P. & Bethke, R. M. (1951). The influence of different amounts and sources of energy upon in vitro urea utilization by rumen microorganisms. Journal of Animal Science 10, 683–692.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bartram, C. G. (1987). The endogenous protein content of ruminant proximal duodenal digesta. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.Google Scholar
Cheng, K. J. & Costerton, J. W. (1979). Adherent rumen bacteria: their role in the digestion of plant material, urea and epithelial cells. In Physiology and Metabolism in Ruminants (Eds Ruckebush, Y. & Thivend, P.), pp. 227–250. Lancaster: MTP Press.Google ScholarPubMed
Cheng, K. J., Stewart, C. S., Dinsdale, D. & Costerton, J. W. (1984). Electron microscopy of bacteria involved in the digestion of plant cell walls. Animal Feed Science and Technology 10, 93–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chesson, A. (1990). Nutritional significance and nutritive value of plant polysaccharides. In Feedstuff Evaluation (Eds Wiseman, J. & Cole, D. J. A.), pp. 179–195. London: Butterworths.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Craig, W. M., Brown, D. R., Broderick, G. A. & Ricker, D. B. (1987). Post-prandial compositional changes of fluid- and particle-associated ruminal microorganisms. Journal of Animal Science 65, 1042–1048.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Czerkawski, J. W. (1986). An Introduction to Rumen Studies. Oxford: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Dawson, J. M., Bruce, C. I., Buttery, P. J., Gill, M. & Beever, D. E. (1988). Protein metabolism in the rumen of silage-fed steers: effect of fishmeal supplementation. British Journal of Nutrition 60, 339–353.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Doyle, P. T., Dove, H., Freer, M., Hart, F. J., Dixon, R. M. & Egan, A. R. (1988). Effects of a concentrate supplement on the intake and digestion of a low-quality forage by lambs. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 111, 503–511.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eadie, J. M., Hyldgaard-Jensen, J., Mann, S. O., Reid, R. S. & Whitelaw, F. G. (1970). Observations on the microbiology and biochemistry of the rumen in cattle given different quantities of a pelleted barley ration. British Journal of Nutrition 24, 157–177.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Egan, A. R., Walker, D. J., Nader, C. J. & Storer, G. (1975). Comparative aspects ofdigestion of four roughages by sheep. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 26, 909–922.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Faichney, G. J. (1975). The use of markers to partition digestion within the gastro-intestinal tract. In Digestion and Metabolism in the Ruminant (Eds McDonald, I. W. & Warner, A. C. I.), pp. 261–276. Armidale, Australia: University of New England.Google Scholar
Goering, H. K. & Van Soest, P. J. (1970). Forage Fiber Analyses (apparatus, reagents, procedures and some applications). Agricultural Handbook, No. 379, US Department of Agriculture.Google Scholar
Herbert, D., Phipps, P. J. & Strange, R. E. (1971). Chemical analysis of microbial cells. In Methods in Microbiology 5B (Eds Morris, J. R. & Ribbons, D. W.), pp. 210–344. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Herrera-Saldana, R., Gomez-Alarcon, R., Torabi, M. & Huber, J. T. (1990 a). Influence of synchronising protein and starch degradation in the rumen on nutrient utilization and microbial protein synthesis. Journal of Dairy Science 73, 142–148.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Herrera-Saldana, R. E., Huber, J. T. & Poore, M. H. (1990 b). Dry matter, crude protein and starch degradability of five cereal grains. Journal of Dairy Science 73, 2386–2393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoover, W. H. (1986). Chemical factors involved in ruminal fiber digestion. Journal of Dairy Science 69, 2755–2766.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
John, A. (1984). Effects of feeding frequency and level of feed intake on chemical composition of rumen bacteria. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 102, 45–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, R. R. (1976). Influence of carbohydrate solubility on non-protein nitrogen utilization in the ruminant. Journal of Animal Science 43, 184–191.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Khalili, H. & Huhtanen, P. (1991). Sucrose supplements in cattle given grass-silage based diet. 1. Digestion of organic matter and nitrogen. Animal Feed Science and Technology 33, 247–261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koenig, S. E. (1980). Microbial purines and pyrimidines as indicators of rumen microbial protein synthesis. PhD thesis, University of Kentucky.Google Scholar
Lawes Agricultural Trust (1987). Genstat 5 Committee of the Statistics Department, Rothamsted Experimental Station. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Leng, R. A. (1970). Formation and production of volatile fatty acids in the rumen. In Physiology and Digestion in the Ruminant (Ed. Phillipson, A. T.), pp. 406–421. Newcastle upon Tyne: Oriel Press.Google Scholar
Madsen, J. (1985). The basis for the proposed Nordic protein evaluation system for ruminants. The AAT-PBV system. Acta Agricullurae Scandinavica. Supplement 25, 9–20.Google Scholar
Merry, R. J. & McAllan, A. B. (1983). A comparison of the chemical composition of mixed bacteria harvested from the liquid and solid fractions of rumen digesta. British Journal of Nutrition 50, 701–709.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1981). Reference Booklet 427. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Murphy, M. R., Baldwin, R. L. & Koong, L. J. (1982). Estimation of stoichiometric parameters for rumen fermentation of roughage and concentrate diets. Journal of Animal Science 55, 411–421.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ørskov, E. R. (1986). Evaluation of protein for ruminants. In Feedingstuffs, Modern Aspects, Problems and Future Trends (Ed. Livingstone, R. M.), pp. 59–64. Aberdeen: Feeds Publication 1.Google Scholar
Ørskov, E. R. & McDonald, I. (1979). The estimation of protein degradability in the rumen from incubation measurements weighted according to rate of passage. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 92, 499–503.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robinson, P. H., Fadel, J. G. & Tamminga, S. (1986). Evaluation of mathematical models to describe neutral detergent residue in terms of its susceptibility to degradation in the rumen. Animal Feed Science and Technology 15, 249–271.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rooke, J. A. & Armstrong, D. G. (1989). The importance of the form of nitrogen on microbial protein synthesis in the rumen of cattle receiving grass silage and continuous intrarumen infusions of sucrose. British Journal of Nutrition 61, 113–121.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rooke, J. A., Lee, N. H. & Armstrong, D. G. (1987) The effects of intraruminal infusions of urea, casein, glucose syrup and a mixture of casein and glucose syrup on nitrogen digestion in the rumen of cattle receiving grasssilage diets. British Journal of Nutrition 57, 89–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ryan, J. P. (1980). Determination of volatile fatty acids and some related compounds in ovine rumen fluid, urine and blood plasma, by gas-liquid chromatography. Analytical Biochemistry 108, 374–384.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Salter, D. N., Smith, R. H. & Hewitt, D. (1983). Factors affecting the capture of dietary nitrogen by microorganisms in the forcstomachs of the young steer. Experiments with [15N] urea. British Journal of Nutrition 50, 427–435.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schelling, G. T., Koenig, S. E. & Jackson, T. C. Jr (1982). Nucleic acids and purine and pyrimidine bases as markers for protein synthesis in the rumen. In Protein Requirements for Cattle (Ed. Owens, F. N.), pp. 1–9. Stillwater, USA: Oklahoma State University.Google Scholar
Siddons, R. C., Paradine, J., Beever, D. E. & Cornell, P. R. (1985). Ytterbium acetate as a particulate-phasc digesta-ftow marker. British Journal of Nutrition 54, 509–519.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sinclair, L. A., Garnsworthy, P. C., Beardsworth, P., Freeman, P. & Buttery, P. J. (1991). The use of cytosine as a marker to estimate microbial protein synthesis in the rumen. Animal Production 52, 592 (Abstr).Google Scholar
Sniffen, C. J., Russell, J. B. & Van Soest, P. J. (1983). The influence of carbon source, nitrogen source and growth factors on rumen microbial growth. In Proceedings of the Cornell Nutrition Conference, pp. 26–33. Ithaca: Cornell University.Google Scholar
Susmel, P., Stefanon, B., Mills, C. R. & Spanghero, M. (1990). Rumen degradability of organic matter, nitrogen and fibre fractions in forages. Animal Production 51, 515–526.Google Scholar
Tamminga, S., van Vuuren, A. M., van der Koelen, C. J., Ketelaar, R. S. & van der Togt, P. L. (1990). Ruminal behaviour of structural carbohydrates, non-structural carbohydrates and crude protein from concentrate ingredients in dairy cows. Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science 38, 513–526.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wainman, F. W., Dewey, P. J. S. & Boyne, A. W. (1981). Compound feedingstuffs for ruminants. In Feedingstuffs Evaluation Unit. Third Report, p. 27. Aberdeen: Rowett Research Institute.Google Scholar
Webster, A. J. F., Dewhurst, R. J. & Waters, C. J. (1988). Alternatives to the characterisation of fcedstuffs for ruminants. In Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition (Eds Haresign, W. & Cole, D. J. A.), pp. 167–191. London: Butterworths.Google Scholar