Faezeh Khani; Ali Assadi-Alamouti; Behzad Khorrami
Abstract
Objective: Livestock producers in Iran face increasing challenges with forage supply due to progressively detrimental climatic changes. Due to nutrient losses during drying, and spoilage and mold during storage of fresh forage, ensiling is used to preserve and utilize forage when fresh produce is unavailable. ...
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Objective: Livestock producers in Iran face increasing challenges with forage supply due to progressively detrimental climatic changes. Due to nutrient losses during drying, and spoilage and mold during storage of fresh forage, ensiling is used to preserve and utilize forage when fresh produce is unavailable. Intercropping barley crop (Hordeum vulgare) with forage pea (Pisum arvense L.) can provide a substantial portion of the protein requirements for growing livestock and dairy cows, given its acceptable protein yield per hectare. Considering the advantages of legume-cereal forage intercropping and the widespread adoption of winter cropping for forage production nationwide, particularly in the Varamin region of Iran, optimizing the legume-cereal ratio in forage crop mixtures is essential to maximize agronomic performance, water-use efficiency, nutritional value, and suitability of the mix for animal feeding. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of different ratios of whole-crop barley to forage pea on silage fermentation quality and digestibility, and to determine the optimal mixing ratio.
Method: Whole crop barley and forage pea were harvested at specific growth stages (early dough stage for barley and mid-flowering to late flowering/early pod formation for forage pea). The experiment consisted of four treatments: 1) 100% barley silage, 2) 80% barley + 20% forage pea silage, 3) 70% barley + 30% forage pea silage, and 4) 60% barley + 40% forage pea silage, with three replicates in a completely randomized design. Ensiling was carried out in 10-liter plastic mini-silos. After 60 days of ensiling, the silos were opened and sampled for analysis of crude ash, ether extract (EE), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent insoluble nitrogen (ADIN), lignin (ADL), water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC), ammonia N and volatile fatty acids. An in vitro gas production test was used to compare treatments for gas production kinetics, and estimated digestibility, metabolisable energy, and short-chain fatty acid concentrations.
Result: With the increase in the proportion of forage pea, the dry matter content decreased while pH increased. The inclusion of forage pea in the mixture tended to increase crude protein and crude ash contents (P < 0.10). However, the values of EE, ADF, NDF, ADL, and ADIN were not affected by the forage pea (P > 0.05). Furthermore, increasing the proportion of forage pea significantly elevated the concentration of ammonia-N in the silage (P<0.05). No significant differences were observed among silages in terms of acetic, propionic, and butyric acid concentrations, with the levels of these volatile fatty acids falling within the range typically found in well-fermented silages. The treated silage containing 20% forage pea exhibited higher gas production volume, organic matter digestibility, metabolizable energy, and short-chain fatty acids than forage barley silage as the sole crop (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: Overall, the results demonstrated that mixing forage pea with whole crop barley during ensiling improved its nutritional value by enhancing CP content and reducing fiber levels, while taking advantage of barley forage, such as higher dry matter and WSC. This approach could serve as a winter-cropping strategy in semi-arid climates, improving feed quality, reducing costs, and promoting environmental sustainability. The present study suggested a 20% forage pea inclusion level for mixing with barley forage in laboratory conditions. However, this proportion should be further studied in animal trials.
jaber khani yousef reza; Ali Asadi Alamouti; Mojtaba Yari
Abstract
Objective: Understanding chemical composition and nutritional quality of feedstuffs, especially forage crops, are important components of ration formulation, livestock performance, and production costs. Near-infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy is becoming popular as a rapid, non-destructive, and ...
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Objective: Understanding chemical composition and nutritional quality of feedstuffs, especially forage crops, are important components of ration formulation, livestock performance, and production costs. Near-infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy is becoming popular as a rapid, non-destructive, and cost-effective alternative to traditional wet chemistry methods for determining chemical composition and nutritional quality of feedstuffs. The objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of NIR with standard laboratory procedures in determining chemical constituents, protein and carbohydrate fractions according to the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS), and nutritional attributes of four legume forages.
Method: Organic matter (OM), ash, acid detergent lignin (ADL), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), starch, and CNCPS-based fractionation of protein and carbohydrates, and nutritional attributes such as potential dry matter intake (DMI), total digestible nutrients (TDN), digestible energy (DE), metabolizable energy (ME), and quality index (QI) were measured in forage samples from four species including two cultivars of common vetch (Vicia sativa) and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), one cultivar of forage pea (Pisum arvense), and second-year alfalfa (Medicago sativa, used as the control crop). All analyses were conducted in parallel using NIR and the reference wet chemistry methods and statistical agreement and precision between the two methods were assessed using mean bias, root mean square error (RMSE), concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), and Bland–Altman limits of agreement (LOA).
Results: The NIR results were highly accurate and highly correlated (CCC> 0.85, P> 0.05) with wet chemistry methods for key components (CP, OM, starch, total carbohydrates, and fraction B1 (B1)), but acceptable precision was observed for predicting energy-related parameters (TDN, DE, and ME) which are critical for ration formulation. However, the accuracy and concordance declined, and statistically significant differences were observed for structural constituents (ADL, NDF, protein fractions (ADIP, NADIP) and carbohydrates (B2, B3, and C). This indicates that NIR has limited spectral sensitivity when evaluating slowly degradable or indigestible fractions of carbohydrate and protein, which are the parameters of dynamic nutritional models such as CNCPS.
Conclusions: Owing to special advantages, particularly speed, ease of operation, and applicability to field analyses, NIR can replace routine proximate analysis in feed laboratories; but conventional chemical methods provide more benefits for evaluation of CNCPS model components, especially those that resist digestion. The NIR integrated with classical approaches may represent a rational cost-effective strategy for extensive feed analyses.
Nooshin Assadi-Fakhrnejad; Ali Assadi-Alamouti; Behzad Khorrami
Abstract
Objective: The productivity and nutritional quality of ensiled forages, the quality of silage fermentation and its loss are improved by forage harvesting at an appropriate stage of maturity, while, forage intercropping strategies that take the advantage of the additive characteristics of different plant ...
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Objective: The productivity and nutritional quality of ensiled forages, the quality of silage fermentation and its loss are improved by forage harvesting at an appropriate stage of maturity, while, forage intercropping strategies that take the advantage of the additive characteristics of different plant species also enhance the quality of the forage product. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of forage maturity at harvest and intercropping on ensiling characteristics, effluent production, and in vitro (laboratory) digestibility in three small-grain forages (barley, triticale and oat).Method: Whole plant barley was harvested at early heading and hard dough stage of growth; whole plant triticale was harvested at the tillering and soft dough stage, and the oats forage was harvested at the tillering and stem elongation stages. The intercropping treatments consisted of 53% barley, 33% triticale, and 14% oat, harvested at the above-mentioned stages. The experiment was a 2×4 factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design with eight treatments and three replicates. Results: Dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), and crude protein (CP) yields increased with growth stages in triticale, oat, and the mixed crop. The highest DM (32.1%) was found in the mixed crop in the second harvest stage and the lowest (13.5%) was observed in the first harvest stage in oats (P<0.001), whereas the highest CP (19.3 %) was obtained from oats in the first harvest, and the lowest (10.8%) from barley in the second harvest stage (P<0.001). The lowest NDF content (49.5%) was observed in oats and the highest (58.2%) in barley (P<0.001). The interaction effect of forage type and harvest time on DM, CP, and ADF contents was significant; however, the other chemical components (ash, lignin, acid-, and neutral-detergent insoluble nitrogen, crude fat, and water soluble carbohydrates (WSC)) were similar between the two harvest stages. Overall, late harvesting increased lignin and decreased CP, WSC, and NDF. Intercropping of oats with the other crops increased CP and improved in vitro digestibility, and it reduced silage NDF content. The silages of the second harvest crops produced no effluent, had an appropriate pH (close to 4.2) and an ammonia nitrogen level of less than 10% total nitrogen, highlightimg good fermentation in the silages with higher DM content.Conclusions: Results from this study indicated that the second harvest stage (hard dough in barley, soft dough in triticale, and stem elongation in oats) was the appropriate time for harvesting small grain forages whether ensiled as a sole forage or intercropped as it maximized the yield of OM, CP, energy, and digestible DM per hectare. As the yield performance of triticale was superior to that of barley, it is recommended to include triticale as the main crop in intercropping systems.
Jaber Khani; Ali Assadi-Alamouti; Mojtaba Yari; Elias Soltani
Abstract
Objective: Climate change has intensified research efforts toward replacing alternative forages for traditional sources used in the diets of ruminants. In Iran, water scarcity has severely limited alfalfa cultivation during the past decade, despite that it has been traditionally fed as a main portion ...
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Objective: Climate change has intensified research efforts toward replacing alternative forages for traditional sources used in the diets of ruminants. In Iran, water scarcity has severely limited alfalfa cultivation during the past decade, despite that it has been traditionally fed as a main portion of cattle diets. The aims of this study were to evaluate the agricultural performance, botanical characteristics, and chemical and nutritional value of two varieties of fodder vetch (Common vetch (Vicia sativa) and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa)) and one variety of fodder pea (Pisum arvense) as compared to alfalfa hay (Medicago sativa).
Method: The experiment was carried out in 2020, as a completely randomized design, with each of the four legume crops cultivated on one hectare as the experimental treatments. The seeding rate was 60 kg/ ha and the soil type was loamy-clay.
Results: The results indicated that both fresh and dry forage yields from hairy vetch were significantly higher than those of the other forages (p<0.05). Additionally, hairy vetch exhibited the highest physical productivity (crop yield per unit water) and economic productivity (benefit per unit water), while alfalfa had the lowest values for the latter parameters (p<0.05). Alfalfa and fodder pea contained the highest quantities of organic matter (89.6% and 89.5% of dry matter, respectively), followed by hairy and common vetch (86.6% and 85.4% of dry matter, respectively). Common vetch fodder contained 27.2% crude protein, while alfalfa contained 17.9%. Fodder peas and hairy vetch contained 22.1% and 22.7% crude protein, respectively. The highest neutral detergent fiber content was found in hairy vetch and alfalfa (41.1% and 41.2%, respectively), whereas the lowest was observed in common vetch fodder at 36.6% of dry matter. Alfalfa had lower soluble protein content (fraction A) but higher contents of protein fractions B2, B3, and C, compared to fodder peas and fodder vetch varieties. Nutritional parameters estimated from equations developed for forages showed that common vetch had superior feed consumption potential, digestible dry matter, total digestible nutrients, relative forage quality, net energy for lactation, and relative feed quality across treatments (p<0.05).
Conclusions: Favorable nutritional characteristics of the experimental forages combined with agronomic yield parameters, and water utilization efficiency led to the conclusion that the legume crops studied in this experiment were potentially comparable to alfalfa for ruminant diets. In vivo studies are needed to further explore the performance effects of these legumes and their optimal inclusion levels as forage substitutes for alfalfa.
عبدالرضا Salehi; gholamreza Peykani; ali assadi-alamouti; Mohammad Jajik khari
Abstract
Introduction Determining the production function is one of the most effective ways to monitor the continuity of milk production, as it indicates the relationship between the intake of feedstuff and milk production. To explain the production function in breeding programs and estimate regression coefficients, ...
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Introduction Determining the production function is one of the most effective ways to monitor the continuity of milk production, as it indicates the relationship between the intake of feedstuff and milk production. To explain the production function in breeding programs and estimate regression coefficients, third-degree nonlinear regression is used. The milk production curve follows a third-degree rule, and therefore, it can be divided into three basic parts. Second-degree production functions cannot accurately represent a milk production curve from the beginning of lactation to the time of dryness, because they only depict the second-degree performance of milk production from the beginning of lactation to the peak of lactation. The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of the production function in breeding programs and their potential use in selecting superior animals.Materials and Methods In order to recognize the opportunities for profitability in a herd, we first need to create the right production function. To achieve these goals, data on milk production and feed intake from one of the industrial farms in Tehran province were used. Various methods were examined in this study: 1- using OLS approach in R environment to estimate the milk production function, 2- using the Peykani extended ordinary least square (POLS) method, 3- estimating the breeding value of milk production using POLS function and physical milk production (field data) using Wombat software, 4- comparing OLS production functions obtained in R with the POLS production function, 5- Conducting genetic evaluation of animals and ranking dairy cows. When the production functions were obtained according to the POLS program, the optimal amounts of feed consumption and milk production were calculated. The breeding value of milk production was estimated using a repeatability model with permanent environmental effects that consider covariance between records of an animal and this was done using the Wombat program. Finally, cows were ranked based on their genetic rank.Results and Discussion The estimated functions based on the ordinary least squares method were incorrect in terms of signs and coefficients, and did not fit the milk production curve well. Based on the findings of this study, the non-linear regression model POLS is the best in the curve fitting and economical production of milk. The results show that with milk yield corrected using the optimal feed intake by the POLS model the ranking of the animals has changed and the breeding value of the animals is more accurately estimated. By using the breeding values estimated in this method, one can select the best animals as the parents of future generations.Conclusion The ability to estimate the production function based on the POLS method, which is used to create a standard curve of dairy cows is very high. Our results contribute significantly to the field of animal breeding by shedding light on the role of production functions in enhancing breeding programs and facilitating the identification of high-performing animals. The insights gained from our study could drive improvements in animal selection processes and ultimately enhance milk production efficiency.
sara Ataei Nazari; abdollah mohammadi sang cheshmeh; Mohammad Reza Bakhtiarizadeh; ali assadi-alamouti; Ali Fouladi Nashta
Abstract
This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of various concentrations of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in maritaruta medium on oocyte maturation, oocyte developmental competence and metabolites related to maturation medium including glucose, pyruvate, lactate and glutamine. The experimental ...
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This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of various concentrations of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in maritaruta medium on oocyte maturation, oocyte developmental competence and metabolites related to maturation medium including glucose, pyruvate, lactate and glutamine. The experimental treatments were 0 (control), 0.01, 0.1, 1 and 10 μg/ml of LPS in oocyte maturation medium. The cumulus oocytes complex (COC) were cultured with various concentrations of lipopolysaccharide. After 24 h of oocyte maturation, the medium was collected and the rates of oocyte maturation, cleaved oocyte and oocytes reached to blastocyst stage were analyzed. Oocyte maturation rate was lowest in the treatment with 10 μg/ml of LPS (P<0.05). Among the measured metabolites, only glucose concentration was linearlydecreased in response to increasing levels of LPS in the maturation medium (P<0.05) as treatment with 10 μg/ml of LPS had lower glucose concentration comparing to other treatments. The percentage of oocyte cleavage was significantly lower in treatment with highest level of LPS compared to other treatments (P<0.05). In addition, the treatment with 1 and 10 μg/ml of LPS significantly reduced blastocyst rate compared to control group (P<0.05). According to results of this study, lipopolysaccharide could have detrimental effects on oocyte development and these influences seems to be mediated through pathways related to energy metabolism. Acquiring managerial approaches to control LPS enhancing agents during reproductive season could prevent animal's reproductive failure.
mahdi dehghani-sanij; Mohammad Ali Norouzian; Ahmad Afzalzadeh; ali assadi-alamouti
Abstract
To study the effects of feeding rumen-protected ascorbic acid and salicylic acid on performance of dairy cows under heat stress conditions, forty four lactating dairy cows in early lactation were allocated in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 11 animals in each treatment for 30 days. ...
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To study the effects of feeding rumen-protected ascorbic acid and salicylic acid on performance of dairy cows under heat stress conditions, forty four lactating dairy cows in early lactation were allocated in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 11 animals in each treatment for 30 days. Experimental treatments were: 1) control (diet without coated ascorbic acid and salicylic acid), 2) diet contained 30 g/d coated ascorbic acid, 3) diet contained 10 g/d coated salicylic acid and 4) diet contained 30 g/d coated ascorbic acid + 10 g/d coated salicylic acid. Cows were fed with salicylic acid supplement had a higher daily milk yield (51.47 kg/day) compared to other experimental groups (P<0.05). Feeding of coated ascorbic acid increased milk fat percent, glucose, BHBA, NEFA concentration and decreased somatic cell count compared to other treatments (P<0.05). Total milk's solids, energy and fat corrected milk and milk urea nitrogen were increased in coated ascorbic acid group compared to control (P<0.05). Blood urea concentration in coated ascorbic acid and salicylic acid group were less than control group (P<0.05). The results showed that feeding coated ascorbic acid and salicylic acid could improve performance of Holstein dairy cows in early lactating phase under heat stress conditions.
Vahab Azimzadeh; Mehdi Dehghan banadaky; armin tohidi; ali assadi-alamouti
Abstract
Effect of different processing methods of corn grain were investigated in 36 Holstein suckling female calves (body weight = 38.2 ± 1.20 kg) on performance and blood and ruminal parameters. Treatments were whole corn, ground corn, cracked corn and steam-flaked corn. Starter diets were ...
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Effect of different processing methods of corn grain were investigated in 36 Holstein suckling female calves (body weight = 38.2 ± 1.20 kg) on performance and blood and ruminal parameters. Treatments were whole corn, ground corn, cracked corn and steam-flaked corn. Starter diets were mixed five percent of the chopped wheat straw and offered to calves from day 4. Milk was fed in a gradual step-up step-down method to all calves. Calves weaned at 71 days and total intake of starter and body weight of calves were measured until 84 days. Starter intake and ADG were significantly higher for cracked corn and steam-flaked corn than for ground corn and whole corn treatments in pre- and post-weaning and overall period (P≤0.01). At weaning and day 84, the average body weight of calves fed cracked corn and steam-flaked corn were significantly higher than those fed whole corn and ground corn treatments (P≤0.01). Treatments also affected serum protein of calves (P<0.05). According results of this study, feeding calves with cracked corn or steam-flaked corn increased feed intake and improved ADG and body weight through pre- and post-weaning periods.
Masoud Norozi-ِDeeyarjan; ali assadi-alamouti; Ahmad Afzalzadeh; mohsen danesh mesgaran
Abstract
This study examined the effects of partial replacement of soybean meal (SBM) with heat-treated soybean meal (HSBM) in heat-stressed cows. 32 multiparous Holstein cows (DIM = 110 ± 20; milk yield = 40 ± 4.1 kg) were used in a complete block randomized design with a 2×2 factorial arrangment ...
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This study examined the effects of partial replacement of soybean meal (SBM) with heat-treated soybean meal (HSBM) in heat-stressed cows. 32 multiparous Holstein cows (DIM = 110 ± 20; milk yield = 40 ± 4.1 kg) were used in a complete block randomized design with a 2×2 factorial arrangment of treatments. Treatments included two dietary crude protein levels (i.e. 17 and 15.5%) each combined with HSBM partially replaced for SBM. The experiment was conducted in two periods of 28 days with the last seven days for sampling and collection of data of tempreature, nutrient intake and digestibility and blood variables. Average THI showed that cows were in mild heat stress (70.60 and 71.50 for periods 1 and 2, respectively)(p > 0.05). Diets with 15.5% CP and based on HSBM increased intakes of dry and organic matter (p < 0.05); however, this was not observed in diets with 17% CP. Milk yiled and composition, apparent nutrient digestibility and blood variables were unaffected (p > 0.05). Butyric and isovaleric acid were increased in cows received HSBM (p < 0.05); however, level of CP had no effect. Results showed that feeding HSBM in diets with 15.5% CP could be regarded as a nutritional sterategy for improving DM intake of mild heat-stressed cows.
Somayeh Fathi; ali assadi-alamouti; Ahmad Afzalzadeh; Mohammad Ali Norouzian
Abstract
The aim was to evaluate effects of in vitro fermentation of different forages co-incubated with different types of non-fiber carbohydrates (NFC) on gas production, digestibility, microbial biomass, medium pH and ammonia concentration. A completely randomized design with factorial arrangement (9 ...
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The aim was to evaluate effects of in vitro fermentation of different forages co-incubated with different types of non-fiber carbohydrates (NFC) on gas production, digestibility, microbial biomass, medium pH and ammonia concentration. A completely randomized design with factorial arrangement (9 treatments and 3 replicates) were used wherein wheat straw, alfalfa hay and corn silage constituted main forage sources and starch, sucrose and pectin were components of NFC. 0.2 g of each forage samples incubated with 0.3 g of each NFC component for 24 h and gas production, apparent and true digestibility, microbial biomass, pH and ammonia concentration measured. Forage and NFC sources, alone but not in combination, had a significant effect on gas production, digestibility as well as ammonia concentration (p<0.05). The estimated microbial biomass was lower for wheat straw samples (0.14 vs. 0.16 g /g DM digested for other forage samples), but was not affected by NFC and its interaction with forage sources (p<0.05). Also, NFC sources affected medium pH significantly with the lowest values for sucrose while the highest for pectin. Results showed that previously known effects of NFC sources in vivo are also consistently observed in vitro while it was not affected by co-incubation with different forage sources.
Somayeh Moeinizadeh; Ali Akbar Khadem; Ali Assadi-Alamouti; Ahmad Afzalzadeh
Abstract
The objectives were to investigate the effects of addition of alfalfa hay as an absorbent on fermentationquality and effluent production of corn silage. Three levels of corn forage with dry matter (DM) contentsof 18.3, 21.7 and 25.5 percent were supplemented with 0, 5, 10, and 20 percent alfalfa hay, ...
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The objectives were to investigate the effects of addition of alfalfa hay as an absorbent on fermentationquality and effluent production of corn silage. Three levels of corn forage with dry matter (DM) contentsof 18.3, 21.7 and 25.5 percent were supplemented with 0, 5, 10, and 20 percent alfalfa hay, on as fedbasis, and ensiled in three replicates in polyvinyl chloride mini-silos in a completely randomized design.Concentrations of ash and total nitrogen increased and that of neutral detergent fiber decreasedsignificantly as the level of absorbent increased (P< 0.05). Increasing the level of absorbent significantlyincreased the DM of silage where the higher levels of DM were observed in silages with 10 and 20percent absorbent. The pH values were within the optimum range of corn silage (ranging from 3.79 to4.33); however, silage pH was affected by the interaction between DM and level of absorbent (P<0.05).The pH increased as the level of absorbent increased, however, the effect was less observed in silageswith 26 percent DM. Also, there was an interaction between the DM and absorbent in the concentration ofresidual water-soluble carbohydrate of silage where the differences in water-soluble carbohydrates insilages with 18 percent initial DM were lower than those in silages with 22 and 26 percent DM. As thelevel of absorbent increased, aerobic stability was improved with the effects becoming less pronounced asthe level of DM increased. Effluent production was markedly reduced as the level of absorbent increasedso that it dropped to 0 ml at 20 percent alfalfa hay addition at all DM levels (P<0.05). The concentrationsof DM and nitrogen were higher in effluent produced from silages treated with higher level of absorbent;however, total DM and nitrogen losses were lower due to considerably lower effluent production. Resultsshowed that using a minimum of 10 percent alfalfa hay could effectively reduce effluent production andimprove aerobic stability of corn silage while maintaining its optimal pH.