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Livestock-Based Farming Systems, Renewable Resources
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Effect of potassium nitrate and urea on feed intake,
digestibility, N balance and methane production of goats fed
basal diets of Mimosa (Mimosa pigra) and Gliricidia
foliages supplemented with molasses
Phonevilay Silivong,
Xaykham Onphachanh,
Aloun Ounalom and T R Preston
Faculty of
Agriculture and Forest Resource,
Souphanouvong University, Lao PDR
Four weaned female goats, with an initial body
weight of 8 kg and 4-5 months of age, were assigned to 4 treatments in a 2*2
factorial design in a 4*4 Latin square. The treatments were: foliages of Gliricidia or Mimosa and potassium nitrate or urea as the source of NPN.
DM intake was higher for Mimosa
than Gliricidia but was not affected by NPN source. Coefficients of apparent
digestibility of OM and crude protein, and N retention were higher for
Mimosa than Gliricidia but were not affected by NPN source. N retention as
percent of N digested did not differ between the two foliages, implying that
digestibility of the crude protein rather than its biological value, was the
reason for the superiority of the Mimosa as a feed for goats.
The concentrations of methane to carbon dioxide
in the mixed eructed gas and air were decreased 40% by replacing urea with
potassium nitrate.
Key words: Carbon dioxide, climate change, greenhouse gas, NPN, N retention