Abstract
The present study aimed to evaluate the degradation dynamics of high-quality tropical forage according to the levels of nitrogen supplementation. In this study, 4 rumen-fistulated cows with a body weight of 653 ± 47 kg were used. These animals were distributed in a 4 × 4 Latin square experimental design. Cows were kept under a grazing regime in an area formed by Panicum maximum Jacq. cv. Tanzania. These animals received 4 levels of crude protein (CP) in the supplements (122, 142, 162, and 180 g/kg of CP in DM). The degradability of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) was determined by in situ incubation of forage samples at 0, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h. Both the concentration of ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and the microbial protein synthesis were affected by CP levels of the supplements (P < 0.05). There was a significant difference (P < 0.05) for fraction b, potential degradability, and effective degradability of DM and NDF, and for the c degradation rate of CP of Tanzania grass which had the highest values at 122 g/kg of CP. Overall, the greatest degradation of nutrients from Tanzania grass occurred in the diet with 122 g/kg of CP and 604 g/kg of NFC in dairy cattle supplements that resulted in the highest rates of nitrogen utilization by rumen microbes.
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Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), and Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA) for supporting this study.
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All animal care and handling procedures were approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee of the Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho,” Brazil (protocol CEUA-UNESP 026103/13).
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Pinheiro, J.K., Ferreira, R.R., Gonzaga Neto, S. et al. Dynamics of degradation of high-quality tropical forage according to levels of nitrogen supplementation. Trop Anim Health Prod 52, 1309–1314 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-019-02136-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-019-02136-1