Silage composed of Opuntia ficus indica f. inermis cladodes, olive ...

Silage composed of Opuntia ficus indica f.inermis cladodes, olive cake and wheatbran as alternative feed for Barbarine lambsS. Abidi 1 , H. Ben Salem 1 , A. Nefzaoui 2 , V. Vasta 3 , A. Priolo 31INRAT, Tunisia2ICARDA3University of Catania, Italy

Outline1Introduction2Objective3Materiels & methods4Main results5Conclusion

IntroductionLivestocko Most of livestock is raised in semiarid & arid regionsSerious feed shortageoooooRegression of rangelands (8 millions ha in the seventies vs5.5 ha87% of rangelands in arid areas80% collective rangelandsMismanagement (stocking rate, continous grazing)Low fodder potentialo Increased use of concentrate feeds & gross forages (cost !)Better use of local feed resources (shrubs,AGIBPs, crop residues, etc.)

IntroductionUse of alternative resources• Availability• Cost• Efficiency• Adapted to the arid and semi-arid

Huge quantity of olive cakeIntroductionLow in digestible NLow in energyHigh in lignineCrude OCDM (%) 81.0 89.0Ash (% DM) 8.9 7.9Solventextracted OCCP (% DM) 6.6 13.6High intake(120 g DM / BW 0.75 )Low digestibility(OMD = 25-30%)Fat (% DM) 8.9 3.2CF (% DM) 35.5 40.7ADL (% MS) - 25.1Nefzaoui (1985)

Objective• Using cactus instead of molasses (energy source).• Nutritive value of cactus-olive cake & bran silage.• Replacement value of silage concentrate and oroat hay given to Barbarine sheep.

Materials & methodsSilage: Olive cake ( 40% ) + fresh cactus ( 35%) + Wheat bran ( 25% )Cactus+ High in soluble carbohydrates and water- Low in fiber and nitrogenOlive cake+ Relatively high in fiber- Low in nitrogen and energyWheat bran+ Source of protein

Materials & methodsDiet 1. Oaten hay + 400 g conc. (75% barley & 25% soyabean meal) )Diet 2. Silage + 400 g conc.Diet 3. 50% diet 1 + Silage18 Barbarine lambs (BW 32 kg , 10-month-old)Adaptation: 19 daysGrowth trial: 60 daysDigestibility trial: 11 days Daily gain Intake, digestibility, nitrogen balance and microbial N supply Meat quality

ResultsSilage quality and chemical composition of feedsFermentation parameters of silage juiceOat hay Concentrate Silage Ingredient mixturebefore ensilingpH 4.55Soluble N (% TN) 30Ammonia (% TN) 4.4Nutrients in feedsDM (g/kg DM) 907 897 528 725OM (g/kg DM) 920 951 932 931CP (g/kg DM) 40 197 133 107NDF (g/kg DM) 628 315 547 653

ResultsFeed intake and nutrient digestibility of dietsControl S-diet CS-diet P-valueDM intake (g/kg BW 0.75 ) 70.5 a 64.1 a 78.3 b

ResultsEffect of diets on nitrogen balance and microbial N supply in sheepControl S-diet CS-diet P-valueN intake (g/day) 16.2 a 22.4 b 19.3 c

ResultsEffect of diets on daily gain, carcass yield and intramuscular fatty acidcomposition in sheepControl S-diet CS-diet P-valueDaily gain 33.9 31.3 31.2 nsCarcass yield 40.4 43.2 41.9 nsSFA 38.2 35.6 36.9 nsPUFA 28.3 31.6 27.4 nsOmega 6 21.2 ab 26.2 a 19.8 b 0.013Omega 3 6.9 a 5.8 ab 5.3 b 0.0206/3 3.1 4.5 3.8 ns

Conclusions Ensiling the mixture olive cake, cactus and wheat bran Easy technique and good quality Silage can replace totally oaten hay without affectingintake and digestibility in lambs Silage can replace totally or partially oaten hay with orwithout concentrate without affecting growth and meatquality