Nutritional valorization of ginger lily forage (Hedychium gardnerianum, Sheppard ex Ker-Gawl) for animal feeding: Treatment with urea

Abstract

Fiber availability is not always ensured in all year long grazing systems. In this context, low quality fiber feeds may be of relevance for bovine feeding. We propose, thus, to study the effect of adding 5% of urea (on a dry matter basis) on the chemical composition and nutritional value of Hedychium gardnerianum, Sheppard ex Ker-Gawl (ginger lily or Kahili ginger), a traditional fiber source used by Azorean farmers. Treatments were: green ginger lily as a control, addition of 5% urea on a DM basis to green ginger lily, with treatments lasting 0, 5, 10, 15 and 30 days and addition of 5% urea on a DM basis to previously dried ginger lily, at day 0. The treatment afforded a significant (P<0.05) increase in crude protein, while maintaining the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents, and a variation in the acid detergent lignin (ADL) content. No significant improvement in in vitro dry matter digestibility. The treatment with urea of the green forage does not have the same effect as in other low quality fiber feeds, namely straw, since ginger lily has much higher a Crude Protein value than those other fibrous feeds.

Nutritional valorisation of cane (Arundo donax) by treatment with sodium hydroxide

“…Physical, chemical and biological treatment of low-quality roughages could provide quality fodder, meeting the nutritional requirements of the animals and mitigating the effects of the scarcity of high-quality forage (Bertipaglia et al, 2005). In recent years, several studies have been carried out on the valorization of Hedychium gardnerianum (Borba et al, 2015). However, treatment of green Hedychium gardnerianum fodder with urea did not have the same effect as similar treatment of low-quality fibrous straws, because the green fodder had a much higher crude protein content than the straws.…”

Nutritional Potential of Some Invasive Species of Macaronesia for Ruminants

“…During winter, animals are usually kept in the so-called "invernadores", as an effort to protect them from adverse conditions, particularly, rain and wind (Borba et al, 2015) 2 During these periods of lack of grass, often unconventional fodders are used as sources of fibre, with shrubs playing a predominant role. Of the unconventional fodders used in Azorean animal feeding, we highlight Pittosporum undulatum (incense), Hedychium gardnerianum (ginger lily) (Borba et al, 2015) 2 .…”