Maataloustieteellinen A ikakauskirja Vol. 56: 275—282, 1984 Wood molasses as a preservative for high moisture barley. 3. Feeding value for growing cattle PEKKA HUHTANEN Department of Animal Husbandry, University of Helsinki, SF-00710 HELSINKI 71, Finland Abstract. In two experiments the feeding value for growing cattle of barley ensiled with wood molasses (55 Vo DM) was compared with dried barley (DB) and barley ensiled with AIV 11 solution (AIVB). Wood molasses was applied at levels of 8 (WMB8) or 16 Vo (WMBI6) of barley DM in Exp. 1 and 12 Vo (WMBI2) of barley DM in Exp. 2. The AIV II solution was used at a level of 0.3 Vo v/w. In Exp. 1 DB and WMBB were compared during period 1 and DB and WMBI6 during period 2. AIVB and WMBI2 were compared in Exp. 2. Experi- ment 1 was performed with 12 and Exp. 2 with 16 animals of Ayrshire and Friesian breed. The average ages of the animals at the beginning of the experiment were 126 and 100 days. The first period in Exp. 1 lasted 45 days and the second 53 days. Experiment 2 lasted 140 days. The feeding was based on barley, soybean meal and hay in Exp. 1 and on barley, rapeseed meal and grass silage in Exp. 2 and daily gain of 1200 g/d was targeted. The average propor- tion of barley of total DM intake averaged 61 Vo during period 1 and 59 Vo during period 2 of Exp. 1 and 54 Vo in Exp. 2. The corresponding proportions of forage of DM intake were 27, 32 and 37 Vo. The average daily gains of 1107 and 1178 g for DB and WMBB, 1182 and 1129 g for DB and WMBI6 and 1248 and 1251 g for AIVB and WMBI2 were not significantly different. Nor did the groups show any significant differences in feed conversion rate, carcass characteristics and rumen fermentation except the lower (P < 0.05) dressing percentage of the WMBI6 group in Exp. 1. Plasma urea N was higher (P < 0.01) and cholesterol lower (P < 0.01) in the AIVB group than in the WMBI2 group. Plasma concentrations of glucose, alanine aminotransferase, asparte aminotransferase and creatinine did not differ significantly in the different groups. Introduction With the recent rising energy costs, chemi- cal preservation of high moisture grain has gained attracting attention as an alternative to drying. The advantages and disadvantages of such systems of cereal preservation have been presented in reviews by Merrill (1971) and Jones et al. (1974). One major advan- tage is the possibility of early harvest, an advantage of special importance to Northern and Central Finland, where the growing sea- son is short. The losses in the field can be Index words: grain preserving, wood molasses, barley, growing cattle 275 JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE IN FINLAND https://www.c-info.fi/en/info/?token=tvZ4O578mUJtyQIW.uu43Yuoa9RS3L2fIaXMxjw.Pdr5mNUw5MoGgjkAv1uetYOTcqGefnVzjpihPtlzgDyAtCO2wmrLXekVsOcTk2h8tFPJkHgrfjC5ksxakLalhX12SiIReeYJRFquzSde6j0k2SYXvrfc-XrtV2W0Ox-vtYDERgiXElkiE4WEkj4bkHt-C8dE_MbPRVw6qQ 276 reduced with earlier harvesting, and higher yields obtained if later varieties and a higher level of N-fertilization can be used. Merrill (1971) and Jones et al. (1974) have reported that feeding ensiled or acid- treated grain results in weight gain and feed efficiency values that are equal or slightly better than those for dried grain. Krall (1967), summarizaing research carried out in Britain, reported that steers fed high mois- ture barley had higher daily gain and feed ef- ficiency than those fed dried barley. Pouti- ainen et al. (1973) did not find any differ- ences in daily gain and feed efficiency between barleys ensiled with various addi- tives and dried barley. Korhonen et al. (1973) reported a lower grass silage intake with formic acid ensiled barley compared with dried or propionic acid-treated barley. However, in daily gain and feed efficiency there were no differences between the groups. Wood molasses, a by-product of the wood processing industry, has been shown to be an efficient preservative for high moisture bar- ley and slightly to improve nitrogen utiliza- tion in sheep, but it decreased the digestibili- ty of DM and OM used at a level of 16 % of barley DM (Salo 1978, Huhtanen 1984 a). A number of different by-products of the wood processing industry have been used for growing cattle (Klopfenstein 1973, Chang et al. 1977, Wahlberg and Cash 1979) and for sheep (Williams et al. 1969, Groyle et al. 1975) resulting in equal or slightly poorer feed utilization compared with control diet or cane molasses. The objective of the present investigation was to compare the performance of growing cattle fed wood molasses ensiled barley with that of cattle fed barley ensiled with AIV II solution and to discover whether wood mo- lasses has any detrimental effects when used at higher levels. Material and methods Two feeding trials were conducted, using 8 bulls and 4 heifers (Exp. 1) and 16 bulls (Exp. 2). The animals were Ayrshire, Frie- sian or Friesian crosses. In both experiments the animals were divided into two groups, similar in respect of sex, breed, age, birth weight and live weight. Experiment 1 was divided into two periods. During the first pe- riod of 45 days, dried barley (DB) was com- pared with barley ensiled with wood molas- ses at a level of 8 % of barley DM (WMB8), and during the period of 53 days dried barley was compared with barley ensiled with 16 % wood molasses (WMBI6). After period 1 the animals fed WMBB were transferred to WMBI6 diet and the animals fed DB contin- ued with the same diet. In Exp. 2, barleys ensiled with 0.3 % v/w of AIV II solution (80 % formic acid, 2 % ortophosphoric acid) (AIVB) or 12 of <7o of wood molasses of barley DM (WMBI2) were compared. Ex- periment 2 lasted 126 days for Ayrshire bulls and 154 days for other animals. The ensiled barleys were the same as used in preservation and metabolism trials (Huhtanen 1984 a, b). At the beginning of the experiment the aver- age age and weight of the animals were 126 d and 163 kg in Exp. 1 and 100 d and 122.5 kg in Exp. 2. The animals were weighed at the beginning and end of the experiments on two consecutive days and during the experi- ment every second week. Feeds and feeding In Exp. 1 the animals received baled hay as forage and soybean meal to meet the require- ments for DCP. The lower crude protein contents of WMBB and WMBI6 were ad- justed with soybean meal. Grass silage was used as forage in Exp. 2 and rapeseed meal as protein concentrate. The lower crude pro- tein content of WMBI2 was not compensa- ted in this experiment. Barley was fed equal- ly on DM basis and a commercial mineral supplement was provided at 100 g/d. A pro- tein and mineral supplement was mixed with barley prior to feeding. The animals were fed individually twice daily in both experiments. The feeding was designed to sustain a growth rate of 1200 g/d for bulls, according to Finn- ish standards. The feeds were sampled once a week and pooled into one sample for two weeks for forages and barleys and into one sample for four weeks for protein concentrates. DM de- termination was made of every sample and feed analysis of the pooled samples. Samples were prepared as described by Huhtanen (1984 a) and the feed analysis according to standard methods. In vitro digestibility of grass silage was made by the method of Til- ley and Terry (1963) Feed refusals were weighed each day. Blood samples were taken from Vena jugularis at the beginning of Exp. 2 and at four week intervals thereafter, before the morning feeding. The samples were pre treated, and haemoglobin, haematocrit and plasma glucose were determined by the methods described by Näsi (1979). Plasma proteins, urea N, alkaline phosphatase (AP), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), asparte aminotransferase (ASAT), total bilirubine, cholesterol, and creatinine were determined with the analyzer of the GILFORD SYS- TEM 3500 (Gilford Instrument Laboratories Inc., USA) in the College of Veterinary Medicine to evaluate the effect of wood mo- lasses as a grain preservative on protein me- tabolism and on liver and kidney function. The rumen contents were sampled from different parts of rumen of eight bulls imme- diately after slaughter. The pH was mea- sured immediately and VFA were determined from frozen pre treated samples by gas chro- matography according to Huida (1973). The differences between the groups were tested by two-way analysis of variance. Results and discussion Feed intake and feed composition The average chemical composition, calcu- lated energy and DCP values of the feeds are given in Table 1. The chemical composition and quality of grass silage varied widely dur- ing the experiment. The quality and mineral composition of the ensiled barleys have been presented in a previous paper (Huhtanen 1984 a). The average in vitro digestibility of grass silage was 68.2 °Jo. In total DM intake and nutrient consump- tion there were no differences between the groups (Table 2). The average DCP contents of ration DM were 12.7, 12.7, 11.4 and 11.4 % for DB, WMBB, DB and WMBI6 Table 1. Chemical composition and feed values of experimenta feeds. Dry In dry matter, % Feed values matter Ash Crude Ether Crude NFE FFU/ ME MJ/ DCP g/ 070 prot. extr. fibre kg DM kg DM kg DM Exp. 1 Hay 86.9 6.1 10.5 2.2 32.6 48,5 0.58 9.1 64 Dried barley 87.4 3.0 12.3 2.2 5.9 76.6 1.13 13.3 90 WMBB 57.4 4.0 11.9 2.6 5.6 76.0 1.11 13.0 86 WMBI6 55.9 4.6 11.4 2.4 5.2 76.4 1.07 12.6 75 Soybean meal 87.5 7.0 51.2 1.2 7.3 33.4 1.11 12.9 452 Exp. 2 Silage 23.6 8.2 16.6 6.2 29.8 39.3 0.75 9.9 125 AIVB 57.1 2.6 14.0 2.6 6.0 74.5 1.11 12.9 101 WMBI2 53.6 3.4 13.1 2.7 5.7 75.1 1.07 12.5 93 Rapeseed meal 88.6 7.8 37.4 4.2 14.0 36.6 0.99 11.4 310 FFU = 0.7 kg starch Silage: pH 3.80, lactic acid 7.9 %, acetic acid 2.0 %, propionic acid 0.1 %of DM, NH 3-N 6.0 %of total N 277 diets, respectively, in Exp. I, and 13.0 and 12.5 % (P < 0.05) for AIVB and WMBI2 diets, respectively, in Exp. 2. The proportion of forage of the total DM was 26.6 % during the first period and 31.6 % during the sec- ond period in Exp. 1, and 36.7 % in Exp. 2. The palatability of WMBB tended to be bet- ter than that of dried barley and DM intake per kg W° 75 higher. The animals fed ensiled barley consumed their concentrate faster than those fed DB, in agreement with the results reported by Merrill (1971). In con- trast, Rissanen and Ettala (1977) have re- ported lower intake of ensiled and propionic acid-treated barley compared to dried barley in dairy cows fed grass silage ad libitum. The forage intake was same on WMBB and WMBI6 than on DB diet. In some experi- ments (McCaffree and Merrill 1968, Mc- Caffree et al. 1971, Ingalls et al. 1974), ensiled grain has decreased the forage intake in dairy cows. According to Merrill (1971) the lower forage intake with ensiled grain has mainly been found when the proportion of concentrate was over 50 °/o of total DM in- take. There were no significant differences in growth rate, feed conversion or carcass char- acteristics except for the lower (P < 0.05) dressing percentage with WMBI6 than DB ration (Table 3). However, the growth rate tended to be higher on WMBB and lower on WMBI6 than on DB. This agrees with the ef- fect of the level of wood molasses in ration digestibility in sheep (Huhtanen 1984 b). The difference between the DB and WMBI6 groups may partly be explained by the ab- rupt change from lower to higher level of wood molasses, because the difference in daily gain was highest at the beginning of the second period. The slightly higher soybean meal level in WMBB ration than in DB ration may not have affected the growth rate be- cause the crude protein intake was higher than suggested for growing cattle (Andersen and Just 1979, Rohr 1980). However micro- Table 2. The average feed intake (kg DM/d) and nutriet consumption Experiment 1 Period 1 Period 2 DB WMBB DB WMBI6 x s.d. x s.d. X s.d. x s.d. Hay 1.22 0.24 1.25 0.32 1.89 0.49 1.85 0.60 Barley 2.72 0.36 2.86 0.37 3.43 0.39 3.43 0.37 Soyabean meal 0.54a 0.03 0.57b 0.03 0.49d 0.02 0.57' 0.02 Total DM 4.48 0.56 4.68 0.66 5.81 0.84 5.85 0.94 DM g/kg W 075 88.5d 1.8 92.9» 1.5 93.8 4.2 94.5 3.4 FFU/d 4.39 0.51 4.54 0.56 5.55 0.69 5.39 0.71 ME MJ/d 54.1 4.7 56.1 7.3 69.1 9.2 67.4 9.7 DCP g/d 565 34 589 39 656 54 640 55 Experiment 2 AIVB WMBI2 x s.d. x s.d. Silage 1.77 0.27 1.79 0.28 Barley 2.51 0.26 2.54 0.26 Rapeseed meal 0.41 0.09 0.41 0.09 Total DM 4.69 0.44 4.74 0.44 DM g/kg W0 86.3 1.3 87.7 1.8 FFU/d 4.51 0.40 4.46 0.39 ME MJ/d 54.8 5.0 54.3 4.9 DCP g/g 604 27 588 21 Means with different letters significantly different: a, b, (P < 0.05), d, e (P < 0.01) 278 bial protein cannot satisfy the whole protein requirement of rapidly growing cattle at live weight below 200 kg (Roy 1980). The effect of wood molasses was similar that reported by others. Crawford et al. (1978) found the feeding value of wood mo- lasses from the Masonite process to be equal to cane molasses at a level of 10 % in the diet. When spent sulphite liquor (SSL) was fed at levels of 8 and 12 °/o on DM basis, no differences were detected between SSL groups and the control (Chang et al. 1977). Wood molasses of the kind used in this ex- periment tended to improve live weight gain when it was fed unneutralized in hay and barley based diets (Tang 1979). Ca- and NHrneutralized wood molasses had no ef- fect on live weight gain. Klopfenstein(l973) reported spent sulphite liquor to decrease live weight gain when it was used at higher levels. Calculated NE values of wood molasses were highest at the levels of B—l 2 % of bar- ley DM and were equal to beet molasses. Also Chalupa and Montgomery (1979) found the NE values of wood molasses and cane molasses to be equal the NE values of grain and to be higher when they were re- placing no more than 5 % of grain. The present results describing the effect of preserving method on daily gain and feed conversion agree with earlier reports (Forsyth et al. 1972, Macleod and Mowat 1974, Flipot and Pelletier 1980). Poutiainen et al. (1973) found no differences in daily gain and feed conversion between dried barley and barley ensiled with formic, acetic or pro- pionic acid or with formaldehyde containing additive. The change in the protein fraction during storage from an insoluble to a highly soluble form had no adverse effect on the performance of growing animals. According to Little et al. (1963) and Prigge et al. (1976, 1978), protein utilization can be im- proved through rumen degradation and con- version to microbial protein when the dietary protein is of poor quality. Rumen fermentation There were no significant differences between AIVB and WMBI2 groups in rumen pH, the total VFA concentration or VFA ra- tios (Table 4). The small differences ob- served were similar to those found in sheep fed the same barleys on hay based diet (Huh- tanen 1984b), but total concentration of VFA was clearly higher in bulls. It could be expected from the effect of ensiled barley on VFA ratios observed in sheep (Huhtanen Table 3. Live weight, daily weight gain, feed conversion rate and carcass characteristics Experiment 1 Experiment 2 Period 1 Period 2 DB WMBB DB WMBI6 AIVB WMBI2 Number of animals 6 6 6 6 8 8 Days in trial 45 45 53 53 140 140 Initial weight, kg 163.5 162.5 213.3 215.5 122.6 122.4 Final weight, kg 213.3 215.5 276.0 275.3 297.4 297.5 Daily gain, g 1107 1178 1182 1129 1248 1251 Feed conversion rate FFU/kg gain 4.07 3.96 4.69 4.79 3.66 3.61 Age at slaughter, d 224 224 258 260 Slaughter weight, kg 276.0 275.3 323.3 332.5 Carcass weight, kg 142.2 138.7 169.5 173.3 Dressing % 51.5* 50.4» 52.3 52.1 Means with different letters significantly different: a, b (P < 0.05) 279 1984 b) that energy utilization for growth would be lower when ensiled barley was fed to growing cattle. Such was not observed, however, in this or in many other experi- ments (Merrill 1971, Poutiainen et ai. 1973, Korhonen et ai. 1973). The number of protozoa in the rumen con- tents tended to be higher on WMBI2 diet, but no differences were found in the number of bacteria in microscopic studies. Blood composition and healthof the animals Plasma urea N level was higher (P < 0.01) with AIVB than with WMBI2 (Table 5). However, there were no differences in rumen ammonia level or degradation rate of nitro- gen in the rumen in sheep fed AIVB or WMBI2 on hay based diet (Huhtanen 1984 b). Thornton (1970) suggested that urea ex- cretion in urine depends on the plasma urea level. Sheep fed barley ensiled with wood molasses produced less urinary nitrogen than sheep fed dried barley (Huhtanen 1984 b). One possible explanation for the lower plas- ma urea level on WMBI2 diet may be an in- creased carbohydrate fermentation in caecum or colon. The required nitrogen is derived from blood (Nolan and Stachiw 1979) and the nitrogen excreted in faeces increases, while that excreted in urine decreases (Orskov et al. 1980). Plasma cholesterol concentration was higher (P < 0.01) on WMBI2 than on AIVB Table 4. pH, and VFA in rumen fluid taken after slaughter AIVB WMBI2 x s.d. X s.d. pH 5.48 0.26 5.62 0.13 VFA, mmoles/1 156.7 20.4 145.8 9.8 Molar % of Acetic acid 60.3 2.1 60.7 2.6 Propionic acid 20.1 3.3 20.1 1.6 Butyric acid 15.0 2.9 15.0 2.9 Isovaleric acid 2.2 0.7 1.8 0.3 Valeric acid 2.2 0.3 2.3 0.2 Table 5. The mean concentration of blood constituents during the experiment AIV B WMBI2 x s.d. x s.d. n 44 44 Haemoglobin, g/1 114.6 11.5 117.6 8.1 Haematocrit 34.1 3.7 34.3 2.5 Plasma glucose, mmol/I 5.33 0.48 5.47 0.46 Plasma proteins, g/1 65.8 7.0 64.5 4.3 Albumin, g/1 36.3 2.1 36.9 1.8 Plasma urea N, mmol/1 2.87d 0.60 2.47 e 0.68 AP, lU/1 389 130 402 98 ALAT, lU/1 15.4 6.7 16.3 6.0 ASAT, lU/1 81.0 16.7 81.4 15.1 Total bilirubin /tmol/1 1.77 0.76 1.82 0.84 Cholesterol, mmol/1 2.68d 0.68 3.13' 0.80 Creatinine, /xmol/1 89.1 15.3 85.8 13.8 Means with different letters significantly different: d, e (P < 0.01) 280 diet. The effect of dietary factors on choles- terol synthesis has been largely ignored. However, it has been reported in the review by Bell (1981) that feeding sheep with a lipid supplement protected from ruminal de- gradation caused a substantial increase in cholesterol synthesis in small intestine. The concentrations of liver specific enzymes and creatinine showed no significant differences (Table 5), thus providing no evidence of changes in liver or kidney function due to wood molasses (Anon 1972). Chang et al. (1977) reported increased concentrations of plasma free phenols of steers fed 8 or 12 % of spent sulphite liquor but no adverse ef- fects were observed in post mortem inspec- tion. The health of the animals was good with the exception of occasional diarrhoea at the beginning of Exp. 2. The liver of one bull in the AIVB group was rejected due to cirrhosis hepatic. Acknowledgements. 1 wish to express my warm thanks Mrs. Eija Latomäki for taking care of the ani- mals and to Doc. Matti Näsi for taking the blood sam- ples. References Andersen, P.E. & Just, A. 1979. Tabeller over foder- midlers sammansaetning m.m. Det kgl. Lanthushold- ningsselskab, Landhusholdningsselskabets Forlag. Kobenhavn. 56 p. Anon. 1972. Kliiniset laboratoriotutkimukset. 581 p. Porvoo. Bell, A.W. 1981. Lipid metabolism in liver and se- lected tissues and in the whole body of ruminant ani- mals. Lipid metabolism of ruminant animals. Ed. Christie, W.W. p. 363—410. Pergamon Press. Chalupa, W. & Montgomery, A. 1979. Permeability of Masonex and cane molasses. J. Anim. Sci. 48: 393—400. Chano, F.S., Dryer, LA. & Johnson, R.J. 1977. Per- formance of feedlot cattle and rumen micro- organisms as influenced by lignosulphonates J. Anom. Sci. 46: 878—884. Crawford, D.F., Anthony, W.B. Harris, R.R. 1978. Evaluation of concentrated hemicellulose extract as cattle feed. J. Anim. Sci. 46: 32—40. Croyle R.C., Long, T.A. & Hersberger, T.V. 1975. Evaluation of ammonium lignin sulphonateas a non- protein nitrogen source for sheep. J. Anim. Sci. 40: 1144—1149. Flipot, P, & Pelletier, G. 1980. Influence of methods of conservation on feeding value of high moisture barley fed to dairy steers. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 60: 939—943. Forsyth, D.M., Mowat, D.N. & Stone, J.B.- 1972. Feeding value for beef and dairy cattle of high mois- ture corn preserved with propionic acid Can. J. Anim. Sci. 52: 73—79. Huhtanen, P. 1984 a. Wood molasses as a preservative for high moisture barley. 1. Preservation and diges- tibility in pig. J. Agric. Sci. Finl. 56: 255—263. 1984 b. 2. Ration digestibility and rumen fermenta- tion in sheep. J. Agric. Sci. Finl. 56: 265—274. Huida, L. 1973. Haihtuvien rasvahappojen kvantitatii- vinen määrittäminen pötsinesteestä. J. Scient. Agric. Soc. Finl. 45: 483—488. Ingalls, J.R., Clark, K.W. & Sharma, H.R. 1974. Acid-treated high moisture barley for dairy cows. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 54; 205—209. Krall, J.L. 1967. Producing, storing and feeding high moisture grain in England. Tech. Bull. Mt. Exp. Sta, No. 625. Klopfenstein, T.J, 1973. Sulphate liquor in beef cattle rations. J. Anim. Sci. 37: 347. (Abstr.). Korhonen, 1., Poutiainen, E., Tuori, M. & Lampila, M. 1973. Eri menetelmillä tuoreena säilötty ohra liha- nautojen rehuna. 2. Prop-corn-ohra ja muurahais- hapolla märkäsäilötty ohra lihanautojenruokinnassa. Kehittyvä Maatalous 15: 32—41. Little, C.0., Burroughs, W. & Woods, W. 1963. Nu- tritional significance of soluble nitrogen in dietary protein for ruminants. J. Anim. Sci. 22: 358—363. McCaffree, J.D. Merrill, W.G. 1968. High moisture corn for dairy cows in early lactation. J Dairy Sci. 51: 553—560. —, Merrill, W.G. & Smith, N.E. 1972. Concentrate mixtures based on high moisture ear corn vs. multi- ingredients for dairy cows in early lactation. J. Dairy Sci. 55: 269—272. Merrill, D.G. 1971. Feeding high moisture grain si- lages. Proc. Int. Silage Res. Conf. Washington D.C. p. 156—219. Nolan, J.V. & Stachiw, S. 1979. Fermentation and ni- trogen dynamics in Merino sheep given a low-quality roughage diet. Br. J. Nutr. 42: 63—80. Näsi, M. 1979. Dried poultry manure as a feed ingre- 281 dient for dairy cows. J. Scient. Agric. Soc. Finl. 51: 79—148. ORSKOV, E.R., MacLsoo, N.A. & Grubb, D.A. 1980. New concepts of basal N metabolism in ruminants. Protein metabolism and nutrition. EAAP. Pubi. 27. Ed. Oslage, H.J. & Rohr, K. p. 451—456. Braunschweig. Poutiainen, E., Korhonen, 1., Tuori, M. & Lampila, M. 1973. Eri menetelmillä tuoreena säilötty vilja liha- nautojen ruokinnassa. I. Lisäaineiden vertailu mär- käsäilönnässä. Kehittyvä Maatalous 15: 19—31. Prigoe, E.C., Johnson, R.R., Owens, F.N. & Willi- ams, D.E. 1976. Utilization of nitrogen from ground high moisture and dry corn by ruminants. J. Anim. Sci. 43: 705—711. —, Galyean, M.L., Owens, F.N., Wagner, D.G. & Johnson, R.R. 1978. Microbial protein synthesis in steers fed processed corn rations J. Anim. Sci. 46: 249—254. Rissanen, H. & Ettala, E. 1977. Säilöviljan käyttö re- huna. Koetoim. ja Käyt. 1977: 42. Rohr, K. 1980. Meeting the protein requirement of fat- tening bulls. Proceedings from Paris Beef Prod. European Congress for improved beef productivity. Reprint. 8 P. Roy, J.H.B, 1980. Utilization of feed protein. Inter- nordic licentiat/doctorand cource at Helsinki. 15 p. Salo, M-L. 1978. Puumelassi tuoreviljan säilöntäainee- na. J. Scient. Agric. Soc. Finl. 50: 206—211. Thornton, R.F. 1970. Factors effecting the urinary excretion of urea nitiogen in cattle. 1. Sodium chlo- ride and water loads. Aust. J. agric. Res. 21: 131 144. Tilley, J.M.A. & Terry, R.A. 1963. A two stage tech- nique for in vitro digestion of forage crops. J. Br. Grass!. Soc. 18: 104—111. Tang, L. 1979. Puuteollisuuden jätteet märehtijän re- huna. Ms. Thesis. 85 p. Helsingin yliopisto, kotieläin- tieteen laitos. Wahlberg, M.L. & Cash, E.H. 1979. Various liquid by-products as a protein supplement to ruminant diet. J. Anim. Sci. 49: 1431—1437. Williams, D.L., Moore, J.W., Martin, L.C. & Till- man, A.D. 1969. Studies on liquid hemicellulose and cane molasses as carbohydrate sources in urea con- taining diets of sheep. J. Anim. Sci. 28: 667—672. Ms received October 12, 1984 SELOSTUS Puumelassi tuoreen ohran säilöntäaineena. 3. Puumelassilla säilötty ohra lihanautojen ruokinnassa Pekka Huhtanen Helsingin yliopisto, kotieläintieleen laitos, 00710 Helsinki 71 Tutkimus koostui kahdesta ruokintakokeesta liha- naudoilla, joissa verrattiin puumelassilla (55 % ka) säi- löttyä ohraa kuivattuun ohraan (KO) kokeessa 1 ja AIV 11-liuoksella säilöttyyn ohraan (AIV2O) kokeessa 2. Puumelassin annostelutasona käytettiin 8 (PM08) ja 16 % (PMOI6) ohran kuiva-aineesta kokeessa 1 sekä kokeessa 12 % (PMOI2) vastaavasti. Koe-eläiminä oli kokeessa 1 12 ja kokeessa 2 16 vasikkaa, jotka olivat ay-, ja fr-rotua tai fr-risteytyksiä. Kokeessa 1 eläinten ikä oli alussa 126 pv ja elopaino 163 kg sekä kokeessa 2 vastaavasti 100 pv ja 122.5kg. Kokeen 1 ensimmäinen osa, jossa verrattiin KO:a jaPMOB:a kesti 45, ja toinen osa, jossa verrattiin KO:a ja PMO!6:a, 53 päivää. Koe 2 kesti 140 päivää. Koe-eläimet saivat karkearehuna heinää (koe 1) tai nurmisäilörehua (koe 2) sekä valkuaistäydennyksenä soijarehujauhetta(koe 1) tai rypsirouhetta (koe 2). Kar- kearehun osuus kuiva-aineesta oli 27, 32 ja 37 % ko- keen 1 1 ja II osassa sekä kokeessa 2 sekä ohran 61, 59 ja 54 °/o vastaavasti. Eläimet ruokittiin yksilöllisesti kas- vutavoitteena 1200 g/pv. Keskimääräinen päiväkasvu ja ry-kulutus kasvukiloa kohti oli kokeen 1 I osassa 1107 g ja 4.07 ry KO- ryhmällä sekä 1178 g ja 3.96 ry PMOS-ryhmällä, II osassa 1182gja 4.69 ry KO-ryhmällä sekä 1129 gja 4.79 ry PMOlö-ryhmällä sekä kokeessa 2 AIV2O-ryhmällä 1248 g ja 3.66 ry jaPMOI2-ryhmällä 1251 g ja 3.61 ry. Erot eivät olleet merkitseviä. Myöskään teurastuloksissa ja pötsifermentaatiossa kokeessa 2 ei ollut merkitseviä eroja ryhmien välillä lukuunottamatta PMOlö-ryhmän alempaa (P < 0.05) teurasprosenttiaKO-ryhmään ver- rattuna. Plasman ureapitoisuus oli AIV2O-ryhmällä korkeampi (P < 0.01) ja kolesterolipitoisuus alempi (P < 0.01) kuin PMOI2-ryhmällä. Plasman glukoosi- pitoisuudessa sekä maksan ja munuaisten toimintaa ku- vaavissa parametreissä ei ollut eroa. 282