Relationships between Agronomic Traits of Moringa Accessions and In Vitro Gas Production Characteristics of a Test Feed Incubated with or without Moringa Plant Leaf Extracts

Abstract

The use of medicinal plants and their extracts has recently attracted the attention of many researchers as a methane (CH4) mitigation strategy. This study evaluated the relationship of agronomic traits of Moringa accessions with in vitro gas production measurements and feed digestibility from ruminants. Twelve Moringa accessions were grown at the Roodeplaat experimental site of the Agricultural Research Council in Pretoria, South Africa. Agronomic traits, such as seedling survival rate, leaf yield, canopy and stem diameter, plant height, number of primary branches, plant vigor, greenness, chlorosis, disease and pest incidences were recorded. The leaves were harvested in the fifth month after transplanting to the field. Freeze-dried leaves were extracted with methanol, and their total phenolic and total flavonoid contents were determined. The extract was applied at a dose of 50 mg/kg of dry matter (DM) feed for in vitro gas production studies. Most of the growth and agronomic traits, i.e., seedling survival rate, leaf yield, canopy diameter, plant height, number of primary branches, the score of plant vigor, and greenness, total phenolics and flavonoids were significantly different among the accessions except for stem diameter and chlorosis score. All accession leaf extracts significantly reduced the total gas and CH4 production compared with the control with equal or higher in vitro organic matter digestibility. Higher CH4 inhibition was obtained in Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) A3 (28.4%) and A11 (29.1%), whereas a lower inhibition was recorded in A1 (17.9%) and A2 (18.2%). The total phenolic (0.62) and total flavonoid (0.71) contents as well as most agronomic traits of the accessions were positively correlated with the CH4 inhibition potential of the accessions. Moringa oleifera accessions A3, A8 and A11 resulted in higher in vitro CH4 inhibition potential and improved organic matter digestibility of the feed with equal or higher adaptability performances in the field. Thus, there is a possibility of selecting Moringa accessions for higher antimethanogenic activity without compromising the feed digestibility by selecting for higher total phenolics, total flavonoids and agronomic performances traits. There is a need for further study to determine the long-term adaptability of promising accessions in the study area with concurrent antimethanogenesis efficacy when used in the diet of ruminant animals.

Polysaccharides from South Tunisian Moringa alterniflora Leaves: Characterization, Cytotoxicity, Antioxidant Activity, and Laser Burn Wound Healing in Rats

“…The Moringa oleifera tree is part of the monogeneric family Moringaceae and is native to the tropical Northern India. The tree has been cultivated in many parts of the World, including the Mediterranean basin and South Africa [ 9 , 10 ]. It was recently cultivated in Tunisia desert since it resists very well to stressed conditions.…”

“…It is considered one of the world’s most outstanding nutritional and medicinal trees due to its ability to adapt to different climatic conditions [ 11 , 12 ]. Its leaves, flowers, seeds, pods, and bark have long been used by both Africans and Indians for various purposes such as gas production [ 9 ] or as a biostimulant to supplement synthetic fertilizers in agriculture [ 10 ].…”

Effects of plant extracts on in-vitro gas production kinetics and ruminal fermentation of four fibrous feeds: Thought sustainable animal diets

“…Moringa is a perennial slender softwood tree that belongs to the monogeneric family Moringaceae with relative high phenolic and avonoids content (Kholif et al 2018;Zeru et al, 2022). Thyme is a owering plant in Lamiaceae family that rich in avonoids, saponins, alkaloids, and tannins (Gunal et al 2013).…”

“…For years, PSMs were termed anti-nutritional factors, however, in the last few decades those metabolites have gained growing interest in ruminant nutrition (Ku-Vera et al 2020). Usually, PSMs such as tannins, saponins, and avonoids affect the attachment of rumen microorganisms to brous feeds (Zeru et al, 2022), create a stable extract feed complex (Karásková et al 2015), and alter the ber structure, which could stimulate microbial colonization (Kholif et al 2018). Numerous plants with a wide spectrum of PSMs have been studied to improve forage fermentation in the rumen (Ku-Vera et al 2020).…”

“…Rosemary originating from the Mediterranean region belongs to the Lamiaceae family that also contains diverse metabolites such as carnosol, carnosic acid, and rosmarinic acid (Kong et al 2022). In addition, many in-vitro and in-vivo studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of Moringa, Thyme, and Rosemary in livestock nutrition, however, the results have been inconsistent (Karásková et al 2015;Zeru et al, 2022). Moreover, little is known about the effects of these plant extracts on gas kinetic in goats.…”