title: Tithonia diversifolia as a Supplementary Feed for Dairy Cows.
abstract: The objective of this study was to examine the effects of Tithonia diversifolia as a supplementary forage on dairy cow performance and methane production. Nine lactating Holstein × Zebu dairy cows (519 ± 53.3 kg of body weight and 66 ± 13.3 d in milk) were paired by milk yield (21.3 ± 2.34 kg/d) and body weight and randomly assigned to three dietary treatments in a Latin square design with 21-d experimental periods (14 d for diet adaptation and 7 d for measurements and sample collection). The dietary treatments included the control diet consisting of fresh sugar cane plus concentrate (44:56, % of diet DM), and two treatment diets containing different levels of fresh T. diversifolia (6.5 and 15.4%, DM basis) which partially replaced both sugarcane and concentrates. Methane production was measured using the sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) technique from d 16 to d 21 of each experimental period. Analysis of the gas samples was performed by gas chromatography. The inclusion of T. diversifolia at 15.4% DM had no effects on DM intake, milk production, nitrogen balance or methane production. There was no effect on the concentrations of total saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in milk fat (P ≥ 0.28), though individual milk fatty acids were affected. Serum concentrations of glucose, urea nitrogen (BUN), triglycerides, β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), and cholesterol were unaffected by the dietary treatments (P ≥ 0.13). There was a time (2 and 6 h post-feeding) and dietary treatment effect (P < 0.01) on the acetate to propionate ratio in the rumen. A denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of the archaeal community showed distinct clustering of the archaea populations for control and treatment diets. Taken together, our results indicate the potential of T. diversifolia as a supplementary forage for dairy cattle in the tropics.
authors.affiliation: Bioengineering Department, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, São João del-Rei, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafael Sandin
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: The University of Sydney, Faculty of Veterinary Science, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Stephanie Amelia
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Terry
authors.affiliation: Bioengineering Department, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, São João del-Rei, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: João Paulo
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Sacramento
authors.affiliation: Bioengineering Department, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, São João del-Rei, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sylvia Rocha E
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Silveira
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cláudia Braga Pereira
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Bento
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elsa Fernandes
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Hilário Cuquetto
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Mantovani
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Gado de Leite, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marco Antônio Sundfeld da
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gama
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Gado de Leite, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luiz Gustavo Ribeiro
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Gado de Leite, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thierry Ribeiro
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Tomich
authors.affiliation: Bioengineering Department, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, São João del-Rei, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rogério Martins
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Maurício
authors.affiliation: The University of Sydney, Faculty of Veterinary Science, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Alexandre Vieira
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5065-7367
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Chaves
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D019659:Asteraceae / Q000737:chemistry; D002417:Cattle; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000008:administration & dosage; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004063:Digestion / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005285:Fermentation / Q000187:drug effects; D007774:Lactation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism; D008892:Milk / Q000187:drug effects*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D012417:Rumen / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004043:Dietary Fiber; D010936:Plant Extracts; D008697:Methane