Stocking Rate Has No Confounding Effect on the Use of Internal and Inert Markers to Predict Botanical Composition, Diet Quality, Degradability and Passage Rate Kinetics in Sheep
This study investigated if there is any confounding effect of stocking rate on the use of internal markers to determine and predict the dietary ingredient composition, dry matter intake (DMI) and digestibility of diets consumed by sheep. Fifteen sheep were randomly allocated to stocking rate treatme...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2020-11-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/12/2232 |
| _version_ | 1797546481451794432 |
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| author | Bulelani Nangamso Pepeta Mehluli Moyo Abubeker Hassen Ignatius Verla Nsahlai |
| author_facet | Bulelani Nangamso Pepeta Mehluli Moyo Abubeker Hassen Ignatius Verla Nsahlai |
| author_sort | Bulelani Nangamso Pepeta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study investigated if there is any confounding effect of stocking rate on the use of internal markers to determine and predict the dietary ingredient composition, dry matter intake (DMI) and digestibility of diets consumed by sheep. Fifteen sheep were randomly allocated to stocking rate treatments of one (SR1), two (SR2), four (SR4) and eight (SR8) sheep per pen (space allowance: 31.04 m<sup>2</sup>, 15.52 m<sup>2</sup>, 7.76 m<sup>2</sup> and 3.88 m<sup>2</sup> per sheep, respectively) and fed ad libitum maize stover, sorghum stover and veld hay by supplying 110% of previous day’s intake. Sheep were rotated across the treatments in four periods of 10 days. The proportion of feeds selected and total DMI were similar across all stocking rate treatments. However, diets selected by sheep in SR2 had the highest digestibility compared to other treatments. The prediction of the effective degradability of dry matter using acid detergent fibre content achieved an accuracy of 84.6%. A combination of crude protein and neutral detergent fibre contents achieved 63% accuracy in the prediction of the rate of degradation of feeds. The use of acid insoluble ash (AIA) as an internal marker to predict nutrient intake, digestibility, DMI and dietary ingredient intake accounted for 84.3%, 81.2%, 53.0% and 64.1% of the variation, respectively. The predictions of dietary feed proportions and nutrient quality selected obtained with least squares procedure using a combination of modified acid detergent fibre (MADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL) and AIA accounted for 81.0% and 72.4% of the variation, respectively. In conclusion, regardless of the different stocking rate tested in this study, a combination of MADF, ADL and AIA as internal markers can be used to estimate diet and nutrient selection by sheep using the least squares procedure. Hence, these markers can be used to predict ingredient composition of diet, diet and nutrient selection, nutrient intake and digestibility in free ranging animals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:30:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-aac962b82f2a4fbd8bd6684743cb8c7d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:30:01Z |
| publishDate | 2020-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-aac962b82f2a4fbd8bd6684743cb8c7d2023-11-20T22:40:08ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152020-11-011012223210.3390/ani10122232Stocking Rate Has No Confounding Effect on the Use of Internal and Inert Markers to Predict Botanical Composition, Diet Quality, Degradability and Passage Rate Kinetics in SheepBulelani Nangamso Pepeta0Mehluli Moyo1Abubeker Hassen2Ignatius Verla Nsahlai3Animal and Poultry Science, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South AfricaAnimal and Poultry Science, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South AfricaDepartment of Animal and Wildlife Sciences, University of Pretoria, Private bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South AfricaAnimal and Poultry Science, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South AfricaThis study investigated if there is any confounding effect of stocking rate on the use of internal markers to determine and predict the dietary ingredient composition, dry matter intake (DMI) and digestibility of diets consumed by sheep. Fifteen sheep were randomly allocated to stocking rate treatments of one (SR1), two (SR2), four (SR4) and eight (SR8) sheep per pen (space allowance: 31.04 m<sup>2</sup>, 15.52 m<sup>2</sup>, 7.76 m<sup>2</sup> and 3.88 m<sup>2</sup> per sheep, respectively) and fed ad libitum maize stover, sorghum stover and veld hay by supplying 110% of previous day’s intake. Sheep were rotated across the treatments in four periods of 10 days. The proportion of feeds selected and total DMI were similar across all stocking rate treatments. However, diets selected by sheep in SR2 had the highest digestibility compared to other treatments. The prediction of the effective degradability of dry matter using acid detergent fibre content achieved an accuracy of 84.6%. A combination of crude protein and neutral detergent fibre contents achieved 63% accuracy in the prediction of the rate of degradation of feeds. The use of acid insoluble ash (AIA) as an internal marker to predict nutrient intake, digestibility, DMI and dietary ingredient intake accounted for 84.3%, 81.2%, 53.0% and 64.1% of the variation, respectively. The predictions of dietary feed proportions and nutrient quality selected obtained with least squares procedure using a combination of modified acid detergent fibre (MADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL) and AIA accounted for 81.0% and 72.4% of the variation, respectively. In conclusion, regardless of the different stocking rate tested in this study, a combination of MADF, ADL and AIA as internal markers can be used to estimate diet and nutrient selection by sheep using the least squares procedure. Hence, these markers can be used to predict ingredient composition of diet, diet and nutrient selection, nutrient intake and digestibility in free ranging animals.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/12/2232acid insoluble ashdegradabilitydiet selectionfaecal recoverypredictstocking rate |
| spellingShingle | Bulelani Nangamso Pepeta Mehluli Moyo Abubeker Hassen Ignatius Verla Nsahlai Stocking Rate Has No Confounding Effect on the Use of Internal and Inert Markers to Predict Botanical Composition, Diet Quality, Degradability and Passage Rate Kinetics in Sheep Animals acid insoluble ash degradability diet selection faecal recovery predict stocking rate |
| title | Stocking Rate Has No Confounding Effect on the Use of Internal and Inert Markers to Predict Botanical Composition, Diet Quality, Degradability and Passage Rate Kinetics in Sheep |
| title_full | Stocking Rate Has No Confounding Effect on the Use of Internal and Inert Markers to Predict Botanical Composition, Diet Quality, Degradability and Passage Rate Kinetics in Sheep |
| title_fullStr | Stocking Rate Has No Confounding Effect on the Use of Internal and Inert Markers to Predict Botanical Composition, Diet Quality, Degradability and Passage Rate Kinetics in Sheep |
| title_full_unstemmed | Stocking Rate Has No Confounding Effect on the Use of Internal and Inert Markers to Predict Botanical Composition, Diet Quality, Degradability and Passage Rate Kinetics in Sheep |
| title_short | Stocking Rate Has No Confounding Effect on the Use of Internal and Inert Markers to Predict Botanical Composition, Diet Quality, Degradability and Passage Rate Kinetics in Sheep |
| title_sort | stocking rate has no confounding effect on the use of internal and inert markers to predict botanical composition diet quality degradability and passage rate kinetics in sheep |
| topic | acid insoluble ash degradability diet selection faecal recovery predict stocking rate |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/12/2232 |
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