TITLE:
In Vitro Digestibility and Gas Production from E. crus-pavonis Used in Wetlands from Domestic Wastewater Treatment
AUTHORS:
Gabriel Nicodème Tsetagho, Martin Lekeufack, Mama Mouchili, Etienne Pamo Tedonkeng, Théophile Fonkou
KEYWORDS:
Echinochloa crus-pavonis, Constructed Wetlands, Ruminant Feed, Nutritional Value, in Vitro Digestibility
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Animal Sciences,
Vol.11 No.4,
September
27,
2021
ABSTRACT: In order to evaluate the possibilities of valorization as the feed of the
plant biomass produced during wastewater treatment in constructed wetlands, a
study of the in vitro digestibility and gas production of Echinochloa crus-pavonis was
carried out in the Laboratory of Animal Production and Nutrition of the
University of Dschang. The in vitro digestibility of Echinochloa crus-pavonis was evaluated at different
harvesting periods. The digestibility parameters of E. crus-pavonis samples
were determined by the in vitro method at different phenological stages. The gas
production (GP) during 24 h of incubation was assessed using the in vitro incubation technique
with bovine rumen fluid. In vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDM) values
ranged from 52.09% to 64.76% with a decrease observed with the phenological
stages of E. crus-pavonis (from 64.76% at the leafy stage to 52.09% at the flowering stage). The
microbial biomass (MB) values varied significantly between 67.99 and 88.45 mg,
with no significant difference observed between the leafy (88.45 mg), bolting
(82.93 mg), and early heading (80.26 mg) stages (P > 0.05). On the other
hand, changes in the gas produced during 24 h from the studied samples of E. crus-pavonis (34.9
and 48 ml/500mg) and volatile fatty acids (VFA) values (1.08 and 0.80 mmol/ml)
decreased significantly (P E. crus-pavonis in
rumen fluid significantly decreased with advanced plant maturity (P E. crus-pavonis. By
combining the requirements of an optimal quantitative and qualitative
production of E. crus-pavonis,
harvesting at the bolting or early heading stage is an option of choice for
exploitation as forage, under the conditions of this study. Based on the in vitro digestibility
parameters studied, E. crus-pavonis is suitable as a ruminant feed.