Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-12T21:45:29.885Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Ruminal ammonia concentration and energy expenditure of cattle estimated by the carbon dioxide entry rate technique

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

O. N. Di Marco ,
P. Castiñeiras  and
M. S. Aello
O. N. Di Marco
Affiliation:
Universidad National de Mar del Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias—Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, EEA Balcarce, CC 276 (7620) Balcarce (BA), Argentina
P. Castiñeiras
Affiliation:
Universidad National de Mar del Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias—Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, EEA Balcarce, CC 276 (7620) Balcarce (BA), Argentina
M. S. Aello
Affiliation:
Universidad National de Mar del Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias—Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, EEA Balcarce, CC 276 (7620) Balcarce (BA), Argentina
Get access

Abstract

Five ruminallyfistulatedAngus steers (360 (s.e. 15·4) kg) were givenfood to maintain body weight constant: maize silage (TO) at 0·6 kg dry matter (DM) per 100 kg body weight twice a day. After a 15-day adaptation period they were infused continuously (I) for 96 h, with a solution of NaH14CO3 at a rate of 7 to 8 micro Curies (μCi) per h. On the last 2 days of infusion 30 g (Tl) and 60 g (T2) urea, respectively, were placed in the rumen at the end of the morning meal. Spot samples of urine (250 ml) were taken before and 5 h after the morning meal and after at least 24 h of infusion. Thereafter, animals continued with TO for one additional week, in which they were prepared with catheters inserted in salivary ducts and infused for 48 h, as previously described. Eighteen pairs of spot samples of urine and saliva were takenfrom three of thefive steers (369 (s.e. 20·7) kg), over a period of 5 h, after at least 24 h infusion (six per animal). Rate of carbon dioxide (CO2) production was estimated as the ratio USA (specific activity of CO2)from which energy expenditure was calculated (22 kj/l CO2). Silage composition, in situ degradability and ruminal ammonia and pH were measured. In situ degradability in thefirst 6 h was 200 g/kg and ruminal ammonia was in the range of 20·6 to 39·6 mg/l. Ammonia increased rapidly to 394·2 (T1) and 673·9 mg/l (T2) 1 h after addition of urea into the rumen but in 6 h in situ degradability was unchanged. Ruminal ammonia decreased linearly at rates (mgll per h) of89·3 in Tl (R2 = 0·57, s.d. = 21·5) and 151·6 in T2 (R2 = 0·81, s.d. = 23·3). Animal energy expenditure rates were not affected (P > 0·05) by treatment (TO = 15·6, Tl = 15·6 and T2 = 15·8 kj/h per M075). There was no difference (P > 0·05) in CO2 production rate (mllh per kg M0·75) determined from the SA of CO2 from urine (604) or saliva (630) samples. It was concluded that the energy cost associated with detoxification of the excess of ruminal ammonia was of minor importance in terms of total animal energy expenditure and that estimations ofC02 ratesfromsamples ofurine or saliva are comparable.

Keywords

ammoniacattleenergy expenditureurea
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 67 , Issue 3 , December 1998 , pp. 435 - 443
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1998

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agricultural Research Council. 1980. The nutrient requirements of ruminant livestock. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Farnham Royal, England.Google Scholar
Bartley, E. E., Davidovich, A. D., Barr, G. W., Griffel, G. W., Dayton, A. D., Deyoe, C. W. and Bechtle, R. M. 1976. Ammonia toxicity in cattle. Rumen and blood changes associated with toxicity and treatments methods. Journal of Animal Science. 43: 835–841.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beever, D. E. 1993a. [Principles of grazed and conserved forages utilization. Conference.] Revista Argentina de Production Animal 13: 107–115.Google Scholar
Beever, D. E. 1993b. Rumen function. In Quantitative aspects of ruminant digestion and metabolism (ed. Forbes, J. M. and France, ), pp. 187–215. CAB International, Wallingford.Google Scholar
Box, G. E. P., Hunter, W. G. and Hunter, J. S. 1978. Statistics for experimenters, p. 653. J. Wiley and Sons, Inc.Google Scholar
Bunting, E. S. 1976. Effects of grain formation and dry matter distribution and forage quality in maize. Experimental Agriculture. 12: 417–428.Google Scholar
Buttery, P. J. and Boorman, K. N. 1976. The energetic efficiency of amino acid metabolism. In Protein metabolism and nutrition (ed. Cole, D. J. A., Boorman, K. N., Buttery, P. J., Lewis, D., Neale, R. J. and Swan, H.) European Association Animal Production publication no. 16, pp. 198–206.Google Scholar
Chalmers, M. I., Grant, I. and White, F. 1976. Nitrogen passage through the wall of the ruminant digestive tract. In Protein metabolism and nutrition (ed. Cole, D. J. A., Boorman, K. N., Buttery, P. J., Lewis, D., Neale, R. J. and Swan, H.) European Association for Animal Production publication no. pp. 159–179.Google Scholar
Chalmers, M. I., Jaffray, A. E. and White, F. 1971. Movements of ammonia following intraruminal administration of urea and casein. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 30: 7–17.Google Scholar
Choung, J. J. and Chamberlain, D. G. 1995. Effects of intraruminal infusion of propionate on the concentrations of ammonia and insulin in peripheral blood of cows receiving an intraruminal infusion of urea. Journal of Dairy Research. 62: 549–557.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Corbett, J. L., Farrell, D. J., Leng, R. A., McClymont, G. L. and Young, B. A. 1971. Determination of the energy expenditure of penned and grazing sheep from estimates of carbon dioxide entry rate. British Journal of Nutrition. 26: 277–291.Google Scholar
Elizalde, J. C., Rearte, D. H. and Santini, F. J. 1992. Corn silage supplementation of cows grazing winter oats. Dynamics of digestion and ruminal environment. Animal Feed Science and Technology. 38: 161–174.Google Scholar
Engels, E. A. N., Inskip, M. W. and Corbett, J. L. 1976. Effect of change in respiratory quotient on the relationship between carbon dioxide entry rate in sheep and their energy expenditure. In Energy metabolism offarm animals (ed. Vermorel, M.), European Association for Animal Production publication no. 19, pp. 339–342.Google Scholar
Fernandez, J. M., Croom, W. J. Jr, Johnson, A. D., Jaquette, R. D. and Edens, F. W. 1988. Subclinical ammonia toxicity i n steers: effects on blood metabolite and regulatory hormone concentrations. Journal of Animal Science. 66: 3259–3266.Google Scholar
Gagliostro, G. A., Lavandera, S. E., Celma, M. F. and Santini, F. J. 1996. [Metabolic effects of pastures with high protein content: responses to insulin and beta-adrenergic stimuli.] Revista Argentina de Production Animal 16: 13–23.Google Scholar
Goering, H. K. and Van Soest, P. J. 1970. Forage fiber analysis (apparatus, reagents, procedures and some applications). Agriculture handbook no. 379, pp. 1–20. Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Havstad, K. M. and Malechek, J. C. 1982. Energy expenditure by heifers grazing Crested Wheatgrass of diminishing availability, journal of Range Management 35: 447–450.Google Scholar
Jones, S. D. M., Rompala, R. E. and Jeramiath, L. E. 1985. Growth and composition of the empty body in steers of different maturity types fed concentrate or forage diets. Journal of Animal Science 60: 427–433.Google Scholar
Kelly, J. M., Park, H., Summers, M. and Milligan, L. P. 1993. Interactions between protein and energy metabolism. In Quantitative aspects of ruminant digestion and metabolism (ed. Forbes, J. M. and France, J.), pp. 341–362. CAB International, Wallingford.Google Scholar
Koong, L. J., Ferrell, C. L. and Nienaber, J. A. 1985. Assessment of interrelationships among levels of intake and production, organ size and fasting heat production in growing animals. Journal of Nutrition. 115: 1383–1389.Google Scholar
Macrae, J. C. and Armstrong, D. G. 1968. Enzymic determination of a-linked glucose polymers in biological material, journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 19: 578–581.Google Scholar
McBride, B. W. and Kelly, J. M. 1990. Energy cost of absorption and metabolism in the ruminant gastrointestinal tract and liver: a review, journal of Animal Science. 68: 2997–3010.Google Scholar
Marco, O. N. Di, Aello, M. S. and Mendez, D. G. 1996. Energy expenditure of cattle grazing on pastures of low and high availability. Animal Science. 63: 45–50.Google Scholar
Mehrez, A. Z. and Ørskov, E. R. 1977. A study of the artificial fibre bag technique for determining the digestibility of feeds in the rumen. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge. 88: 645–650.Google Scholar
Mendez, D. G., Marco, O. N. Di and Corva, P. M. 1996. Energy expenditure of cattle walking on a flat terrain. Animal Science 63: 39–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rearte, D. H. and Santini, F. J. 1989. [Ruminal digestion and animal production on grazing.] Revista Argentina de Production Animal 9: 93–105.Google Scholar
Russell, J. B., O'Connor, J. D., Fox, D. G., Van Soest, P. J. and Sniffen, C. J. 1992. A net carbohydrate and protein system for evaluating cattle diets. I. Ruminal fermentation. Journal of Animal Science 70: 3551–3561.Google Scholar
Sahlu, T., Jung, H. G., Nienaber, J. A. and Morris, J. G. 1988. Development and validation of a prediction equation. estimating heat production by carbon dioxide entry rate technique. Journal of Animal Science. 66: 2036–2043.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sanchez, M. D. and Morris, J. G. 1984. Energy expenditure of beef cattle grazing annual grassland. Canadian Journal Animal Science 64: (suppl.) 332–334.Google Scholar
Spires, H. R. and Clark, J. H. 1979. Effect of intraruminal urea administration on glucose metabolism in dairy steers. Journal of Nutrition 109: 1438–1447.Google Scholar
Symonds, H. W., Mather, D. L. and Collis, K. A. 1981. The maximum capacity of the liver of the adult dairy cow to metabolise ammonia. British Journal of Nutrition. 46: 481–486.Google Scholar
Tager, J. M., Akerboom, T. P. M., Hoek, J. B., Meijer, A. J., Vaartjes, W., Eruster, L. and Williamson, J. R. 1975. In Normal and pathological development of energy metabolism (ed. Holmes, F. A. and Berg, C. V. Vander), p. 63. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Visek, W. J. 1984. Ammonia: its effects on biological systems, metabolic hormones and reproduction. Journal of Dairy Science. 67: 481–498.Google Scholar
Webster, A. J. F. 1981. The energetic efficiency of metabolism. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 40: 121–128.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
White, R. G. 1993. Energy expenditure of ruminant on pasture. World conference on animal production, Edmonton, Canada, pp. 475–498.Google Scholar
Whitelaw, F. G. 1974. Measurement of energy expenditure in the grazing ruminant. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 33: 163–172.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, C. B., Keele, J. W. and Waldo, D. R. 1992. A computer model to predict empty body weight in cattle from diet and animal characteristics. Journal of Animal Science. 70: 3215–3222.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Young, B. A. 1970. Application of the carbon dioxide entry rate technique to measurements of energy expenditure by grazing cattle. In Energy metabolism offarm animals (ed. Schürch, A. and Wenk, C.), European Association for Animal Production publication no. 13, pp. 237–241.Google Scholar