Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-9pm4c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T19:27:14.025Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Effects of synchronizing the rate of dietary energy and nitrogen release in diets with a similar carbohydrate composition on rumen fermentation and microbial protein synthesis in sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

L. A. Sinclair
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leics LE12 5RD, UK
P. C. Garnsworthy
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leics LE12 5RD, UK
J. R. Newbold
Affiliation:
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
P. J. Buttery
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leics LE12 5RD, UK

Summary

The effects of synchronizing dietary energy and nitrogen supply in diets with a similar carbohydrate composition on microbial protein synthesis and rumen fermentation were examined in sheep. Two diets were formulated to be either synchronous (diet S) or asynchronous (diet A) for the hourly release of nitrogen (N) and energy to the rumen. Diet S contained (g/kg) 425 g wheat straw, 400 g winter barley, 150 grapeseed meal and 25 g minerals/vitamins and diet A contained 505 g wheat straw, 458.5 g winter barley, 11·5 g urea and 25 g minerals/vitamins. Both diets were fed at the rate of 1 kg/day in four equal portions, to four cannulated sheep, in two periods in a change-over design. Rumen ammonia concentrations followed the predicted hourly trend in N degradation with a peak 1 h after feeding of 10 mM for diet S and 16 mM for diet A before falling within 3 h of feeding to 4 ITIM in animals fed either diet. Rumen volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations followed the cyclical trend predicted by stoichiometric equations, whilst rumen VFA ratios were more stable than predicted in animals fed either diet. The observed content of rumen degradable protein and organic matter truly degraded in the rumen was similar for both diets. The increase in total CHO digested in the rumen observed with diet A (427 g/kg DM) compared with diet S (364 g/kg DM) can be attributed to the greater content of starch in the asynchronous diet, which had a high degradability. The efficiency of microbial protein synthesis (g N/kg OM truly degraded in the rumen) was 11–20% greater in animals fed the synchronous diet (S) than the asynchronous diet (A). It is concluded that microbial N production was more efficient when dietary energy and N supply were synchronized.

Type
Animals
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agricultural and Food Research Council (1992). Technical Committee on Response to Nutrients No. 9. Nutritive requirements of ruminant animals: Protein. Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews (Series B) 62, 787818.Google Scholar
Agricultural Research Council (1984). The Nutrient Requirements of Ruminant Livestock: Supplement No. I. Slough: Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux.Google Scholar
Aldrich, J. M., Muller, L. D., Varga, G. A. & Griel, L. C. Jr, (1993). Nonstructural carbohydrate and protein effects on rumen fermentation, nutrient flow, and performance of dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 76, 10911105.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bartram, C. G. (1987). The endogenous protein content of ruminant proximal duodenal digesta. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.Google Scholar
Bruce, C. I. (1986). Metabolism of preformed amino acids by rumen bacteria in vivo. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.Google Scholar
Czerkawski, J. W. (1986). An Introduction to Rumen Studies. Oxford: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Dawson, J. M., Bruce, C. I., Buttery, P. J., Gill, M. & Beever, D. E. (1988). Protein metabolism in the rumen of silage-fed steers: effect of fishmeal supplementation. British Journal of Nutrition 60, 339353.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dewhurst, R. J., Webster, A. J. F., Wainman, F. W. & Dewey, P. J. S. (1986). Prediction of the true metabolizable energy concentration in forages for ruminants. Animal Production 43, 183194.Google Scholar
Doyle, P. T., Dove, H., Freer, M., Hart, F. J., Dixon, R. M. & Egan, A. R. (1988). Effects of a concentrate supplement on the intake and digestion of a low-quality forage by lambs. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 111, 503511.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Faichney, G. J. (1975). The use of markers to partition digestion within the gastro-intestinal tract of ruminants. In Digestion and Metabolism in the Ruminant (Eds McDonald, I. W. & Warner, A. C. I.), pp. 277291. Armidale, Australia: University of New England Publishing Unit.Google Scholar
Genstat 5 Committee (1987). Genstat 5 Reference Manual. Oxford: Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Goering, H. K. & Van Soest, P. J. (1970). Forage Fiber Analyses (Apparatus, Reagents, Procedures and Some Applications). Agricultural Handbook No. 379. US Department of Agriculture.Google Scholar
Henning, P. H., Steyn, D. G. & Meissner, H. H. (1991). The effect of energy and nitrogen supply pattern on rumen bacterial growth in vitro. Animal Production 53, 165175.Google Scholar
Henning, P. H., Steyn, D. G. & Meissner, H. H. (1993). Effect of synchronization of energy and nitrogen supply on ruminal characteristics and microbial growth. Journal of Animal Science 71, 25162528.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Herbert, D., Phipps, P. J. & Strange, R. E. (1971). Chemical analysis of microbial cells. In Methods in Microbiology 5B (Eds Norris, J. R. & Ribbons, D. W.), pp. 209344. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Herrera-Saldana, R., Gomez-Alarcon, R., Torabi, M. & Huber, J. T. (1990). Influence of synchronising protein and starch degradation in the rumen on nutrient utilization and microbial protein synthesis. Journal of Dairy Science 73, 142148.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hoover, W. H. (1986). Chemical factors involved in ruminal fiber digestion. Journal of Dairy Science 69, 27552766.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hussein, H. S., Jordan, R. M. & Stern, M. D. (1991). Ruminal protein metabolism and intestinal amino acid utilization as affected by dietary protein and carbohydrate sources in sheep. Journal of Animal Science 69, 21342146.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
MacRae, J. C. (1986). An appraisal of current systems for the evaluation of the energy and protein needs of ruminants. In Feedingstuffs Evaluation, Modern Aspects, Problems, Future Trends (Ed. Livingstone, R. M.), pp. 1117. Aberdeen: Rowett Research Institute.Google Scholar
MacRae, J. C., Buttery, P. J. & Beever, D. E. (1988). Nutrient interactions in the dairy cow. In Nutrition and Lactation in the Dairy Cow (Ed. Garnsworthy, P. C.), pp. 5575. London: Butterworths.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Madsen, J. (1985). The basis for the proposed Nordic protein evaluation system for ruminants. The AAT-PBV system. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica Supplement 25, 920.Google Scholar
Mathers, J. C. & Miller, E. L. (1981). Quantitative studies of food protein degradation and the energetic efficiency of microbial protein synthesis in the rumen of sheep given chopped lucerne and rolled barley. British Journal of Nutrition 45, 587604.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McAllan, A. B. (1991). Carbohydrate and nitrogen metabolism in the forestomach of steers given untreated or ammonia treated barley straw diets supplemented with urea or urea plus fishmeal. Animal Feed Science and Technology 33, 195208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McAllan, A. B. & Griffith, E. S. (1987). The effects of different sources of nitrogen supplementation on the digestion of fibre components in the rumen of steers. Animal Feed Science and Technology 17, 6573.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McAllan, A. B. & Smith, R. H. (1983). Factors influencing the digestion of dietary carbohydrates between the mouth and abomasum of steers. British Journal of Nutrition 50, 445454.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McAllan, A. B., Cockburn, J. E., Williams, A. P. & Smith, R. H. (1988). The degradation of different protein supplements in the rumen of steers and the effects of these supplements on carbohydrate digestion. British Journal of Nutrition 60, 669682.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCarthy, R. D., Klusmeyer, T. H., Vicini, J. L., Clark, J. H. & Nelson, D. R. (1989). Effects of source of protein and carbohydrate on ruminal fermentation and passage of nutrients to the small intestine of lactating cows. Journal of Dairy Science 72, 20022016.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McDonald, I. (1981). A revised model for the estimation of protein degradability in the rumen. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 96, 251252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1981). The Analysis of Agricultural Materials: Reference Booklet 427. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Murphy, M. R., Baldwin, R. L. & Koong, L. J. (1982). Estimation of stoichiometric parameters for rumen fermentation of roughage and concentrate diets. Journal of Animal Science 55, 411421.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Newbold, J. R. & Rust, S. R. (1992). Effect of asynchronous energy and nitrogen supply on growth of ruminal bacteria in batch culture. Journal of Animal Science 70, 538546.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nolan, J. V. (1975). Quantitative models of nitrogen metabolism in sheep. In Digestion and Metabolism in the Ruminant (Eds McDonald, I. W. & Warner, A. C. I.), pp. 416431. Armidale: University of New England Publishing Unit.Google Scholar
Ørskov, E. R., McDonald, I. (1979). The estimation of protein degradability in the rumen from incubation measurements weighted according to rate of passage. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 92, 499503.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russell, J. B. & Sniffen, C. J. (1984). Effect of carbon-4 and carbon-5 volatile fatty acids on growth of mixed rumen bacteria in vitro. Journal of Dairy Science 67, 987994.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Russell, J. B., Sniffen, C. J. & Van Soest, P. J. (1983). Effect of carbohydrate limitation on degradation and utilization of casein by mixed rumen bacteria. Journal of Dairy Science 66, 763775.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ryan, J. P. (1980). Determination of volatile fatty acids and some related compounds in ovine rumen fluid, urine, and blood plasma, by gas-liquid chromatography. Analytical Biochemistry 108, 374384.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Siddons, R. C., Paradine, J., Beever, D. E. & Cornell, P. R. (1985). Ytterbium acetate as a particulate-phase digesta-flow marker. British Journal of Nutrition 54, 509519.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sinclair, L. A., Garnsworthy, P. C., Beardsworth, P., Freeman, P. & Buttery, P. J. (1991). The use of cytosine as a marker to estimate microbial protein synthesis in the rumen. Animal Production 52, 592 (Abstract).Google Scholar
Sinclair, L. A., Garnsworthy, P. C., Newbold, J. R. & Buttery, P. J. (1993). Effect of synchronizing the rate of dietary energy and nitrogen release on rumen fermentation and microbial protein synthesis in sheep. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 120, 251263.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stokes, S. R., Hoover, W. H., Miller, T. K. & Manski, R. P. (1991). Impact of carbohydrate and protein levels on bacterial metabolism in continuous culture. Journal of Dairy Science 74, 860870.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Strobel, H. J. & Russell, J. B. (1986). Effect of pH and energy spilling on bacterial protein synthesis by carbohydrate-limited cultures of mixed rumen bacteria. Journal of Dairy Science 69, 29412947.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vérité, R. & Peyraud, J.-L. (1989). Protein: the PDI system. In Ruminant Nutrition: Recommended Allowances and Feed Tables (Ed. Jarrige, R.), pp. 3347. London: Libbey.Google Scholar
Wainman, F. W., Dewey, P. J. S. & Boyne, A. W. (1981). Compound feedingstuffs for ruminants. Feedingstuffs Evaluation Unit. Third Report, p. 27. Aberdeen: Rowett Research Institute.Google Scholar
Weston, R. H. (1988). Factors affecting the intake of feed by sheep. X. The effects of concentrate supplements on the voluntary consumption and digestion of a medium quality roughage. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 39, 255271.CrossRefGoogle Scholar