Nutritive Values of Whip Grass (Hemarthria compressa) at Different Cutting Intervals Consumed by Thai Indigenous Cattle
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of cutting intervals of Hemarthria compressa on feed intake,nutrient digestibility, and energy concentration of the grass consumed by Thai indigenous cattle. A 3 × 4incomplete Latin Square Design was used. Treatments were 3 cutting intervals (30, 45 and 60 days) of grassfed to the bulls as green forage. Four Thai indigenous bulls were allocated into the experimental treatments.Total collection method was used. Feed intake, apparent nutrient digestibility and energy concentration ofgrass were subsequently assessed.The result showed that it was a linear decline (p<0.05) in crude protein (CP) and ash contents ascutting intervals increased while there were linearly increased (p<0.05) in dry matter (DM), organicmatter, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent lignin contents. As grass maturation increase, CP intakewas decreased but not for DM intake (79.11-81.90 g/BW0.75/d). There was no significant difference ofthe digestibility coefficient of any nutrient among cutting intervals except gross energy. Nevertheless, themetabolizable energy concentration of the grass were significantly decreased (linear, p<0.05) in accordancewith increasing cutting intervals. In conclusion, harvesting the grass at 30 days of regrowth gave betternutritive values and suitable to use as livestock feed.
Downloads
Article Details
References
Archimede, H., Boval, M., Alexandre, G., Xande, A., Aumont, G., and Poncet, C. (2000). Effect of regrowth age on intake and digestion of Digitaria decumbens consumed by Black-belly sheep. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 87: 153-162.
Arthington, J. D. and Brown, W. F. (2005). Estimation of feeding value of four tropical forage species at two stages of maturity. Journal of Animal Science, 83: 1726-1731.
Baoli, W. and Shilin, W. (1997). Goat production from forage at Mengongshan farm, Hunan. In : Forages for the Red Soils Area of China.
J. M. Scott, D. A. Mac Leod, Minggang Xu and A. J. Casanova, eds. Proceedings of an International Workshop, Jianyang, Fujian Province, P. R. China, October 6-9, 1997. 169-171 pp.
Bixing, S. and Phillips, S. M. (2006). Hemarthria. Flora of China, 22: 640-642.
Boval, M., Archimede, H., Cruz, P., and Duru, M. (2007). Intake and digestibility in heifers grazing a Dichanthium spp. dominated pasture at 14 and 28 days of regrowth. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 134: 18-31
Burns, J. C. and Fisher, D. S. (2007). Dry matter intake and digestibility of ‘Coastal’, ‘Tifton 44’, and ‘Tifton 85’ Bermudagrass hays grown in the U.S. upper South. Crop Science, 47: 795-810.
Chobtang, J., Prajakboonjetsada, S., Watananawin, S., and Isuwan, A. (2008) Change in dry matter and nutritive composition of Brachiaria humidicola grown in Ban Thon soil series. Maejo International Journal of Science and Technology, 2: 551-558.
Insung, O., Vearasilp, T., and Meulen, U. T. (2005). Species diversity and the ruminal dry matter degradability of grasses fed to fighting bulls in southern Thailand. In : Tropentag 2005 International Research on Food Security, Natural Resource Management and Rural Development the Global Food & Product Chain. E. Tielkes, C. Hulsebusch, I. Hauser, A. Deininger and K. Becker, eds. University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, October 11-13, 2005. 179 pp.
Isuwan, A., Saelim, J., and Poathong, S. (2007). Effects of levels of sulfur fertilizer on growth of Digitaria eriantha grass. Silpakorn University Science and Technology Journal, 1: 13-19.
Jung, H. G. and Allen, M. S. (1995). Characteristics of plant cell wall affecting intake and digestibility of forages by ruminants. Journal of Animal Science, 73: 2774-2790.
Kamalak, A., Canbolat, O., Gurbuz, Y., Erol, A., and Ozay, O. (2005). Effect of maturity stage on chemical composition, in vitro and in situ dry matter degradation of tumbleweed hay (Gundelia tournefortii L.). Small Ruminant Research, 58: 149-156.
Lippke, H. (1980). Forage characteristics related to intake, digestibility and gain by ruminants. Journal of Animal Science, 50: 223-230.
Minson, D. J. and Wilson, J. R. (1980). Comparative digestibility of tropical and temperate forage - a contrast between grasses and legumes. Journal of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science, 46: 247-249.
Muller, K. E. and Fetterman, B. A. (2003). Regression and ANOVA: An integrated approach using SAS software. Joinly-copublished by John Wiley and Sons Inc. and SAS Institute Inc. Cary, NC, USA. 566 pp.
NRC. (1996). Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle. 7th ed. Washington, D. C. : National Academic Press.
Pond, W. G., Church, D. C., and Pond, K. R. (1995). Basic Animal Nutrition and Feeding. 4th ed. NY: John Wiley and Sons Inc. 615 pp.
Skerman, P. J. and Riveros, F. (1990). Tropical Grasses. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Van Soest, P. J. (1994). The Nutritional Ecology of the Ruminant. 2nd ed., Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press.
Van Soest, P. J., Robertson, J. B., and Lewis, B. A. (1991). Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber and nonstarch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. Journal of Dairy Science, 74: 3583-3597.
Waipanya, S., Klum-em, K., and Suankoon, S. (2005). Whip grass (Hemarthria compressa) for fighting bulls in Nakornsrithumarat area. (1) Effect of cutting intervals and rates of nitrogen fertilizer on forage yield and nutritive value of whip grass (Hemarthria compressa). Annual Research Report 2005, Animal Nutrition Division, Department of Livestock Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperative, pp. 100-116 (in Thai with English abstract).
Wilson, J. R. and Minson, D. J. (1980). Prospects for improving the digestibility and intake of tropical grasses. Tropical Grasslands, 14: 253-259