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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Booneville, Arkansas » Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #67871
Title: NET FLUX OF NUTRIENTS ACROSS SPLANCHNIC TISSUES IN WETHERS CONSUMING GRASS HAY WITH OR WITHOUT CORN AND ALFALFA

Author
item Goetsch, Arthur
item PATIL, A - UNIV OF ARKANSAS
item WANG, Z - UNIV OF ARKANSAS
item PARK, K - UNIV OF ARKANSAS
item GALLOWAY SR, D - UNIV OF ARKANSAS
item ROSSI, J - UNIV OF ARKANSAS

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/26/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Crossbred wethers (14, 33+/- 1 kg, and 9 mo of age) were used in a 21-d experiment to determine interactions between dietary inclusion of grain (ground corn; C) and legume (alfalfa hay: 60% NDF and 15% CP; A) in a basal grass (ryegrass-wheat hay; 72% NDF and 9% CP) diet on splanchnic tissue net flux of nutrients with ad libitum consumption. Diets were approximately 100, 75, 75, or 50% grass; 0, 25, 0, or 25% C; and 0, 0, 25, or 25% A for Control, C, A, and CA treatments, respectively. Dry matter intake (.86, .93, .97, and 1.10 kg/d; SE .092) and OM digestibility (67, 70, 70, and 72%; SE 2.0) were similar among treatments (P>.05), although digestible N intake was greater (P<0.01) with than without A (6.0, 5.9, 9.8, and 10.3 g/d for Control, C, A, and CA, respectively; SE .91). Oxygen consumption by the portal-drained viscera (134 +/- 5.9 mM/h), liver (115 +/- 9.0 mM/h), and splanchnic bed (248 +/- 12.2 mM/h) did not differ among treatments (P>.10); however, heat production as percentages of DE intake by the portal-drained viscera (13.1 vs 10.8%; P=.02) and splanchnic bed (23.3 vs 20.8%; P=.08) were greater without than with A. Dietary inclusion of A increased (P=.04) hepatic release of urea nitrogen (30.6, 22.5, 38.6, and 41.4 mM/h) and hepatic uptake of ammonia nitrogen (12.1, 10.7, 19.3, and 17.6 mM/h for Control, C, A, and CA, respectively). In conclusion, C and A substitution each for 25% of dietary grass did not interact in DE intake or net fluxes of oxygen or nitrogenous compounds across splanchnic tissues in growing wethers.