Effects of supplementing low-quality hay with groundnut foliage and cassava tops on feed intake, apparent digestibility and rumen fermentation in crossbred cattle

Abstract

Four adult crossbred cattle, fitted with rumen fistula in the dorsal sac, were randomly allocated to four treatments in a 4 × 4 Latin-square design to study the effects of supplementing sun-dried groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.) foliage (DGF) and sun-dried cassava (Manihot esculenta, Crantz) tops (DCT) on feed intake, apparent digestibility and rumen fermentation. All animals were fed a basal diet of rice straw ad libitum and para grass (Brachiaria mutica) at 1% of liveweight (LW). The four experimental diets were as follows: (1) control, basal diet without supplement; (2) DGF, basal diet + DGF; (3) DCT, basal diet + DCT; and (4) DGF+DCT, basal diet + DGF + DCT. The supplementary feeds were fed to the level of 2 g crude protein (CP)/kg LW in Diets 2 and 3 and 1 g CP/kg LW of each feed in Diet 4. The results indicated that total intake of dry matter (DM), organic matter and CP increased with DGF and DGF+DCT diets, while neutral detergent fibre (NDF) intake was highest in the DGF diet. Digestibilities of DM, organic matter, CP and NDF were improved in DGF and DGF+DCT treatments. However, the diet with DCT supplement had lowest CP and NDF digestibility. Ruminal NH3-N and total volatile fatty acids increased in all diets with supplements, but ruminal pH, volatile fatty acid profile and in sacco losses of DM, CP and NDF of sun-dried para grass in the rumen did not differ among the treatments.