Effect of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes Mart) and rice straw as roughage source in fermented total mixed ration (FTMR) on nutritive value, and nutrient digestibility using in vitro techniques

Abstract

Water hyacinth and rice straw can be used as the main roughage sources of total mixed ratio (TMR) feed for livestock during feed shortage seasons. Therefore, this research aimed to study the nutritional value of a fermented total mixed ratio (FTMR) diet containing water hyacinth and rice straw as the main roughage of FTMR diet. A 3x3 factorial in complete randomized design trial (CRD) was used.  It consisted of a water hyacinth: rice straw ratio at three levels: 0:100, 50:50, and 100:0, and a roughage to concentrate ratios in three levels of TMR diet as: 40:60, 50:50, and 60:40. Samples were collected at 0,7,14,21, and 28 days of fermentation period for chemical composition analysis and in vitro nutrient digestibility. The results showed that rice straw was the main roughage source in FTMR with an R:C ratio of 60:40 after 14 and 28 days of fermentation (T3D14 and T3D28). In contrast, a combination of water hyacinth and rice straw at a 50:50 ratio was the main roughage source in FTMR with an R:C ratio of 40:60 after 14 days of fermentation (T4D14). Additionally, water hyacinth alone was the main roughage source in FTMR with an R:C ratio of 50:50 after 14 days (T8D14) and after 21 days of fermentation (T8D21). In all cases, FTMR nutrient content, especially protein, increased. Thus, these treatments were selected to study the in vitro nutrient digestibility. It was found that T4D14 and T8D14 caused the highest values ​​of IVDMD with highly significance (p<0.01) and T8D14 significantly increased the protein content in IVNDFD (p<0.05). Therefore, this study suggests that water hyacinth and rice straw can be used as the main roughage source alone or together with rice straw in the FTMR diet, which can improve the nutritional value and digestibility of FTMR.