Nutritive Evaluation of Two Legumes (Strophostyles) Supplemented to Goats Fed a High Quality Coastal Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) Hay Diet
Keywords:
Boer x Spanish cross goats, forage legumes, trailing wild bean, smooth-seeded wild bean, StrophostylesAbstract
The objective of this study was to compare effects of supplementing coastal bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon; CBG) hay with Strophostyles helvula (98 g crude protein (CP)/kg dry matter (DM), 476 g neutral detergent fiber organic matter basis (NDFOM)/kg DM, S. leiosperma (117 g CP/kg DM, 497 g NDFOM /kg DM), or cottonseed meal (506 g CP/kg DM, 352 g NDFOM /kg DM; CSM) on intake of CBG hay (127 g CP /kg DM, 691 g NDFOM /kg DM) and apparent digestibility of dietary DM, organic matter (OM), NDFOM, and CP by goats. Six Boer × Spanish cross wethers (46.22 ± 3.99 kg) were fed CBG plus S. helvula, S. leiosperma, or CSM at 122 or 216 g/kg DM intake in a 6 × 6 Latin square with 3 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. There were no (P = 0.53) supplement type × amount interactions. Intake of DM, OM, and NDFOM of CBG was unaffected (P = 0.33) by supplementation with CSM, S. helvula, and S. leiosperma. Although intake of CBG was not affected, total diet NDFOM intake was 10.5% less (P = 0.01) when CSM and S. helvula were supplemented than when S. leiosperma was used. Supplement type did not affect (P = 0.21) OM digestibility, but OM digestibility increased (P = 0.05) 6.4% at the 216 versus 122 g/kg DM level of supplementation with the legumes or CSM. Supplementation with CSM and S. leiosperma improved (P = 0.02) NDFOM digestibility 7% versus supplementation with S. helvula. As supplement amount increased NDFOM digestibility increased (P = 0.02) by 5.5%. The diet supplemented with CSM had the greatest CP digestibility, and S. helvula CP was 6% less digestible (P = 0.02) than S. leiosperma. As supplement amount increased, CP digestibility increased (P = 0.01) 7%. Considering digestibility and intake, CSM and S. leiosperma were the best supplements fed in this experiment. Strophostyles leiosperma is recommended as a forage supplementation for goats when CBG hay basal diet is fed.