Daily and alternate day supplementation of Moringa oleifera leaf meal or soyabean meal to lambs receiving oat hay

Abstract

We hypothesized that Moringa oleifera foliage which is high in crude protein and almost free in main secondary compounds could replace soyabean meal used in supplementation strategies of livestock. Therefore, this experiment aimed to evaluate the effect of daily and alternate day supplementation of Moringa leaf meal (MLM) or soybean meal (SBM) to sheep on intake and digestion and glucose, protein and urea in blood plasma. Twenty Barbarine male lambs (average initial body weight, 27.373.0 kg), were randomly divided into four groups of five lambs each. They were adapted for 22 days to dietary treatments before starting a 6-day total collection period. All animals consumed oat hay ad libitum supplemented with concentrates composed of barley grain only (C-BAR) or mixed with SBM (C-SBM), or MLM (C-MLM) as protein sources. Groups 1 and 2 received daily C-SBM and C-MLM, respectively. However, groups 3 and 4 had access to concentrates containing the protein sources (C-SBM and C-MLM) with alternate day that means they received for one day these concentrates and in the following day they received barley grain only (C-BAR). Soybean meal and MLM incorporation in concentrates had similar effects (P40.05) on water, hay, and digestible organic matter (OM) intakes and DM, organic matter (OM) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility. Daily substitution of SBM by MLM increased (P¼0.024) crude protein (CP) intake and apparent total tract digestibility. However, the alternate day supplementation decreased apparent total tract CP digestibility but increased CP intake for SBM treatment. The concentration of ruminal ammonia nitrogen before feeding was higher (P¼ 0.012) in groups 1 and 3 than in the other groups. The concentration of blood glucose was similar (P40.05) among treatments. However, lambs receiving C-SBM exhibited highest concentrations of protein (P¼ 0.039) and urea (P¼ 0.001) in the blood. It is concluded that MLM administered at two day-intervals had similar effects on feed intake, digestion and blood metabolites to SBM incorporated in concentrate distributed to sheep receiving oat hay.

Effects of dietary inclusion of Moringa oleifera leaf meal on nutrient digestibility, rumen fermentation, ruminal enzyme activities and growth performance of buffalo calves

“…Notably, we also observed a significant decrease in rumen urea nitrogen in calves fed an MLM-supplemented diet. These results are consistent with those observed in previous studies ( Jelali and Salem, 2014 , Kholif et al, 2015 , Kholif et al, 2018 ). There are several possible explanations for this result.…”

“…Dietary inclusion of M. oleifera significantly decreased the concentrations of serum triglycerides and cholesterol but increased (p < 0.05) the concertation of serum glucose in lactating goats ( Kholif et al, 2016 ) and lactating dairy cows ( Zeng et al, 2018 ). In contrast, Jelali et al (2014) illustrated that MLM diet decreased (p < 0.05) serum total proteins and urea concentrations but had no impact on serum glucose concentration (p > 0.05).…”

“…Rumen protozoa are considered the main source of rumen ammonia through ingestion and proteolysis of bacterial protein ( Wallace et al, 1994 , Cheeke, 2000 ). MLM may have a role in controlling the release of ammonia in the digestive tract of ruminants by reducing the degradation and deamination of ruminal protein and decrease rumen ammonia ( Bhatta et al, 2012 , Jelali and Salem, 2014 ).…”

Use of Moringa Leaves (Moringa Oleifera) in Fattening Lambs Rations

“…The corresponding values of relative percentage of net revenue were 100, 56.45, 171.83 and 125.6 %. These results were in harmony with those of Jelali et al (2014) who found that using moringa leaves in growing lambs decreased feed cost and increased the economic return. Also, Mahmoud (2013) found that the concentrate feed mixture could be replaced by moringa while improved animal performance and increased net return.…”

Replacement of soybean meal with maize steep liquor in the diets of feedlot lambs

“…Moreover, there is demand for over 500 million tons of grain to supply the agricultural sector (FAO, 2012) because of the increasing demand for animal products by the general population. Soybean meal is the main protein ingredient used around the world in animal diets (Jelali & Ben Salem, 2014). However, soybean meal is an expensive commodity that increases the cost of animal production.…”