The effect of dietary ratios of corn silage and alfalfa hay on carbohydrate digestion and retention time of feed particles in the gastrointestinal tract of steers

Abstract

Four Holstein steers fitted with duodenal cannula were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square design to investigate the effect of the combination of corn silage (CS) and alfalfa hay (AH) in different ratios on the ruminal and intestinal digestion of carbohydrates and feed particle passage rate. Steers were fed mixed diets containing both CS and AH in ratios of 80:20, 60:40, 40:60 and 20:80 on a dry matter basis at 95% of ad libitum feed intake. The increase of AH proportion in diets increased dry matter intake and ruminal digestion of dry matter, non-fiber carbohydrate, neutral and acid detergent fiber linearly. Ruminal digestibility of neutral detergent fiber showed a quadratic response, and total digestibility increased linearly with increasing AH proportion. Digestibility of acid detergent fiber in the rumen was not affected by the dietary treatments, but the total tract digestibility increased as the AH proportion increased. Mean retention time of feed particles in total compartment increased when the AH proportion increased from 20% to 60%, but decreased with further increase of the AH proportion. These results indicate that moderate combinations of CS and AH have an associative effect on ruminal fiber digestion, modifying particle movement in the rumen.

Effect of replacing alfalfa hay with a mixture of cassava foliage silage and sweet potato vine silage on ruminal and intestinal digestion in sheep

“…; Obitsu et al . ). Furthermore, as an extrinsic factor, slightly lower pH at 6 h after feeding for the CSP diets may have reduced the population of ruminal fibrolytic bacteria and their attachment to feed particles (Wanapat et al .…”

Effects of grass hay proportion in a corn silage‐based diet on rumen digesta kinetics and digestibility in dairy cows

“…However, Obitsu et al . () showed a decreased ruminal passage rate for both CS and alfalfa hay particles and also an increased ruminal NDF digestibility when dietary chopped alfalfa hay proportion in the CS‐based diet increased from 20% to 60% in steers.…”

“…The results in the current experiment indicate that the observations presented in previous reports might not result from a decreased CS passage rate due to grass hay or silage addition. However, Obitsu et al (2009) showed a decreased ruminal passage rate for both CS and alfalfa hay particles and also an increased ruminal NDF digestibility when dietary chopped alfalfa hay proportion in the CS-based diet increased from 20% to 60% in steers. However, Obitsu et al (2009) showed a decreased ruminal passage rate for both CS and alfalfa hay particles and also an increased ruminal NDF digestibility when dietary chopped alfalfa hay proportion in the CS-based diet increased from 20% to 60% in steers.…”

“…In agreement with our results, Couderc et al (2006) and Castro et al (2010) reported that the ruminal passage rate of CS was unaffected by 5% and 10% long hay addition to CS-based diets for dairy cows. However, Obitsu et al (2009) showed a decreased ruminal passage rate for both CS and alfalfa hay particles and also an increased ruminal NDF digestibility when dietary chopped alfalfa hay proportion in the CS-based diet increased from 20% to 60% in steers.…”