Abstract:The objective of this study was to evaluate in lactating cows the effect of either chopping or ensiling of wheat roughage on: intake, digestibility, lactation performance and animal behavior. Three groups of 14 lactating cows each, were fed total mixed rations (TMRs) based on either long wheat hay (HL), short wheat hay (HS) or wheat silage (SI), as the sole roughage source (30% of TMR dry matter (DM)). Parameters examined: sorting behavior, DM intake, milk yield and composition, rumination, recumbence, average… Show more
“…The cows were grouped for similar physical conditions-age in months, body weight, and daily milk production-and were at the same stage of lactation. The cows were fed diets consisting of 30% forage and 70% concentrate that differed in their forage source and chop length, as described by Shaani et al [22], and fed a total mixed ration ad libitum, provided once a day. Two cows belonging to two different groups were excluded from the experiment due to veterinary considerations.…”
Niche modification is a process whereby the activity of organisms modifies their local environment creating new niches for other organisms. This process can have a substantial role in community assembly of gut microbial ecosystems due to their vast and complex metabolic activities. We studied the postprandial diurnal community oscillatory patterns of the rumen microbiome and showed that metabolites produced by the rumen microbiome condition its environment and lead to dramatic diurnal changes in community composition and function. After feeding, microbiome composition undergoes considerable change in its phylogenetic breadth manifested as a significant 3-5-fold change in the relative abundance of methanogenic archaea and main bacterial taxa such as Prevotella, in a manner that was independent of individual host variation and diet. These changes in community composition were accompanied by changes in pH and methane partial pressure, suggesting a strong functional connection. Notably, cross-incubation experiments combining metabolites and organisms from different diurnal time points showed that the metabolites released by microbes are sufficient to reproduce changes in community function comparable to those observed in vivo. These findings highlight microbiome niche modification as a deterministic process that drives diurnal community assembly via environmental filtering.
“…The cows were grouped for similar physical conditions-age in months, body weight, and daily milk production-and were at the same stage of lactation. The cows were fed diets consisting of 30% forage and 70% concentrate that differed in their forage source and chop length, as described by Shaani et al [22], and fed a total mixed ration ad libitum, provided once a day. Two cows belonging to two different groups were excluded from the experiment due to veterinary considerations.…”
Niche modification is a process whereby the activity of organisms modifies their local environment creating new niches for other organisms. This process can have a substantial role in community assembly of gut microbial ecosystems due to their vast and complex metabolic activities. We studied the postprandial diurnal community oscillatory patterns of the rumen microbiome and showed that metabolites produced by the rumen microbiome condition its environment and lead to dramatic diurnal changes in community composition and function. After feeding, microbiome composition undergoes considerable change in its phylogenetic breadth manifested as a significant 3-5-fold change in the relative abundance of methanogenic archaea and main bacterial taxa such as Prevotella, in a manner that was independent of individual host variation and diet. These changes in community composition were accompanied by changes in pH and methane partial pressure, suggesting a strong functional connection. Notably, cross-incubation experiments combining metabolites and organisms from different diurnal time points showed that the metabolites released by microbes are sufficient to reproduce changes in community function comparable to those observed in vivo. These findings highlight microbiome niche modification as a deterministic process that drives diurnal community assembly via environmental filtering.
“…To control costs alternative forms of animal feed need to be urgently identified. Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) is a versatile crop that is used for grain, pasture, or silage in worldwide ( Shaani et al, 2017 ). It presents a high nutritive value, protein content, productivity, and digestibility and also contains good vitamins concentrations and fiber digestibility or even significantly higher than hay and corn ( Crovetto et al, 1998 ).…”
Whole-crop wheat silage (WCWS) is an excellent feed material for ruminants. However, microbial fermentation during silage production consumes valuable nutrients, decreasing the quality of silage. The main objective of this study was to assess how the addition of increasing amounts of Artemisia argyi (AA) affected fermentation quality, microbial composition, and mycotoxin production in whole-crop wheat at dough stage (WCWD) silage during ensiling to aerobic exposure compared with Lactiplantibacillus buchneri (LB). The addition of 20% AA, resulted in a lower pH and higher lactic acid content, was found in silage treated with 20% AA, and an obvious increase in the relative abundance of Lactobacillus was detected in silages treated with LB and 20% AA, respectively. Meanwhile, inoculation with 20% AA decreased the abundance of harmful microorganisms, including Acinetobacter, Enterobacter, and Aspergillus. It also reduced the contents of mycotoxins, Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), and deoxynivalenol (DON) during ensiling and aerobic exposure. These results confirmed that WCWD treated with 20% AA could improve the fermentation quality and enhance the aerobic stability of silage.
“…A previous study found that the digestibility of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) tended to be lower in hay than silage, yet feeding hay increased the total feed intake, milk yield and nitrogen efficiency in dairy cows, as compared to silage [ 8 ]. Shaani et al [ 9 ] also concluded that short WCWH could be a better forage source than whole crop wheat silage due to greater feed intake. These studies demonstrated that WCWH should be a better feed source than whole crop wheat silage for ruminants.…”
The nutritional value of whole crop wheat hay (WCWH) harvested at different maturation stages are different, and its feeding effects on dairy cows have not been thoroughly evaluated. In this study, the in vitro digestibility of whole wheat (Nongda 22) hay harvested during the flowering, late milk and dough stages were evaluated using batch culture technique. The neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents of whole wheat hay decreased by 35.5% and 40.4%, respectively, whereas the non-fibrous carbohydrates (NFC) content increased by 50.3% in WCWH harvested during the dough stage as compared to the flowering stage (p < 0.01). The pH of the fermentation liquid and acetate to propionate ratio was greatest in the wheat harvested during the flowering stage and lowest during the dough stage (p = 0.03), whereas the volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration was greatest during the dough stage and lowest during the flowering stage (p < 0.01). The dry matter loss (DML) was 9.6% and 6.2% greater (p < 0.01) during the late milk stage than in the flowering or dough stages, and the NDF loss (NDFL; p = 0.01) and ADF loss (ADFL; p < 0.01) was greater in both the flowering and late milk stages. In conclusion, though the content of NDF was lower in the dough stage, and the starch to NFC ratio was greater, we determined that the optimal harvest stage should be the late milk stage due to the greater dry matter digestibility, the relatively greater NFC content and the shorter planting days.
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