No abstract

Rumput benggala merupakan tanaman pakan ternak (TPT) yang banyak digunakan oleh peternak di Indonesia. Pengembangan budidaya TPT, selalu diarahkan pada lahan sub optimal. Salah satu lahan suboptimal yang luas keberadaannya adalah lahan kering masam. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk melihat karakter morfologi dan produktivitas kultivar rumput benggala di tanah masam. Penelitian dilakukan di rumah kaca Balai Penelitian Ternak Ciawi, menggunakan 3 kultivar rumput benggala (kultivar Petrie, Gatton dan Natsuyutaka). Kultivar tersebut ditanam di 2 jenis tanah yaitu tanah masam dan tidak masam pada pot berdiameter 40 cm. Rancangan penelitian menggunakan rancangan acak lengkap, dengan 10 ulangan. Peubah yang diamati adalah karakter morfologi, umur berbunga, produksi biji dan produksi hijauan. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa karakter morfologi seperti panjang dan, panjang ruas, diameter batang, panjang kuntum bunga lebih dipengaruhi oleh kultivar jika dibandingkan jenis tanah. Sedangkan produktivitas rumput lebih dipengaruhi jenis tanah, produktivitas tanaman menurun pada tanah masam jika dibandingkan di tanah tidak masam. Semua kultivar rumput benggala yang diuji produktivitasnya menurun pada tanah masam, menunjukkan bahwa ketiga kultivar yang diuji tidak toleran pada lahan masam. Sehingga perlu dilakukan kegiatan pemuliaan untuk memperoleh rumput benggala toleran masam. Kata kunci: produksi, suboptimal, tanaman pakan

Supplementation of fermentable carbohydrate in crop by product-based diet is expected to improve the fermentability and reduced methane production. The study evaluated supplementation of various fermentable carbohydrate in sorghum straw-gliricidia mixture basal diet. Sorghum straw-gliricidia mixture was supplemented either with ground corn grain, rice bran or sorghum grain at 10% of DM basal diet. Treatment diets evaluated were: Sorghum + gliricidia leaf meal (Control); Control + 10% ground corn grain (Corn grain); Control + 10% rice bran (Rice bran); Control + 10% sorghum grain (Sorghum). Sorghum straw was chopped and ground then mixed with gliricidia leaf meal at ratio 60:40% DM. The sample was incubated for 48 hours, gas production was recorded at 4, 8,12, 16, 24, 36 and 48 hours. Rumen fluid for medium incubation was collected from sheep fed elephant grass basal diet. Supplementation of rice bran lowered (P<0.05) gas production from insoluble fraction of the diet compared to maize. Rice bran and sorghum decreased gas production at 48 h incubation compared to control (P<0.05). Sorghum supplementation decreased CH4 production. It can be concluded that fermentable carbohydrate supplementation from sorghum grain to sorghum straw-gliricidia mixture reduced percentage of methane production.

Dairy cattle need high nutrient contents in their ration, especially in the first lactation period. Farmer prefers to feed the cattle with cheap andlow quality concentrate to decrease the feed cost. This condition leads to low milk production. This research aimed to observe the effect of substitution of legume which contains high protein to improve the cheap low-quality concentrate. This research uses twenty-four dairy cattle (8.5 months-pregnancy; average body weight (BW) 359.29±35.63Kg), which were randomly divided into 3 groups of dietary treatments. The treatment were Concentrate I (100% concentrate); Concentrate II (85% Concentrate+15% Gliricidia sepium); Concentrate III (Concentrate 85% + 15% Arachis pintoi). The observation was done during 16 weeks of feeding trial. The parameters observed were feed intake and digestibility, milk production, and feed conversion ratio (FCR). Milk production measured during 3 months-lactation periods. The result shows that concentrate substitution by using 15% Gliricidia sepium or Arachis pintoi didn’t affect feed intake (11.017-11.388kg DM/head/day), digestibility (56.70-58.32%), FCR(1.138-1.214 kg DM/L), and total milk production in first 3 months-lactation period (859.07-887.59 L/head). This research concludes concentrate can be replaced up to 15% by Gliricidia sp or Arachis Pintoi to improve quality without affect livestock performs, but decrease feed cost.