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Effect of nitrogen and energy supplementation on intake, digestibility and rumen fermentation efficiency in sheep fed poor quality Eragrostis curvula hay

Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017.

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Other Authors: Van Niekerk, Willem A.
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: University of Pretoria 2017
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Van Niekerk, Willem A.
author_browse Van Niekerk, Willem A.
author_facet Van Niekerk, Willem A.
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2017 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017.
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institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
language English
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publishDate 2017
publishDateRange 2017
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publisher University of Pretoria
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spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/63291 Effect of nitrogen and energy supplementation on intake, digestibility and rumen fermentation efficiency in sheep fed poor quality Eragrostis curvula hay Van Niekerk, Willem A. hermanmynhardt@yahoo.com Erasmus, L.J. (Lourens Jacobus) Mynhardt, Herman UCTD Nitrogen supplementation Sheep nutrition Rumen fermentation Roughage digestibility Eragrostis curvula hay Natural and agricultural sciences theses SDG-02 Natural and agricultural sciences theses SDG-12 Natural and agricultural sciences theses SDG-13 Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. The overall aim of the study was to study the effects of starch and urea supplementation on roughage intake, digestibility, and microbial nitrogen synthesis (MNS) in sheep fed low-quality Eragrostis curvula hay (< 3% CP, 80% NDF; DM basis). In Trial 1, urea partially substituted the rumen degradable nitrogen (RDN) fraction of sunflower meal (SFM). Neutral detergent fibre (NDF) digestibility was higher in the treatments where urea substituted 45% and 60% of the RDN fraction of SFM. Treatment did not affect roughage intake, rumen ammonia nitrogen (RAN), MNS or efficiency of MNS (EMNS), suggesting that urea could substitute up to 60% of the RDN supplemented by SFM in sheep fed low-quality E. curvula hay. In Trial 2, the quantities of urea and starch supplemented to sheep differed. Urea supplementation did not affect roughage intake and digestibility, however, MNS: available Nitrogen intake (MNS:NI) improved from 2.21 to 0.88 as urea supplemented increased from 10.4 g urea/sheep/day to 32.4 g urea/sheep/day. Microbial N synthesis increased up to the highest level of starch supplemented (280 g/sheep/day). It was concluded that urea supplementation, as high as 26.4 g urea/sheep/day, coupled with starch supplementation, between 240 g and 280 g starch/sheep/day, could be supplemented to sheep (50 kg BW) consuming low-quality E. curvula hay. In Trial 3, RDN and energy supplementation patterns differed in sheep fed lowquality E. curvula hay. Treatment did not affect roughage or N intake; however, roughage digestibility was higher in treatments where starch was supplemented, at least partly, during the morning (08h00) supplementation period. Urinary N excretion, MNS and EMNS were generally higher in the treatments where starch was supplemented twice daily. It was concluded that, while the most optimal rumen pH was achieved in the treatment where both urea and starch was supplemented twice daily, the supplementation frequency of starch was the more important parameter, compared to urea, stimulating roughage digestibility, MNS and EMNS in sheep fed low-quality E. curvula hay. To conclude this research, a meta-analysis was conducted to study the importance of supplemental starch and/or urea on N efficiency in sheep fed low-quality E. curvula hay. Starch or urea supplementation did not affect roughage intake or digestibility. Starch supplementation affected MNS linearly while urea supplementation influenced RAN linearly and MNS:NI inversely, with MNS:NI decreasing as urea supplementation increased. A strong correlation was observed between starch: available CP and RAN, with RAN increasing exponentially as the ratio of starch to available CP decreased below 2:1. It was concluded that urea and starch supplementation, up to 0.5 g urea/kg BW and 2.2 g starch/kg BW respectively, were necessary to optimise N efficiency in sheep grazing low-quality E. curvula hay. Red Meat Producers Organization bs2026 Animal and Wildlife Sciences PhD Unrestricted SDG-02: Zero hunger SDG-12: Responsible consumption and production SDG-13: Climate action 2017-11-23T06:57:19Z 2017-11-23T06:57:19Z 2017-09 2017 Thesis Mynhardt, H 2017, Effect of nitrogen and energy supplementation on intake, digestibility and rumen fermentation efficiency in sheep fed poor quality Eragrostis curvula hay, PhD Thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd <http://hdl.handle.net/2263/63291> S2017 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/63291 en © 2017 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle UCTD
Nitrogen supplementation
Sheep nutrition
Rumen fermentation
Roughage digestibility
Eragrostis curvula hay
Natural and agricultural sciences theses SDG-02
Natural and agricultural sciences theses SDG-12
Natural and agricultural sciences theses SDG-13
Effect of nitrogen and energy supplementation on intake, digestibility and rumen fermentation efficiency in sheep fed poor quality Eragrostis curvula hay
title Effect of nitrogen and energy supplementation on intake, digestibility and rumen fermentation efficiency in sheep fed poor quality Eragrostis curvula hay
title_full Effect of nitrogen and energy supplementation on intake, digestibility and rumen fermentation efficiency in sheep fed poor quality Eragrostis curvula hay
title_fullStr Effect of nitrogen and energy supplementation on intake, digestibility and rumen fermentation efficiency in sheep fed poor quality Eragrostis curvula hay
title_full_unstemmed Effect of nitrogen and energy supplementation on intake, digestibility and rumen fermentation efficiency in sheep fed poor quality Eragrostis curvula hay
title_short Effect of nitrogen and energy supplementation on intake, digestibility and rumen fermentation efficiency in sheep fed poor quality Eragrostis curvula hay
title_sort effect of nitrogen and energy supplementation on intake digestibility and rumen fermentation efficiency in sheep fed poor quality eragrostis curvula hay
topic UCTD
Nitrogen supplementation
Sheep nutrition
Rumen fermentation
Roughage digestibility
Eragrostis curvula hay
Natural and agricultural sciences theses SDG-02
Natural and agricultural sciences theses SDG-12
Natural and agricultural sciences theses SDG-13
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/63291