New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts
Metabolism and glucose kinetics in sheep fed plantain and orchard grass
and exposed to cold
H. Sano
A. Shiga
Faculty of Agriculture
Iwate University
Ueda 3-18-8
Morioka 020-8550, Japan
Email: sano@iwate-u.ac.j
Y. Tamura
Tohoku National Agricultural Experiment Station
Morioka 020-0123, Japan
Abstract To investigate the characteristics of plantain
(PL), a forage herb, as a feed for ruminants, chemical components, energy
digestibility, rumen constituents, concentrations of blood metabolites (glucose,
nonesterified fatty acids, lactate, acetate, and propionate), and insulin
were measured in four sheep fed PL and orchard grass (OR), a forage. Net blood
glucose turnover rate in response to cold exposure (0-4°C on Day 5) was
also determined using an isotope dilution method of [U-13C]glucose. Dry matter
intake was numerically lower for the PL diet than for the OR diet (942 versus
1154 g day-1), and was lower (P = 0.03) during cold exposure than in the
thermoneutral environment (1009 versus 1087 g day-1). Energy digestibility
was similar between the PL and OR diets. No significant differences in blood
metabolite and insulin concentrations in plasma were detected between the
PL and OR diets. Net blood glucose turnover rate was also similar between
the diets. The rate increased (P = 0.002) during cold exposure, with no significant
diet and environment interaction. The forage herb PL seems to be comparable
to OR as regards digestive and metabolic characteristics and blood glucose
metabolism of sheep.
Keywords herb; cold exposure; glucose metabolism; stable
isotope; sheep
A01045 Received 18 December 2001; accepted 11 June 2002; published 30
September 2002
New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2002, Vol. 45: 171-177
0028-8233/02/4503-0171 $7.00/0 © The Royal Society of New Zealand
2002
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