Effect of field pea level on intake, digestion, microbial efficiency, ruminal fermentation, and in situ disappearance in beef steers fed forage-based diets.
Four ruminally and duodenally cannulated crossbred beef steers (397+/-55 kg initial BW) were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square to evaluate the effects of increasing level of field pea supplementation on intake, digestion, microbial efficiency, ruminal fermentation, and in situ disappearance in steers fed moderate-quality (8.0% CP, DM basis) grass hay. Basal diets, offered ad libitum twice daily, consisted of chopped (15.2-cm screen) grass hay. Supplements were 0, 0.81, 1.62, and 2.43 kg (DM basis) per steer daily of rolled field pea (23.4% CP, DM basis) offered in equal proportions twice daily. Steers were adapted to diets on d 1 to 9; on d 10 to 14, DMI were measured. Field pea and grass hay were incubated in situ, beginning on d 10, for 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 36, 48, 72, and 96 h. Ruminal fluid was collected and pH recorded at -2, 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 h after feeding on d 13. Duodenal samples were taken for three consecutive days beginning on d 10 in a manner that allowed for a collection to take place every other hour over a 24-h period. Linear, quadratic, and cubic contrasts were used to evaluate the effects of increasing field pea level. Total DMI and OMI increased quadratically (P = 0.09), whereas forage DMI decreased quadratically (P = 0.09) with increasing field pea supplementation. There was a cubic effect (P < 0.001) for ruminal pH. Ruminal (P = 0.02) and apparent total-tract (P = 0.09) NDF disappearance decreased linearly with increasing field pea supplementation. Total ruminal VFA concentrations responded cubically (P = 0.008). Bacterial N flow (P = 0.002) and true ruminal N disappearance (P = 0.003) increased linearly, and apparent total-tract N disappearance increased quadratically (P = 0.09) with increasing field pea supplementation. No treatment effects were observed for ruminal DM fill (P = 0.82), true ruminal OM disappearance (P = 0.38), apparent intestinal OM digestion (P = 0.50), ruminal ADF disappearance (P = 0.17), apparent total-tract ADF disappearance (P = 0.35), or in situ DM disappearance of forage (P = 0.33). Because of effects on forage intake and ruminal pH, field peas seem to act like cereal grain supplements when used as supplements for forage-based diets. Supplementing field peas seems to effectively increase OM and N intakes of moderate-quality grass hay diets.
Department of Animal and Range Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105, USA.
J J
JJ
Reed
G P
GP
Lardy
M L
ML
Bauer
T C
TC
Gilbery
J S
JS
Caton
D000821:Animal Feed / Q000592:standards*; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004063:Digestion; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004386:Duodenum / Q000378:metabolism; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile / Q000378:metabolism; D005285:Fermentation; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008297:Male; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D018532:Pisum sativum; D006109:Poaceae; D011897:Random Allocation; D012417:Rumen / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D013997:Time Factors
D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile; D009584:Nitrogen