Effects of variation of dietary sulfur on movement of sulfur in sheep rumen.
Effects of variations in dietary sulfur on rumen sulfur dynamics were studied under steady state conditions. In the first experimental period, three sheep were given 33.3 g of a pelleted diet hourly containing 1.59 g sulfur/kg (low) and in the second period the sulfur content was increased to 3.21 g/kg (high) by the addition of sodium sulfate. The daily sulfur intake was 1.158 g on the low sulfur diet and .545 g of this passed from the rumen in protein, .614 g was calculated to be absorbed from the rumen as sulfide, and .052 g was estimated to be recycled to the rumen. For sheep with daily intakes of 2.317 g sulfur, 1.212 g passed from the rumen in protein, 1.078 g was absorbed from the rumen, and .093 g was estimated to be recycled. It was estimated that 127 and 165 g microbial protein were synthesized/kg organic matter "truly digested" in the rumen for low and high sulfur diets, respectively. A simple model using simultaneous equations was proposed to describe rumen sulfur metabolism.
D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D008297:Male; D012417:Rumen / Q000378:metabolism*; D012756:Sheep / Q000378:metabolism*; D013455:Sulfur / Q000378:metabolism*
D013455:Sulfur