Effect of Chihua Pumpkin Residue (Cucurbita argyrosperma) in Ruminal Gas Production and Digestibility in vitro
Effect of Chihua Pumpkin Residue (Cucurbita argyrosperma) in Ruminal Gas Production and Digestibility in vitro
María Magdalena Crosby-Galván1, Bernardino Espinoza-Velasco1 and Mónica Ramirez-Mella2,*
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of chihua pumpkin (Cucurbita argyrosperma) residue in ruminal digestibility and gas production in an in vitro assay. Four treatments were evaluated: a control using a standard diet for ruminants elaborated with corn stover, corn grain and soybean meal, and three experimental diets with 10, 20 and 30% dry residue of chihua pumpkin instead of corn stover. Dry matter digestibility and gas production was determined at 24 h of incubation in ruminal fluid obtained from two Holstein cows with a ruminal cannula. Randomized block experimental design was used as and a comparison of means was performed by the Tukey test. The results indicated that dry matter digestibility was significantly increased (P ≤ 0.05), while gas production tended to decrease (P≤0.1) with the addition of residue of chihua pumpkin. Under the conditions of this study, it was concluded that the residue of chihua pumpkin could be an environmentally friendly and ecological alternative for feeding ruminants that can be incorporated into the diet as much as 30% of the ration. However, this study was limited to an in vitro assay; in vivo studies are necessary to evaluate the potential of chihua pumpkin´s residue in the productive performance of ruminants. It would also be appropriate to evaluate the intake behavior, productive performance and nutritional status of animals fed with different forms of processed residue of chihua pumpkin.
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