Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Animal Science Research Department, ُSemnan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Semnan Iran
2
Animal Science Research Department, Semnan Agricultural and Natural Resources research and Education Center
Abstract
Introduction: Rising global warming and drought threaten livestock sustainability, as ruminants depend on high-water forages like alfalfa (Medicago sativa) while contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Drought-resistant plants such as quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), triticale (× Triticosecale), and camelina (Camelina sativa) offer promising alternatives due to their low water requirements and bioactive compounds (e.g., tannins, phenolics) that can modulate rumen fermentation. However, no study has directly compared these three forages with alfalfa regarding chemical composition, fermentation, microbiome, and methane production. We hypothesized that these forages can reduce methane and nitrogen loss while maintaining digestibility. Therefore, this study aimed to compare quinoa, triticale, and camelina with alfalfa using the in vitro gas production method.
Materials and Methods: This study aimed to evaluate the nutritive potential of three drought-tolerant forages, quinoa, triticale and camelina in comparison with alfalfa in terms of chemical composition, in vitro ruminal fermentation characteristics, and methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) mitigation potential. Chemical composition, including plant secondary metabolites (PSMs), was determined. In vitro ruminal fermentation parameters, gas production (GP24), apparent degraded substrate (ADS), organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), metabolizable energy (ME), microbial protein synthesis (MP), partitioning factor (PF24), volatile fatty acids (VFAs), N-NH3, CH₄ and CO₂ production using the in vitro gas production technique. Protozoal populations were counted. Data were analyzed using the GLM procedure of SAS.
Results and discussion: Quinoa forage had the highest CP content. Camelina forage exhibited the highest relative feed value (RFV), total phenolics (TP) and total tannins (TT) (P
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