Please wait a minute...
Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2018, Vol. 17 Issue (2): 415-427    DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(17)61779-9
Animal Science · Veterinary Medicine Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
Effects of dietary forage to concentrate ratio and wildrye length on nutrient intake, digestibility, plasma metabolites, ruminal fermentation and fecal microflora of male Chinese Holstein calves
XIA Chuan-qi1*, Aziz-Ur-Rahman Muhammad1, 2*, NIU Wen-jing1, SHAO Tao-qi1, QIU Qing-hua1, SU Hua-wei1, CAO Bing-hai1
1 State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, P.R.China
2 Institute of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad 3800, Pakistan  
Download:  PDF in ScienceDirect  
Export:  BibTeX | EndNote (RIS)      
Abstract  Twenty-eight male, weaned Chinese Holstein calves ((156.8±33.4) kg) were used to investigate the effects of dietary forage to concentrate ratio (F:C) and forage length on nutrient digestibility, plasma metabolites, ruminal fermentation, and fecal microflora. Animals were randomly allocated to four treatments in a 2×2 factorial arrangement: whole-length forage (WL) with low F:C (50:50); WL with high F:C (65:35); short-length forage (SL) with high F:C (65:35); and SL with low F:C (50:50).  Chinese wildrye was used as the only forage source in this trial.  The grass in the SL treatments was chopped using a chaff cutter to achieve small particle size (~50% particles >19 mm).  Dry matter intake (DMI) and organic matter (OM) intake was increased by increasing both F:C (P<0.01) and forage length (FL) (P<0.05), while acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) intakes were only increased by increasing the F:C (P<0.01).  The digestibility of NDF was increased as the FL increased (P<0.01), and it was also affected by interaction between F:C and FL (P<0.05).  Cholesterol (CHO) (P<0.01), leptin (LP) (P<0.05), and growth hormone (GH) (P<0.01) concentrations in plasma were increased as dietary F:C increased.  A significant increase in plasma triglyceride (TG) (P<0.01), insulin (INS) (P<0.05), and GH (P<0.01) levels was observed with decreasing dietary FL.  Ruminal pH values of calves fed with low F:C diets were significantly lower than those in high F:C treatment (P<0.05).  Increasing the F:C enhanced ruminal acetic acid (P<0.05) and acetic acid/propionic acid (P<0.01).  Fecal Lactobacillus content was significantly higher, while Escherichia coli and Salmonella contents were significantly lower in WL and high F:C groups (P<0.05).  Lower fecal scores (higher diarrhea rate) were observed in calves fed with SL hay compared to WL hay (P<0.05).  Denatured gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) bands and richness index (S) were significantly affected by the interaction between F:C and FL (P<0.05), under high F:C, band numbers and richness index from WL group were higher than that from SL group (P<0.05), whereas there were no differences between WL and SL groups under low F:C (P>0.05).  Microflora similarity was 50–73% among the different treatments.  It is concluded that the WL with high F:C (65:35) diet is suitable for weaned calves.
Keywords:  forage to concentrate ratio        forage length        nutrient digestibility        plasma metabolites        ruminal fermentation        fecal microflora        male Holstein calves  
Received: 22 January 2017   Accepted:
Fund: 

This research was supported by the earmarked fund for China Agriculture Research System (CARS-37) and Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest (201303144).

Corresponding Authors:  Correspondence CAO Bing-hai, Tel/Fax: +86-10-62814346, E-mail: caobinghai@163.com; SU Hua-wei, E-mail: su_huawei@foxmail.com    
About author:  XIA Chuan-qi, E-mail: xiachuanqi4732@163.com; * These authors contributed equally to this study.

Cite this article: 

XIA Chuan-qi, Aziz-Ur-Rahman Muhammad, NIU Wen-jing, SHAO Tao-qi, QIU Qing-hua, SU Hua-wei, CAO Bing-hai. 2018. Effects of dietary forage to concentrate ratio and wildrye length on nutrient intake, digestibility, plasma metabolites, ruminal fermentation and fecal microflora of male Chinese Holstein calves. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 17(2): 415-427.

Al-Saiady M Y, Abouheif M A, Makkawi A A, Ibrahim H A, Al-Owaimer A N. 2010. Impact of particle length of alfalfa hay in the diet of growing lambs on performance, digestion and carcass characteristics. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences, 23, 475–482.

AOAC (Association of Official Analytical Chemistry). 2000. Official Methods of Analysis. 17th ed. Association of Official Analytical Chemistry, Arlington.

Beauchemin K A, Yang W Z, Rode L M. 2003. Effects of particle size of alfalfa based dairy cow diets on chewing activity, ruminal fermentation, and milk production. Journal of Dairy Science, 86, 630–643.

Bergman E N. 1975. Production and utilization of metabolites by the alimentary tract as measured in portal and hepatic blood. In: McDonald I W, Warner A C I, eds., Digestion and Metabolism in the Ruminant. University of New England Publishing Unit, Armidale, Australia. pp. 292–305.

Broderick G A, Kang J H. 1980. Automated simultaneous determination of ammonia and total amino acids in ruminal fluid and in vitro media. Journal of Dairy Science, 63, 64–75.

Canibe N, Steien S H, Øverland M, Jensen B B. 2001. Effect of K-diformate in starter diets on acidity, microbiota, and the amount of organic acids in the digestive tract of piglets, and on gastric alterations. Journal of Animal Science, 79, 2123–2133.

Castells L I, Bach A, Araujo G, Montoro C, Terré M. 2012. Effect of different forage sources on performance and feeding behavior of Holstein calves. Journal of Dairy Science, 95, 286–293.

Chadwick R W, George S E, Claxton L D. 1992. Role of the gastrointestinal mucosa and microflora in the bioactivation of dietary and environmental mutagens or carcinogens. Drug Metabolism Reviews, 24, 425–492.

Conway P L. 1994. Function and regulation of the gastrointestinal microbiota of the pig. European Association for Animal Production Publication, 2, 231–240.

Delavaud C, Ferlay A, Faulconnier Y, Bocquier F, Kann G, Chilliard Y. 2002. Plasma leptin concentration in adult cattle: Effects of breed, adiposity, feeding level, and meal intake. Journal of Animal Science, 80, 1317–1328.

Duncan S H, Louis P, Thomson J M, Flint H J. 2009. The role of pH in determining the species composition of the human colonic microbiota. Environmental Microbiology, 11, 2112–2122.

Erdman R A. 1988. Dietary buffering requirements of the lactating dairy cow: A review. Journal of Dairy Science, 71, 3246–3266.

Giger-Reverdin S, Rigalma K, Desnoyers M, Sauvant D, Duvaux-Ponter C. 2014. Effect of concentrate level on feeding behavior and rumen and blood parameters in dairy goats: relationships between behavioral and physiological parameters and effect of between-animal variability. Journal of Dairy Science, 97, 4367–4378.

Gow S P, Waldner C L, Harel J, Boerlin P. 2008. Associations between antimicrobial resistance genes in fecal generic Escherichia coli isolates from cow-calf herds in western Canada. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 74, 3658–3666.

Granja-Salcedo Y T, Ribeiro Júnior C S, De Jesus R B, Gomez-Insuasti A S, Rivera A R, Messana J D, Canesin R C, Berchielli T T. 2016. Effect of different levels of concentrate on ruminal microorganisms and rumen fermentation in Nellore steers. Archives of Animal Nutrition, 70, 17–32.

Greenberg J H. 1956. The measurement of linguistic diversity. Language, 32, 109–115.

Gutzwiller A, Jost M. 1998. Piglet diarrhea and oedema disease: Prevention is better. Agrarforschung Schweiz, 5, 459–462.

Hintz R W, Mertens D R, Albrecht K A. 1996. Effects of sodium sulfite on recovery and composition of detergent fiber and lignin. Journal of Association of Official Analytical Chemistry, 79, 16–22.

Hooper L V, Macpherson A J. 2010. Immune adaptations that maintain homeostasis with the intestinal microbiota. Nature Reviews Immunology, 10, 159–169.

Ireland-Perry R L, Stallings C C. 1993. Fecal consistency as related to dietary composition in lactating Holstein cows. Journal of Dairy Science, 76, 1074–1082.

Kennedy P M, Hazlewood G P, Milligan L P. 1984. A comparison of methods for the estimation of the proportion of microbial nitrogen in duodenal digesta, and of correction for microbial contamination in nylon bags incubated in the rumen of sheep. British Journal of Nutrition, 52, 403–417.

Kim E T, Min K S, Kim C H, Moon Y H, Kim S C, Lee S S. 2013. The effect of plant extracts on in-vitro ruminal fermentation, methanogenesis and methane-related microbes in the rumen. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences, 26, 517–522.

Kononoff P J, Heinrichs A J. 2003. The effect of corn silage particle size and cottonseed hulls on cows in early lactation. Journal of Dairy Science, 86, 2438–2451.

Krause K M, Combs D K. 2003. Effects of forage particle size, forage source, and grain fermentability on performance and ruminal pH in midlactation cows. Journal of Dairy Science, 86, 1382–1397.

Krause K M, Combs D K, Beauchemin K A. 2002. Effects of forage particle size and grain fermentability in midlactation cows. II. Ruminal pH and chewing activity. Journal of Dairy Science, 85, 1947–1957.

Llamas-Lamas G, Combs D K. 1991. Effect of forage to concentrate ratio and intake level on utilization of early vegetative alfalfa silage by dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science, 74, 526–536.

MAFF (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, United Kingdom). 1984. Energy Allowances and Feeding Systems for Ruminants. Reference Book 433. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London. p. 85.

Mao S, Zhang R, Wang D, Zhu W. 2012. The diversity of the fecal bacterial community and its relationship with the concentration of volatile fatty acids in the feces during subacute rumen acidosis in dairy cows. BMC Veterinary Research, 8, 237.

Meale S J, Li S C, Paula A, Hooman D, Plaizier J C, Ehsan K, Steele M A. 2016. Development of ruminal and fecal microbiomes are affected by weaning but not weaning strategy in dairy calves. Frontiers in Microbiology, 7, 582.

Montoro C, Miller-Cushon E K, DeVries T J, Bach A. 2013. Effect of physical form of forage on performance, feeding behavior, and digestibility of Holstein calves. Journal of Dairy Science, 96, 1117–1124.

Mooney C S, Allen M S. 1997. Physical effectiveness of the neutral detergent fiber of whole linted cottonseed relative to that of alfalfa silage at two lengths of cut. Journal of Dairy Science, 80, 2052–2061.

Muhammad A U R, Xia C Q, Cao B H. 2016. Dietary forage concentration and particle size affect sorting, feeding behaviour, intake and growth of Chinese Holstein male calves. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 100, 217–223.

Muyzer G, Smalla K. 1998. Application of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) in microbial ecology. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, 73, 127–141.

Norouzian M A, Valizadeh R. 2014. Effect of forage inclusion and particle size in diets of neonatal lambs on performance and rumen development. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 98, 1095–1101.

Ofek I, Beachey E H, Jefferson W, Campbell G L. 1975. Cell membrane-binding properties of group A streptococcal lipoteichoic acid. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 141, 990–1003.

Pitt R E, Van Kessel J S, Fox D G, Pell A N, Berry M C, Van Soest P J. 1996. Prediction of ruminal volatile fatty acids and pH within the net carbohydrate and protein system. Journal of Animal Science, 74, 226–244.

Radecki S V, Yokoyama M T. 1991. Intestinal bacteria and their influence on swine nutrition. In: Miller E R, Ullrey D E, Lewis A J, eds., Swine Nutrition. Butterworth-Heinemann, Stoneham, MA, USA. pp. 439–447.

Reid C A, Hillman K. 1999. The effects of retrogradation and amylose/amylopectin ratio of starches on carbohydrate fermentation and microbial populations in the porcine colon. Animal Science (Penicuik, Scotland), 68, 503–510.

Shanahan F. 2010. Probiotics in perspective. Gastroenterology, 139, 1808–1812.

Simpson J M, McCracken V J, Gaskins H R, Mackie R I. 2000. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of 16S ribosomal DNA amplicons to monitor changes in fecal bacterial populations of weaning pigs after introduction of Lactobacillus reuteri strain MM53. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 66, 4705–4714.

Singh K M, Shah T M, Reddy B, Deshpande S, Rank D N, Joshi C G. 2014. Taxonomic and gene-centric metagenomics of the fecal microbiome of low and high feed conversion ratio (FCR) broilers. Journal of Applied Genetics, 55, 145–154.

Snel H, Hoolwerf J, Wissink-Lettink M, Bovee-Oudenhoven I, Van Der Meer R, Herrewegh A. 2002. Use of real-time polymerase chain reaction for microflora analysis. British Journal of Nutrition, 88, 117–118.

Van Soest P J, Ferreira A M, Hartley R D. 1984. Chemical properties of fiber in relation to nutritive quality of ammonia treated forages. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 10, 155–164.

Van Soest P J, Robertson J B, Lewis B A. 1991. Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and non-starch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. Journal of Dairy Science, 74, 3583–3597.

Sterk A, Johansson B E, Taweel H Z, Murphy M, van Vuuren A M, Hendriks W H, Dijkstra J. 2011. Effects of forage type, forage to concentrate ratio, and crushed linseed supplementation on milk fatty acid profile in lactating dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science, 94, 6078–6091.

Stone W C. 2004. Nutritional approaches to minimize subacute ruminal acidosis and laminitis in dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science, 87, E13–E26.

Sutton J D. 1989. Altering milk composition by feeding. Journal of Dairy Science, 72, 2801–2814.

Tafaj M, Steingass H, Drochner W. 2001. Influence of hay particle size at different concentrate and feeding levels on digestive processes and feed intake in ruminants. 2. Passage, digestibility and feed intake. Archives of Animal Nutrition, 54, 243–259.

Thomlinson J R, Lawrence T L. 1981. Dietary manipulation of gastric pH in the prophylaxis of enteric disease in weaned pigs: Some field observations. Veterinary Record, 109, 120–122.

Williams B A, Verstegen M W A, Tamminga S. 2001. Fermentation in the large intestine of single-stomached animals and its relationship to animal health. Nutrition Research Reviews, 14, 207–227.

Xu X, Xu P, Ma C, Tang J, Zhang X. 2012. Gut microbiota, host health, and polysaccharides. Biotechnology Advances, 31, 318–337.

Yang W Z, Beauchemin K A. 2005. Effects of physically effective fiber on digestion and milk production by dairy cows fed diets based on corn silage. Journal of Dairy Science, 88, 1090–1098.

Yang W Z, Beauchemin K A. 2007. Altering physically effective fiber intake through forage proportion and particle length: Digestion and milk production. Journal of Dairy Science, 90, 3410–3421.

Yang W Z, Beauchemin K A, Rode L M. 2001. Effects of grain processing, forage to concentrate ratio, and forage particle size on rumen pH and digestion by dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science, 84, 2203–2216.

Zebeli Q, Tafaj M, Steingass H, Metzler B, Drochner W. 2006. Effects of physically effective fiber on digestive processes and milk fat content in early lactating dairy cows fed total mixed rations. Journal of Dairy Science, 89, 651–668.

Zebeli Q, Tafaj M, Weber I, Dijkstra J, Steingass H, Drochner W. 2007. Effects of varying dietary forage particle size in two concentrate levels on chewing activity, ruminal mat characteristics, and passage in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science, 90, 1929–1942.
No related articles found!
No Suggested Reading articles found!