Chemical Composition, Rumen Parameters, Fermentability, Digestibility and Feed Intake of Total Mixed Ration Silage of fodder beet (Solid-state fermentation) in native Cows

Background and aim: One of the negative effects of climate change is the reduction in rainfall, which leads to a decrease in forage production. Therefore, the cultivation and use of water-efficient forages, such as fodder beets, is recommended. One of the advantages of making Total Mixed Ration Silage includes preventing agricultural product waste, ensuring uniformity of feed throughout the growth period, and maintaining consistent rumen conditions. The aim of the study was to determine the chemical composition, rumen parameters, fermentability, digestibility, and Voluntary feed Intake of fodder beets Total Mixed Ration Silage in the nutrition of indigenous cows. Materials and Methods: Approximately three tons of fodder beets root (Timbale variety) were harvested from the research farm of the Sugar Beet Seed Institute. After cleaning, the beets were shredded using a slicer and then transferred to the Animal Sciences Research Institute of Iran. Then, the shredded sugar beet forage was thoroughly mixed with alfalfa hay, wheat straw, crushed barley, wheat bran, and other mineral ingredients (including urea, mineral-vitamin supplement, calcium carbonate, salt and Sulphur flower) and compacted into 220-liter plastic barrels with tight-fitting lids. After 45 days, the silos were opened. The experiment was conducted with three isoenergetic (2.2 Mcal/kg) and isoprotein (11% dry matter) treatments, which included the following: Total mixed ration silage based on fodder beet, Total mixed ration silage based on corn silage, An equal ratio of the two aforementioned total mixed ration silages. The experiment was conducted using three fistulated Taleshi bulls (with an approximate weight of 350 kg and an age of about two years) in a completely randomized design (fed twice daily in digestion cages). Subsequently, the chemical composition, ammonia nitrogen, and pH of rumen fluid and feces were measured at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 hours after feeding the cows. The rumen gas production (at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours of rumen fermentation) and its parameters were determined. Digestibility was measured using the fecal collection method and an internal marker. Energy intake indices (including metabolizable and net energy) were calculated, and finally, voluntary intake of the experimental diets was measured for 14 consecutive days following a 10-day adaptation period. Results: The crude protein, organic matter, crude fat, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and non-fiber carbohydrates (NFC) of the total mixed ration silage based on fodder beet were 10.6%, 89.4%, 1.1%, 31.9%, 24.4%, and 45.8% of the dry matter, respectively. The ammonia nitrogen (mg/dL) and pH of rumen fluid and feces in cows at 0 and 2 hours after consuming the total mixed ration silage based on fodder beet were 17.2, 7.2, 7.5, and 18.3, 6.8, 7.5, respectively. The values for rumen gas production (mL during 24 hours of rumen fermentation), gas from the slow-fermentation fraction (mL), gas production rate (mL/hour), methane gas (mL during 24 hours of rumen fermentation), volatile fatty acids (VFAs) (mmol), protein (g/kg body weight), metabolizable energy (MJ/kg), and organic matter digestibility of the total mixed ration silage based on fodder beet were 52.6, 71.2, 0.6, 16.0, 1.2, 141.5, 10.0, and 73.3, respectively. Most of the measured traits in the total mixed ration silage based on fodder beet treatment were significantly different from the other experimental treatments. Overall Conclusion: Based on the results of various experiments on total mixed ration silage based on fodder beet, it appears that the consumption of this feed in the nutrition of native cows leads to better performance. The total mixed ration silage based on fodder beet is highly palatable and improves the performance of cows without any issues.