Institut für Nutztierwissenschaften

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hohpublica.uni-hohenheim.de/handle/123456789/20

Browse

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7

Approaches to increase digestibility of Bangladesh ruminant feed resources in order to mitigate enteric methane production
(2024) Bashar, Muhammad Khairul; Rodehutscord, Markus
Multiple analyses have shown that the rising human population, urbanization, and consumer preferences affect the demand for livestock products in developing countries. Concurrently, human population and urbanisation growth are reducing the likelihood of newly cultivated land producing feeds or restoring damaged pastures. Using low-quality roughage more efficiently is an option, but such roughages have drawbacks, including high structural carbohydrate and low nitrogen contents, which lead to poor palatability and nutrient utilisation including emission of methane (CH4) that is harmful to the environment and a loss of energy to the animal. Using commonly accessible legumes and tree foliage could be a possibility to address the need for N and CH4 mitigation due to their high crude protein and secondary compound contents. In order to evaluate the potential of specific combinations of roughages, concentrates, and other feeds, it is necessary to determine the feeding values, in vitro ruminal fermentation, and CH4 production of single feeds, as well as the promising interaction (associative) effects between single feeds when combinded in a ration. This may allow for formulating a better balanced total mixed ration (TMR) for ruminants, which was the main goal of the present doctoral study. Eighteen feedstuffs from Bangladesh were chosen, including roughages such as crop residues (rice straw, urea molasses treated straw and maize stover), silages (Napier silage and Maize silage), common grasses (German grass, Para grass and Napier grass) and leguminous fodder (Ipil-ipil, Glicidia, Alfalfa hay and Moringa tops) and concentrates (crushed wheat, crushed maize, Wheat bran, Kashari bran, and Rice bran). In Study 1, the single feeds were characterized by comprehensive chemical analysis and in vitro production of total gas and methane using the Hohenheim gas test. Based on the results of Study 1, rice straw, German grass, Napier silage, and maize silage were used in Study 2 and incubated in vitro alone or after substitution by Ipil-ipil and Gliricidia at levels of 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%, respectively. In Study 3, mixtures of roughages and leguminous fodder (rice straw + 40% Ipil-ipil, German grass + 10% Ipil-ipil, Napier silage + 30% Ipil ipil, and maize silage + 30% Ipil-ipil) were combined with single concentrates in order to identify the most promising mixtures in regard to digestibility and methane production. Eventually, 24 TMR were formulated using six for each type of roughage in Study 4. These TMR were comprised of 60% of the same combination of roughage as used in Study 3 and 40% of various combinations of concentrates including TMR-1 (60% rice bran + 10% wheat bran + 30% kashari bran), TMR-2 (30% rice bran + 10% wheat bran + 60% kashari bran), TMR-3 (10% rice bran + 60% wheat bran + 30% kashari bran), TMR-4 (10% rice bran + 30% wheat bran + 60% kashari bran), TMR-5 (60% rice bran + 30% wheat bran + 10 kashari bran), and TMR-6 (30% rice bran + 60% wheat bran + 10% kashari bran) in order to identify suitable TMR for maximising ruminal fermentation and reducing the CH4 production in vitro. In all studies, the total gas production (GP), digestibility of organic matter (dOM), metabolisable energy (ME), and net energy for lactation (NEL) were determined after incubating 200 mg of feed with a rumen fluid-buffer solution for 72 hours. In addition, the CH4 concentration in the produced gas was measured after incubating 120 mg of feed for 24 hours. Measured values of the mixed feed were compared to estimated values, where the estimated values were weighted means of the values of the individual feeds, to determine the associative effects between the feed ingredients (Study 2 and Study 4). In Study 1, the concentration of acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), and acid detergent lignin (ADL) was the lowest in leguminous fodder while the crude protein (CP) concentration was the hightest, followed by the common grasses and the silages. The crop residues showed the lowest CP and the highest cell wall fraction concentrations. The dOM, ME, and NEL of crushed wheat and crushed maize were significantly higher (p<0.05) than those of other feedstuffs. The same differences were found (p<0.05) for CH4 concentration (% of GP) and CH4 production (L CH4/kg dOM). The dOM and ME of German grass and Ipil-ipil were higher (p<0.05), whereas the CH4 concentration and CH4 production were lower compared to that of crop residues and other common grasses. The CH4 production of single feeds decreased with increasing concentrations of CP, ADF, and ADL, whereas it increased with NDF concentration. These findings enabled development of more balanced diets for ruminants with the aim of improved digestibility and reduced CH4 emission while making use of widely available feed resources in Bangladesh. Study 2 aimed to evaluate the in vitro ruminal fermentation, CH4 production, and associative effects between low-quality roughages and CP supplements. The gas production after 24 hours (GP24) and rumen fermentation rate increased (p<0.05) with increasing addition of Ipil-ipil to rice straw. It also resulted in a gradual increase of dOM and ME (p<0.05) of the mixture, reaching maximum values (59.1% and 7.60 MJ ME/kg DM) and maximum reductions in CH4 concentration and CH4/dOM (6.9% and 11.7%) compared to the control with Ipil-ipil addition at 40% of DM. When Ipil-ipil was added at 30% to Napier silage, the same trend was observed for dOM and ME (56.5%, and 7.55 MJ ME/kg DM) and CH4 concentration and CH4/dOM (5.3% and 13.3%). Ipil-ipil did not significantly interact with high quality roughages such as German grass and maize silage. Increasing the addition of Gliricidia to the roughages in Study 2 led to a decrease in GP24, dOM, ME, and CH4 production. The highest levels of the associative effects (p<0.05) were seen when 40% Ipil-ipil was added to rice straw and 30% was added to Napier silage. In conclusion, adding Ipil-ipil to low-quality roughages is superior to Gliricidia and showed promising results, with the ranking as follows: rice straw + 40% Ipil-ipil > Napier silage + 30% Ipil-ipil > maize silage + 30% Ipil-ipil > German gras + 10% Ipil-ipil. Study 3 and Study 4 had the overarching purpose to determine which combination of single concentrates and combinations of concentrates with roughage produced the best mixed feed in terms of rumen fermentation, CH4 reduction potential, and associative effect. The CP and non-stach carbohydrate contents of the Ipil-ipil-based mixed feed was enhanced by adding Wheat bran and Kashari bran as single concentrates, which had a favourable effect on rumen fermentation and gas production but had the opposite effect on CH4 production when compared to the addition of Rice bran. In Study 4, TMR were formulated using roughages and Ipil-ipil and addition of Wheat bran, Kashari bran, and Rice bran in various combinations. The TMR based on German grass and maize silage with specific bran combinations showed significant reductions in in vitro CH4 production, CH4 concentration, and CH4/dOM while maximising GP, dOM, ME, and the associative effects. To conclude, the results of chemical analyses and in vitro fermentation studies showed that specific combinations of roughages, protein feeds, and by-products available in Bangladesh have the potential to formulate rations for cattle that help making livestock production more sustainable. The results may be also relevant for other developing nations. It is suggested to verify the results of the present project by animal trials at local conditions.
Assessing the combination efficiency of some unconventional feed resources with concentrates and Chloris gayana grass in mitigating ruminal methane production in vitro
(2024) Melesse, Aberra; Steingass, Herbert; Holstein, Julia; Titze, Natascha; Rodehutscord, Markus
In a preliminary in vitro study, leaves of Acacia nilotica, Prosopis juliflora, Cajanus cajan, Leucaena leucocephala and seed kernel of Mangifera indica were identified as potential candidates in mitigating ruminal methane (CH4) production. The objective of the current study was to investigate the combination efficiency of these unconventional feeds with concentrate mix (CM) or Chloris gayana grass in CH4 reduction. Two feed combinations in different proportions were incubated in vitro with buffered rumen fluid at Hohenheim Gas test. In combination 1, C. gayana and CM were included as basal substrates, while in combination 2, A. nilotica, P. juliflora, C. cajan, L. leucocephala or M. indica seed kernel were included as CH4 reducing supplements at different proportions. The CH4 reducing potentials of feed combinations were presented as the ratio of CH4 to net gas production and expressed as percentage (pCH4). The pCH4 for CM and C. gayana was 16.7% and 16.9%, respectively, while it ranged from 3.18% in A. nilotica to 13.1% in C. cajan. The pCH4 was reduced (p < 0.05) from 14.6% to 9.39% when A. nilotica was combined with CM. In combination of L. leucocephala or C. cajan with CM, the pCH4 (p < 0.05) was reduced from 16.5% and 16.6% with the lowest proportion to 15.1% and 15.2% with the highest inclusion rate respectively. The combination of C. gayana with L. leucocephala or C. cajan reduced (p < 0.05) the pCH4 from 16.3% and 16.4% to 15.1% and 14.9% respectively. The pCH4 was reduced (p < 0.05) from 13.4% to 7.60% when A. nilotica was combined with C. gayana. Estimated digestible organic matter (dOM) and metabolizable energy (ME) increased (p < 0.05) with increasing proportions of M. indica seed kernel with CM or C. gayana. In conclusion, the combination of the basal substrates with unconventional supplements resulted in CH4 reduction without affecting the dOM and ME at lower inclusion rates. Animal‐based experiments await to validate in vitro findings.
Complex European invasion history of Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky): new insights in its population genomic differentiation using genotype-by-sequencing
(2024) Haeussermann, Iris; Hasselmann, Martin
Anthropogenic activities like trade facilitate increasing rates of biological invasions. Asian long-horned beetle (ALB), which is naturally distributed in eastern Asia (China, Korean peninsula), was introduced via wood packing materials (WPM) used in trade to North America (1996) and Europe (2001). We used 7810 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) derived by a genotype-by-sequencing (GBS) approach to decipher the introduction patterns into Europe. This is applied for the first time on European ALB outbreaks from Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, both from still active and already eradicated infestations. The genome-wide SNPs detected signs of small and highly structured populations within Europe, showing clear founder effects. The very high population differentiation is presumably derived from multiple independent introductions to Europe, which are spatially restricted in mating. By admixture and phylogenetic analyses, some cases of secondary dispersal were observed. Furthermore, some populations suggest admixture, which might have been originated by either multiple introductions from different sources into the new sites or recurrent introductions from an admixed source population. Our results confirmed a complex invasion history of the ALB into Europe and the usability of GBS obtained SNPs in invasion science even without source populations.
Composition of the ileum microbiota is a mediator between the host genome and phosphorus utilization and other efficiency traits in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)
(2022) Haas, Valentin; Vollmar, Solveig; Preuß, Siegfried; Rodehutscord, Markus; Camarinha-Silva, Amélia; Bennewitz, Jörn
Background: Phosphorus is an essential nutrient in all living organisms and, currently, it is the focus of much attention due to its global scarcity, the environmental impact of phosphorus from excreta, and its low digestibility due to its storage in the form of phytates in plants. In poultry, phosphorus utilization is influenced by composition of the ileum microbiota and host genetics. In our study, we analyzed the impact of host genetics on composition of the ileum microbiota and the relationship of the relative abundance of ileal bacterial genera with phosphorus utilization and related quantitative traits in Japanese quail. An F2 cross of 758 quails was genotyped with 4k genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and composition of the ileum microbiota was characterized using target amplicon sequencing. Heritabilities of the relative abundance of bacterial genera were estimated and quantitative trait locus (QTL) linkage mapping for the host was conducted for the heritable genera. Phenotypic and genetic correlations and recursive relationships between bacterial genera and quantitative traits were estimated using structural equation models. A genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) and microbial (M)BLUP hologenomic selection approach was applied to assess the feasibility of breeding for improved phosphorus utilization based on the host genome and the heritable part of composition of the ileum microbiota. Results: Among the 59 bacterial genera examined, 24 showed a significant heritability (nominal p ≤ 0.05), ranging from 0.04 to 0.17. For these genera, six genome-wide significant QTL were mapped. Significant recursive effects were found, which support the indirect host genetic effects on the host’s quantitative traits via microbiota composition in the ileum of quail. Cross-validated microbial and genomic prediction accuracies confirmed the strong impact of microbial composition and host genetics on the host’s quantitative traits, as the GBLUP accuracies based on the heritable microbiota-mediated components of the traits were similar to the accuracies of conventional GBLUP based on genome-wide SNPs. Conclusions: Our results revealed a significant effect of host genetics on composition of the ileal microbiota and confirmed that host genetics and composition of the ileum microbiota have an impact on the host’s quantitative traits. This offers the possibility to breed for improved phosphorus utilization based on the host genome and the heritable part of composition of the ileum microbiota.
Effects of Prosopis juliflora pods on sheep performance and carcass traits, and their methane mitigation potential as assessed in vitro
(2025) Tadesse, Assefa; Titze, Natascha; Rodehutscord, Markus; Melesse, Aberra
This study aimed to assess the effect of partial substitution of concentrate mix (CM) with Prosopis juliflora pod (PJP) on growth performance and carcass traits in sheep, and its potential to reduce methane (CH4) production in vitro. A total of 25 yearling rams with an initial body weight of 15.8±1.53 kg was randomly assigned to five treatment diets. The diets were a control diet (JP0) and JP0 replaced with PJP at the level of 5% (JP5), 10% (JP10), 15% (JP15), and 20% (JP20). Data were collected on feed intake, body weight, and carcass characteristics. Methane production was determined from 24 h in vitro gas production. The substitution of CM with PJP did not affect feed intake, body weight, weight gain, feed efficiency, and carcass traits (p>0.05). The in vitro CH4 production was reduced (p<0.001) in diets containing increased levels of PJP. The metabolizable energy for JP10, JP15 and JP20 diets was 11.9, 11.6 and 11.5 MJ/kg DM, respectively (p>0.05). In conclusion, replacing CM with PJP did not negatively affect growth performance and carcass characteristics and could be used as potential supplement to mitigate methane emissions. Further in vivo studies involving respiration chambers are recommended to investigate the CH4 reduction potential of PJP.
Projecting the impact of climate change on honey bee plant habitat distribution in Northern Ethiopia
(2024) Gebremedhn, Haftom; Gebrewahid, Yikunoamlak; Haile, Gebremedhin Gebremeskel; Hadgu, Gebre; Atsbha, Tesfay; Hailu, Teweldemedhn Gebretinsae; Bezabih, Gebreamlak
Climate change significantly affects the diversity, growth, and survival of indigenous plant species thereby influencing the nutrition, health and productivity of honey bees ( Apis mellifera ). Hypoestes forskaolii (Vahl) is one of the major honey bee plant species in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. It is rich in pollen and nectar that typically provides white honey, which fetches a premium price in both local and inter-national markets. Despite its socio-economic and apicultural significance, the distribution of H. forskaolii has been declining, raising concerns regarding its conservation efforts. However, there is limited knowledge on how environmental and climatic factors affect its current distribution and response to future climate change. The study investigates the current and projected (the 2030s, 2050s, 2070s, and 2090s) habitat distributions of H. forskaolii under three future climate change scenarios (ssp126, ssp245, and ssp585) using the Maximum Entropy Model (MaxEnt). The results show that land use (50.1%), agro-ecology (28%), precipitation during the Driest Quarter (11.2%) and soil texture (6.1%) predominantly influence the distribution of H. forskaolii, collectively explaining 95.4% of the model's predictive power. Habitats rich in evergreen trees and mosaic herbaceous with good vegetation cover are identified as the most suitable for H. forskaolii . The spatial distribution of H. forskaolii is concentrated in the highlands and mid-highlands of the eastern and southern parts of Tigray, characterized by a colder temperature. Across the three climate change scenarios, the size of suitable habitat for H. forskaolii is projected to decrease over the four time periods studied. Predictions under the ssp585 scenario reveal alarming results, indicating a substantial decrease in the suitable habitat for H. forskaolii from 4.26% in the 2030s to 19.09% in the 2090s. Therefore, given the challenges posed by climate change, research efforts should focus on identifying and evaluating new technologies that can help the H. forskaolii species in adapting and mitigating the effects of climate change.
Systematic selection of best performing mathematical models for in vitro gas production using machine learning across diverse feeds
(2025) Ahmadi, Hamed; Titze, Natascha; Wild, Katharina; Rodehutscord, Markus
In vitro gas production (GP) is commonly used to evaluate ruminant feed, yet its accurate interpretation requires robust mathematical modeling. This study systematically explores a wide array of nonlinear models to explain GP dynamics across various feed types, addressing the question: how can efficient and versatile models that accurately represent GP profiles be identified? We hypothesized that distinct feed types exhibit unique GP characteristics, effectively captured by specific models, and that statistical and machine learning methodologies can streamline model selection. Utilizing a comprehensive dataset derived from 849 unique GP profiles across concentrate feed categories—including cereal and leguminous grains and processed protein feeds—21 candidate models were rigorously evaluated based on their goodness-of-fit metrics, with a particular emphasis on Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) for model selection. A group of three models—namely Burr XII, Inverse paralogistic, and Log-logistic—consistently emerged as top performers, demonstrating high generalizability and predictive power across feed types. Notably, our analysis indicated that model type significantly influenced GP predictions, surpassing the impact of feed type characteristics. This research establishes a decision-making framework for model selection and sets the stage for further investigations linking in vitro GP parameters to in vivo digestibility, ultimately enhancing ruminant nutrition strategies.

Browse

Browsing Institut für Nutztierwissenschaften by Sustainable Development Goals "13"