Effect of livol, a herbal additive to straw-based diets on the performance of growing buffaloes

摘要

In Bangladesh, nine buffaloes (～2 years of age, 129 kg body weight) were given diets of urea-soaked rice straw, napier grass, wheat bran, til oil cake and molasses (9.39 MJ ME/kg and 96.2 g DCP/kg) supplemented with 0 (controls), 10 or 15 g Livol for 66 days. Body weights, feed intake and digestibility were recorded. Blood samples were collected before and after the experiment. Feed intake was higher in the Livol-treated groups than controls and increased with dosage (P<0.01). Digestibility of organic matter, CP and crude fibre was not affected by Livol treatment. Daily liveweight gain was highest in the group given 15 g Livol (P<0.01), but did not differ between the other groups. Plasma glucose concentrations differed among the groups at the start of the trial and showed the same trend at the end of the trial, although the groups given Livol showed a greater increase than the control group. There was no difference in plasma protein concentration among the groups.