Effect of Variety, Cultivation Area and Enzyme Supplementation on Metabolisable Energy in Triticale

Three experiments were conducted to study the chemical composition and the effect of variety, cultivation area as well as enzyme supplementation on the apparent and true metabolisable energy of triticale. In the first experiment, the precision-fed rooster assay was employed to determine the true metabolisable energy corrected for nitrogen in triticale. In the second and third experiments, Total Excreta Collection method, using male broiler chicks (20-23 days of age), was employed to determine the apparent metabolisable energy corrected for nitrogen in triticale with/without exogenous enzyme supplementation. The chemical composition of triticale was recorded as: EE, 1.65±0.29; CP, 14.00±1.37; CF, 4.92±0.49; Ash, 1.77±0.33; NFE, 77.6±1.62% and CE, 4180±95 kcal/kg. A wide variation in CP (12.2 to 17% on a dry matter basis) and NFE (74.7 to 79.8% on dry matter basis) was recorded among triticale samples. The average true and apparent metabolisable energy corrected for nitrogen in triticale and on a dry matter basis, were 3380±112 and 3244±82 kcal/kg, respectively. The results indicated that the metabolisable energy in triticale was mainly influenced by the factor of cultivated areas. The addition of exogenous enzyme supplementation; xylanase&? -glucanase as well as phytase improved the apparent metabolisable energy in triticale by 155 and 86 kcal/ kg, respectively.