Description

Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciafolia Scop.) is an important non-bloating perennial leguminous forage. The tannins in sainfoin alter protein metabolism in the rumen and have been implicated in altering both nitrous oxide and methane emissions. However, the effect of sainfoin when mixed with cool-season forages is unknown. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the in-vitro fermentation of sainfoin hay mixed with two other perennial cool-season forages, meadow bromegrass and orchardgrass at five ratios (0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:50, and 100:0). Data on dry matter disappearance (DMD), neutral detergent fiber disappearance (NDFD), gas production (GP) methane (CH4) emissions, and ammonia production were collected 48 h post incubation. Ruminal fluid was sourced from three heifers fed with forage hay. Incubations were conducted with and without PEG (polyethylene glycol) as PEG negates the biological activity of tannins. Sainfoin had a higher nutritive value than the other two grass species as evidenced by the higher proportion of total nitrogen and lower proportion of ADF and NDF. The change in DMD, ammonia-N, NDFD, GP, and CH4 emissions between sainfoin and grass only hay were 3.1, 9.2, -36.8, -1.76, and -1.2% respectively with the intermediate results for the mixture. The inclusion of sainfoin with cool-season grasses has positive effects on ruminal fermentation and lowered in vitro methane emissions as compared to grass alone

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Effects of Incorporation of Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciafolia Scop.) with Cool Season Grasses on in vitro Digestibility and CH4 Emission

Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciafolia Scop.) is an important non-bloating perennial leguminous forage. The tannins in sainfoin alter protein metabolism in the rumen and have been implicated in altering both nitrous oxide and methane emissions. However, the effect of sainfoin when mixed with cool-season forages is unknown. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the in-vitro fermentation of sainfoin hay mixed with two other perennial cool-season forages, meadow bromegrass and orchardgrass at five ratios (0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:50, and 100:0). Data on dry matter disappearance (DMD), neutral detergent fiber disappearance (NDFD), gas production (GP) methane (CH4) emissions, and ammonia production were collected 48 h post incubation. Ruminal fluid was sourced from three heifers fed with forage hay. Incubations were conducted with and without PEG (polyethylene glycol) as PEG negates the biological activity of tannins. Sainfoin had a higher nutritive value than the other two grass species as evidenced by the higher proportion of total nitrogen and lower proportion of ADF and NDF. The change in DMD, ammonia-N, NDFD, GP, and CH4 emissions between sainfoin and grass only hay were 3.1, 9.2, -36.8, -1.76, and -1.2% respectively with the intermediate results for the mixture. The inclusion of sainfoin with cool-season grasses has positive effects on ruminal fermentation and lowered in vitro methane emissions as compared to grass alone