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Ruminal and histological characteristics and nitrogen balance in lamb fed diets containing cactus as the only roughage

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Abstract

This study examined rumen fermentation, histological, blood, and urinary characteristics as well as ammoniacal nitrogen concentration, pH, nitrogen balance, and microbial protein in lamb fed diets containing spineless cactus as the sole roughage source plus levels of wheat bran (WB) in comparison with a control diet based on spineless cactus and buffelgrass. Twenty-eight uncastrated, crossbreed lambs with an average initial weight of 22.6 ± 2.37 kg were used in the experiment. The treatments consisted of a standard diet (control) containing buffelgrass and spineless cactus and three diets containing cactus as the only roughage source plus varied concentrations of WB (30, 37, and 44%, on a dry matter basis). Results were evaluated by analysis of variance, and contrasts were applied at the 5% probability level for mean comparison. Rumen villus height and width were greater and musculature was lower in the lamb fed diets containing 37% and 44% WB compared with those fed control diet. In the intestine, the crypts were smaller in the animals which consumed the diets with 30, 44, and 37% WB. All WB levels resulted in lower nitrogen intake and retention. Microbial protein concentration, microbial protein efficiency, microbial nitrogen, urea, and glucose were not significantly affected. Feeding lamb with diets containing levels of wheat bran, with cactus as the only roughage source, does not negatively affect their ruminal-fermentation, blood, and urinary characteristics; ammoniacal nitrogen concentration; pH; or microbial protein. However, nitrogen balance and ruminal and intestinal morphometric characteristics are impaired.

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Funding

The study was funded by Financing of Research Innovation (FINEP), as part of the Agrocap group; Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), for the fellowship grant; and the Integrated Animal Science Doctoral Program in partnership with the Federal University of Paraíba-Brazil (UFPB).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), Areia, PB, CEP 58.397-000, Brazil

    Kleitiane Balduino da Silva, Juliana Silva de Oliveira, Edson Mauro Santos, Ricardo Romão Guerra, Aelson Fernandes do Nascimento de Souza, Ana Cecília Souza Muniz & Gabriel Ferreira de Lima Cruz

  2. State University of Paraíba (UEPB), Campina Grande, Brazil

    Felipe Queiroga Cartaxo

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  1. Kleitiane Balduino da Silva
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  2. Juliana Silva de Oliveira
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  3. Edson Mauro Santos
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  4. Felipe Queiroga Cartaxo
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Correspondence to Juliana Silva de Oliveira.

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All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted (Ethics Committee at the Federal University of Paraíba-UFPB, in Brazil, approval no. 8179070318).

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da Silva, K.B., de Oliveira, J.S., Santos, E.M. et al. Ruminal and histological characteristics and nitrogen balance in lamb fed diets containing cactus as the only roughage. Trop Anim Health Prod 52, 637–645 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-019-02051-5

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