Chemical Composition and Nutritive Value of Ramie Plant [Boehmeria nivea （L.） Gaud] and Its By-Products from the Textile Industry as Feed for Ruminants

In order to verify the possible use of ramie as feed for ruminants, a study was undertaken on the chemical and nutritional evaluation of different parts of this plant. Four stocks of samples picked up in two different periods （summer and autumn） were analyzed. The standard chemical composition was determined on the whole plant and on its parts, the study was particularly focused on leaves and tops, not used in fibre production and available as livestock feed. Organic matter enzymic digestibility （OMD） was determined on all the samples by a double step method based on cellnlolytic andproteolytic enzymes. The chemical analysis showed good crude proteins content in leaves, tops and whole plant： 17.00 ~ 1.52%, 15.25 ~ 0.77% and 11.79 ~ 3.32% on dry matter （DM） basis respectively and good acid （ADF） and neutral （NDF） detergent fibre fractions. Lignin and ash resulted high in all plant parts and organic matter （OM） was consequently low, ash analysis showed high calcium concentration, especially in leaves, with values exceeding 4% of din, whereas the other micro （except the lead） and macroelements were in a normal range. OMD and energy values resulted poor in leaves, tops and in the whole plant and lower than the other forages commonly used as feed for runninants, thus the utilisation of ramie plant and its by-products requests further investigations.

Evaluation of Pomegranate Pomace Using in Situ and Gas Production Techniques

This study was carried out to determine nutritive value of pomegranate pomace using in situ and gas production techniques. In this study, two fistulated wethers （38 ± 1.5 kg） were used in situ method. The gas production was measured at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 36 and 48 h and ruminal DM （dry matter） and CP （crude protein） disappearances were measured at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 96 h. DM degradabilities of treated pomegranate pomace at 8 h to 96 h were larger than untreated pomegranate pomacewhich showed significant differences （p 〈 0.05）. CP degradabilities of treated pomegranate pomace at 96 h was 62.38% that showed significant differences （p 〈 0.05）. The metabolizable proteins of treated and untreated pomegranate pomace were 73 and 64.27 g/kg respectively that showed significant differences （p 〈 0.05）. The gas productions of treated and untreated pomegranate pomace at 48 h were 79.91 and 128.75 mL/g DM respectively that showed significant differences （p 〈 0.05）. It was concluded that the pomegranate pomace can be used largely as ruminant feeds.

Adaptability of Permanent Grassland to Drought

Continuing climate changes are strongly associated with status of water, threatening the majority of ecosystems, including the grass ecosystem. The climate changes primarily affect the botanical composition of grassland that is subsequently determined by production of above-ground phytomass which is used like feed for the ruminants. In our field experiment we assessed the impact of climate changes on grass ecosystem during the long-term period （23 years）. We obtained a picture of the preceding development of botanical composition in this stand, due to the assumption that expected climate changes are going to disturb the botanical composition of grassland especially in the grass biome. From the obtained results follows the significant change in botanical composition in grass-herbaceous vegetation with the low share of legumes. It is not possible to confirm strict relation between precipitation during vegetation season and the share of individual botanical group. Analysis of long-term development of the botanical composition of monitored grassland influenced by different pratotechnical interventions demonstrated the significant flexibility this plant community in the times of changing climatic conditions.

The Use of Coffee Pulp as a Potential Alternative Supplement in Ruminant Diets

The study was conducted to evaluate the use of dried industrial coffee pulp in diets as supplement for ruminants. Two diets were formulated： A and B with 30% coffee pulp content each and different concentrations of carbohydrates （milled corn, corn bran, molasses, alfalfa hay） and fibrous residues （corn stubble, sugar cane mash） as ingredients. The dried coffee pulp was subjected to proximate analyses, whilst the two diets were subjected to nutritional and microbiological analyses. The results of the proximate analyses showed that the dried coffee pulp has 18% crude protein （CP）, 33.6% crude fibre （CF） and total digestible nutrients （TDN） content of 63.8%. Diets A and B had the similar mean values for CP, CF and TDN （17%, 4.3% and 75.6%, respectively）. The microbiological results showed that the two diets had the same minimal values for Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp. and coliform bacteria, which were all within the normal allowed values. The results indicate that dry coffee pulp in diets could be supplemented to ruminants for supporting milk and meat production without any adverse effect on their health.

Assessment of Feed Supply and Demand for Livestock in Pakistan

Country level assessment of feed supply and demand for livestock in Pakistan was conducted for the year 2013. Availability of feed ingredients was calculated from the official crop production statistics using published harvest index and extraction ratios, and their nutrient supply was estimated from local feed composition tables. Feed requirements of livestock species were calculated from the standard tables published by US National Research Council. The results showed that indigenous feed resources were short for livestock and poultry requirements. The supply and demand gap for dry biomass, crude protein （CP） and metabolizable energy （ME） were 19.4%, 37.2% and 38.0%, respectively. Crop residues were the predominant source comprising 58.8% of the total feed supply, while fodder and grazing shared 23.8% and 9.2%, respectively. Grains and by-products contributed 8.2% to the feed supply. In attempt to fill this gap, large quantities of oilseed meals were imported mainly for the poultry sector. Maize was the major feed grain used in poultry and ruminant rations, and they together consumed 79% of the country＇s total maize produce. Based on the anticipated rapid expansion in poultry, dairy and feedlot farming in Pakistan, the feed gap will further enlarge and this warrants future focus on efficient and intensive utilization of the local conventional and nonconventional feed resources. The data and information presented in this paper provided a sound basis for regular updating in future to attain sustainable growth of livestock sector in the country.