Biological Characteristics and Rumen Microorganisms of Gayal(Bos frontalis)in Yunnan Province

[Objective]The paper was to provide reference for further study and development of gayal（Bos frontalis）.[Method]According to the research status at home and abroad,the biological characteristics and rumen microorganisms of gayal in Yunnan Province was studied.[Result]Gayal in Yunnan had typical body form and very good meat production performance,its muscle fiber diameter was significantly less than other kinds of cattle;the water holding ratio,muscle tenderness and muscle succulency were significantly higher than others;its amount,shape and structure of chromosome were different from yellow cattle（Bos taurus）and wild cattle（Bos gaurus）,and the amounts of those chromosomes（2n）were 58,60 and 56,respectively.It could create hybrid with yellow cattle;the gayal＇s special diet was bamboo,its in vitro dry matter digestibility（IVDMD）on various crude forage was significantly higher than yellow cattle in Yunnan;the viable bacteria and cellulolytic bacteria in rumen were 4.51×109 and 1.63×109 CFU/ml,which was significantly higher than yellow cattle in Yunnan,its dominant bacteria in rumen mainly was cellulolytic bacteria.[Conclusion]Gayal not only had high academic value,but also had a great development value.

Effects of rumen microorganisms on the decomposition of recycled straw residue

Recently,returning straw to the fields has been proved as a direct and effective method to tackle soil nutrient loss and agricultural pollution.Meanwhile,the slow decomposition of straw may harm the growth of the next crop.This study aimed to determine the effects of rumen microorganisms(RMs)on straw decomposition,bacterial microbial community structure,soil properties,and soil enzyme activity.The results showed that RMs significantly enhanced the degradation rate of straw in the soil,reaching 39.52%,which was 41.37%higher than that of the control on the 30th day after straw return.After 30 d,straw degradation showed a significant slower trend in both the control and the experimental groups.According to the soil physicochemical parameters,the application of rumen fluid expedited soil matter transformation and nutrient buildup,and increased the urease,sucrase,and cellulase activity by 10%‒20%.The qualitative analysis of straw showed that the hydroxyl functional group structure of cellulose in straw was greatly damaged after the application of rumen fluid.The analysis of soil microbial community structure revealed that the addition of rumen fluid led to the proliferation of Actinobacteria with strong cellulose degradation ability,which was the main reason for the accelerated straw decomposition.Our study highlights that returning rice straw to the fields with rumen fluid inoculation can be used as an effective measure to enhance the biological value of recycled rice straw,proposing a viable solution to the problem of sluggish straw decomposition.

Effects of Increasing Non-Fiber Carbohydrate to Neutral Detergent Fiber Ratio on Rumen Fermentation and Microbiota in Goats

Six rumen-cannulated lactating Guanzhong goats were used to investigate changes in ruminal fermentation pattern and the microbiota following a subacute rtmainal acidosis （SARA） inducing procedure. Induction of SARA was performed by increasing dietary non-fiber carbohydrate （NFC） to neutral detergent fiber （NDF） ratio from 1.02 （stage 1） to 1.24 （stage 2）, 1.63 （stage 3） and 2.58 （stage 4）. A dynamic pH monitoring system, real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR and conventional anaerobic culture were used to assess changes in ruminal pH and microbiota. Results indicated that rumen fermentation patterns changed significantly with increased NFC：NDF ratio. The decline in ruminal pH was caused by increased ruminal total volatile fatty acids （TVFA）, which was mainly attributed to a significant increase in ruminal butyrate, rather than the accumulation of ruminal lactic acid. In addition, in the course of SARA, the number of rumen microoganisms altered significantly, with increases in ruminal amylolytic bacteria, Lactobacilli, Streptococcus bovis and Megasphaera elsdenii, the latter particularly dramatically indicating that it may be the main factor responsible for the increase in butyrate, and decrease in protozoa.

Effect of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on alfalfa nutrient degradation characteristics and rumen microbial populations of steers fed diets with different concentrate-to-forage ratios

Live yeast（Saccharomyces cerevisiae） constitutes an effective additive for animal production;its probiotic effect may be related to the concentrate-to-forage ratio（CTFR）.The objective of this study was to assess the effects of S.cerevisiae（SC） on fiber degradation and rumen microbial populations in steers fed diets with different levels of dietary concentrate.Ten Simmental × Local crossbred steers（450 ± 50 kg BW） were assigned to a control group or an SC group.Both groups were fed the same basal diet but the SC group received SC supplementation（8 × 10^9 cfu/h/d through the ruminal fistula）following a two-period crossover design.Each period consisted of four phases,each of which lasted 17 d：10 d for dietary adaptation,6 d for degradation study,and 1 d for rumen sample collection.From the 1^（st） to the 4^（th） phase,steers were fed in a stepwise fashion with increasing CTFRs,i.e.,30：70,50：50,70：30,and 90：10.The kinetics of dry matter and fiber degradation of alfalfa pellets were evaluated;the rumen microbial populations were detected using real-time PCR.The results revealed no significant（P〉 0.05） interactions between dietary CTFR and SC for most parameters.Dietary CTFR had a significant effect（P〈 0.01） on degradation characteristics of alfalfa pellets and the copies of rumen microorganism;the increasing concentrate level resulted in linear,quadratic or cubic variation trend for these parameters.SC supplementation significantly（P〈 0.05） affected dry matter（DM） and neutral detergent fiber（NDF）degradation rates（c_（DM）,c_（NDF）） and NDF effective degradability（ED_（NDF））.Compared with the control group,there was an increasing trend of rumen fungi and protozoa in SC group（P 〈 0.1）;copies of total bacteria in SC group were significantly higher（P〈 0.05）.Additionally,percentage of Ruminobacter amylophilus was significantly lower（P〈 0.05）but percentage of Selenomonas ruminantium was significantly higher（P〈 0.05） in the SC group.In a word,dietary CTFR had a significant effect on degradation characteristics of forage and rumen microbial population.S.cerevisiae had positive effects on DM and NDF degradation rate or effective degradability of forage;S.cerevisiae increased rumen total bacteria,fungi,protozoa,and lactate-utilizing bacteria but reduced starch-degrading and lactate-producing bacteria.

Dietary saccharin sodium supplementation improves the production performance of dairy goats without residue in milk in summer

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary saccharin sodium supplementation on production performance,serum biochemical indicators,and rumen fermentation of dairy goats in summer.Twelve Guanzhong dairy goats with similar body weight,days in milk,and milk yield were randomly divided into two dietary treatments:(1)CON:basal diet;(2)SS:basal diet+150 mg/kg saccharin sodium on the basis of dry matter.The experiment lasted 35 d,including 7 d for adaptation and 28 d for dietary treatments,sampling and data collection.Each dairy goat was housed individually in a clean separate pen with ad libitum access to diet and water.The goats fed SS diet had increased dry matter intake(DMI;P=0.037),4%fat corrected milk yield(P=0.049),energy corrected milk yield(P=0.037),milk protein yield(P=0.031),and total solids yield(P=0.036).Serum activity of aspartate aminotransferase(P=0.047)and concentrations of 70-kDa heat shock protein(P=0.090),malondialdehyde(P=0.092),and total protein(P=0.057)were lower in goats fed SS diet than those fed CON diet.Supplementation of saccharin sodium tended to increase activity of glutathione peroxidase in serum(P=0.079).The concentrations of rumen total volatile fatty acid(P=0.042)and butyrate(P=0.038)were increased by saccharin sodium supplementation.Dietary supplementation of saccharin sodium increased the relative abundance of Lachnobacterium(P=0.022),Pseudoramibacter(P=0.022),Shuttleworthia(P=0.025),and Syntrophococcus(P=0.037),but reduced the relative abundance of Prevotella_1(P=0.037)and Lachnospiraceae_UCG_008(P=0.037)in rumen.Saccharin sodium was observed in feces and urine of goats fed diet supplemented with saccharin sodium,but saccharin sodium was undetectable in the milk of goats receiving SS diet.In conclusion,administration of saccharin sodium was effective in increasing fat and energy corrected milk yield by increasing DMI and improving rumen fermentation and antioxidant capacity of dairy goats in summer.In addition,saccharin sodium residue was undetectable in the milk.