Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Bu-Ali Sina, Hamedan
2 Expert of Chaltasian Agri.-Animal Production Complex, Varamin, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Objective: Restricted access to high-quality forages such as alfalfa is a basic challenge to enhancing productivity in Iran's livestock industry. Despite recent efforts to identify and replace cost-effective plant species, no suitable and reliable alternative has been introduced so far. This study was designed to evaluate the potential of Moringa oleifera leaves (MOL) as an alternative forage source. For this purpose, the chemical composition of MOL was analyzed, and the effect of including different levels of this plant in the diet on in vitro digestibility and fermentation parameters were examined.
Method: The chemical composition of MOL and alfalfa hay (Medicago sativa) was determined using standard methods. Subsequently, the experimental diets were formulated with four levels of MOL inclusion (0, 15, 30, and 45% of dietary DM) to meet the requirements of growing sheep, balanced with a 55:45 forage to concentrate ratio. In this study, dry matter and organic matter digestibilities were measured using the two-stage procedure of Tilley and Terry method, while other parameters such as gas production, microbial biomass production, concentrations of ammonia-N, volatile fatty acids, antioxidant capacity, and protozoa population were evaluated using the gas production technique.
Results: The results indicated that MOL had significantly higher crude protein, ash, ether extract, calcium, and phosphorus, as well as lower cell wall components (NDF, ADF, and lignin) compared to alfalfa hay (P<0.05), so that the crude protein, ash, and ether extract of MOL were 48.3%, 25.8%, and 33.3% higher than those of alfalfa, respectively. The amounts of non-fibrous carbohydrates and metabolizable energy of the two plants were not different. Digestibility, metabolizable energy, gas production valume, truly degraded substrate, and microbial biomass production increased linearly in diets containing MOL (P<0.05), while partitioning factor and microbial biomass production efficiency did not change. Also, the use of MOL in the diet significantly increased the concentration of ruminal volatile fatty acids and antioxidant capacity and reduced the concentration of ammonia-N (P<0.05), while the mentioned plant had no effect on the pH level and the ratio of volatile fatty acids. On the other hand, the inclusion of MOL in the diet led to a linear reduction in the total population and subfamilies of protozoa (P<0.05).
Conclusions: Favorable nutritional characteristics led to the conclusion that the MOL can be regarded as a high-quality forage source, recommended up to 45% of the diet, with the aim of meeting animal nutritional needs, enhancing ruminal fermentation, and improving ruminal antioxidant status. However, in vivo studies are needed to further explore the performance effects of MOL.
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