title: Ratio of total sulfur amino acids to lysine for finishing pigs.
abstract: We conducted two experiments to determine the optimum ratio of total sulfur amino acids (TSAA) to Lys for late finishing pigs. In Exp. 1, 50 barrows and 50 gilts were allotted to treatments with three replicates of three or four pigs per replicate in a randomized complete block (RCB) design within a split-plot arrangement of treatments. Sex was the whole plot and TSAA:Lys ratio was the subplot. Average initial and final BW were 77 and 111 kg. Barrows and gilts were fed diets formulated to contain .55 and .65% Lys, respectively. The ratios of TSAA:Lys were .50, .55, .60, .65, and .70. Diets met or exceeded an ideal amino acid pattern for all indispensable amino acids (except TSAA), and all diets were isonitrogenous and equal in electrolyte balance. In Exp. 2, 60 gilts were allotted to five treatments with four replicates of three gilts each in a RCB design. Average initial and final BW were 74 and 110 kg. Gilts were fed diets formulated to contain .65% Lys. The ratios of TSAA:Lys were .35, .425, .50, .575, and .65. In Exp. 1, there were no TSAA:Lys ratio effects (P > .10) for ADG, final BW, percentage muscle, longissimus muscle area, carcass length, percentage fat-free lean (PFFLEAN), lean gain per day (LGD), total fat (TOFAT), percentage TOFAT (PTOFAT), fat gain per day (FGD), lean:fat, retained energy in TOFAT as ether extractable lipid (RE-F), retained energy (RE), or serum urea N (SUN). Feed intake (ADFI) was greater (quadratic, P < .05) for pigs fed .70 TSAA:Lys than for pigs fed any other treatment. Hot carcass weight, psoas muscle weight, 10th rib fat thickness, dressing percentage, fat-free lean (FFLEAN), and retained energy in FFLEAN as protein (RE-P) responded inconsistently to TSAA:Lys ratio, resulting in cubic (P < .09) effects. In Exp. 2, ADFI (linear, P < .08), TOFAT (linear, P < .05), PTOFAT (linear, P < .07), FGD (linear, P < .05), RE-F (linear, P < .05), RE (linear, P < .05), and SUN (linear, P < .02; quadratic, P < .01) decreased as TSAA:Lys ratio increased. Also, gain:feed (GF) (linear, P < .01; quadratic, P < .04), PFFLEAN (linear, P < .04), and lean:fat (linear, P < .04) increased as TSAA:Lys ratio increased. One-slope, broken-line regression models estimated required ratios of TSAA:Lys of .44 (SUN), .40 (ADG), .47 (ADFI), .45 (GF), .45 (FFLEAN), .44 (LGD), .65 (TOFAT), .65 (FGD), .44 (RE-P), .65 (RE-F), .65 (RE), and .57 (lean:fat). Thus, for growth and muscling traits of late finishing pigs, the optimum ratio of TSAA:Lys is less than the current proposed ratio (.65), but to minimize fat accretion, the ratio is .65.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge 70803, USA.
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Knowles
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Southern
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Bidner
mesh_terms: D000603:Amino Acids, Sulfur / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000592:standards*; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D008239:Lysine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D013552:Swine / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000603:Amino Acids, Sulfur; D008239:Lysine