CHARACTERIZATION OF CATTLE FATTENING AND MARKETING SYSTEMS AND NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF SORGHUM STOVER ENSILED WITH EFFECTIVE MICOORGANISMS (EM) AND UREA IN WEST HARARGHE, ETHIOPIA
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2018-03
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Abstract
The study was carried out in Chiro, Gemechis, Habro and Tullo woredas of West Hararghe Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia from 12 March, 2015 upto 25 March, 2016. The objective of the study was to characterize the cattle fattening and marketing systems and investigate the nutritional quality of sorghum stover treated and ensiled with Effective microorganisms (EM) and urea. To obtain quantitative and qualitative data, survey questionnaire, focus group discussion, key informant interview, personal observations and secondary data collection were done. A total of 160 household respondents; 81 from four highland and 79 from four mid-altitude rural kebeles each respondent having at least one fattening cattle at the time of study were interviewed. The survey result indicated that crop and livestock production was the major source of income in the study woredas. Feeding and watering, cleaning the shelter, health care and marketing were the routine cattle fattening activities performed primarily by husband and wife; wife and children; and husbands, respectively. Thinning of maize and sorghum, grass and weeds in wet season and maize and sorghum stover in the dry season were the major feed resources. Storing crop residues were the main coping mechanism during the critical feed shortage months. Feed shortage, shortage of grazing land, water shortage, low selling price and diseases were ranked as major constraints of cattle fattening practices in the study areas. Dried and chopped sorghum stover each weighing 5kg was treated with urea, EM (Effective microorganism) and urea and EM mixture solutions and ensiled in plastic bags for 21 days. Each treatment was replicated 3 times. The ensiling, in-vitro and in-sacco experiments were conducted using completely randomized design (CRD). The nutritive quality analysis of sorghum stover showed that the pH values of the treated stover were 4.17, 4.30 and 4.27 for EM treated (T2), Urea treated (T3) and EM plus urea treated sorghum stover (T4), respectively. In all treated stover, fungus development was not observed. The organic matter (OM) and NDF values of all treatment types decreased (90.83, 91.7 and 91.67%) and (73.83, 72.23 and 75.00%), respectively but the CP (5.33, 12.97 and 8.73%) and Ash (9.17, 8.30 and 8.33%) increased for T2, T3 and T4, respectively compared to control sorghum stover (T1). The in vitro DMD values showed that treatments T2, T3 and T4 had significant variation with the control, however, T3 showed the highest in vitro DMD value. Ensiling sorghum stover with these additives generally improved the nutritive value. However, T3 had significantly increased CP and in vitro DMD values. The in sacco DM degradability parameters increased by the additives treatment as compared to T1. Urea treatment showed the highest soluble (36.53%), insoluble but potentially soluble (49.51%), potential degradability (86.04%) and effective degradability (63.39%) fractions than the other treatments. The DM degradation increased with increasing the incubation time across all treatments. The rate of degradation decreased in the order of T3 > T4 > T2 > T1. All the treatments had improved the nutritive value of the sorghum stover. However, the urea treatment was more effective in improving the chemical composition and degradability of sorghum stover. In general, legal protection, technical support and credit facility should be available to the major market participants at woreda level. In addition, treatment of sorghum stover with urea for dry season feeding of cattle is recommended.
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PhD Dissertation
Keywords
Cattle fattening,, Dry Matter, Effective Microorganisms, In vitro Digestibility, In Sacco Degradation, Sorghum Stover