Effects of Dietary Inclusion of Sericea Lespedeza Hay on Feed Intake, Digestion, Nutrient Utilization, Growth Performance, and Ruminal Fermentation and Methane Emission of Alpine Doelings and Katahdin Ewe Lambs

Abstract

Twenty-four Alpine doelings, initial 25.3 ± 0.55 kg body weight (BW) and 10.4 ± 0.11 mo of age, and 24 Katahdin ewe lambs, 28.3 ± 1.02 kg BW and 9.6 ± 0.04 mo of age, were used to determine effects of dietary inclusion of Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) hay on feed intake, digestion, growth performance, energy metabolism, and ruminal fermentation and methane emission. There were four periods, the first three 42 days in length and the fourth 47 days. Diets consumed ad libitum contained 75% coarsely ground hay with alfalfa (ALF), a 1:1 mixture of ALF and LES (ALF+LES), and LES (10.0% condensed tannins; CT). The intake of dry matter (DM) tended to be greater (p = 0.063) for Katahdin than for Alpine (4.14 vs. 3.84% BW; SEM = 0.110). The dry matter intake was similar among the diets (3.97, 4.10, and 3.89% BW for ALF, ALF+LES, and LES, respectively; SEM = 0.134). The digestion of organic matter (75.3, 69.3, and 65.5%; SEM = 0.86), neutral detergent fiber (61.7, 50.5, and 41.4%; SEM = 1.49), and nitrogen (78.8, 66.9, and 50.8% for ALF, ALF+LES, and LES, respectively; SEM = 0.92) decreased as the dietary concentration of lespedeza increased (p < 0.05). However, there was an interaction (p < 0.05) between the breed and diet in nitrogen digestion, with a greater value for goats vs. sheep with LES (54.4 vs. 47.3%; SEM = 1.30). The digested nitrogen intake decreased markedly with the increasing quantity of lespedeza (38.0, 27.5, and 15.7 g/day for ALF, ALF+LES, and LES, respectively; SEM = 1.26). The average daily gain was greater for Katahdin than for Alpine (p < 0.001; 180 vs. 88 g, SEM = 5.0) and ranked (p < 0.05) ALF > ALF+LES > LES (159, 132, and 111 g, respectively; SEM = 6.1). The ruminal methane emission differed (p < 0.05) between animal types in MJ/day (1.17 and 1.44), kJ/g DM intake (1.39 and 1.23), and kJ/g ADG (18.1 and 9.8 for Alpine and Katahdin, respectively). Regardless of the period and animal type, diet did not impact methane emission in MJ/day or relative to DM intake, BW, or ADG (p > 0.05). The digestible and metabolizable energy intakes, heat production, and retained energy were not affected by diet (p > 0.05). In conclusion, future research should consider the marked potential effect of CT of forages such as lespedeza on nitrogen digestion and associated effects on protein status and other conditions that may be impacted.

Effects of Dietary Inclusion of Tannin-Rich Sericea Lespedeza Hay on Relationships among Linear Body Measurements, Body Condition Score, Body Mass Indexes, and Performance of Growing Alpine Doelings and Katahdin Ewe Lambs

“…Diet and species effects on DMI, ADG, and KR were addressed by Wang et al [ 28 ]. There were no species × diet interactions in variables addressed in this report.…”

“…Factors that appeared responsible for differences in ADG among diets, despite similar feed intake, appeared to be dietary levels of condensed tannins (CT; 0.9, 5.8, and 10.0%) and crude protein (21.2, 17.1, and 13.0% for ALF, ALF:LES, and LES, respectively). Digestibility decreased with increasing levels of lespedeza and CT, particularly of N. Wang et al [ 28 ] postulated that decreasing amino acid absorption and protein status with increasing level of lespedeza may have prevented an increase in feed intake that has been observed in some other studies [ 44 , 45 ].…”

“…Body weight was measured at the start of the experiment and end of each measurement period (total of 4 periods) to determine ADG in each period and the entire experiment. Performance variables such as DMI, ADG, and the Kleiber ratio (KR) have been reported previously [ 28 ]. Body condition score with a scale of 1 to 5 scale and 0.25 increments was determined by three individuals at the start of the experiment and end of each period.…”

“…In yearling Alpine doelings fed forage-based diets, there were stronger relationships between BMI and performance variables such as dry matter (DM) intake (DMI) and average daily gain (ADG) compared with BCS [ 23 ]. Sheep and goats differ in feed intake, nutrient utilization, and growth performance when consuming condensed tannin-rich diets and forages [ 27 , 28 ]. Consequently, linear measures, BCS, and BMI could differ between these two species and among diets varying in level of tannins.…”

Optimizing Sericea Lespedeza Fodder Production in the Southeastern US: A Climate-Informed Geospatial Engineering Approach

“…These bioactive compounds have been shown to possess anthelmintic properties, effectively combating gastrointestinal parasites that commonly afflict grazing livestock [6,7]. Sericea lespedeza has demonstrated excellent bioactivity against gastrointestinal nematode [8] and coccidia infections in both sheep and goats [9,10], and it has other reported bioactivity as well, including rumen methane suppression [11], rumen protein bypass [12], depression of Musca domestica L. (common housefly) larvae in manure [13], and anti-bloat properties [14]. Determining the geographical suitability for growing SL is vital to harnessing its full potential as a nutraceutical forage, which includes enhancing the sustainability and profitability of livestock farming, particularly promoting sustainable rearing practices for small ruminant populations [6,[15][16][17].…”