Table 2. Effects of different TMR diets on ruminal fermentation parameters.
| Items | Treatments1) | p-value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CON | L-IRGS | H-IRGS | ||
| pH | 6.30 ± 0.01 | 6.35 ± 0.00 | 6.31 ± 0.00 | 0.082 |
| NH3-N (mg/dL) | 14.35 ± 0.37 | 13.30 ± 0.07 | 13.90 ± 0.09 | 0.094 |
| TVFA (mmol/L) | 91.88 ± 0.29a | 88.30 ± 0.46b | 83.90 ± 0.32c | 0.001 |
| Individual VFA (mol/100 mol) | ||||
| Acetate | 63.48 ± 0.09 | 63.09 ± 0.33 | 63.55 ± 0.05 | 0.349 |
| Propionate | 22.36 ± 0.05a | 20.68 ± 0.08b | 21.84 ± 0.01a | 0.001 |
| Butyrate | 14.16 ± 0.05b | 16.23 ± 0.41a | 14.61 ± 0.03b | 0.017 |
| A/P ratio | 2.84 ± 0.01c | 3.06 ± 0.01a | 2.91 ± 0.00b | 0.001 |
1)
Treatments: CON, total mixed ration containing oat hay, timothy, and alfalfa hay; L-IRGS, total mixed ration containing 19% of Italian ryegrass silage; H-IRGS, total mixed ration containing 36% of Italian ryegrass silage.
a–c
Means with different superscripts in a row differ significantly (p < 0.05). Results are presented as mean ± SEM.
NH3-N, ammonia nitrogen; VFA, volatile fatty acid; A/P ratio, acetate-to-propionate ratio.