Utilization of Sunnhemp Meal in Beef Cattle Diet Supplemented with Urea-Treated Rice Straw

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of the utilization of sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea) meal (SM) in beef cattle diet in North-East Thailand. The first experiment was conducted to determine the effects of cutting intervals and height on the yield and nutrient composition of sunnhemp. The experiment was a 3×3 factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design (RCBD), in which factor A was the cutting intervals (30, 40 and 50 days) and factor B was the cutting heights (30, 40 and 50 cm) above ground level. It is concluded that a cutting interval of sunnhemp at 50 days achieves greater dry matter and nutrient yields than at 30 days. In terms of nutrient content, there is also a considerable increase in crude fiber, neutral-detergent fiber, acid-detergent fiber, and acid-detergent lignin in sunnhemp. In contrast, the results showed that cutting height at 30, 40 or 50 cm had no effect on the chemical composition values of sunnhemp. The second experiment was to study the effect of SM supplemented with urea-treated rice straw (UTRS) on the growth rate of Brahman×Thai-Native beef cattle. Twelve cattle, averaging 218±14 kg body weight (BW) and approximately 14-17 months’ old were stratified randomly and assigned to RCBD in 4 treatments of 3 beef cattle each. The treatments were equal amounts of SM supplement with UTRS at 0, 25, 50 and 75% respectively. There were no significant differences in the live weight change, average daily gain (ADG), dry matter intake and rumen fermentation among treatments of 0, 25 and 50% of SM supplement. However, the BW and ADG significantly decreased at 75% of SM supplement with UTRS.