UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA
EFFECTS OF MULBERRY (Morus alba) FOLIAGE SUPPLEMENTATION
ON SHEEP FED WITH RICE STRAW
DWI YULISTIANI
EFFECTS OF MULBERRY (Morus alba) FOLIAGE SUPPLEMENTATION ON SHEEP FED WITH RICE STRAW
DWI YULISTIANI
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA
EFFECTS OF MULBERRY (Morus alba) FOLIAGE SUPPLEMENTATION ON SHEEP FED WITH RICE STRAW
By
DWI YULISTIANI
Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, in Fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
xiv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DEDICATION ii ABSTRACT iii ABSTRAK vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ix APPROVAL xi DECLARATION xiii
LIST OF TABLES xviii
LIST OF FIGURES xx
LIST OF PLATES xxi
LIST OF ABBREVIATION xxii
CHAPTER
1 INTRODUCTION 1
2 LITERATURE REVIEW 5
2.1 Strategies of the utilization of tropical feed resources 5 2.1.1 Factors affecting digestibility of fibrous crop residues 5
2.1.2 Treatment of low quality roughages 12
2.1.3 Supplementation strategies for low quality roughages 14
2.2 The use of mulberry as ruminant feed 25
2.2.1 Biomass production 25
2.2.2 The nutritional value of mulberry 27
2.2.3 The effect of feeding mulberry on animal performance 31 2.3 Digestion and metabolism in ruminants fed fibrous feed 33
2.3.1 Rumen fermentation 33
2.3.2 Microbial protein production 37
2.4 Conclusion 40
3 ENHANCEMENT OF FERMENTATION OF
MULBERRY-RICE STRAW BASED DIET THROUGH SUPPLEMENTATION OF FERMENTABLE ENERGY
42
3.1 Introduction 42
3.2 Materials and methods 43
3.2.1 Feed 43
xv
3.2.3 Chemical analyses 52
3.2.4 Statistical analyses 53
3.3 Results 53
3.3.1 Chemical composition and fermentation kinetics of feed ingredients
53
3.3.2 Fermentation kinetics of the diet 56
3.3.3 In vitro true organic matter digestibility 61
3.3.4 Ruminal pH and volatile fatty acid 64
3.4 Discussion 67
3.5 Conclusions 77
4 SUPPLEMENTATION OF MULBERRY AND UREA-RICE
BRAN AS FERMENTABLE ENERGY AND PROTEIN SOURCES IN UREA-TREATED RICE STRAW BASAL DIET FOR RUMINANTS
78
4.1 Introduction 78
4.2 Materials and Method 80
4.2.1 In Vivo study 80 4.2.2 In situ study 84 4.2.3 Statistical Analyses 87 4.3 Results 87 4.3.1 In Vivo study 87 4.3.2 In situ study 92 4.4 Discussion 98 4.5 Conclusions 110
5 EVALUATION OF MULBERRY AND MIXED MULBERRY-LEUCAENA BY IN VITRO GAS PRODUCTION TECHNIQUE AND GROWTH RESPONSE
112
5.1 Introduction 112
5.2 Materials and Methods 113
5.2.1 Digestibility of mulberry and Leucaena foliage mixture by in vitro gas production technique
113 5.2.2 Feeding trial of lambs fed urea-treated rice straw
supplemented with mulberry or mulberry-leucaena
foliage mixture
117
5.2.3 Statistical analyses 121
xvi 5.3.1 Assessment of in vitro digestibility of mulberry and
Leucaena foliage mixture as measured by in vitro gas
production technique
121
5.3.2 Feed utilization and growth of lambs fed urea treated rice straw basal diet with mulberry, mulberry and Leucaena
foliage mixture supplements
129
5.4 Discussion 135
5.4.1 in vitro digestibility of mulberry and Leucaena foliage
mixture as measured by in vitro gas production technique
135 5.4.2 Performance of lambs fed urea-treated rice straw basal
diet with supplements of mulberry (Morus sp) and
mulberry-leucaena foliage
140
5.5 Conclusions 149
6 GENERAL DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION 150
REFERENCES 157
APPENDICES 176
BIODATA OF THE AUTHOR 184
xvii
LIST OF TABLE
2.1 The effect of tree foliage supplementation to low quality basal diet on intake and dry matter digestibility of cattle, sheep and goat
18
2.2 Chemical composition of mulberry (% of DM) 24
2.3 DM digestibility (DMD), protein digestibility and digestible
energy of mulberry foliage 27
2.4 Effect of mulberry supplementation to different basal diets on the performance of different ruminant species
29
3.1 Type of diets used for evaluation 41
3.2 Composition of the diets (% of DM basis) 41
3.3 Chemical composition, IVTOMD at 24 and 48 h of incubation and in vitro gas production characteristics of feed ingredients
49 3.4 CP, gas production at 24 h incubation and energy content of the
diets
51 3.5 Mean value of interaction between treatment and
supplementation on fermentation kinetics of experimental diet 53 3.6 Effect of urea treatment and fermentable carbohydrate
supplementation on IVTOMD (%), gas production (ml), substrate fermented (mg), PF (mg/ml), microbial biomass production (mg/100mg substrate fermented) derived from the incubation of 500 mg sample at 24 h
58
3.7 Effect of urea treatment and fermentable carbohydrate supplementation on pH of buffered rumen fluid, Total VFA production (mM) and proportion of VFA (%) of the diets after 24 h incubation
61
4.1 Ingredients and chemical composition of experimental diets 76 4.2 Means of dry matter intake (DMI) and nutrients digestibility in
sheep fed different supplements
82 4.3 Means of Nitrogen (N) utilisation in sheep fed different
supplements
xviii 4.4 Means of rumen ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) levels and rumen
pH at different sampling times of sheep fed different dietary supplements
84
4.5 Means of pH, rumen NH3-N, total VFA and proportion of VFA 85
4.6 Excretion of urinary PD (mM/d) and estimated daily MNS (g N/d) in sheep fed different dietary supplements
86 4.7 DM degradation characteristics of mulberry and rice bran
incubated in the rumen of sheep fed different dietary supplements
88
4.8 CP degradation characteristics of mulberry and rice bran
incubated in the rumen of sheep fed different supplements 90 4.9 DM degradability (%) and degradation characteristics of
untreated rice straw (URS) and urea-treated rice straw (TRS) at different incubation times in the rumen of sheep fed different dietary supplements
92
4.10 Fiber (NDF) degradability (%) and degradation characteristics of untreated rice straw (URS) and urea-treated rice straw (TRS) incubated at different incubation times in the rumen of sheep fed different diets
93
5.1 Content (% DM basis) of tannin in Leucaena species and
mulberry that were used in the study 109
5.2 Type of diets 109
5.3 Composition of feed ingredients (% DM basis), nutrients and
metabolisable energy content of the experimental diets 115 5.4 Fermentation kinetics of mulberry, Leucaena and mulberry and
Leucaena mixture
116 5.5 Estimates of in vitro true organic matter digestibility
(IVTOMD), fermentable substrate, volume gas production derived from 24 h in vitro fermentation of 500 mg DM of the
experimental diets
118
5.6 Estimates of apparent protein digestibility of mulberry,
Leucaena and mixed mulberry and Leucaena after incubation for
24 h in rumen buffer media followed by acid pepsin digestion
119
5.7 Total production and proportions of VFA of mulberry, Leucaena
and their mixture after 24 h incubation
122 5.8 Mean values of DMI and nutrient digestibility in sheep fed
xix 5.9 Nitrogen utilisation in sheep fed different supplements 124 5.10 Average rumen pH, ammonia-N (NH3-N), total VFA (volatile
fatty acid) and proportion of VFA
127 5.11 Excretion of urinary purine derivatives (PD) (mM/d) and
estimated daily microbial N supply in sheep fed the treatment diets
128
5.12 Average body weight and daily weight gain in lambs fed the
xx
LIST OF FIGURES
2.1 Origin of principal metabolites in ruminants 12
2.2 Utilisation of protein and carbohydrate by rumen bacteria 36 2.3 Prediction of microbial cells and VFA production from kg
glucose at increasing levels of microbial cell growth efficiency (YATP)
37
3.1 Cumulative gas productions (ml/200mgDM) of feedstuff at
different incubation times 50
3.2a Cumulative gas production from untreated rice straw and mulberry diet supplemented with cassava chip and molasses
55 3.2b Cumulative gas production from urea treated rice straw and
mulberry diet supplemented with cassava chip and molasses
55 3.3 Relationship between gas production and VFA production of the
experimental diet
70 4.1 DM degradability of mulberry (M) and rice bran (R) incubated
in the rumen of sheep fed mulberry supplement (●) 50% mulberry were replaced by urea-rice bran mixture (■) and all mulberry were replaced by urea-rice bran mixture (▲)
88
4.2 Protein degradability of mulberry (M) and rice bran (R) incubated in the rumen of sheep fed mulberry supplement (●) 50% mulberry were replaced by urea-rice bran mixture (■) and all mulberry were replaced by urea-rice bran mixture (▲)
90
5.1 Cummulative gas production of mulberry, Leucaena and their
mixture 117
5.2 Protein degradability of mulberry and Leucaena mixture in
rumen buffered medium extrapolated from incubation of individual feed and measured by incubation of two feeds in different combination
120
5.3 Protein digestibility of mulberry and Leucaena mixture in acid
pepsin solution media extrapolated from incubation of individual feed and measured by incubation of two feeds in different combination
121
5.4 The pH, NH3-N and total VFA of the rumen of sheep fed diet
ii DEDICATION
To
My devoted husband Markus Anda, my dearest children Dita and Ones and my beloved parents Soedjono and Soekini
iii Abstract of thesis presented to the Senate of Universiti Putra Malaysia in
fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
EFFECTS OF MULBERRY (Morus alba) FOLIAGE SUPPLEMENTATION ON SHEEP FED WITH RICE STRAW
By
DWI YULISTIANI January 2008
Chairman : Professor Zainal Aznam bin Mohd Jelan, PhD
Faculty : Agriculture
Feeding of fibrous agricultural by-product is the most appropriate strategy to reduce the cost of feeding of ruminants. However, these by-products have low nutritive values and the use of tree foliages as supplement could improve the utilisation of these fibrous feeds. A study consisting of three experiments was conducted with the aim of enhancing the utilization of rice straw by supplementation of the diet with mulberry foliage in sheep.
The first experiment evaluated the effect of adding fermentable energy in the mulberry-rice straw basal diet by in vitro gas production technique. Molasses supplementation to mulberry-urea treated rice straw based (TRSM) significantly (P<0.05) improved fermentation of the diet as indicated by the increase in gas production, microbial biomass yield and proportion of propionic acid. Supplementation of molasses at 5% level was sufficient to improve fermentation of the diet.
The second experiment was carried out based on the result from the first experiment. It was postulated that mulberry supplementation also provide fermentable nitrogen
iv and energy in the rumen. Therefore in the second experiment was conducted to compare the effect of mulberry foliage or urea-rice bran mixture supplementation on nutrient digestibility, N utilization, rumen fermentation and fibre degradation. Sheep were fed urea treated rice straw basal diet and three different supplements namely; (i) mulberry, (ii) 50% of the mulberry replaced with urea-rice bran mixture and (iii) mulberry was replaced by to rice bran and urea. DMI, nutrient digestibility, nitrogen balance, and efficiency rumen microbial protein synthesis was similar in sheep fed on urea treated rice straw based diet supplemented by mulberry foliage or urea-rice bran mix. Hence, mulberry supplementation at 30% level in urea treated rice straw basal diet provided fermentable energy and protein. The rate of protein degradability of mulberry in the rumen was reduced in sheep fed mixed urea-rice bran supplement. Supplementation of mulberry or urea-rice bran mixed to urea treated rice straw basal diet resulted in similar fibre degradation of rice straw or urea treated rice straw. Hence, mulberry or urea-rice bran mixture offers an alternative source of fermentable nitrogen and energy to improve the utilisation of rice straw by sheep.
The third experiment determined the effect of mulberry and mulberry-leucaena foliage supplementation on feed utilization, rumen fermentation and growth of lambs fed urea-treated rice straw basal diet. In an in vitro gas production study, mulberry was mixed with either one of the two leucaena varieties (Leucaena leucocephala hybrid and Leucaena leucocephala local) at 2 levels (25 and 50%). Supplementation of leucaena to mulberry decreased in vitro true organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), the rate of gas production and protein digestibility in the rumen buffered medium. Protein digestibility in acid pepsin which is an estimate of protein availability in intestine was increased. Tannin derived from leucaena hybrid
v supplementation to mulberry at ratio 1:1 was most effective level to decrease protein digestion in the rumen, but increased the protein digestibility in acid pepsin incubation. In a feeding trial, supplementation level at 30% of mulberry-leucaena mixture at the ratio of 1:1 to urea treated rice straw basal diet showed similar effect to mulberry or rice bran supplementation on nutrient digestibility, N balance, microbial protein synthesis and body weight gain. Hence, supplementation of either mulberry-Leucaena mixture or mulberry or urea-rice bran mixture provided the critically deficient nutrient required by rumen microbes to stimulate rumen fermentation digestion and thus the efficiency forage utilization.
It is concluded that mulberry utilization improved when molasses was also supplemented to the rice straw basal diet. In addition, mulberry supplementation also provided the fermentable energy and nitrogen. However, due to the rapid microbial fermentation of mulberry protein in the rumen, mixing of Leucaena that has high tannin content with mulberry could reduce protein degradability in the rumen (in vitro). Feeding of Leucaena-mulberry mixture had similar effect to mulberry supplementation on growth of lambs.
vi Abstrak tesis yang dikemukakan kepada Senat Universiti Putra Malaysia sebagai
memenuhi keperluan untuk ijazah Doktor Falsafah
STRATEJI SUPLEMENTASI MULBERI (Morus alba) FOLIAJ UNTUK BIRI-BIRI YANG DIBERI MAKANAN JERAMI PADI
Oleh
DWI YULISTIANI January 2008
Pengerusi : Profesor Zainal Aznam bin Mohd Jelan, PhD
Fakulti : Pertanian
Pemberian makanan daripada hasil sampingan pertanian yang berserat adalah strategi yang wajar untuk mengurangkan kos pemberian makanan ruminan. Walau bagaimanapun, hasil sampingan ini mempunyai nilai pemakanan yang rendah dan penggunaan foliaj pokok sebagai suplemen boleh meningkatkan penggunaan bahan makanan berserat ini. Satu kajian yang mengandungi tiga eksperimen telah dilakukan dengan tujuan untuk meningkatkan penggunaan jerami padi dengan suplementasi diet ini dengan foliaj mulberi pada biri-biri.
Eksperimen pertama telah menilai kesan penambahan tenaga terfermentasi dalam diet berasas mulberi-jerami padi melalui teknik produksi gas in vitro. Suplementasi molas pada mulberi-jerami padi terawat urea pada kadar 5% (TRSM) adalah bererti (P<0.05) untuk meningkatkan fermentasi diet seperti ditunjukkan oleh peningkatan pengeluaran gas, hasil biomas mikrob dan perkadaran asid propionik. Suplementasi molas pada paras 5% adalah cukup untuk meningkatkan fermentasi diet.
vii Eksperimen kedua menilai kesan suplementasi mulberi foliaj berbanding campuran urea-dedak padi ke atas pencernaan nutrient, kegunaan nitrogen, ciri-ciri fementasi rumen dan degradasi serat. Biri-biri diberi diet berasas jerami padi urea terawat dan tiga suplemen berbeza berikut: (i) mulberi, (ii) 50% mulberi digantikan dengan campuran urea-dedak padi dan (iii) mulberi digantikan dengan campuran urea-dedak padi. Pengambilan makanan, pencernaan nutrient, imbangan nitrogen, efisiensi sintesis protein mikrob rumen adalah serupa pada biri-biri yang memakan jerami padi urea terawat dengan suplemen foliaj mulberi atau campuran urea-dedak padi.
Suplementasi mulberi pada aras 30% dalam diet berasaskan jerami padi urea terawat menyediakan tenaga terfermentasi dan protein. Kadar degradasi protein dalam rumen menurun dalam biri-biri yang memakan suplmen campuran urea-dedak padi. Suplementasi mulberi atau campuran urea-dedak padi kepada diet berasaskan jerami padi urea terawat menyebabkan kesan yang sama pada degradasi jerami padi atau jerami padi urea terawat. Oleh itu mulberi atau campuran urea-dedak padi memberi satu sumber alternatif nitrogen terfermentasi dan tenaga untuk meningkatkan penggunaan jerami padi pada biri-biri.
Eksperimen ketiga menentukan kesan suplementasi foliaj mulberi dan mulberi-leucaena ke atas penggunaan makanan, fermentasi rumen dan pertumbuhan anak biri-biri yang diberi makanan asas jerami padi urea terawat. Dalam kajian pengeluaran gas in vitro, mulberi telah dicampurkan dengan sama ada satu daripada
dua variati Leucaena (hybrid Leucaena leucocephala dan Leucaena leucocephala
tempatan) pada 2 aras (25 dan 50%). Suplementasi leucaena kepada mulberi menurunkan pencernaan benar in vitro bahan organik (IVOMD), kadar produksi gas
viii dan pencernaan protein dalam rumen. Pencernaan protein dalam asid pepsin yang menganggarkan kesediaadaan protein dalam usus kecil telah meningkat. Tannin daripada hibrid leucaena yang disuplementasikan kepada mulberi pada nisbah 1:1 paling efektif untuk mengurangkan pencernaan protein dalam rumen, tetapi meningkatkan pencernaan protein dalam inkubasi asid pepsin. Dalam satu percubaan pemberian makanan, suplementasi campuran dengan nisbah 1:1 mulberry-leucaena pada paras 30% kepada diet berasaskan jerami padi urea terawat, menunjukkan kesan yang sama kepada mulberi atau suplementasi dedak padi ke atas pencernaan nutrien, keseimbangan N, sintesis mikrob rumen dan kenaikan berat badan. Oleh itu, suplementasi sama ada campuran mulberi-leucaena atau mulberi atau campuran urea-dedak padi menyediakan nutrient kritikal yang kurang dan diperlukan oleh mikrob rumen untuk merangsang fermentasi rumen dan efisiensi penggunaan foraj.
Adalah dirumuskan bahawa pengggunaan mulberi meningkat apabila molas juga disuplementasikan kepada diet berasaskan jerami padi. Tambahan lagi, suplementasi mulberi juga menyediakan tenaga dan nitrogen terfermentasi. Walau bagaimanapun, disebabkan oleh fermentasi mikrob yang cepat pada protein mulberi dalam rumen,
campuran leucaena yang mengandungi tannin yang tinggi dengan mulberry boleh
mengurangkan degradasi protein di dalam rumen (in vitro). Pemberian campuran leucaena-mulberry memberi kesan yang sama dengan supplementasi mulberry pada pertumbuhan anak biri-biri.
ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my Supervisory Committee, Professor Dr. Zainal Aznam bin Mohd Jelan (Chairman), Professor Dr. Norhani Abdullah, Associate Professor Dr. Liang Juan Boo and Associate Professor Dr. Halimatun Yaakub for their invaluable supervision and encouragement throughout this study.
I am very grateful to the Agency of Agricultural Research and Development (AARD), Indonesia for giving me an opportunity and the scholarship to study for my PhD degree at UPM. I would also like to thank Dr. Kusumo Diwyanto and Dr. Abdullah Bamualim, the past and present Director of the Center Research Institute of Animal Science, respectively for their approval for me to pursue my career and Dr. Sofyan Iskandar, Director of Research Institute for Animal Production for his moral support during my study in Malaysia.
My deep appreciation goes to all lecturers and staff of the Dept of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, UPM for their friendship and kind hospitality. Thanks are due to the staff of Nutrition Laboratory and Research Farm at Dept of Animal Science for their assistance. I would also like to thank my colleagues and post-graduate students at the Dept of Animal Science for their friendship. My special thanks to Dr. Bodee Kamsekiew for his assistance on sample analysis, Dr. Mohd Mainul Hasan, Mr. Arsadi Ali and Mr. Mohd Rafie for their support to conduct the field experiment and the Indonesian students who always provided help in time of hardships.
x The two people I would like to express my deepest appreciation for their love and support are my beloved mother, Sukini and father, Soedjono. Your humble ways of life, patience and advice inspire all of your children for a greater achievement in life.
Finally, my deep gratitude is extended to my husband, Markus Anda and my children, Marulini Piadiata Salokang and Onesmus Hopijayanto Salokang for their patience, continuous support, understanding and encouragement throughout my study.
I certify that an Examination Committee met on 14th January 2008 to conduct the final examination of Dwi Yulistiani on her Doctor of Philosophy thesis entitled “Strategic supplementation of mulberry (Morus alba) foliage for sheep fed rice straw” in accordance with University Putra Malaysia (Higher Degree) Act 1980 and University Putra Malaysia (Higher Degree) Regulations 1981. The Committee recommends that the candidate be awarded the relevant degree. Members of the Examination Committee are as follows:
AZHAR B. KASIM, Ph.D. Associate Professor,
Faculty of Agriculture University Putra Malaysia (Chairman)
ABDUL RAZAK ALIMON, Ph.D. Professor,
Faculty of Agriculture University Putra Malaysia (Internal Examiner)
MOHD RIDZWAN B. ABDUL HALIM, Ph.D. Associate Professor,
Faculty of Agriculture University Putra Malaysia (Internal Examiner) BOB ORSKOV, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus (External Examiner)
HASANAH MOHD GAZALI Ph.D. Professor/Deputy Dean
School of Graduate Studies University Putra Malaysia
This thesis was submitted to the Senate of Universiti Putra Malaysia and has been accepted as fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The members of the Supervisory Committee were as follows:
Zainal Aznam B. Mohd Jelan, PhD Professor
Faculty of Agriculture University Putra Malaysia (Chairman)
Halimatun Yaakub, PhD Associate Professor Faculty of Agriculture University Putra Malaysia (Member)
Liang Juan Boo, PhD Associate Professor Institute Biosience
University Putra Malaysia (Member)
Norhani Abdullah, PhD Professor
Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomoleculer Sciences University Putra Malaysia
(Member)
AINI IDERIS, PhD Professor and Dean
School of Graduate Studies Universiti Putra Malaysia
Date: 21 February 2008
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the thesis is based on my original work except for quotations and citations which have duly acknowledged. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently submitted for any other degree at UPM or other institutions.
DWI YULISTIANI
Date: 5 February 2008
xvii
LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
2.1 The effect of tree foliage supplementation to low quality basal diet on intake and dry matter digestibility of cattle, sheep and goat
21
2.2 Chemical composition of mulberry (% of DM) 28
2.3 DM digestibility (DMD), protein digestibility and digestible
energy of mulberry foliage 30
2.4 Effect of mulberry supplementation to different basal diets on
the performance of different ruminant species 32
3.1 Type of diets used for evaluation 45
3.2 Composition of the diets (% of DM basis) 45
3.3 Chemical composition, IVTOMD at 24 and 48 h of incubation and in vitro gas production characteristics of feed ingredients
54 3.4 CP, gas production at 24 h incubation and energy content of the
diets
56 3.5 Mean value of interaction between treatment and
supplementation on fermentation kinetics of experimental diet
58 3.6 Effect of urea treatment and fermentable carbohydrate
supplementation on IVTOMD (%), gas production (ml), substrate fermented (mg), PF (mg/ml), microbial biomass production (mg/100mg substrate fermented) derived from the incubation of 500 mg sample at 24 h
63
3.7 Effect of urea treatment and fermentable carbohydrate supplementation on pH of buffered rumen fluid, Total VFA production (mM) and proportion of VFA (%) of the diets after 24 h incubation
65
4.1 Chemical composition of feed ingredients used for the formulation of the experimental diet
82 4.2 Ingredients and chemical composition of experimental diets 82 4.3 Means of dry matter intake (DMI) and nutrients digestibility in
sheep fed different supplements
88 4.4 Means of Nitrogen (N) utilisation in sheep fed different 89
xviii supplements
4.5 Means of rumen ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) levels and rumen
pH at different sampling times of sheep fed different dietary supplements
90
4.6 Means of pH, rumen NH3-N, total VFA and proportion of VFA 91
4.7 Excretion of urinary PD (mM/d) and estimated daily MNS (g N/d) in sheep fed different dietary supplements
92 4.8 DM degradation characteristics of mulberry and rice bran
incubated in the rumen of sheep fed different dietary supplements
93
4.9 CP degradation characteristics of mulberry and rice bran incubated in the rumen of sheep fed different supplements
95 4.10 DM degradability (%) and degradation characteristics of
untreated rice straw (URS) and urea-treated rice straw (TRS) at different incubation times in the rumen of sheep fed different dietary supplements
96
4.11 Fiber (NDF) degradability (%) and degradation characteristics of untreated rice straw (URS) and urea-treated rice straw (TRS) incubated at different incubation times in the rumen of sheep fed different diets
97
5.1 Content (% DM basis) of tannin in Leucaena species and
mulberry that were used in the study
114
5.2 Type of diets 114
5.3 Chemical composition of feed ingredients used for the diet formulation in growth trial study
119 5.4 Composition of feed ingredients (% DM basis), nutrients and
metabolisable energy content of the experimental diets 120 5.5 Fermentation kinetics of mulberry, Leucaena and mulberry and
Leucaena mixture
122 5.6 Estimates of in vitro true organic matter digestibility
(IVTOMD), fermentable substrate, volume gas production derived from 24 h in vitro fermentation of 500 mg DM of the
experimental diets
124
5.7 Estimates of apparent protein digestibility of mulberry,
Leucaena and mixed mulberry and Leucaena after incubation for
24 h in rumen buffer media followed by acid pepsin digestion
125
