Does licuri oil and gliricidia silage affect nutrient digestibility, water intake, and methane emission in sheep fed cactus and buffelgrass based diets?

Résumé fourni par la source

The objective was to evaluate productive performance, digestibility, water ingestion and methane (CH4) emissions in sheep fed diets containing licuri oil and gliricidia silage based on buffelgrass and cactus. Forty castrated male sheep, with an average body weight of 20.68 ± 2.55 kg with five months of age, were used. The experimental design was completely randomized, with four treatments and ten replicates. Methane emission was measured in twenty animals, distributed across the four treatments with five replicates each, using the sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) tracer gas technique. The diets were: buffel hay and cactus (BC); buffel hay, cactus, and licuri oil (BCO); buffel hay, cactus, and gliricidia silage (BCG); and buffel hay, cactus, licuri oil, and gliricidia silage (BCOG). Dry matter intake and digestibility were similar among all diets evaluated, averaging 0.975 kg/day and 76.59%, respectively. Total weight gain was greater for BCO compared to BCOG (8.01 kg vs. 5.19 kg). Diets BC and BCO increased dietary water ingestion. Feed efficiency and methane emissions were not affected by diet, averaging 0.20 kg/kg, 28.82 g CH4/animal/day, 27.70 g CH₄/kg dry matter (DM), respectively. The combination of gliricidia silage and licuri oil increased the indigestible fraction of DM, whereas their individual inclusion enhanced the soluble fraction. Inclusions of licuri oil or gliricidia silage separately in cactus and buffelgrass based diets provide suitable performance without affecting methane emissions in sheep. The findings indicate that cactus and buffelgrass-based diets support satisfactory weight gain in sheep without increasing CH₄ emissions. In addition, gliricidia silage and licuri oil can be used independently while maintaining satisfactory productive performance and low methane emission intensity.