| Livestock Research for Rural Development 29 (7) 2017 | Guide for preparation of papers | LRRD Newsletter | Citation of this paper |
The aim of the current experiment was to determine the effect of maturity on the chemical composition, metabolisable energy (ME) and organic matter digestibility (OMD), gas and methane (CH4) production, of Arbutus adrachne leaves used for small ruminant animals in Turkey.
Maturity had a significant effect on the chemical composition of Arbutus adrachne leaves. Crude ash(CA), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents increased with increasing maturity whereas ether extract (EE) and condensed tannin (CT) contents decreased with increasing maturity. Maturity had no significant effect on the in vitro gas production, CH4, ME and OMD of Arbutus adrachne leaves. The crude protein content (CP) of Arbutus adrachne leaves is not sufficient to meet minimum level of CP requirement. Therefore, protein supplementation is required for optimum rumen function and feed intake in ruminant animals when large amount of Arbutus adrachne leaves were included into ruminant diets. However due to high condensed tannin content, Arbutus adrachne leaves may be used as a feed additive in ruminant diets to decrease the enteric methane production. However it should be tested in vivo before large implication.
Key words: protein, small ruminants, tannin, trees
Shrub and tree leaves have been used for ages to meet energy, protein and mineral requirements of small ruminant animals in the most parts of world (Kamalak et al 2010; Kaya and Kamalak 2012). Arbutus andrachne is an evergreen shrub and native to the Mediterranean region of Turkey. Leaves of Arbutus adrachne are freshly fed to sheep and goats in a cut and carry system to alleviate serious shortages in animal feeds of the conventional type during the critical periods of the year in the Mediterranean part of Turkey (Photo 1). Although there are several researches carried out on the chemical composition and nutritive value of Arbutus adrachne leaves (Karabulut et al 2006; Kamalak et al 2010; Temel and Tan 2011; Sagocak 2011)), there is limited information on the effect of maturity on the chemical composition, in vitro gas production, metabolisable energy and organic matter digestibility. However so far there is no information about the anti-methananogenic potential of Arbutus adrachne leaves. Recently some researches has used that chemical composition in combination with in vitro gas production technique to evaluate the potential nutritive value of previously uninvestigated alternative feed sources (Kamalak et al 2011; Canbolat 2012; Guven 2012; Kaya and Kamalak 2012). The aim of the current experiment was to determine the effect of maturity on the chemical composition, ME, OMD, gas and CH4 production of Arbutus adrachne leaves used for small ruminant animal in Turkey.
Leaves from Arbutus adrachne were collected at 43 days interval in March, May and June 2016 by hand from at least 10 different trees in Kahramanmaras, Turkey.
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| Photo 1. Arbutus andrachne leaves fed to sheep and goats in a cut and carry system in Turkey | |
Leaf samples were pooled and dried at 65 oC using a forced air oven. Leaves were ground using a laboratory mill with 1 mm screen size for subsequent analysis. Dry matter (DM) of leaf samples was determined by drying the samples at 105 oC overnight and ash by igniting the samples in muffle furnace at 525 oC for 8 h. Nitrogen (N) content of leaves was measured by the Kjeldahl method (AOAC, 1990). Crude protein content of leaves was calculated as N X 6.25. Ether extract contents of leaves were determined according to AOAC (1990). Cell wall contents (NDF, and ADF) were determined by the method of Van Soest et al (1991). Condensed tannin contents of samples were determined by butanol-HCl method as described by Makkar et al (1995). All chemical analyses of samples were carried out in triplicate.
Approximately 0.200 gram leaf samples were incubated with buffered rumen fluid for 24 h in a water bath at 39 oC in triplicate using the methods of Menke et al (1979). Rumen fluid was obtained from three fistulated sheep fed twice daily with a diet containing alfalfa hay (60 %) and concentrate (40 %). Net gas productions of samples were determined at 24 h after incubation and corrected for blank and hay standard (University of Hohenheim, Germany).
Methane contents (%) of total gas produced at 24 h fermentation of samples were measured using an infrared methane analyzer (Sensor Europe GmbH, Erkrath, Germany) (Goel et al 2008). After measuring gas produced at 24 h incubation, gas samples was transferred into inlet of the infrared methane analyzer with the plastics syringe. The infrared methane analyzer displays methane as percent of total gas. Methane production (mL) was calculated as follows and given as ml / digested organic matter.
Methane production (mL) = Total gas production (mL) X Percentage of Methane (%)
The metabolisable energy (MJ/kg DM) and organic matter digestibility (OMD) of samples was calculated using equations of Menke and Steingass (1988) as follows:
ME (MJ/kg DM) = 2.20 + 0.1357 GP + 0.057 CP + 0.002859EE2
OMD (%) = 14.88 + 0.8893 GP + 0.448 CP + 0.651CA
Where,
GP is 24 h net gas production (ml/200 mg),
CP = Crude protein (%)
EE: Ether extract (%)
CA: Crude ash (%)
One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the effect of maturity on the chemical composition, metabolisable energy, organic matter digestibility, gas and methane production of Arbutus adrachne leaves. Significance between individual means was identified using the Tukey’s multiple range tests. Mean differences were considered significant at p<0.05.
Effect of maturity on the chemical composition of Arbutus adrachne leaves is presented in Table 1. Maturity had a significant effect on the chemical composition of Arbutus adrachne leaves. The crude ash contents of Arbutus adrachne leaves obtained at second and third growth stages were significantly higher than that obtained at first stage. The CA content was similar to those obtained by Sagocak (2011) who reported that the CA content ranged from 5.4 to 7.3%
The CP contents of Arbutus adrachne leaves obtained at first and third growth stages were significantly higher than that obtained at second harvesting stage. The CP content was similar to those obtained by Sagocak (2011) who reported that the crude protein content ranged from 4.6 to 7.3% but lower than those reported by Temel and Tan who showed that CP contents of Arbutus adrachne leaves ranged from 7.4 to 9.3 % depending on altitudes.
Van Soest (1994) suggested that CP content browse species should be higher than the minimum level of 7-8% of DM for optimum rumen function and feed intake in ruminant animals. In the current study The CP content of Arbutus adrachne leaves is not sufficient to meet minimum level of CP requirement. Therefore protein supplementation is required for optimum rumen function and feed intake in ruminant animals when large amount of Arbutus adrachne leaves were included into ruminant diets. Even if there is considerable decrease in CT with increasing maturity of Arbutus adrachne leaves, the CT content is still very high at third maturity stage. The high level of CT in Arbutus adrachne leaves may hamper the protein utilization.
The cell wall contents of Arbutus adrachne leaves increased with increasing maturity whereas ether extract and CT decreased with increasing maturity. The cell wall contents (NDF and ADF) of Arbutus adrachne leaves ranged from 27.7 to 39.7% and 21.6 to 31.9% respectively. The NDF and ADF contents of Arbutus adrachne leaves harvested at third maturity were significantly higher than those obtained at first and second stages. The NDF and ADF contents obtained in the current study were lower than those found by Sagocak (2011) and Temel and Tan (2011) who reported that NDF and ADF contents of Arbutus adrachne leaves ranged from 41.6 to 65.6 % and 28.9 to 67.4%, 41.8 to 45% and 32.8 to 33.4% respectively.
The EE and CT contents ranged from 3.9 to 5.7 % and 6.6 to 9.8% respectively. The EE and CT contents of Arbutus adrachne leaves obtained at third stage was significantly lower than those obtained at first and second stages. The EE contents of Arbutus adrachne leaves obtained in the current study were considerably higher than that obtained by Sagocak (2011) who reported that EE contents of Arbutus adrachne leaves ranged from 1.2 to 4.2%. On the other hand, condensed tannin obtained in the current experiment were consistent with the findings of Sagocak (2011) who reported that CT contents of Arbutus adrachne leaves ranged from 4.9 to 11.1%.
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Table 1. Effect of maturity on the chemical composition of Arbutus adrachne (n=3) |
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Parameters |
Maturity |
SEM |
p |
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I |
II |
III |
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DM (% of fresh) |
93.5a |
93.1a |
92.7b |
0.140 |
0.003 |
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CA (% of DM) |
5.6b |
6.2a |
6.0a |
0.086 |
0.001 |
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CP(% of DM) |
6.1a |
5.3b |
5.9a |
0.118 |
0.001 |
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NDF(% of DM) |
27.7c |
30.2b |
39.7a |
0.618 |
0.001 |
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ADF (% of DM) |
21.6c |
25.9b |
31.9a |
0.908 |
0.001 |
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EE (% of DM) |
5.7a |
5.6b |
3.9c |
0.038 |
0.001 |
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CT(% of DM) |
9.8a |
9.7a |
6.6b |
0.172 |
0.001 |
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abc Row means with common superscripts do not differ (p>0.05); SEM: Standard error mean (%), CA: Crude ash (%), CP: Crude protein (%), NDF: neutral detergent fiber (%), ADF: Acid detergent fiber (%), EE: Ether extract (%), CT: Condensed tannin (%) |
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The effect of maturity on in vitro gas production, CH4, ME and OMD of Arbutus adrachne leaves is given in Table 2. Maturity had a significant effect on CH4 production in total gas production whereas maturity had no effect on the in vitro gas production, ME and OMD of Arbutus adrachne leaves. Sagocak (2011) showed that the ME and OMD of Arbutus adrachne leaves decreased with increasing maturity due to increase in cell wall contents and CT contents with increasing maturity. However in the current experiment there is a decrease in CT contents at the expense of cell contents with increasing maturity. That was the reason why there was no decrease in ME and OMD with increasing maturity. It is well known that generally cell wall contents and CT of leaves are negatively associated with ME and OMD of tree leaves (Kamalak 2006; Karabulut et al 2007; Kamalak et al 2010). Tannin in plants can exert their negative effects in digestibility through combining with dietary protein or microbial enzymes (Singleton 1981; Silanikove et al 1996).
However ME and OMD of Arbutus adrachne leaves obtained in the current experiment were consistent with findings of Sagocak (2011) who reported that ME and OMD of Arbutus adrachne leaves ranged from 3.1 to 9.0 MJ/kg DM and 28.6 to 67.7 % respectively.
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Table 2. The effect of maturity on in vitro gas production, methane production, metabolisable energy and organic matter digestibility of Arbutus adrachne leaves (n=3) |
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Parameters |
Maturity |
SEM |
p |
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I |
II |
III |
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Gas(ml) |
34.7 |
34.0 |
35.7 |
0.902 |
0.256 |
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CH4 (ml/ g DOM) |
20.9b |
21.4ab |
23.7a |
0.911 |
0.047 |
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CH4 (%) |
11.5b |
12.1ab |
12.5a |
0.288 |
0.035 |
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ME (MJ/kg DM) |
7.3 |
7.2 |
7.4 |
0.124 |
0.289 |
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OMD (%) |
52.1 |
51.4 |
53.2 |
0.815 |
0.214 |
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abc Row means with common superscripts do not differ (P>0.05); SEM: Standard error mean ME (MJ/kg DM): Metabolisable energy, OMD (%): organic matter digestibility |
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Lopez et al (2010) suggested that CHH4 percentage of total gas produced after 24 hour fermentation can be used to determine the CH 4 reduction potential of any feedstuffs and the feedstuffs can be classified in three groups, low potential (% methane in gas between >11% and ≤14%), moderate potential (% methane in gas between >6% and <11%), high potential (% methane in gas between >0% and <6%). Therefore it seems to be likely that Arbutus adrachne leaves obtained at three maturity stages had low methane reduction potential since the percentages of methane for Arbutus adrachne leaves are between >11% and ≤14%
We thank Prof. Dr Durmus OZTURK for the photos of Arbutus adrachne shrub.
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Received 16 March 2017; Accepted 3 April 2017; Published 2 July 2017