A redundancy analysis of the relative impact of different feedstuffs on nitrogen use efficiency and excretion partitioning in beef cattle fed diets with contrasting protein concentrations

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Angelidis, A. E., Rempelos, L., Crompton, L., Misselbrook, T. H., Yan, T., Reynolds, C. K. and Stergiadis, S. 2021. A redundancy analysis of the relative impact of different feedstuffs on nitrogen use efficiency and excretion partitioning in beef cattle fed diets with contrasting protein concentrations. Animal Feed Science and Technology. 277, p. 114961. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2021.114961

AuthorsAngelidis, A. E., Rempelos, L., Crompton, L., Misselbrook, T. H., Yan, T., Reynolds, C. K. and Stergiadis, S.
Abstract

Diet composition and intake are the main determinants of nitrogen (N) use efficiency (NUE) in beef cattle. Accounting for the interactions and comparative effects of different feedstuff types on NUE and N losses in urine and faeces can inform the development of financially and environmentally sustainable feeding protocols for beef cattle. This study aimed to assess the impact of various individual feedstuffs and feedstuff types/groups on NUE and N partitioning to faeces and urine in beef cattle, for diets with contrasting crude protein (CP) concentrations. Partial multivariate redundancy analysis (pRDA) was used to associate the influence of the intakes of individual feedstuffs and feedstuff types/groups on NUE and N partitioning by using results from 59 published trials with growing and finishing beef cattle. The data were split into three sub-sets, according to diet CP concentration (low CP, 47−120 g CP/kg DM, n = 73; medium CP, 121−150 g CP/kg DM, n = 90; high CP, 151−269 g CP/kg DM, n = 74). In low CP diets, the main feedstuffs that improved NUE and shifted N outputs from urine to faeces were fresh-cut grasses and legumes, grass hay, straws, brans and pulps. In medium CP diets, the main feedstuffs that improved NUE were fresh-cut grasses, grass hay, fresh-cut legumes, and straws; while legume and grass hays, straws, pulps and hulls also shifted N excretion from urine to faeces. In high CP diets, the main feedstuffs that improved NUE were grass hay, grass silage, straws, hulls and meals; while grass silage, straws and meals also shifted N outputs from urine to faeces. The present study highlighted that selection of feedstuffs that provide adequate digestible fibre and energy supply to rumen microbes, as well as minimizing the oversupply of CP, could be used to improve NUE and shift N outputs from urine to faeces in beef cattle; while the effectiveness of providing fibre and energy might be influenced by the overall diet CP concentration.

KeywordsRedundancy analysis; Beef cattle ; Protein; Urine; Nitrogen partitioning; Nitrogen
Year of Publication2021
JournalAnimal Feed Science and Technology
Journal citation277, p. 114961
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2021.114961
Open accessPublished as non-open access
FunderBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Funder project or codeS2N - Soil to Nutrition - Work package 2 (WP2) - Adaptive management systems for improved efficiency and nutritional quality
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online05 May 2021
Publication process dates
Accepted02 May 2021
ISSN0377-8401
PublisherElsevier Science Bv

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