Nutrient and Rumen Fermentation Studies of Indian Pasture Legumes for Sustainable Animal Feed Utilisation in Semiarid Areas

Abstract

This study evaluated 5 annual and 11 perennial Indian pasture legumes species for their nutritive value, dry matter and mineral contents and in vitro fermentation parameters. Legume species differed significantly (p Clitoria ternateaa had higher (p Lablab purpureus (420 g/kg CP). Atylosia scarabaeoides (AS) had higher levels of nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) (392 g/kg dry matter (DM)) than structural carbohydrates (SC) (367 g/kg DM). Its rapidly degradable fraction (51.7 g/kg (total carbohydrate) tCHO) was lower (p Desmodium virgatus (DV) having higher values and Stylosanthas seabrana (SSe) having the lowest. Predicted dry matter intake, digestible dry matter and relative feed value also showed significant differences (p Dolichos biflorus, Macroptilium atropurpureum, Rhynchosia minima (RM) were found to be better balanced with micro minerals. In vitro dry matter degradability, partition factor, short-chain fatty acids and microbial protein production of legumes varied significantly (p 4 production (mL/g and mL/g (digestible DM) DDM) also varied, with Clitoria ternatea-blue having the highest gas production and C. ternatea -white (CT-w) and AS having lower CH4 production. Methane in total gas was low for DV, RM and CT-w (8.99%, 9.72% and 9.51%). Loss of DE and ME as CH4 varied (p < 0.05) among the legumes. Each legume offers unique benefits, potentially allowing for tailored combinations of annual and perennial legumes to optimize rumen feed efficiency.

Keywords

• animal feed
• annual legumes
• perennial legumes
• nutritional value
• minerals
• in vitro fermentation