Evaluation and mining the applicable methods of roughage digestibility determination for buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)

Area of Science:

• Ruminant nutrition
• Animal science
• Digestibility studies

Background:

• Buffaloes are ruminants with high tolerance to low-quality roughage.
• Quantifying roughage ingestion and egestion in buffaloes is difficult, limiting digestibility studies.
• Accurate digestibility assessment is crucial for optimizing buffalo nutrition and feeding systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the accuracy of indirect methods (Cr2O3, AIA, ADL) with total feces collection (TFC) for determining roughage digestibility in buffalo.
• To identify applicable and convenient methods for evaluating rice straw digestibility in buffaloes, especially under extensive feeding systems.

Main Methods:

• Six non-pregnant, non-lactating female buffaloes were used in the experiment.
• Rice straw digestibility was determined using the total feces collection (TFC) method.
• Comparison was made with three indirect methods: chromic oxide (Cr2O3), acid-insoluble ash (AIA), and acid detergent lignin (ADL).

Main Results:

• Cr2O3 and AIA methods showed no statistically significant differences in digestibility compared to TFC for most nutritional components.
• The ADL method resulted in significantly lower digestibility values for dry matter, organic matter, and fiber components compared to TFC.
• Feces recovery rates were higher for Cr2O3 (95.89%) and AIA (97.14%) than for ADL (88.90%).

Conclusions:

• Cr2O3 and AIA methods are accurate and reliable alternatives to TFC for determining roughage digestibility in buffaloes.
• The ADL method is less accurate for assessing rice straw digestibility in buffaloes.
• Cr2O3 and AIA methods are practical and convenient for evaluating roughage digestibility in buffaloes within extensive feeding systems.