Leila Taherabadi; Farokh Kafilzadeh
Volume 25, Issue 2 , July 2023, , Pages 169-181
Abstract
Introduction: Increased livestock production can be achieved through the cultivation of high-quality forages with high-yielding capacity. Napier grass has been introduced to all tropical and subtropical areas of the world and is used as a forage crop with high potential productivity in terms of annual ...
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Introduction: Increased livestock production can be achieved through the cultivation of high-quality forages with high-yielding capacity. Napier grass has been introduced to all tropical and subtropical areas of the world and is used as a forage crop with high potential productivity in terms of annual dry matter yield. However, both dry matter yield and nutritional quality of this grass have been affected by different cutting interval. This grass has been neither grown nor studied as a source of forage for ruminant nutrition in Iran.This research was conducted to identify the appropriate cutting interval for Napier grass to produce the maximum nutritive value and yield.
Material and methods: Napier grass was cultivated in a complete randomised block design with three replicates. During the growth season, the cutting intervals were 16-20, 24-28, 43 d or 136 d after planting to corresponding cutting heights of 50, 100, 150 and 300 cm. Hence, from each plot 6, 4, 2, or 1 cuts were harvested, respectively. Cell wall fractions, organic matter, and crude protein of Napier grass from different cuts were determined. Dry matter and organic matter digestibility and in-vitro ruminal fermentation kinetics of the forages were also determined. Biomass production of Napier grass under different cutting interval programs was also assessed.
Results and Discussion: The highest yield of dry matter of Napier grass (25.1 tons per hectare) was observed when only one cut was harvested at the end of vegetative stage (height of 300 cm). The digestibility of organic matter (OMD) ranged from 60 to 70 % in all treatments and the highest OMD was observed at the height of 50 cm. The maximum dry matter and digestible organic matter per hectare (15.9 and 14.2 tons, respectively) was produced when forage was harvested in one cut at the height of 300 cm. There was no difference in the yield of digestible dry matter and digestible organic matter of the forage harvested at the height of 50 and 100 cm. The concentration of crude protein in forages from different cuts ranged from 7.1 to 14.2 % and neutral detergent fiber ranged 65.7 to 76.2 %. The highest concentration of crude protein and the lowest cell wall components were observed at the height of 50 cm. The lowest and the highest gas production potential and fractional rate of gas production were observed at the cutting height of 300 cm and 50 cm, respectively.
Conclusion: The present study showed that it is possible to obtain higher quality of Napier grass by shortening the harvesting intervals. However, this resulted in a pronounce decrease in the yield of organic matter and digestible dry matter yield per hectare. The highest organic matter and digestible dry matter per hectare was produced when Napier grass was harvested only once (136 d after planting and height of 300 cm) at the end of vegetative stage.
Leila Taherabadi; Farokh Kafilzadeh
Volume 25, Issue 1 , April 2023, , Pages 83-91
Abstract
The present study was conducted in order to determine yield and the nutritive value of Napier grass at different growth stages as a new forage source in Iran. For this purpose, Napier grass was harvested at three stages of vegetative growth (65, 85 and 115 days after planting, respectively). Chemical ...
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The present study was conducted in order to determine yield and the nutritive value of Napier grass at different growth stages as a new forage source in Iran. For this purpose, Napier grass was harvested at three stages of vegetative growth (65, 85 and 115 days after planting, respectively). Chemical composition, rumen fermentation parameters, yield and some morphological traits were investigated. At the final growth stage, dry matter (DM) yield and height of Napier grass was 26.8 tons per hectare and 257 cm, respectively. With increasing age of the plant, a decrease in crude protein and an increase in lignin of cell wall was observed (P < 0.05). Crude protein and neutral detergent fiber content of the grass at this stage were 88 and 63 g/kg DM, respectively. Changes in chemical compositions during growth stages were more pronounced in the stem than in the leaf. During the growth period, the decrease in digestibility of leave and stem led to a decrease in dry matter and organic matter digestibility of Napier grass from 782 to 649 and from 814 to 747 g/kg DM, respectively (P < 0.05). The amount of gas production potential decreased with increasing plant age (P < 0.05). Fermentation rate and lag time were similar in plant harvested at the three stages of growth. The results of the present study showed that Napier grass with high yield of digestible organic matter and high nutritive value can be considered as a valuable source of forage in the country.
Yazdan Seyf; Farokh Kafilzadeh; Hassan khamisabadi; Massoumeh Rezaei; Leila Taherabadi
Volume 24, Issue 4 , December 2022, , Pages 453-462
Abstract
The effect of feeding essential oil of Pistacia Atlantica Kurdica gum during the suckling period on pre and post-weaning growth performance of Sanjabi male lambs using 30 male lambs from an estrus synchronized flock of ewes was carried out, in the form of a completely randomized design with 3 treatments ...
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The effect of feeding essential oil of Pistacia Atlantica Kurdica gum during the suckling period on pre and post-weaning growth performance of Sanjabi male lambs using 30 male lambs from an estrus synchronized flock of ewes was carried out, in the form of a completely randomized design with 3 treatments and 10 replications. The lambs were divided into three groups three days after birth. The first group received no essential oil, and the second and the third groups received a daily dose of 0.8 and 1.6 ml until weaning by a drenching syringe, respectively. Lambs were weaned at 100 days of age and were raised for 10 weeks with the other herd lambs until 170 days of age. Feeding the essential oil increased weaning weight and post-weaning daily weight gain. The blood glucose of lambs during the suckling or post-waning period did not change due to feeding the essential oil. Lambs received the essential oil and had lower blood cholesterol, triglyceride, total protein, and higher urea and albumin to globulin ratio. Feeding the essential oil reduced blood malondialdehyde levels but increasing the level of the essential oil did not further decrease this metabolite. The results showed that the essential oil as a new feed additive has a good potential to improve the pre and post-weaning performance of lambs when fed during the suckling period. Since, increasing the level of the essential oil resulted in no additional improvement in the performance of lambs therefore, a daily dose of 0.8 ml is recommended.