Table 3.
Microbial counts (log colony forming units/mL or g) of equine caecum and colon (right ventral) contents and faeces after three weeks of adaptation to forage based diets differing in fibre composition and maturity 1,2.
| Diets | SEM |
p-Values Diet |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diet C | Diet G | Diet L | |||
| Total anaerobic bacteria | 8.1 | 7.5 | 7.7 | 0.21 | 0.182 |
| Pectinolytic bacteria | 7.7 a | 7.0 b | 7.2 b | 0.15 | 0.022 |
| Xylanolytic bacteria | 7.6 a | 6.7 b | 7.1 b | 0.15 | 0.011 |
| Cellulolytic bacteria | 5.7 | 5.5 | 5.7 | 0.22 | 0.846 |
| Amylolytic bacteria | 6.0 | 5.7 | 5.3 | 0.27 | 0.202 |
| Lactate-utilising bacteria | 7.4 a | 6.4 b | 6.6 b | 0.18 | 0.007 |
1 Since there were no diet × segment interactions, least square means across segments (with the pooled standard error of the mean) are presented (n 5). 2 Diet C: concentrate (oats, soybean meal) and late harvested grass haylage (35:65 energy ratio), Diet G: early and late harvested grass haylage (80:20) (+small amount soybean meal), Diet L: lucerne haylage and late harvested grass haylage (80:20). a,b Mean values within a row with unlike superscript letters were significantly different (p < 0.05).