Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center » Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #362557
Research Project: Improving Nutrient Use Efficiency and Mitigating Nutrient and Pathogen Losses from Dairy Production Systems

Location: Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research

Title: Effect of supplementing different proportions of sericea lespedeza with alfalfa silage on intake, digestibility, and nitrogen balance in sheep

Author
item NIYIGENA, V. - University Of Arkansas
item COFFEY, K. - University Of Arkansas
item Coblentz, Wayne
item PHILIPP, D. - University Of Arkansas
item SAVIN, M. - University Of Arkansas
item ZHAO, J. - University Of Arkansas
item DIAZ, J. - University Of Arkansas
item PARK, S. - University Of Arkansas
item SHELBY, S. - University Of Arkansas

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/15/2019
Publication Date: 7/7/2019
Citation: Niyigena, V., Coffey, K.P., Coblentz, W.K., Philipp, D., Savin, M.C., Zhao, J., Diaz, J., Park, S.P., Shelby, S.L. 2019. Effect of supplementing different proportions of sericea lespedeza with alfalfa silage on intake, digestibility, and nitrogen balance in sheep. Annual Meeting of ASAS. July 8-11, 2019. Austin, TX.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Dietary manipulations to include tannins can change the proportion and amounts of N excreted in the urine and feces as well as improve N-use efficiency by the animal. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of adding different proportions of sericea lespedeza hay (SL) containing tannins to alfalfa silage. Alfalfa was harvested in June 2018 at 75% bloom, chopped, then packed at 55% moisture into plastic containers lined with two plastic bags and allowed to ensile for 3 months. Alfalfa silage was either offered alone (0%, CONT) or mixed with 9 (LOW), 18 (MED), or 27% SL (HIGH) on a dry matter (DM) basis. These diets were offered randomly for ad libitum consumption to 16 ewes (41.8 ± 4.61 kg BW) in a randomized complete block design experiment with 2 periods to provide 4 observations per treatment for each experimental period. Each period consisted of a 14-d dietary adaptation period followed by 5 d of total fecal and urine collection. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS and orthogonal linear and quadratic trend analyses were tested. Digestibility (%) of DM and OM and digestible DM and OM intake (g/kg BW) decreased linearly (P < 0.05) with increasing SL addition to the diet. Digestibility of NDF and ADF decreased linearly (P < 0.01) with increasing SL. Apparent absorption of N (%) decreased linearly (P < 0.05) with increasing SL in the diet. In addition, urinary N excretions (g/d) tended (P = 0.10) to decrease linearly, while fecal N (g/day) tended to increase (P = 0.10) linearly with increasing SL proportions in the diet. In this study, supplementation of sericea lespedeza as a tannin source to alfalfa silage diets decreased forage digestibility, but did not affect feed intake. Since fecal and urine N composition was altered by manipulating the diet, it is possible that greenhouse gases and ammonia emissions also will be altered when urine and feces from these diets are applied in a pasture setting. The study was supported in part by USDA-ARS specific cooperative agreement 58-3655-4-052, and by USDA NIFA grant 2018-67019-27804.