Apparent digestibility of corn silage and sugar cane in sheep: effects on the rumen ciliate protozoal population

Abstract

Twelve male sheep were used, in a completely randomized design, to evaluate apparent digestibility and rumen ciliate protozoa population under different diets: A) corn silage supplemented with 0.050 kg of soybean meal/kg original roughage; B) 50% corn silage + 50% sugar cane supplemented with 0.075 kg soybean meal/kg original roughage; C)
sugar cane supplemented with 0.100 kg soybean meal/kg original roughage. Dry matter intake and digestibility of Crude fiber were linearly affected (P < 0.01) by increasing the level of sugar cane in the diets, and they had direct influence in feed consumption and T.D.N. Total, rumen protozoal population was represented by a quadratic regression
(P < 0.01), and the average values for total ciliates ml-1 in the rumen contents were 235.01, 196.49 and 514.07 (x103) for treatments A, B and C, respectively. Entodinium genus was always predominant, with 76.8, 62.2 and 89.4% respectively in treatments A, B and C.