Effect of Ground and Pelleted Sericea Lespedeza Whole Plant and Leaf Only on Gastrointestinal Nematode and Coccidial Infection in Goats

Two 42-day feeding trials in pens were completed with young goats(Spanish,intact male,six months old,n=29 Trial 1;n=20 Trial 2)to determine the anti-parasitic bioactivity of whole plant and leaf only sericea lespedeza(SL;Lespedeza cuneata)fed as a ground meal or in pelleted form.In Trial 1,goats were fed SL leaf only pellets,SL whole plant pellets,or a commercial goat pellet as 50%of a complete ration,while in Trial 2,kids were fed either ground SL leaf meal or ground whole plant SL meal as 25%of a complete ration.Fecal samples were collected weekly for determination of gastrointestinal nematode(GIN)fecal egg counts(FEC)and coccidia fecal oocyst counts(FOC).In Trial 1,both of the pelleted SL rations reduced FEC(p<0.06)relative to the kids fed the control ration,and for FOC,there were lower values on Days 7 to 42 relative to Day 0 for goats on either pelleted SL diet,while FOC for control animals did not change over time(interaction,p<0.01).In Trial 2,both ground whole plant and leaf only SL diets reduced(p<0.05)FEC of the goats over time,but the effect was faster in the kids on the SL leaf meal ration.At 50%of the diet,SL leaf and whole plant meal pellets were equally effective against GIN egg and coccidial oocyst production in young kids,but SL leaf meal was more effective in reducing GIN egg production than whole plant SL meal when fed at 25%of the diet.

Effect of Ensiling on Nutritional Properties of Sericea Lespedeza Alone or in Mixtures with Alfalfa

In this investigation,fresh sericea lespedeza(SL;Lespedeza cuneata)and alfalfa(Medicago sativa)were cut in the field,frozen,chopped and mixed into ratios of 100:0,75:25,50:50,25:75 and 0:100,respectively,with each treatment combination packed into 12 mini-silos and sealed to be air-tight.Three mini-silos per treatment were opened after 1,7,21 and 84 d of ensiling and analyzed for pH,neutral detergent fiber(NDF),acid detergent fiber(ADF),and acid detergent lignin(ADL),unbound and bound condensed tannins(CT),nitrogen(N),nitrate N(NO3-N),and ammonia N(NH4+N)content.All of the forage combinations ensiled well,with a rapid drop in pH(below 5.0 by Day 7).Fiber concentrations(NDF,ADF,ADL)were greater in 75% and 100% SL silages than in 0%,25% and 50% SL samples by Day 84 of the study,possibly due to interference of CT in the detergent analysis system.Concentrations of N,NO3-N and NH4+N were decreased in silages as percentage SL in the mixture increased,while unbound,bound and total CT increased as percentage SL increased.In this study,there was reduced proteolysis during ensiling of combinations of SL and alfalfa,as indicated by reduced NO3-N and NH4+N production as percentage SL in the silage mixtures increased.