Table 3.
The effects of dietary treatments on rumen fermentation of Holstein dairy bulls during the fattening period1,2.
| Item | Dietary treatment1 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WCWH0 | WCWH33 | WCWH67 | WCWH100 | SEM3 | P-value | |
| pH | 6.79 | 6.71 | 6.73 | 6.74 | 0.09 | 0.622 |
| NH3-N | 3.86c | 4.59bc | 6.34a | 5.49ab | 0.78 | <0.001 |
| TVFA4 (mmol/L) | 82.3 | 86.3 | 91.9 | 90.0 | 10.7 | 0.596 |
| VFA5 (mmol/L) | ||||||
| Acetate | 47.5 | 48.1 | 52.7 | 54.5 | 6.29 | 0.328 |
| Propionate | 20.0 | 20.4 | 21.7 | 20.8 | 3.70 | 0.925 |
| Isobutyrate | 0.32b | 0.46a | 0.48a | 0.54a | 0.08 | 0.002 |
| Butyrate | 12.9 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 12.1 | 2.51 | 0.226 |
| Isovalerate | 0.79c | 0.88bc | 1.16ab | 1.26a | 0.21 | 0.007 |
| Valerate | 0.78 | 1.20 | 0.91 | 0.82 | 0.26 | 0.108 |
| Acetate/Propionate | 2.57 | 2.46 | 2.51 | 2.74 | 0.24 | 0.390 |
1WCWH0 = 0% of Leymus chinensis was replaced by whole-crop wheat hay; WCWH33 = 33% of Leymus chinensis was replaced by whole-crop wheat hay; WCWH67 = 67% of Leymus chinensis was replaced by whole-crop wheat hay; WCWH100 = 100% of Leymus chinensis was replaced by whole-crop wheat hay.
2a–c: Means within the same row without the same letter superscripts are significantly different (Tukey’s test; P < 0.05).
3SEM: Standard error of the mean.
4Totalvolatile fatty acids.
5Volatile fatty acids.