Using mixed silages of sweet sorghum and alfalfa in total mixed rations to improve growth performance, nutrient digestibility, carcass traits and meat quality of sheep

Wang, J.; Yang, Bin; Zhang, S.J.; Amar, Abhishek; Chaudhry, AS; Cheng, Long; Abbasi, Imtiaz Hussain Raja; Al-Mamun, Mohammad; Guo, Xue-Feng; Shan, A. S.

doi:10.1016/j.animal.2021.100246

Cited by 19 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…SC and SS are both suitable for cultivation in the MSSA region due to their tolerance of soil types, fertilizers, and rainfall patterns. Moreover, co-ensiling of legumes and SS could more easily achieve high-quality silage due to their chemical composition: protein-rich in the former and WSC-rich in the latter ( Ni et al, 2018 ; Wang J. et al, 2021 ). Therefore, co-ensiling of SC and SS is a feasible way to produce quality silage in the MSSA region.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modulation of Fermentation Quality and Metabolome in Co-ensiling of Sesbania cannabina and Sweet Sorghum by Lactic Acid Bacterial Inoculants

et al. 2022

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modulation of Fermentation Quality and Metabolome in Co-ensiling of Sesbania cannabina and Sweet Sorghum by Lactic Acid Bacterial Inoculants

et al. 2022

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“…2019-25) used in this study was approved by the Animal Research Ethics Committee of Tarim University. Assignment to groups, management, housing conditions, and slaughter are described in detail in Wang et al [ 9 ], where growth trait, nutrient digestibility, and meat quality were reported. Briefly, thirty (4-month-old) healthy Karakul lambs with similar initial body weight (25.5 ± 1.4 kg) were divided into five groups of six lambs per group.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a promising forage to be used as a suitable feed for livestock production in arid regions, SS has attracted more and more attention in recent years because it has not only higher tolerance to salty, alkaline and drought conditions [ 4 , 5 ], but also high water-use efficiency, high biomass yield and high sugar content [ 6 , 7 ]. It is a suitable material for making silage due to its rich sugar content and high biomass, but it is difficult for SS silage alone to provide sufficient crude protein (CP) for animal growth and production [ 8 , 9 ]. Alfalfa ( Medicago sativa ; AF) is a perennial leguminous forage with rich protein content.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A study [ 8 ] showed that degradability of dry matter (DM), organic matter and total volatile fatty acids (tVFA) in vitro were affected by the percentage of AF in the AF–SS mixed silages. The use of AF–SS silage mixtures as animal feedstuff has also been studied in sheep [ 9 ]. This research indicated that the ratio of AF to SS in the mixed silages could affect not only the quality of AF–SS silage mixtures, but also the growth of sheep.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Silage Mixtures of Alfalfa with Sweet Sorghum Alter Blood and Rumen Physiological Status and Rumen Microbiota of Karakul Lambs

Wang

Cheng

Chaudhry

et al. 2022

Animals

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The study investigated the effects of feeding mixtures of alfalfa (AF) and sweet sorghum (SS) at different ratios of silages in terms of the physiological status of blood and rumen, and rumen microbiota in lambs. A total of 30 four-month-old male Karakul lambs with 25.5 ± 1.4 kg mean initial body weight were randomly allocated to five groups, with six lambs in each group. Five experimental diets containing 40% of one of the five AF–SS mixed silages (containing 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% AF on a fresh weight basis, respectively) and 60% of other ingredients were formulated. Overall, the results showed that the mixed silage with more AF tended to increase serum antioxidant capacity, dry matter (DM) intake, and rumen fermentation metabolites. The AF–SS mixed silages containing AF at 60% and 80% caused a significant linear increase (p < 0.05) in the activity of total antioxidant capacity. The superoxide dismutase in the Karakul lamb responded with significant linear and quadratic increases (p < 0.01) as the ratio of AF was increased in the AF–SS mixed silages. Feeding diets with AF in silage mixtures at the ratio of 60% significantly increased (p < 0.05) the concentration of ruminal total volatile fatty acids (tVFA), acetate, and ammonia-N. However, no statistical significance (p > 0.05) was found in the alpha diversity of rumen microbes among the tested groups (p > 0.05). Principal coordinates analysis could clearly discriminate the differences between the five groups (p = 0.001). The relative abundance of Firmicutes in the rumen were significantly higher with AF at 40% in the AF–SS silage-based diet than those with AF at 0%, and 20% ratios. The abundance of Ruminococcus_albus had a significant linear increase (p < 0.05), as the ratio of AF in the AF–SS mixed silages was increased. In conclusion, the best beneficial effect on the physiological status of the blood and rumen, DM intake, and rumen microbiota in lambs came from those that consumed the diet containing the AF–SS mixed silage with 60% AF.

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“…Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor Moench) is an important annual forage crop widely distributed all over the world (Bai et al, 2021;Ran et al, 2021;Wang et al, 2021). As a C 4 plant, its high yield, sugar-rich stalks and high resistance to adverse environments make it the best choice for forage production in arid and semi-arid areas where water shortage limits silage corn production (Huang et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epicuticular wax of sweet sorghum influenced the microbial community and fermentation quality of silage

et al. 2022

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Epicuticular wax, as secondary metabolites (hydrophobic compounds) covering plant surface, plays important roles in protecting plants from abiotic and biotic stresses. However, whether these compounds will influence fermentation process of silage is still not clear. In this study, two sweet sorghum cultivars with varying epicuticular wax on sheath (bloom), Yajin 2 (YJ, less bloom), and Jintian (JT, dense bloom), were harvested at flowering and maturing stages, and ensiled with or without bloom, aiming to evaluate the effects of bloom on fermentation quality, feed nutrition and microbial community. The bloom was collected manually with de-waxed cotton and extracted with chloroform. The results showed that the bloom reduced the concentrations of water-soluble carbohydrate and crude protein of the two cultivars at both stages, reduced lactic acid (LA) for YJ at both stages and for JT at flowering stage, and increased LA for JT at mature stage. The α-diversity of bacterial communities of the silage fermentation with bloom was significantly lower than that without bloom. Bloom increased the abundance of Lactobacillus, reduced that of Bacillus and Weissella, and significant correlations were observed between fermentative qualities and bacterial abundances. However, decreased diversity of bacterial community and the contents of LA implied that shifts in bacterial community might exert negative effects on silage fermentation. Our results suggest that bloom wax could alter the microbial community composition of ensiled sweet sorghums, which thus influence the fermentation qualities.

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Using mixed silages of sweet sorghum and alfalfa in total mixed rations to improve growth performance, nutrient digestibility, carcass traits and meat quality of sheep

Cited by 19 publications

References 39 publications

Modulation of Fermentation Quality and Metabolome in Co-ensiling of Sesbania cannabina and Sweet Sorghum by Lactic Acid Bacterial Inoculants

Modulation of Fermentation Quality and Metabolome in Co-ensiling of Sesbania cannabina and Sweet Sorghum by Lactic Acid Bacterial Inoculants

Silage Mixtures of Alfalfa with Sweet Sorghum Alter Blood and Rumen Physiological Status and Rumen Microbiota of Karakul Lambs

Epicuticular wax of sweet sorghum influenced the microbial community and fermentation quality of silage

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