Effects of Feeding Whole Cottonseed, Cotton Seed Cake and Guizotia abyssinica (Noug seed) cake on Blood Serum Parameters of Growing Arsi- Bale Male Goats
Abstract
The present study was designed to investigate the effect of feeding whole cotton seed, of Gossipium hirustum spp (WCS), cottonse ed cake (CSC) and noug seed cake (NSC) on blood serum parameters of growing male goats. Twenty four Arsi-Bale growing male goats of 6 -12 months of age were assigned at random to four dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design. The dietary treatments were; (T1) local grass hay only (control), (T2) control +20% WCS, (T3) control+30% CSC all amount on total daily DMI basis and (T4) control + recommended level noug seed cake(50% wheat bran (WB) and 49% NSC). Blood samples were collected in 10ml vactainer tube by jugular vein puncture every 30, 60 and 90 days of the experimental days and were allowed to clot at room temperature and centrifuged for 15minutesat 3000 rpm. The separated serum samples were stored in a deep freezer at -20oC until they were analyzed. The samples were analyzed for serum parameters: albumin, total protein, glucose, urea nitrogen, creatinine and alkaline phosphate Significant (P<0.05) difference between treatments was observed in the levels of creatinine, urea nitrogen, alkaline phosphate and albumin. Higher levels of creatinine and blood urea nitrogen were observed for T4 while higher alkaline phosphate was observed for T3 and higher albumin was observed for T2. However, no significant (P>0.05) difference between treatments were observed in the levels of total serum protein and glucose. Moreover, no visible clinical sign of gossypol toxicity was observed on the experimental goats fed WCS and CSC during the 90 days of the experimental period. Hence, it was concluded that supplementation of growing male goat diets with recommended levels of NSC,20 and 30% WCS and CSC respectively have no adverse effect on blood serum parameters of growing male goats.
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Introduction
Cottonseed cake and noug seed cake are both a by- products of oil producing plants obtained after the extraction of oil from cottonseed and noug seed respectively and they are produced in commercial quantity and used as main animal feed supplements in Ethiopia. The annual production of CSC and NSC is estimated at 7 million and 114,000 metric tons respectively (CSA, 2005). On the other hand, WCS is the main raw material produced mainly for its fiber to be used as a raw material in textile industries for garment production (ESTC, 2006). It is one of the most competitive feed supplements used in ruminant diets in developed countries like USA. Cotton seed contains high levels of both crude protein CP (20-40), energy (3.47 MCal ME) and it does not require further processing which makes it desirable by product feed (Poore and Rogers, 1995).
Naturally, both WCS and CSC are known for their gossypol content, a polyphenolic compound yellow pigment found in cotton plants mainly in the pigment glands of seed, roots, leaves and throughout the cotton plant though its level is relatively high in whole cottonseed (Smith, 1962; Berardi et al, 1980; Warren et al, 1988;Willard et al, 1995;). The toxic form of gossypol in WCS is considered to be as free gossypol (Berardi et al, 1980). However, ruminants can detoxify free gossypol by binding with soluble proteins in the rumen and making them physiologically inactive (Hawkins et al, 1985). Furthermore, Ward et al, (2008) reported that gossypol toxicity in functioning ruminants depend on several factors, which include the level of gossypol, the proportion of feeding form(ratio of free to bound gossypol), the relative proportion of the positive(+) and negative (-) isomers, the amount of WCS or cottonseed meal consumed and the efficiency of the detoxification action.In Ethiopia, cottonseed is grown in the lowland parts of the country that are free of frost and below an altitude of 1,400 meters above sea level .An estimated potential area of 2.6 million ha and a cultivated area of 1.7 million ha is used for cottonseed production, with annual production of cottonseed being about 84,000 tones -mainly under irrigation and some rain fed (Ethiopian Science and Technology Commission 2006). The same study also indicated that cottonseed is one of the industrial crops whose fiber and seed is supplied to textile factories and oil mills, respectively. However, this potential animal feed supplement is not used as animal feed in Ethiopia (Personal observation).
Contrasting to the above facts, shortage of animal feed supplement is one of the major constrains facing livestock production in general and small goat producers in particular (Tolera et al, 2000). Currently the problem of short supplies of animal feed supplements is more aggravated due to supply of the most commonly used animal feed supplement, NSC is in short as the consequence of growing demand of export market for oil crops and raw exportation of noug seed. Hence the price of protein feed supplements is becoming an affordable for smallholder farmers (Ethiopian Ministry of Industry and Trade, 2006).
In Ethiopia goat is an important component of livestock subsector and are source of cash income and play a vital role as source of meat, milk and wool for smallholder goat keepers in different farming system and agro-ecological zones of the country (EARO, 2000). Arsi Bale goats are small short legged; short ears and both short and long haired type with glossy, wavy and gray coat or dark in color and they are distributed in highlands of Bale, Arsi administrative zones and central rift valley of Ethiopia (Workneh, 2000). In traditional goat production system of Ethiopia goats though goats play a vital role in the livelihood of the smallholder goat producers they are left by their own for roaming and browsing on private/communal natural grazing lands, bushes and shrub land. Hence, due to large seasonal fluctuation in quantity and quality of feed supplies and critical shortage of feed goat lose weight they gain in rainy season of good feed suppliesindry season of critical feed shortage (Alemayehu, 2004). Thus, goat production in Ethiopia is characterized by low production and productivity (Tolera et al, 2000). Furthermore, the problem of feed shortage is more aggravated due to decline in size of grazing land from time to time due to expansion of cultivation, decrease in productivity of grazing lands as a result of poor management and frequent drought (Degefe and Nega, 2000). Consequently to increase goat production and productivity recent stress has been on utilization of crop residues which was categorized as waste in previous days and currently become major components of livestock feed (Bizuwerk et al, 2005). However, these feed sources are very low in their protein content which makes them less palatable and inefficiently utilized (Desalew, 2008). Thus, to overcome the critical feed shortage constraints and for efficient utilization of the fibrous feed the best option is strategic supplementation of these feed sources by locally available resource (Tolera et al, 2000).
Therefore, the current critical feed constraints demands to look for other option of feed supplements, and WCS could be one of the best options due to its multi- nutrient characteristic to minimize the feed constraint. However, information on how to utilize the cottonseed species available in Ethiopia as animal feed supplement is absent or very scares. Thus the objective of this study is to study the effect of supplementation of growing Arsi Bale male goat diets with WCS, CSC and NSC on blood serum parameters.
Conclusion
The present study indicated that supplementation of 20 and 30%WCS and CSC respectively of total daily DMI of goat diets could be a better alternative feed supplement that could support good performance and replace the commonly used feed supplement noug seed cake to minimize the critical shortage of feed supplement facing smallholder goat producers in Ethiopia. Moreover, easy access to WCS in the country and its characteristic of not need further processing make WCS a valuable feed supplement. However, for wide implementation of the result s of the present work and extension of its use as alternative option further research work using female goats and large animal like dairy and beef is paramount.
