In Sacco DM degradability of brassica campestris (mustard) straw and Pennisetum typhoides (bajra) kadbi based complete feed blocks in sheep

A total of eight test diets were prepared by compressing the feed mixture at 4000 psi using a horizontal feed block-making machine. Concentrate mixture (25 parts) and molasses (5 parts) were added in each treatment. Treatments were comprised of mustard straw (MS 70 parts; T1), MS plus dried neem (Azadirachta indica) leaves (40:30 parts; T2), MS plus dried siris (Albizia lebbeck) leaves (40:30 parts; T3) and MS plus dried ardu (Ailanthus excelsa) leaves (40:30 parts; T4). Similarly, in treatments T5, T6, T7 and T8 the bajra kadbi was used as roughage in place of mustard straw. The incorporation of tree leaves in mustard straw based complete feed significantly (P<0.05) increased the instantly degradable fraction (a), rate of degradation (c) and the potential degradation (a+b) of the test diets. The coefficients of effective degradability (ED) at a rumen out flow rate of 0.05 per hour were also higher (P<0.05) in the treatment combinations where tree leaves replaced the 30 parts of mustard straw in the diet. However, the slowly or potentially degradable fraction of the diet (b) remains unaffected due to addition of tree leaves in the MS based diets. Among the tree leaves, the ardu leaves were found most effective in improving the ruminal degradation of the mustard straw based diets. The ruminal degradability coefficients for bajra kadbi based diets were higher than that of mustard straw based diets. Incorporation of tree leaves in bajra kadbi based diets did not improve the degradation kinetics, rather significantly (P<0.05) reduced the instantly and slowly degradable fractions of the diet. It is, therefore, concluded that incorporation of tree leaves in mustard straw based complete feed blocks improved its ruminal DM degradation. However, the incorporation of tree leaves in bajra kadbi based diets did not show any appreciable improvement in DM degradation.