Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• nader papi ¹
• Seyed Javad Alimohamdi jelodar ²
• Rasoul Babazadeh Lehi ³

¹ Corresponding Author, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Animal Sciences Research Institute of Iran, Karaj, Iran. E-mail: n.papi@areeo.ac.ir

² Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Animal Sciences Research Institute of Iran, Gavdasht Station, Babol, Iran. E-mail: sj.alimohamadi@gmail.com

³ Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Animal Sciences Research Institute of Iran, Gavdasht Station, Babol, Iran. E-mail: Rasuolbabazadeh70@gmail.com

Abstract

Objective: With dwindling resources for animal feed production in the country and the ever-growing human population and their demand for food, the production of common fodder crops such as alfalfa and corn cannot fulfill the nutritional requirements of the livestock, which has led experts and livestock authorities to seek alternatives, such as using agricultural and livestock residues and growing alternative forage crops. Among these alternative forage crops, fodder beet has gained considerable attention in recent years due to its high biomass yield, ease of cultivation, relative drought tolerance, low cost under water-limited conditions, and high palatability. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of total mixed ration silage (TMRS) formulated with fodder beet and triticale forage on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and blood parameters in male lambs.
Method: Two isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were formulated based on nutrient requirements of small ruminants (NRC, 2007): 1- Fodder beet TMRS, with leaves and roots; 2- Triticale TMRS, with whole crop triticale forage. Both ingredients, (forage and concentrate portions) were well mixed and ensiled in 100-ton plastic-wrapped bunker silos using specialized machinery. Twenty-four male Zel lambs (3–4 months old; average body weight 18.7±2.7 kg) were randomly allocated into two equal groups (n=12), with  each group was subdivided into four replicates (3 lambs per replicate) and fed one of the experimental diets. The feeding trial lasted 90 days, and lambs were fed ad libitum twice a day (08:00 and 16:00). Feed intake was recorded daily, and body weight was measured monthly. Digestibility was estimated via fecal collection, and blood parameters were analyzed using commercial biochemical kits.
Results: There was no effect of the experimental treatments on the average daily gain of the lambs. There was a significantly higher DDMI in lambs fed the fodder beet diet (949 g) compared with lambs fed the triticale diet (917 g). There was no difference in the feed conversion ratio between the two groups. Digestibility of dry matter and organic matter of the fodder beet diet was significantly higher than that of the triticale diet (P<0.05), whereas no significant differences were detected in the digestibility of crude protein, NDF, and ADF. Lambs fed the fodder beet diet had higher serum triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations than lambs fed the triticale diet (P<0.05), but no significant differences were observed between other serum parameters.
Conclusion: In general, the relative advantage of fodder beet suggests that complete feed silage with fodder beet (a new physical form of diet) could be used as an alternative feeding method for fattening male lambs. 

Keywords

• Fodder beet
• Complete feed silage
• Growth performance
• Digestibility