Rumen degradation characteristics of sweet potato foliage and performance by local and crossbred calves fed milk and foliage from three cultivars

Ibisime Etela, Asamoah Larbi, Ayedun Bamikole, U. Ikhatua, U Oji. (1/5/2008). Rumen degradation characteristics of sweet potato foliage and performance by local and crossbred calves fed milk and foliage from three cultivars. Livestock Science, 115 (1), pp. 20-27.

Abstract

The study investigated rumen dry matter (DM) degradability characteristics in a completely randomized design and the effects of milk, sweet potato foliage (SPF) from three cultivars (A=TIS-87/0087; B=TIS-8164; C=TIS-2532.OP.1.13), dried brewers' grains (DBG) and cottonseed meal (CSM) as supplements to Panicum maximum (Panicum) for pre-weaned calves in randomized complete block designs. Diet 1 = milk + SPF-A foliage + Panicum, Diet 2 = milk + SPF-B foliage + Panicum, Diet 3 = milk + SPF-C foliage+Panicum, and Diet 4=milk+DBG & CSM+Panicum (as control). Dry matter (130 +/- 0.4 to 864 +/- 3.9 g kg(-1)), ash (54 +/- 4.2 to 173 +/- 2.8 g kg(-1) DM), OM (827 +/- 4.2 to 946 +/- 5.7 g kg(-1) DM), N (7.4 +/- 0.6 to 38.6 +/- 1.4 g kg(-1) DM), and NDF (439 1.4 to 774 +/- 8.5 g kg(-1) DM) contents were highly significant (P < 0.01). In Trial 1, 16 pre-weaned calves were used over 70 d with milk intake (34.8 +/- 4.4 ml kg W-0.75 d(-1)), Panicum DMI (22.3 +/- 2.77 g kg W-0.75 d(-1)), total DMI (35.7 +/- 2.83 g kg W-0.75 d(-1)), and LWG (198 +/- 44.6 g d(-1)) not significantly different (P > 0.05). Supplement DMI varied (P < 0.05) from 11.6 g kg W-0.75 d(-1) in Diet 3 to 16.6 g kg W-0.75 d(-1) in Diet 4. In Trial 11, 16 pre-weaned local and crossbred calves were involved over 77 d with initial age of calves, Panicum intake, metabolic DMI, and LWG similar (P > 0.05) among crosses. Birthweight varied (P < 0.05) from 17.3 kg for N'Dama x Jersey crosses to 21.2 kg for White Fulani x Brown Swiss crosses. Supplement and total DMI ranged (P < 0.05) from 172 to 483 g d(-1) for N'Dama x Jersey crosses to 233 and 674 g d(-1) for non-inseminate or purebred calves, respectively. The LWG in the White Fulani x Brown Swiss and the N'Dama x Jersey calves were respectively 30% and 24% better, though not significantly, than purebred calves. In Trial 111, rumen DM degradability characteristics of feeds in three N'Dama steers showed no significant differences (P > 0.05) in slowly degradable fraction (b) and rate of degradation of b (c). Soluble fraction (a), 48-h degradation, potential degradability (PD) and effective degradability (ED) varied significantly (P < 0.05) and were lowest in Panicum, but similar for foliage among the three sweet potato cultivars. Panicum fodder showed improvements in degradation characteristics with supplementation. (c) 2007 Published by Elsevier B.V.