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Rate of production of protozoa in the rumen and the flow of protozoal nitrogen to the duodenum in sheep and cattle given a pelleted diet of lucerne hay and barley

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

B. S. Punia ,
J. Leibholz  and
G. J. Faichney
B. S. Punia
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, University of Sydney, Camden, NSW 2570, Australia
J. Leibholz
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, University of Sydney, Camden, NSW 2570, Australia
G. J. Faichney
Affiliation:
CSIRO, Division of Animal Production, PO Box 239, Blacktown, NSW 2148, Australia
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Summary

Two crossbred wethers (c. 45 kg) and two Hereford heifers (c. 215 kg) were fitted with permanent cannulas in the rumen and abomasum and given a diet of lucerne hay and barley (60:40). Organic matter (OM) intakes were 0·67 kg/day for sheep and 3·14 kg/day for cattle.

The mean numbers of protozoa in the rumen fluid were 9·3 × 105/ml for sheep and 7·4 × 105/ml for cattle. 14C-labelled protozoa were prepared by incubating rumen fluid in vitro with [14C]methyl choline and then isolating them by sedimentation and differential centrifugation. The labelled protozoa were returned to the rumen of each of the donor animals in a single injection. The specific radioactivity in mixed protozoa isolated from the rumen was measured for 3 days. The protozoal pool size was 10 and 12 g N in the sheep and 64 and 44 g N in the cattle. Protozoal N contributed, on average, 48% of the total N in the rumen.

Production of protozoal N in the rumen was 9·5 and 11·2 g/day for the sheep and 49·5 and 38·6 g/day for the cattle. The flow of protozoal N from the abomasum was calculated to be 1·6 and 2·9 g/day for sheep and 17·3 and 13·3 g/day for cattle. Thus, on average, 79% of the protozoal N was recycled within the rumen of the sheep and 65% within the rumen of the cattle. Protozoal N made up 11–20% of total N flow from the abomasum. The turnover times of 14C-labelled protozoa injected into the rumen of the sheep and the cattle were similar (26·2 and 26·8 h for sheep; 30·8 and 27·5 h for cattle) and were similar to those for protozoa isolated from the rumen of sheep after direct intraruminal injection of [14C]methyl choline (28 and 36 h).

Type
Animals
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 118 , Issue 2 , April 1992 , pp. 229 - 236
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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