Determination of Some Spiny Plants Feed Value by In Vitro Gas Production Technique

Abstract

This aim of study is determine the nutritive value and potential use as alternative roughage sources in ruminant nutrition of Yellow Star-thistle (Centaurea solstitialis), Scotch thistle (Onopordum acanthium), Milk thistle (Silybum marianum), and Globe thistle (Echinops ritro) naturally growing in the rangelands of Erzurum. Rumen fluid used in the in vitro gas production technique was obtained post-slaughter from a 5-year-old Simmental bull with an approximate body weight of 550 kg at a private abattoir. The mean values of the nutrient composition of the spiny plants differed significantly among species. The crude protein (CP) content was lowest in globe thistle, whereas the highest average crude fiber (CF) values were recorded for globe thistle and milk thistle. The 24-h in vitro gas production (GP) and methane production (MP), metabolizable energy (ME), net energy for lactation (NEL), and organic matter digestibility (OMD) values of the spiny plants ranged from 34.82 to 40.67 mL/200 mg DM, 12.94 to 13.30%, 7.74 to 8.47 MJ/kg DM, 4.42 to 4.94 MJ/kg DM, and 57.01 to 64.50%, respectively. The highest GP, ME, and NEL values were observed in globe thistle. The relative feed quality (RFQ) indices of the thorny plants were calculated to range between 84.91 and 128.42, with Deve Dikeni showing the highest feed quality. As a result, considering the nutrient composition and feed value parameters determined by in vitro techniques, it was concluded that globe thistle and milk thistle can be used as alternative roughage sources in ruminant feeding during periods when the availability of conventional roughage is insufficient, reduced, or limited.

Keywords

• Spiny plants
• in vitro gas production
• roughage
• methane
• feed value

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