Effect of rumen fermentable substrate and source of bypass protein as supplements to a basal diet of Muntingia foliage on digestibility and N retention in growing goats

Tran Trung Tuan

An Giang University (AGU), Viet Nam

tttuan@agu.edu.vn

Introduction

The conventional feeding system in dairy goats in Viet Nam is based on the use of natural grasses and supplemented with concentrates. However, in the dry season is difficult for forage production, as natural pasture becomes dried and improved grasses cannot grow. Therefore, it is important to find out an alternative for feeding system because concentrates are so expensive for poor farmers, resulting in from competition with other animals (poultry and pigs).

On the other hand, there is widely available "Trung Ca" (Muntingia calabura) belonging to the family Elaeocarpacae. It can grow everywhere (sandy land, humid areas, and high land area) and is well adapted to the dry season in central Vietnam. The farmers use it as shade tree around the homestead, and along the roads. Trung Ca is a tall tree with a large canopy of leaves but it has not been used for animals (Nguyen Xuan Ba et al 2003).

Water spinach is a variable water and marsh plant with creeping, hollow, water filled stems and shiny green leaves. It is cultivated for food and used as pig and cattle feed throughout Southeast Asia. The fresh leaves and stems of water spinach have a crude protein content of around 28% in DM (variable). Crude fibre and ash concentrations are around 12% and 19% of DM, respectively (Göhl et al 1981).

Jackfruit is a common, non-leguminous tree growing up to 15m high which bears a large fruit popular for human consumption. Jackfruit leaves are widely used as a feed source despite their apparently low protein digestibility thought to be due to the high tannin content (Brenda Keir et al 1997).

The aim of this experiment was therefore to investigate the relative value of local feed sources in growing goats.

Hypothesis

Goats have the ability to survive on poor quality, roughage-based feed sources because of a symbiotic relationship with the microbes in the rumen. These rumen microorganisms digest the feed and provide the animal with useable metabolic products, especially microbial protein that can be metabolized further down the gut. Therefore, to improve the overall efficiency of animal performance by protecting the useable protein in the feed from microbial degradation in the rumen to escape into abomasum helps animal use them readily. There are various methods such as heat, mechanical processes, chemical treatments (lignosulfonate and formaldehyde) and tannin inside some kinds of plant leaves.

In this study, using tannin from Muntingia calabura leaves to bind and protect protein from microbial degradation but is released and digested in the abomasum and then, released amino acids are absorbed in the small intestine.

Objective

            ♦ Apparent digestibility of dry matter, organic matter and crude protein.

            ♦ N retention.

Materials and methods

Location

The experiment is conducted on farm and samples will be analyzed in the laboratory of agricultural college in Kampong Cham province, Cambodia. Muntingia calabura, jackfruit foliage and water spinach will be collected around college’ campus. 

Experimental design

The experiment is designed 3*3 Latin square with 10 day periods. Basal diet is foliage of Muntingia.

Treatments

MC: Muntingia calabura

MCWS: Muntingia calabura supplemented with water spinach at 1% of live weight (DM

basis).

MCWSJF: Muntingia calabura supplemented water spinach and jackfruit foliage each at 0.5%of live weight (DM basis)

Muntingia foliages are offered as a bunch hanging in the cage with an offered level 20% above recorded intake. Water spinach and jackfruit are offered at 1% and 0.5% of live weight (DM), respectively.

Three male goats are housed individually and located to the treatments with 3*3 Latin square designs.

The experiment will be last 30 days and divided three periods

Working plan

Collection of samples and data

Animals will be weighed at the beginning and end of period to determine weight gain.

Amount of offered and refused feed will be recorded every day to calculate feed intake.

Samples of offered and refused feed and faeces will be collected to analyze dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP). Urine will be collected in buckets with 10ml of 40% sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄ 40%) to maintain the PH below 4 as to prevent escape of ammonia for determining nitrogen retention.

Statistic analysis

The data will be analyzed by Analysis of variance (ANOVA), using the General Linear Model (GLM) procedure of the Minitab software. Sources of variation are: animals, treatments, periods and error

Summary

Three goats will be used to study the effect on weight gain, apparent digestibility of DM, OM, CP and nitrogen (N) retention when water spinach and jackfruit are given as supplements to a basal diet of Muntingia calabura.

References

Ammaly Phengvilaysouk and Lampheuy Kaensombath 2006 Effect on intake and digestibility by goats given jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) leaves alone, the whole branch or free access to both 2006 http://www.cipav.org.co/lrrd/lrrd18/3/amma18038.htm

Kean Sophea and T R Preston 2001 Comparison of biodigester effluent and urea as fertilizer for water spinach vegetable, 2001. http://www.cipav.org.co/lrrd/lrrd13/6/kean136.htm.

Le Thi Men, Brian Ogle* and Vo Van Son 2000 Evaluation of water spinach as a protein source for BaXuyen and Large White sows 2000 http://www.mekarn.org/sarpro/lemen.htm

Nguyen Thi Duyen, Le thi Bien, Nguyen thi Mui, Dinh van Binh and T R Preston 1996 Foliage of Trichantera gigantea, Jack fruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), banana (Musa sp) and Acacia mangium as protein sources for lactating goats fed a basal diet of rice straw and sugarcane tops number 3 volume 8 1996 http://www.cipav.org.co/lrrd/lrrd8/3/bien83.htm

Nguyen Thi Hong Nhan and Thomas R Preston 1997 Effect of sugar cane juice on milk production of goats fed a basal diet of jackfruit (Artocarpus Heterophyllus) leaves number 2 volume 9 1997 http://www.cipav.org.co/lrrd/lrrd9/2/nhan92.htm

Nguyen Thi Hong Nhan 1998 Effect of Sesbania grandiflora, Leucaena leucocephala, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and Ceiba pentadra on intake, digestion and rumen environment of growing goats number 3 volume 10 1998 http://www.cipav.org.co/lrrd/lrrd10/3/nhan1.htm

Nguyen Xuan Ba and Le Duc Ngoan 2003 Evaluation of some unconventional trees/plants as ruminant feeds in Central Vietnam, 2003. http://www.mekarn.org/sarec03/bahue.htm

Pathoummalangsy Khamparn and T R Preston 2006 Effect of a supplement of fresh water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) on feed intake and digestibility in goats fed a basal diet of cassava foliage 2006 http://www.cipav.org.co/lrrd/lrrd18/3/kham18035.htm

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