جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « chemical composition » در نشریات گروه « علوم دام »

The dry climate and water scarcity in most areas of Iran caused to serious restriction in planting fodder. Therefore, it is very important to find new fodder sources to feed ruminants in order to reduce the ration costs. One of the new sources of fodder that may have a favorable nutritional value are plants of the Paulowniaceae family in China, East Asia and some parts of Iran. Several types of Paulownia are known in the world. These plants are known for their high growth rate and intense photosynthesis, which are specific to C4 plants, and with wide leaves with a diameter of about 90 cm. The commercial production of Paulownia wood generates a large quantity of leaves, which are typically used as natural fertilizers.At the age of about 6 to 8 years, the production leaf of each Paulownia tree reaches about 100 kg. When the leaves have a favorable nutritional value, they can be used as fodder in feeding ruminants. In Iran, there has been no study on the nutritional value of Paulownia leaves for use in animal feed. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate the chemical composition of Paulownia leaves and the chemical composition, gas production parameters, digestion and fermentation characteristics of the silages from the mixture of different levels of Paulownia leaves (Tebjoo hybrid variety) and fodder corn in vitro. The corn forage and Paulownia leaves (Tebjoo hybrid variety) were prepared. At first, the chemical composition of corn forage and Paulonia leaf samples was determined based on the conventional methods. Then, both forages were chopped into 2-4 cm sizes using a hand chopper for silage preparation. Experimental treatments included silages containing different ratios of fodder corn and Paulownia leaves (0:100, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 and 0:100). The materials were compacted in the plastic containers and the silage period lasted 60 days. Determining the chemical composition of fresh fodders and the nutritional value of experimental silages including chemical composition, in vitro gas production and fermentation parameters, digestibility and enzyme activity were carried out based on a completely random design. Results indicated that dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), ether extract (EE), lignin, non-fibrer carbohydrates (NFC) and water soluble carbohydrates content of fresh Paulownia leaves were 266, 911, 173, 402, 201, 35.5, 86.4, 404 and 91.2 g/kg DM, respectively. The mentioned chemical composition in Paulownia silage were 273, 902, 164, 393, 191, 38.8, 74.5, 386 and 25.4 g/kg DM, respectively. With increasing the proportion of Paulownia leaf in silage, DM, CP, lignin, EE, ammonia nitrogen concentration increased linearly (P<0.05). However, OM, NDF and ADF decreased linearly (P<0.05). By increasing the ratio of Paulownia leaf to corn in th silage, in vitro gas production (GP) in 24, 36 and 48 h, GP potential (coefficient b) and short-chain volatile fatty acids concentration decreased linearly (P<0.05), although it linearly increased ammonia nitrogen concentration and microbial protein synthesis (P<0.05). The carboxymethyl cellulase and filter paper degrading activities decreased linearly with increasing the inclusion level of Paulownia leaf in silage (P<0.05). However, ruminal alpha-amylase and protease activity showed a linear increase (P<0.05). The present study showed that the Paulownia leaf of Tebjoo hybrid variety has a favorable nutritional value as a new forage source in animal nutrition. Also, the preparation of silages including different ratio of Paulownia leaves and corn is recommended for animal feeding in the conditions of significant shortage of protein resources in the country. Future research is warranted to investigate how Paulownia leaf affect ruminant performance.

 a study was carried out to investigate the effect of different treatment methods (chemical and biological) on chemical composition, gas production parameters and digestibility of quinoa straw in a completely randomized design.

Quinoa straw was collected from Ashkhaneh city (north Khorasan province, Iran), chopped into 2-5cm pieces and prepared for processing. The following treatments were: 1) untreated quinoa straw (control) (CON), 2) CON processed with sodium hydroxide, 3) CON processed with hydrogen peroxide, 4) CON inoculated and fermented with Bacillus Subtilis and 5) CON inoculated and fermented with Aspergillus Niger. Prior to hydrogen peroxide treatment (132 mL of 35% H2O2), samples were pretreated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH, 80 g/kg DM) to attain and maintain a pH of 11.5. For biological processing, activation of lyophilized vials and preparation of starter cultures of bacteria and fungi were done in MRS-broth at 37°C and PDA at 25°C, respectively. After that, one liter of the combination of distilled water and starter culture (containing at least 105 colony forming units per milliliter of bacteria or fungi) was added to each kilogram of quinoa straw.Treated samples were then placed into plastic bags, tied up and stored under anaerobic conditions. Prior to analysis, bags were opened and air dried. Chemical composition of the samples was determined using the standard methods of AOAC. Ruminal degradability trial was carried out using the nylon bag technique. Gas production test was used to estimate gas production parameters. In vitro digestibility of the samples was determined through the batch culture method.

The results showed that there was a significant difference between treatments in terms of chemical composition (dry matter, ash, organic matter and crude protein) (P<0.05). In this respect, the highest amount of dry matter was in the control treatment and the lowest in the hydrogen peroxide treatment. Among the chemical treatments, the treatments with sodium hydroxide had the highest and the treatments with hydrogen peroxide had the lowest values of Crude Ash. Different treatment methods had significant effect on gas production potential and rate (P <0.05). Treatments with control and fungi had the highest and sodium hydroxide treatment had the lowest gas production potential. Treatment with sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide significantly increased dry matter and organic matter digestibility (P<0.05). In general, the bacteria had the lowest digestibility, partitioning factor, and microbial protein production.

Overall, the results of this study showed that treatment with sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide had a greater effect on improving the nutritional value of quinoa straw.

 Pomegranate has many secondary metabolites such as tannins and phenolic compounds, which have various properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune system stimulating effects. The amount of tannin in pomegranate skin has been reported up to 20.6%. The limiting effects of tannins can be related to reducing the use of nutrients, especially protein, reducing growth and performance, reducing palatability and feed consumption, and reducing the activity of digestive enzymes. In addition to the anti-nutritional effects in high concentration, the positive impact of dense tannins in optimal concentration includes improving live weight gain, preventing flatulence, increasing milk production, reducing intestinal nematodes, and reducing the production of NH3-N and methane in the rumen. Therefore, the present experiment was carried out to improve the nutritional value of pomegranate peel as a tannin-containing edible material by treating it with some tannase-producing bacteria for ruminants.

 Pomegranate peel was treated with tannin-degrading bacteria including Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter (isolated from deer rumen), Lactobacillus fermentum (isolated from Najdi goat rumen), and commercial Lactobacillus fermentum, and its nutritional value including chemical composition, digestibility, and fermentation ability alone (first experiment) or as a combination in a standard fattening lamb diet (second experiment), with two-stage digestion method and gas production test were studied. In the first experiment, five experimental treatments included 1- Pomegranate peel without treatment (control treatment), treatment 2 to 5- Pomegranate peel treated with each of the four tannin-degrading bacteria. The five treatments of the second experiment included 1- Diets containing pomegranate peel without treatment (control treatment), 2-5- Diets containing pomegranate peel treated with each of the four tannin-degrading bacteria.

Results and discussion:

 Applying tannin-degrading bacteria reduced the tannin in pomegranate peel (P<0.05), which is caused by the tannin-degrading bacteria. In an experiment of ensiling and adding polyethylene glycol and urea to pistachio hull for tannin removal, total tannin decreased. The concentration of total tannin with the potential and rate of gas production, truly decomposed organic matter, microbial biomass production, and microbial biomass production efficiency improved in pomegranate peel treated with tannin-degrading bacteria compared to the control (P<0.05). Perhaps the reason for the decrease in gas production potential in the control treatments compared to the treatments treated with bacteria is their higher amount of tannins, because tannins and phenolic substances by forming bonds and complexes with nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, reduce the availability of microorganisms. Ruminants to them and as a result reduce their decomposition. Similar to the results of the present experiment, other studies have also shown the positive effect of tannin removal on the improvement of gas production parameters. NH3 concentration and population of protozoa of pomegranate peel treated alone and in the diet increased compared to the control (P<0.05). The reason for the increase in NH3 concentration and protozoa population after degrading the tannins with bacteria can be the presence of tannins and polyphenolic compounds in this edible material. By binding to protein and reducing the rate of protein decomposition, tannins reduce the concentration of NH3, on the other hand, these structures lead to the rupture of the protozoa cell membrane, the inactivation of enzymes, and the reduction of the substrate needed for cell metabolism. The percentage of digestibility of dry matter, NDF, and ADF of pomegranate peel processed alone and in the diet with tannin-degrading bacteria increased compared to the control (P<0.05). Due to the reduction of the tannin level by the isolates, the activity of proteolytic enzymes has probably increased, and releasing nutrients from the binding of tannin, has improved the digestibility of the materials. An increase in cell wall digestibility has been reported as a result of treatment with tannin-degrading bacteria in laboratory conditions. Gas production potential and rate, separation coefficient, microbial viable mass production, and microbial viable mass production efficiency were improved in diets containing processed pomegranate peel compared to the control (P<0.05).

Conclusion:

 The use of tannin-degrading bacteria in the processing of pomegranate peel by reducing the tannins concentration led to an increase in the digestion and fermentation potential of pomegranate peel and diets containing pomegranate peel processed with tannins-degrading bacteria compared to the control. Therefore, considering the positive effects of processing pomegranate peel with tannins-degrading bacteria, it can be said that processing it by reducing tannins is a suitable solution to improve its nutritional value.

Increased livestock production can be achieved through the cultivation of high-quality forages with high-yielding capacity. Napier grass has been introduced to all tropical and subtropical areas of the world and is used as a forage crop with high potential productivity in terms of annual dry matter yield. However, both dry matter yield and nutritional quality of this grass have been affected by different cutting interval. This grass has been neither grown nor studied as a source of forage for ruminant nutrition in Iran.This research was conducted to identify the appropriate cutting interval for Napier grass to produce the maximum nutritive value and yield. Napier grass was cultivated in a complete randomised block design with three replicates. During the growth season, the cutting intervals were 16-20, 24-28, 43 d or 136 d after planting to corresponding cutting heights of 50, 100, 150 and 300 cm. Hence, from each plot 6, 4, 2, or 1 cuts were harvested, respectively. Cell wall fractions, organic matter, and crude protein of Napier grass from different cuts were determined. Dry matter and organic matter digestibility and in-vitro ruminal fermentation kinetics of the forages were also determined. Biomass production of Napier grass under different cutting interval programs was also assessed. The highest yield of dry matter of Napier grass (25.1 tons per hectare) was observed when only one cut was harvested at the end of vegetative stage (height of 300 cm). The digestibility of organic matter (OMD) ranged from 60 to 70 % in all treatments and the highest OMD was observed at the height of 50 cm. The maximum dry matter and digestible organic matter per hectare (15.9 and 14.2 tons, respectively) was produced when forage was harvested in one cut at the height of 300 cm. There was no difference in the yield of digestible dry matter and digestible organic matter of the forage harvested at the height of 50 and 100 cm. The concentration of crude protein in forages from different cuts ranged from 7.1 to 14.2 % and neutral detergent fiber ranged 65.7 to 76.2 %. The highest concentration of crude protein and the lowest cell wall components were observed at the height of 50 cm. The lowest and the highest gas production potential and fractional rate of gas production were observed at the cutting height of 300 cm and 50 cm, respectively. The present study showed that it is possible to obtain higher quality of Napier grass by shortening the harvesting intervals. However, this resulted in a pronounce decrease in the yield of organic matter and digestible dry matter yield per hectare. The highest organic matter and digestible dry matter per hectare was produced when Napier grass was harvested only once (136 d after planting and height of 300 cm) at the end of vegetative stage.

The objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of preparing silage, determine nutritive value and characteristics of silage prepared from three genotypes of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa willd.) forage (Sjama, Titicaca and Q12) in a completely randomized design. The chopped forages were siloed with four replications in laboratory silos. After 60 days, the silos were opened and the appearance characteristics of the silages were examined. The quinoa silages were sampled for analysis concentration of chemical composition and silage characteristics. The results show that, the duration of sowing to the dough stage of seeds was 60 days in Kerman climate. In silage of Sajama, Titicaca and Q12 genotypes, the average of dry matter (P<0.01) was 20.36, 22.99 and 22.21%, the concentration of crude protein (P<0.01) was 13.50, 14.21 and 14.31% respectively. The characteristics score of silages were 16.75, 17.50 and 18.13 in a 0 to 20 scoring system for Sjama, Titicaca and Q12 genotypes respectively (P<0.01), Quinoa forage silage had a high buffering capacity and were determined 273.09, 195.90 and 200.33 meq NaOH for Sjama, Titicaca and Q12 genotypes respectively (P<0.01). In general, the results have shown that quinoa forage silage have an acceptable quality, especially in crude protein concentration and can be used as a substitution feedstuff in ruminant nutrition. However, there are many differences between genotypes in chemical composition and silage properties. It seems some genotypes (Sejama) don’t have the potential for silage production and more studies are needed to select the appropriate genotypes.

The use of radiation has become a way of life in most countries around the globe. The utilization of nuclear techniques in the area of agriculture, defense, and power generation has increased over the last few decades. Radiation technology is widely used to produce changes in product characteristics leading to the development of new products. Radiation-mediated morphological, structural and/or functional changes in a plant are governed by the intensity and duration of the gamma irradiation. Gamma irradiation was found to increase plant productivity. Gamma rays represent one of the important physical agents used to improve the characters and productivity of many plants (e.g. rice, maize, bean, cowpea, and potato). Gamma irradiation also has been found to be very useful for both sterilization and for the preservation of food and cereal grain in nutrition and agriculture. Gamma rays were also found to cause modulation in protein patterns by inducing the appearance and/or disappearance of some protein bands. It has been shown that large DNA strands were broken into small strands at low irradiation doses but small and large DNA strands were broken at higher irradiation doses. Also it has reported that germination of seeds can be influenced in both positive and negative directions by gamma radiation exposure as a result of mutation inductions depending on cellular abnormalities or stimulatory modifications triggered by radiation doses. In several studies, lethal and stimulatory effects of gamma irradiation on germination percentage, emergence, and survival of seedlings of different plant species have been reported. The present work has been intended to investigate the response of corn seeds exposed to gamma irradiation (25 Gys) in terms of the nutritional performance of its forage and silage compared with control non-exposed seeds. Corn seeds were obtained from the Vegetable Crop Seed Production and Technology section, Ghezlagh Farm, College of Abouraihan, university of Tehran, Iran. Four kg corn seeds (single cross 704) were divided into 2 groups. The first group did not have any treatment to serve as a control, while the second group was irradiated with Gamma rays (25 Gray) using Gamma cell – cobalt- 60 instruction and with the rate of 0.55 Gr/ min at the Nuclear Agricultural Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, Karaj, Iran. Field experiments were conducted during the summer seasons at Ghezlal farm Research Station located at the southwest of Tehran province, Varamin, to study the effect of gamma irradiation (25 Gray) on the performance of corn forage and silage. After irradiation, control and irradiated seeds were cultivated in 2000 m2. Agricultural practices such as: irrigation, weeding, fertilization, and pest control were carried out as recommended. Samples of corn plants were obtained at the late stage of growth and amounts of proline, soluble carbohydrate, and protein were determined. Performance chrematistics of experimental groups were also recorded. After harvesting, the corn forage was chopped and transferred to an experimental silo made of polyethylene pipe. DM, ash, CP, NDF, and ADF of experimental silages were determined according to standards procedures. The pH of silage also was determined using pH meters. For the determination of gas production parameters, 200 mg of dry samples were incubated at gas production environment and the amount and rate of gas production were recorded at a different time of incubation (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h). Using gas production parameters, the amount of OM digestibility, ME, NEL, and SCFA were also determined. Data were analyzed using the t-student test of SAS software (ver. 9.1). Duncan’s multiple range test was used to detect statistical significance between treatments using a significance level of 0.05. Irradiation of corn seeds increased corn performance (wet and dry weight of seed and forage), amount of soluble carbohydrates and protein, and concentration of proline (P<0.05). The exposed treatment showed the highest increase in seed weight, seed number, and weight of 1000 seeds as compared to the control (P < 0.05). Amount of gas, and b and c fractions of gas production, the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), metabolizable (ME) and net energy for lactation (NEL), and organic matter digestibility (OMD) were higher for treated corn forage and silage compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Also, exposed corn silage had a lower level of pH and higher amount of dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) than control (P < 0.05). The results of this study show that exposing irradiation of corn seeds to 25 gray gamma-ray improves fermentation parameters and nutrition values of corn forage and silage.

 Fodder sorghum is one of the most important forage plants in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Maize production is low in arid and high salinity regions around the world, and sorghum due to its adaptation to arid and low water conditions, high water use efficiency, C4 photosynthetic system, high clawing power, high production capacity as wet forage, dry and Silos are a good option in these areas. In the past, sorghum was generally grown in areas that were unfavorable for growing corn, but today, with the advent of hybrid fodder sorghums, it produces under ideal conditions corn-like crops, and where moisture is a limiting factor and may have a higher yield than corn. Recently, frequent droughts in Iran have attracted the attention of farmers and livestock breeders to other forages such as sorghum, and due to the limited growing season of this forage, its use as a silo is common. Stage of growth is one of the most important factors influencing nutritional quality of fodder silages. As the fodder matures, the cytoplasmic portion of the cell reduces and the quantity of protein, lipids, soluble carbohydrates and soluble minerals decrease. Due to the drought occurrence on large parts of Iran and the adaptation of sorghum to drought conditions, a very few studies have been done on its chemical composition and nutritional value. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of plant growth stage and mixing of corn and sorghum on chemical composition and degradability of corn and sorghum silage.

In order to evaluate the effects of harvesting steps and the ratio of forage sorghum blending on nutritional value and its degradability compared to corn silage, this experiment were performed using 45 experimental silos in a factorial experiment based on a completely randomize design with 15 treatments and 3 replications. Experimental groups consist of: sorghum harvest time (first factor) including: 1) before flowering (emergence of flag leaf), 2) about 10-15 percent flowering, and 3) soft seed soils. Sorghum harvested at each of the above time with forage corn with ratios of corn fodder to sorghum (second factor): 100%: 0%, 75%: 25%, 50: 50%, 25%: 75% and % 0: 100% was mixed. Silage samples were analyzed for Dry matter, crude protein, Ash and crude fat according to AOAC (2005) methods. In situ ruminal degradation kinetics parameters of DM, CP and NDF of experiment treatments were estimated using the nylon bag technique. Degradation of dry matter at times zero, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 48 and 72 9 hours was determined.

The results of this experiment indicated dry matter, crude protein had an upward trend with growth progression. While, the amount of crude fat, soluble sugar decreased significantly with plant growth. Ash content fluctuated during the growth stages, so that its amount was the lowest in flowering stage and was the highest during the vegetative stage (before flowering). The highest pH was observed in the soft dough stages and the mixing ratio of 25% corn and 75% sorghum, which indicates more proteolysis of silage. The lowest amount of ammonia nitrogen was observed in the soft dough phase treatment with 50% corn and 50% sorghum ratio and the highest amount of lactic acid was observed in the soft dough stage treatment with 100% sorghum, which may be due to increased soluble carbohydrate intake and convert it to lactic acid. Rapidly soluble fraction, degradation rate constant and effective degradability of dry matter, crude protein and cell wall at all passage rates increased significantly with increasing plant growth.

In general, it can be concluded that harvesting corn and sorghum forage in the soft dough stage with a mixing ratio of 25% corn and 75% sorghum improves the pH of silage. Rumen degradability of silage dry matter in the soft dough stage with different levels of corn and sorghum composition can increase feed intake in livestock. Rumen degradability of silage dry matter was also higher in the soft dough stage with different levels of corn and sorghum composition than other stages, and this can reduced feed retention in the rumen and increased feed consumption in livestock. However, more research is needed to investigate the effect of feeding a mixture of corn silage and sorghum in ruminants on voluntary feed intake and production performance.

A significant portion of livestock feed resources are roughage and fibrous in Iran, which is low in protein, minerals, and digestible energy; however, if treated by some methods, has the potential to be used as an energy source in livestock diets (Adesogan et al. 2019). There are 10 sugarcane development companies in Khuzestan province, which have 127,000 hectares under sugarcane cultivation and the area under sugarcane cultivation is 100,000 hectares per year (FAOSTAT 2013). Sugarcane is harvested in two ways: black (burning) and green (harvesting with a harvester). About 15 to 25 percent of the weight of sugarcane includes leaves and branches named sugarcane top, so the green harvesting produces about 20000 kg of wet biomass per hectare (Moradi et al. 2019). Due to the area under sugarcane cultivation in the Khuzestan province, and its 50% humidity, about two million tons of sugarcane top is produced each year. During harvesting, the sugarcane residues remain on the ground and cause special problems for the maintenance operation of the sugarcane on the field, so the residue is burned in two stages before and after harvesting, and it pollutes the environment, especially the air (Kingston et al. 2005). If the sugarcane top residues treated, due to breakdown of lignocellulose structure and degradation of lignin, cased to the increased access of ruminal microorganisms to lignosullose materials, so instead of burning, they can be used as fodder sources in animal feeding (Karp et al. 2013). Therefore, the aim of present experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of steam and alkaline hydrogen peroxide treatment to improve the nutritional value of sugarcane top for fattening lambs.

The present experiment was performed in Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan. The sugarcane top used in the present experiment was from variety of CP73 and CP57 harvested from Imam Khomeini agro-industry company of Shushtar. After the sugarcane was harvested, it was dried and chopped into 2 to 3 cm long with a chopper and transferred to the Shoaibiyeh Livestock Feed Company for steam treatment. Steam was conducted at 184ᵒC for 4 minutes; the equal pressure was 16 to 18 atm. (average 17 atm.). The sugarcane top was treated using a solution of 1% hydrogen peroxide, which pH was adjusted to 11.5 using a solution of sodium hydroxide (alkaline hydrogen peroxide). Twenty-four Arabi male lambs with average live weight of 30.4 ± 5 kg were used in a completely randomized design with 3 treatments and 8 replicates for a period of 70 days. Experimental treatments were: 1- control (untreated Sugarcane top), 2- diet containing steam treated Sugarcane top, and 3- diet containing steam and alkaline hydrogen peroxide treated sugarcane top.

Treatment with steam and alkaline hydrogen peroxide significantly reduced the percentage of NDF, ADF, crude fiber, lignin, and increased the significance of the gross energy of sugarcane (P <0.05), but had no effect on crude protein. In consistent with the results of the present experiment, other researchers also reported a decrease in dry matter, NDF, and ADF by applying water vapor under pressure. The decrease of these nutrients has been attributed to the fragmentation or hydrolysis of all or part of the hemicellulose. In compared to control, average feed intake, digestibility of nutrients, final weight, average daily gain, feed efficiency of lambs, rumen propionate and total volatile fatty acids, and blood glucose were increased with feeding of treated sugarcane top, and treatment 3 shown the best results (P<0.05). The components of the experimental diets are the same, and the only difference was in the type of treatments. Therefore, perhaps the reason for the increase in feed consumption in treatments containing sugarcane top treated with steam or steam and alkaline hydrogen peroxide is to improve its digestibility. Increasing digestibility will cause the material to pass through the rumen faster and thus animals consume more feed. The concentration of alanine transaminase was decreased, because of treatment of sugarcane top (P<0.05). The concentration of rumen ammonia nitrogen and pH, blood aspartate transaminase, and carcass traits were not affected by the treatments. Therefore, treatment by steam and alkaline hydrogen peroxide caused to improve the nutritional value of sugarcane top, and their combined use (third treatment) showed better results.

Treatment with steam and alkaline hydrogen peroxide significantly reduced the percentage of NDF, ADF, crude fiber, lignin, and increased the significance of the gross energy of sugarcane (P <0.05), but had no effect on crude protein. In consistent with the results of the present experiment, other researchers also reported a decrease in dry matter, NDF, and ADF by applying water vapor under pressure. The decrease of these nutrients has been attributed to the fragmentation or hydrolysis of all or part of the hemicellulose. In compared to control, average feed intake, digestibility of nutrients, final weight, average daily gain, feed efficiency of lambs, rumen propionate and total volatile fatty acids, and blood glucose were increased with feeding of treated sugarcane top, and treatment 3 shown the best results (P<0.05). The components of the experimental diets are the same, and the only difference was in the type of treatments. Therefore, perhaps the reason for the increase in feed consumption in treatments containing sugarcane top treated with steam or steam and alkaline hydrogen peroxide is to improve its digestibility. Increasing digestibility will cause the material to pass through the rumen faster and thus animals consume more feed. The concentration of alanine transaminase was decreased, because of treatment of sugarcane top (P<0.05). The concentration of rumen ammonia nitrogen and pH, blood aspartate transaminase, and carcass traits were not affected by the treatments. Therefore, treatment by steam and alkaline hydrogen peroxide caused to improve the nutritional value of sugarcane top, and their combined use (third treatment) showed better results.

Dried forage has long been used as a traditional method of storage of forage feedstuffs. However, the need to postpone forage harvest until maturity in order to obtain more dry matter reduces its digestibility. Adverse weather conditions can lead to loss of nutrients and overall decline in the nutritional value of dried fodder. One of the methods that is somewhat less dependent on climate conditions and used by ranchers to maintain plants. The product of fermentation under anoxic and acidic conditions is called silage. During forage ensiling due to the activity of lactic acid producing bacteria and in anaerobic conditions, water soluble carbohydrates in forage are converted to predominantly lactic acid acids, which reduce the pH and protect the forage against microbial spoilage. Corn as a plant with high production capacity and adaptability in most parts of the country can play an important role in providing forage to livestock, especially in winter. One of the main concerns in the preparation of a good silage is the rapid decrease in silage pH in the shortest time. Hay pH at harvest time is between 6 and 7 and after the incubation period with proper fermentation, pH can be equal to or less than 4, which this reduction in pH is due to production of lactic acid and other organic acids by bacteria. Accelerate the reduction of pH by adding lactic acid bacteria in food is very important to minimize depreciation. Recent studies have shown that inoculation with Lactobacillus buchneriinhibits yeast growth and reduces the susceptibility to aerobic spoilage of various ensiled forages. This study was conducted to determine the effect of EM (containing yeast an lactobacillus) and Lalsil containing lactobacillus buchneri inoculants on chemical composition, fermentation profile and degradability of corn silage. This research were carried out to investigate the Effects of Different Biological Additives on Fermentation and Chemical composition of corn silage by using 2 experiments (Chemical composition assay, gas production) in a completely randomized design. The latest experiment was performed in a completely randomized design with 4 different treatments in three replications. The corn forage was harvested at the dough stage and then crushed by a chopper. The silage were kept at room temperature for 90 days. Dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, insoluble fiber in acidic and neutral detergent, lactic acid content, water soluble carbohydrate, ammonia nitrogen concentration and total volatile fatty acids, pH were measured with 3 replicates. The four various treatments in the running order incorporated as: 1. control (without any inoculant), 2. Corn silage treated with bacterial additive Lalsil 1.8×106 CFU/g fresh forage (include lactobacillus buchneri), 3. Corn silage treated with bacterial additive at 0.02 percent, and 4. Corn silage treated with bacterial additive at 0.04 percent (at fresh weight). Crops were ensiled in triplicate laboratory mini soils for 90 days at room temperature. The results were analyze using SAS (2002) software with GLM procedure and using of Duncan’s test for comparing the averages (at 5% level). The results showed that the additive of the different Biological Additives used had the potential to positively change the chemical composition of corn silage. Treating corn silage with Lalsil and EM caused a significant decline in pH in comparison to control treatment (P<0.001). Supplementation of additives significantly increased dry matter content of corn silage (P <0.05). Statistical analysis of data from this experiment on corn silage pH showed that addition of Lalisil and EM significantly decreased corn silage pH (P <0.05). Also, the addition of EM to corn silage in 0.02 percent of supplementation had no significant difference with a control treatment. The EM treatments caused a significant decline in lactobacillus population in relation to Lalsil treatments (P<0.05). Experimental treatments in relation to control and the other treatments.  Addition of Lalsil and EM to corn silage had no significant effect on neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Treating corn silage with Lalsil and EM caused a significant decline in pH in relation to control treatment (P<0.05). The lowest pH is related to inoculated bacterial treatment.  Addition of Lalsil and EM had no significant effect on insoluble fiber in neutral detergent and acid detergent fiber. Lalsil additive reduced the amount of crude protein in the silage. The EM treatments caused a significant decline in lactobacillus population in relation to Lalsil treatments (P<0.05). DM disappearance was lower in EM treatments in at any level of supplementation in the early hours of incubation in relation to control treatment (P<0.05) as well as adding of Lalsil significantly reduced the DM disappearance (P<0.05). Adding different biological additives to corn silage reduces pH and can improve the aerobic stability, quality of corn silage in laboratory silos by altering the availability of water soluble carbohydrates.

Intake of poor quality plants of rangelands and pasture grasses and agriculture by products by ruminants is usually low to maintain animal performance because of their poor digestibility and nutrient deficiency. So, it seems essential to explore new feed resources, which may have potential as an animal feedstuff. So, one possible way to reduce this alimentary deficit is to use of naturally growing forages including Gundelia tournefortii (G. tournefortii). G. tournefortii is one of the most important rangeland plants that can be used to feed livestock. G. tournefortii are known to be a plant with high nutritional value and water content, and are therefore likely to be highly selective for consumption by native herbivores. It is very resistant to cold and dry weather and tolerates high temperature changes. Therefore, due to their diversity, they are able to propagate in large ecological areas and can be dry and semi-arid areas, often as part of forage and even a relatively good source of protein for ruminants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of adding different additives on chemical composition, fermentation characteristics, gas production and digestibility parameters of G. tournefortii silage in a completely randomized design.

Whole forage Gundelia tournefortii were harvested and chopped with a conventional forage harvester under farm condition to length of 3-4 cm. Representative of Gundelia tournefortii forage samples were packed manually, in triplicate into plastic bags. The filled silos were stored at ambient temperature and allowed to ensile for 3, 7, 21 and 45 days. The following treatments were: 1) Gundelia tournefortii silage without any additives (control), 2) control + molasses (5% of DM), 3) control + organic acid (1% of DM), 4) control + barley meal (10% of DM) and 5) control + barley silage (20% of DM). After designated ensiling times, silos were opened and the ensiled forage was mixed thoroughly and then were dried at a 60°C in oven for 48 h and then ground to pass through a 2 mm screen for later analysis.

Results showed that different additives had effect on chemical composition of G. tournefortii silage significantly (p<0.05). Treatment G. tournefortii + barley meal had highest dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) content compared with others. Fermentation characteristics of silage were affected by different additives (p<0.05) and G. tournefortii treated with molasses had lowest pH. The highest and lowest aerobic stability was observed in organic acid treated silage (42 h) and barley treated silage (31/5), respectively. There were significantly differences among treatments on gas production parameters (P<0.05) and barley meal treated silage (on day 3) had highest gas production potential, organic matter digestibility (OMD) and short chain fatty acid (SCFA). In vitro digestibility of DM and OM were affected by additives (P<0.05). Treatment control (on day 7) had highest partitioning factor, and microbial crud protein efficiency.

Overall, these results indicated that in vitro gas production and digesibilty of G. tournefortii silage were improved by the application of molasses and barley silage as additive and its aerobic stability was improved by using acis asetic.

The present experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of the electron beam (beam) and low-pressure steam (steam) treatments on the nutritional value of date kernel powder for ruminants. At first, date kernel powders were irradiated with the beam at doses of 0, 25, 50, 75, 100, and 125 KGy. A part of the irradiated date kernels was then treated with steam (134 ᵒC, 40 min.). Digestion and fermentation of date kernel powder were measured using gas production and two-step digestion techniques. Compared to the control, beam or steam resulted in a decrease in NDF and ADF percentages (P<0.05), a significant increase in potential and rate of gas production, partitioning factor, truly degradable organic matter, and in vitro digestibility of dry matter, NDF, and ADF of date kernel (P<0.05), and the 100 KGy had the best performance (P<0.05). Overall, the treatment with steam or electron beam alone improved the nutritional value of the date kernel, but treatment with steam after beam did not have a positive additive effect. Therefore, the results of the present experiment indicate that beam alone has a great capacity for improving the nutritional value of the date kernel, and the use of steam after the beam has failed to make more improvement.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of urea treatment of wheat straw and sugarcane bagasse on chemical composition, lag time and ruminal degradability parameters of dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) by nylon bag technique. The chemical composition and degradability parameters of unprocessed samples and processed samples with five percent urea were determined using three mature rumen-fistulated Holstein dairy cows (with initial body weight of 615±15 kg and three lactation number). Urea treatment decreased DM and NDF degradation lag time of processed wheat straw (P<0.05); however it had no effect on DM and NDF degradation lag time of sugarcane bagasse. The urea treatment resulted to increase in DM and NDF degradability rate of processed wheat straw (P<0.05), but had no effect on DM and NDF degradability rate of sugarcane bagasse. The potentially degradable fraction of DM and پ NDF of both experimental materials were increased by treatment (P<0.05). The effective degradability of DM and NDF of experimental roughages increased (P<0.05) after urea treatment from 35.69 and 21.69 to 44.04 and 29.12 percent, respectively for wheat straw and from 18.88 and 15.65 to 23.92 and 19.52 percent, respectively for sugarcane bagasse. According to the results of this experiment, urea treatment of roughages-feeds, especially wheat straw improves degradability of DM and NDF.

The aim of the present experiment was to use the electron beam (beam) and alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) to improve the nutritional value of date kernel powder for ruminant livestock. The date kernel powders were irradiated with the beam at doses of 0, 25, 50, 75, 100, and 125 KGy. The irradiated date kernels were then treated with 1% and 2% AHP as a 3×6 factorial experiment. Digestion and fermentation parameters of date kernel powder were measured using two-step digestion techniques and gas production methods. In comparison to the control, beam electron resulted in a decrease in NDF and ADF percentages, a significant increase in the potential of gas production, partitioning factor, truly degradable organic matter, microbial biomass production and digestibility of dry matter, NDF and ADF of date kernel (P<0.05) and the 100 KGy had the best results (P<0.05). The AHP decreased the percentage of dry matter, organic matter, and increased potential of gas production, digestibility of dry matter, NDF, and ADF of date kernel powder (P<0.05). Compared to the control treatment, the irradiated date kernel with AHP (interaction effect) caused to reduce the percentage of nutrients (except ash), increased gas production parameters, and nutrient digestibility. This decrease or increase was significant in some treatments and in some numerical or unchanged. However, for most of the parameters, the highest results were obtained during the treatment of high-dose irradiated date kernel powder (100 KGy or some cases 125 KGy) with different levels of hydrogen peroxide. Generally, the treatment by electron beam alone improved the nutritional value of date kernel powder, but the additive effect of the beam with hydrogen peroxide (interaction effect) was not considerable. Therefore, based on the results of this experiment, the best dose to improve the nutritional value of date kernel powder was 100 KGy with and without 2% hydrogen peroxide.

Introduction[1] Forages are grown mainly for feeding livestock, especially in dairy cows, because adequate roughage is needed in diets to provide good rumen function. However, as more roughage is fed, the energy density of the diet is reduced. So, the production of high quality forage is very important for dairy producers. High quality forage has direct effects on animal production efficiency, including weight gain, milk production, and reproductive success. Producing and conserving of high quality forage is a challenge because several factors can be affected forage quality including plant species, soil fertility, maturity at harvest, and harvesting (mowing, field curing, baling or chopping) and storage methods and other factors (weeds, insects and diseases). Fiber and energy contents are the most important in forage quality measures. As the fiber level increases, the energy content generally decreases. Therefore, improving forage quality can be achieved by managing forage carbohydrate content. Carbohydrates are the primary source for ruminants and contribute 60 to 70% of the net energy used for milk production and are classified as structural and non-structural. As usual, structural carbohydrates defined as neutral detergent fiber (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and portion of the pectin) and non-structural carbohydrates consist of the sugars, starches and pectin. Non-structural carbohydrates are a highly digestible energy source and together with degraded protein, are needed by the rumen for microbial growth and digestion. Plants accumulate sugars during the day via photosynthesis, but incur a net loss at night via dark respiration. This diurnal cycling reflects the concentration of total nonstructural carbohydrates in forages. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of morning versus afternoon cutting time on chemical composition, gas production parameters and digestibility of sun-drying alfalfa, clover and barley forages. Materials and Methods About 5-7 cm above the soil stage, alfalfa, clover and barley were harvested in two times, at 06:00 AM and 18:00 PM. Whole Alfalfa and clover plants were harvested at the first bud stage of development and whole barley plant at the medium dough stage of maturity used. Their nutritive value was evaluated through the determination of chemical compositions and in vitro gas production techniques. Samples were tested in an in vitro gas production method (96 h incubation) and batch rumen culture system (24 h incubation). Rumen fluid was collected before the morning feed from three fistulated Dalagh male sheep (45 ± 1.5 kg live weight fed on a forage diet at a concentration of 40:60). In vitro gas production was measured in triplicate and for each replicate; a sample of 200 mg DM was used. The bottles were then filled with 30 ml of incubation medium that consisted of 10 ml of rumen fluid plus 20 ml of buffer solution and placed in a water bath at 39 °C. Gas production was recorded at 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. Total gas values corrected for blank incubation and gas values expressed in ml g-1 of DM. The asymptotic gas production system (A) and rate of gas production (c), organic matter digestibility (OMD), metabolizable energy (ME) and short chain fatty acids (SCFA). A medium similar to one developed for gas production was used for batch rumen culture system to measure pH, and NH3-N and in vitro digestibility. The pH of the media was measured after 24 h incubation. After 24 h incubation, the contents of each glass bottle were empty, strained through four layers of cheesecloth and then 10 ml of strained rumen fluid was acidified by 10 ml of 0.2 N HCl for determination of NH3-N using the distillation method. Finally, all contents remaining in the bottles were filtered through nylon bags, oven dried at 60 °C for 48 h and analyzed for IVDMD and IVOMD. Results and Discussion Results showed that cutting time affected chemical composition of alfalfa and clover forages significantly (p < 0.05), but had not effect on barley forage. Afternoon cutting forages had lower content of NDF and ADF and higher levels of starch and WSC compared to morning cutting forages. There were no significant differences between afternoon and morning cutting forages on gas production parameters (P > 0.05). However, Afternoon cut forages had higher gas production potential than morning cutting forages. Results showed that harvest time had significant effect on DMD (66 vs 59) and OMD (64 vs 58.5) of barley forage. Although, time harvesting had no effect on MCP, EMCP and PF (P>0.05), but Afternoon cut forages had higher MCP, EMCP and PF than morning cutting forages. Conclusion Generally, it was concluded that with considered all factors that affected quality and nutritive value of forages, delaying forage harvest until late afternoon could result in improve nutritive value of forage.

Lack of nutritional resources, especially in harsh conditions, is one of the major problems in the livestock and poultry industry. North of Iran due to its rich natural resources of native tree species and shrubs (50 tree and 80 shrubs) and annually significant amount of afforestation in cities, public places and natural areas, if they managed for animal feeding, can be an appropriate option for preparing a ration to feed the animals. Despite this capability, there is little information on the nutritional value of many tree and shrub species in the northern of the country. By targeting this approach in the researches, it is possible to manage natural resources and direct forestry to specific species. In this case, an effective step will be taken to manage the country's multifunctional forestry and it is also possible to diversify the countries livestock nutrition. The aim of this study was to determine the chemical composition, gas production parameters and detestability characteristics of leaves from several tree species used in livestock feeding in a Completely Randomized Design (7 treatments and 3 replicates).  

Samples of commonly available seven species of forest tree leaves (Siberian Elm, Lexandrian Laurel,Linden, Beech, Maple Tree, Caucasian oakand Hornbean) were collected from different locations of Shast-Klateh Forest of Golestan province, Gorgan. Gorgan is located in 36o 45´ N, 54o 21´ E. The mean annual rainfall is 649 mm. Samples were taken and air dried at 60 °C for 48 h and milled to pass a 1 and 1.5 mm screen. In this study, effects of adding polyethylene powder glycol (twice the weight of the sample, Merck, MW = 6000) was evaluated. Their nutritional value was evaluated through determination of chemical compositions and in vitro gas production techniques. Samples were tested in an in vitro gas production method (96 h incubation) and batch rumen culture system (24 h incubation). Rumen fluid was collected before the morning feed from three fistulated Dalagh male sheep (43 ± 1.5 kg live weight fed on a forage diet at a concentration of 40:60). In vitro gas production was measured in triplicate and for each replicate, a sample of 200 mg DM were used. The bottles were then filled with 30 ml of incubation medium that consisted of 10 ml of rumen fluid plus 20 ml of buffer solution and placed in a water bath at 39 °C. Gas production was recorded at 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. Total gas values corrected for blank incubation and gas values expressed in ml g-1 of DM. The asymptotic gas production system (A) and rate of gas production (c), organic matter digestibility (OMD), metabolizable energy (ME) and short chain fatty acids (SCFA). A medium similar to one developed for gas production was used for batch rumen culture system to measure pH, and NH3-N and in vitro digestibility. The pH of the media was measured after 24 h incubation. After 24 h incubation, the contents of each glass bottle were empty, strained through four layers of cheesecloth and then 10 ml of strained rumen fluid was acidified by 10 ml of 0.2 N HCl for determination of NH3-N using the distillation method. Finally, all contents remaining in the bottles were filtered through nylon bags, oven dried at 60 °C for 48 h and analyzed for IVDMD and IVOMD.  

The results showed that the chemical composition of leaves of trees varied significantly among species. Maple tree had highest (1‏‏‏‏‏.27%) and Caucasian oak, Hornbean and Lexandrian Laurel had lowest (0‏‏‏‏‏.52, 0‏‏‏‏‏.56 and 0‏‏‏‏‏.58 respectively) of crude Ash content. The crude protein content of the tree leaves ranged from 7 to 18%. The highest and lowest tannin content were related to Beach tree (0‏‏‏‏‏.063 g‏‏‏‏‏/kg DM) and Caucasian oak (0‏‏‏‏‏.018 g‏‏‏‏‏/kg DM) respectively. There were significantly differences among several leaves of trees species on OMD, ME and SCFA. Addition of Poly Ethylene Glycol (PEG) increased potential gas production compared without PEG. The highest gas production and rate of gas production was related to Lexandrian Laurel tree without PEG (214‏‏‏‏‏/9 ml and 4‏‏‏‏‏.34 ml‏‏‏‏‏/h respectively). Portioning factor, Microbial crude protein and Gas yield decreased when used PEG.   Conclusion Generally, obtained results showed that some of the leaves of trees can be fed as supplements to low protein forage, and can alleviate feed shortage for ruminants in dry season.

In most part of Iran, low rainfall and availability of water resources are the major limitations to the farmer.Feed represents a major proportion of the overall production cost for livestock industry across the world. On the other hand, availability of good quality and unadulterated conventional feed all year round is a major constraint in livestock production. Thus, proper use of expensive agricultural by-products is important goal in livestock production. Therefore, one way to overcome the limitation of forage resources and the high cost of livestock feed is using agricultural by products such as plant leaves or other unconventional sources of the feed. Jujube is a short tree with a height of 2 to 8 meters and sometimes up to 12 meters and is very resistant to drought. The cultivation area of jujube in Iran is about 3,000 hectares, more than 95% of which (about 2850 ha) is in southern Khorasan and 4,200 tons of jujube is produced.  The leaves are readily eaten by camels, cattle and goats and are considered nutritious. Analyses has shown the following constituents (% dry weight): crude protein, 12.9-16.9; fat, 1.5-2.7; fiber, 13.5-17.1; N-free extract, 55.3-56.7; ash, 10.2-11.7; calcium, 1.42-3.74; phosphorus, 0.17-0.33; magnesium, 0.46-0.83; potassium, 0.47-1.57; sodium, 0.02-0.05; chlorine, 0.14-0.38; Sulphur, 0.13-0.33%. The goal of the experiment was to investigate the effects of different levels of jujube leaves on yield, digestibility and fermentation characteristics of Baluchi male lambs.

Jujube leaves were analyzed for dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP) and ether extract (EE) contents using standard procedures (AOAC, 2005). Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) was analyzed according to Van Soest et al. (1991), total phenols (TP) and total tannins (TT). Twenty-four Baluchi male lambs with the age of 140±10 days were assigned to a completely randomized design with 3 treatments and 8 replicates for 75 days 3 dietary treatments and 8 replications in a completely randomized design. Lambs were grouped based on their age and weight. Weight and experimental trail lasted for 75 days. Diets were formulated based on SRNS (1.9.6069) guidelines. Concentrate diet and dried alfalfa hay were used in the experiment. All lambs were fed ad libitum twice daily at 08:00 and 20:00 h with a Total Mixed Ration (TMR) of 30% forage (Alfalfa) and 70% concentrate. The dietary treatments were 1) control (without jujube leaves), 2) 6% jujube leaves, and 3) 12% jujube leaves. An adaptation period of 15 days and an experimental period of 75 days were considered for this experiment. During the experimental period, feed distributed to each animal and corresponding ort were recorded daily. Representative samples of feed and ort were bulked for subsequent analyses. Animal BW was recorded at every 10 days of the experiment after 16 h fasting, to calculate weight gain. In order to directly measure the apparent digestibility of nutrients during 10 days at the end of the experiment, samples were collected from the feeds and their residues and the fecal was collected in the last 7 days. Sampling of rumen fluid was done on days 25th, 50th and 75th of the experimental period, 2 hours after ingestion in the morning using an esophagus tube and its pH was determined immediately. For determination of nutrients digestibility, the amount of feed intake, ort and fecal excretion were recorded. On the 25th, 50th and 75th days of the experimental period, approximately 10 mL of blood was collected from the jugular vein of each. Blood was collected in a tube and directly centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 min at room temperature. The supernatant (serum) was collected and frozen at −20 °C pending further analysis. Blood serum metabolites, glucose, HDL, LDL, cholesterol and blood urea nitrogen were measured.

The results of the experiment showed the amount of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, ash, ether extract, NDF and ADF of jujube leaves were 93.93,88.70, 7.61, 11.30, 1.8, 41.50 and 13.50%, respectively. Also, total phenol, total tannin and condensed tannin were reported to be 4.7, 3.1 and 0.48% respectively. The results of the experiment showed that the use of different levels of jujube leaves had no significant effect on mean daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio, but in jujube leaves treatments, the average daily feed intake was significantly decreased.The digestibility of crude protein in jujube leaves treatments significantly decreased compared to control. The digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, NDF and ADF did not have a significant effect on the treatments (P> 0.05), but the digestibility of crude protein in jujube leaves treatments significantly decreased compared to control (p < 0.05). The pH of the ruminal fluid decreased linearly with increasing levels of jujube leaves, but did not have a significant effect on ruminal ammonia nitrogen concentration. Blood glucose concentration, HDL, LDL, cholesterol and blood urea nitrogen were significantly affected by the treatments. Conclusion According to results of this experiment, the use of jujube leaves in the diet due to the presence of tannin reduced feed intake, digestibility of crude protein, blood glucose concentration and blood urea nitrogen and did not have a negative effect on the pH of the rumen fluid.

This experiment was conducted to determine chemical composition and nutritive value of radish leaf (RL) in vitro. In the first stage, chemical composition of radish leaves were determined, then its fermentation parameters and nutrients disappearance was investigated using in vitro gas production (GP) and two-stage nutrient digestion methods compared to wheat straw (WS) and alfalfa. In the second stage, RL was included in the diet at the levels of 0, 50, 100, 150 or 200 g/kg dry matter (DM) and incubated in vitro. Results showed that DM, organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), lignin, Ca and P content of RL were 135, 752, 178, 385, 281, 52, 17.5 and 2.85 g/kg DM, respectively. Total volume of gas production and nutrient disappearance were significantly higher in RL compared to WS (p < 0.05), and most of these parameters were comparable with alfalfa. Including different levels of RL in the diet increased DM and OM disappearance (p < 0.05). Highest and lowest short chain fatty acids, and two-stage DM and NDF disappearance were observed by incubation of diet containing 200 g RL and control diet, respectively (p < 0.05). Overall, results of the present study showed that radish leaf has better nutritive value than that of WS, and it is comparable with alfalfa in term of rumen digestion of fermentation. Inclusion of this by-product in the diet up to 200 g/kg DM is recommended.

This research was conducted in order to determine chemical composition, gas production parameters, in vitro digestibility and ruminal degradability of Acroptilon repens at different phonological stages (vegetative, flowering and seeding) and its comparison with alfalfa hay and wheat straw in Completely Randomized Design. For this purpose, Acroptilon repens was prepared in three stages of growth from Quchan pastures. The chemical composition of the samples was determined using the standard methods. The gas production test was used to estimate the gas production parameters of samples. In vitro digestibility of samples was determined by the batch culture method. Ruminal degradability trial was carried out by the nylon bag technique. The amount of Ash, crude protein (CP), Ether extract (EE), non- fiber carbohydrates (NFC) and neutral detergent soluble (NDS) at vegetative stage of Acroptilon repens were higher than wheat straw. At this phonological stage, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) were lower than wheat straw and alfalfa hay (p<0.05). The highest and lowest values of gas production potential were related to Acroptilon repens at flowering stage and wheat straw respectively (p<0.05). Estimated parameters including metabolizable energy (ME) and organic matter digestibility (OMD) at vegetative and seeding stages of Acroptilon repens were higher than wheat straw (p<0.05), but had no significant difference with alfalfa hay. The amount of dry matter digestibility of Acroptilon repens at vegetative and seeding stages did not differ with alfalfa hay and wheat straw, but was lower at flowering stage (p<0.05). OMD, microbial biomass (MB) and its efficiency (EMB) at vegetative stage of Acroptilon repens was higher than other treatments (p<0.05). Washout fraction (a) and potentially degradable fraction (b) of Acroptilon repens in all phonological stages was higher than alfalfa hay and wheat straw, meanwhile degradability of this plant at vegetative stage was higher than other treatments (p<0.05). Based on the results of this study and considering the chemical composition and fermentation parameters, Acroptilon repens at vegetative stage had higher nutritional value.