The study of the effect of diets containing subabul plant on digestibility and rumen fermentation and some blood parameters of Arabi sheep

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the effect of using of subabul (rich of protein) as a replacement with alfalfa on digestibility, rumen fermentation characteristics and some blood parameters of Arabi sheep. Animals were fed with the control diet (without subabul) and diet containing subabul (subabul was replaced by 50 percent of alfalfa) for 40 days. The result showed the difference between treatments of control and subabul in dry matter intake (1190.50 and 954.00 g/d, respectively), digestibility of dry matter (66.88 and 56.41%, respectively), NDF (33.49 and 39.36%, respectively) and crude protein (61.32 and 69.07%, respectively) was not significant (P>0.05). Rumen ammonia nitrogen and pH, time of eating, ruminating and chewing and each of these factors for DM, NDF and crude protein was not different between control and subabul diets (P>0.05). There was no difference between treatments for blood glucose, urea nitrogen, cholesterol and triglyceride (P>0.05). Potential of gas production, microbial biomass production and partitioning factor of wheat straw and soybean meal in control and subabul groups were not different (P>0.05). Also, the digestibility of DM and NDF of wheat straw and soybean meal did not differ between control and subabul diet (P>0.05). According to the result, the using of the subabul plant by 50 percent alfalfa had no effect on digestibility and fermentation rumination and blood parameters of sheeps. Therefore subabul containing poisonous tannin and mimosin can be used as a replacement with 50% alfalfa in the diet of Arabi sheep.