Innocent Rugoho - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Innocent Rugoho

Journal of Dairy Research, 2017

Frontiers in Veterinary Science

Choline is an essential nutrient in ruminant diets, which contributes to the fundamental biologic... more Choline is an essential nutrient in ruminant diets, which contributes to the fundamental biological functions of the animal. However, choline is easily degraded in the rumen before it can be absorbed. Rumen-protected choline (RPC) supplementation might support the fast growth of ruminants. This study aimed to investigate the effects of supplementing graded levels of RPC in a pelleted total mixed ration for fattening lambs. Sixty three-month-old male Small Tail Han and northeast fine wool sheep hybrid lambs with a liveweight of 15.3 ± 1.8 kg (mean ± SD) were fed designated diets and randomly assigned into five treatment groups (n = 12 per group). The five treatments were the rate of RPC supplementation at 0, 1.25, 2.50, 3.75, and 5.00 g (equivalent to 0, 0.31, 0.63, 0.94, and 1.25 g of choline chloride, respectively)/kg basal diet and the RPC-supplemented feed was offered for 112 days after 12 days of adaptation. Average daily gain, dry matter intake, and nutrient digestibility were ...

$Research paper thumbnail of Use of nitrogen isotopic fractionation to indicate nitrogen intake and nitrogen use efficiency from cows grazing to two levels of sward height$

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change

Animal Production Science, 2019

Ensiled king grass (Cenchrus purpureus (Schumach.) Morrone) is commonly used as feed in tropical ... more Ensiled king grass (Cenchrus purpureus (Schumach.) Morrone) is commonly used as feed in tropical ruminant production. However, ruminant performance can be limited by low nitrogen (N) content in tropical grass silage. A mixed feed of legume–king grass silage may be an option to improve ruminant production. We investigated the effects of feeding an ensiled mixture of king grass forage and foliage of a browse tree legume, either leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit) or gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Walp), on dry matter (DM) intake, DM digestibility, organic matter (OM) digestibility and N balance of Pelibuey sheep. Twelve male lambs 9–11 months old were blocked by initial bodyweight (33 ± 3 kg, mean ± s.d.) into three groups of four lambs and randomly assigned to one of three feed treatments: king grass silage (KS); mixed king grass and leucaena silage (KLS); and mixed king grass and gliricidia silage (KGS). Results showed that DM and OM were similar among silages. The...

Grass and Forage Science, 2016

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2014

An outdoor grazing study conducted with 45 pregnant, dry dairy cows for 47 days during the winter... more An outdoor grazing study conducted with 45 pregnant, dry dairy cows for 47 days during the winter period measured dry matter (DM) utilisation, DM intake, forage disappearance, body condition score (BCS) and liveweight (LW) of cows fed 11 (K11) or 14 (K14) kg of kale DM per day or 11 (G11) kg DM Italian ryegrass per cow per day. Cows were offered 3 kg DM barley straw/cow/day at 0800 h and their daily forage allowance at 0900 h. Within 6 hours of being offered a fresh forage allocation, cows had consumed more than 86% of their apparent daily DM intake with cumulative DM intake of 10.4, 10.5 and 7.3 kg DM/cow for K11, K14 and G11, respectively. Daily percentage DM utilisation averaged over the 47 days of the trial was higher for K11 (96%) and K14 (88%) than for G11 (70%), leading to higher apparent daily DM intake for K14 (12.1 kg) and K11 (10.5 kg) than for G11 (7.9 kg DM). Liveweight and BCS gain during the 47 days were higher for K14 (45.4 kg LW and 0.3 BCS units) and G11 (46.8 kg LW and 0.3 BCS units) than for K11 (30.1 kg LW and 0.2 BCS units). This study indicates that compared with offering the common industry allowance of 11 kg kale DM/cow/day, increasing the allowance to 14 kg kale DM/cow/day or offering grass at 11 kg DM/cow/day may lead to higher BCS and LW gain, although all regimes failed to meet expectations of cows gaining 0.5 BCS units during the winter feeding period.

Intake and performance of dairy cattle on forages in winter by Innocent Rugoho The effect of crop... more Intake and performance of dairy cattle on forages in winter by Innocent Rugoho The effect of crop type, crop allowance and feeding frequency on DM intake, body condition score (BCS) gain, grazing behaviour and rumen physiology of dairy cattle fed forage crops during winter was examined in three experiments. Experiment 1 examined the effect of wintering dairy cows outdoors on the industry standard allowance of kale (11 kg DM of kale + 3 kg DM of barley straw, K11), with the higher allowance of kale (14 kg DM of kale + 3 kg DM of barley straw, K14) and Italian ryegrass at low allowance (11 kg DM + 3 kg DM of barley straw, G11). BCS gain over the six week winter feeding period was higher for K14 and G11 (0.3 BCS units) than K11 (0.2 BCS units). The % DM utilisation of K11 (96%) and K14 (88%) were higher than G11 (70%), leading to higher DM intake in K14 (12.1 kg DM of kale/cow/day) and K11 (10.5 kg DM of kale/cow/day) than G11 (7.9 kg DM of grass/cow/day). Within 6 hours of being offered a fresh break, cows had consumed over 86% of their apparent daily intake with DM consumptions of 10.4, 10.5 and 7.3 kg DM/cow for the K11, K14 and G11 treatments, respectively. Grazing behaviour was altered by both forage type and allowance. Cows on the K14 treatment grazed for longer over the day than cows in K11 and G11. Rumen ammonia concentrations peaked 7 h after the morning allocation of feed and concentrations ranged from 108 to 212 mg NH 3 /l for K14, 91 to 306 mg NH 3 /l for K11 and 57 to 269 mg NH 3 /l for G11. Rumen pH fell to reach its lowest values of 5.7 for G11, 6.0 for K11 and 6.2 for K14 between 7-10 h after feeding forage in all treatments. However, the rumen pH of K11 and K14 remained high (> 6.0) throughout the day. Further, from bout counts of rumen pH, G11 had more frequent and longer bouts of rumen pH under each threshold except the threshold 6.4 compared with K11 or K14. Hence, there was little evidence of sub-acute rumen acidosis (SARA) in kale-fed cows. Urinary N% was higher for K11 (0.58%) than K14 (0.43%) and G11 (0.52%). Faecal and urine N output per cow was higher for K14 (335 g N/cow/day) and K11 (289 g N/cow/day) than G11 (227 g N/cow/day). Based on stocking density, total faecal and urine N output per hectare was higher for K11 (413 kg N/ha) and K14 (355.9 kg N/ha) than G11 (82.3 g N/cow/day). iii Experiment 2 examined the effect on rumen physiology of feeding cattle either once (1.5 kg DM/day barley straw at 0800 h plus 7 kg DM/day of kale at 0900 h, K1) or twice (0.75 kg DM barley straw 0800 h plus 3.5 kg DM kale 0900 h and 0.75 kg DM barley straw at 1400 h plus 3.5 kg DM of kale at 1500 h, K2) per day over a 7 day period in individual metabolism crates. No significant differences were observed between the two treatment groups in the rumen concentration of acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, ammonia and rumen pH. There was a distinct diurnal pattern of rumen ammonia concentration which was characterized by a peak 2 h post feeding for both K1 and K2. Rumen ammonia concentration ranged from 27.5 mg NH 3 /l to 170 mg NH 3 /l for K1 and from 43.7 mg NH 3 /l to 158 mg NH 3 /l for K2. Rumen pH remained high (>5.8) on both treatment groups. Experiment 3 examined the effect of wintering dairy cows outdoors on either kale or grass fed in one (11 kg DM kale + 3 kg DM of baled barley straw offered in the morning) or two allocations (5.5 kg DM of kale grazed + 1.5 kg DM barley straw offered morning and afternoon) per day. BCS gain over the six week winter feeding period was higher for grassfed cows (0.5 BCS units) than kale-fed cows (0.2 BCS units), but unaffected by feeding frequency. % DM utilization was higher for kale-fed (97%) than grass-fed cows (76%) leading to higher apparent DM intake of forage in kale-fed (9.7 kg DM/cow/day) than grassfed cows (7.7 kg DM/cow/day). % DM utilization and apparent DM intake were not affected by feeding frequency. Prehension bite rate was greater for grass-fed (37.3 bites/min) than kale-fed cows (7.6 bites/min), but more mastication bites were required for kale-fed cows. Cumulative DM intake after 2, 3 and 6 h was greater in cows fed once than twice a day and for kale than grass after 3 and 6 h. Mean eating time was greater on cows offered forage once (477 min) than twice (414 min) per day. Rumen ammonia concentration rose rapidly after the first meal, with all four treatments reaching a peak value within 3 hours of grazing time. From the bout counts, cows which were fed grass recorded the most frequent rumen pH of <5.8 with cows fed grass twice a day recording the most frequent rumen pH of <5.5. Hence, there was no evidence of SARA in kale-fed cows. Overall, the results show BCS gain over the winter feeding period was higher in grass than kale-fed cows when forage was offered at 11 kg DM/cow/day. This was despite % DM utilization and apparent DM intake being lower for grass-fed cows. Increasing kale allowance to 14 kg DM/cow/day increased DM intake and BCS gain. Increasing feeding frequency from once to twice per day decreased the intake rate within the first 6 hours after allocation but did not affect total daily DM intake, % DM utilization or BCS gain. Rumen ammonia concentration for both kale and grass-fed cows peaked 3 h and 7 h after the morning iv allocation, but the concentration stayed within the range of 20-800 mg NH 3/ l for maximum rumen bacterial growth. Rumen pH remained high (>5.8) for kale-fed cows, hence indicating no evidence of SARA. The calculated faecal and urine N output/ha were higher for kale than grass-fed cows reflecting greater yield of kale leading to increased stocking density.

Animals, 2022

A 39-day field experiment was conducted to assess the effect of grape marc (GM) feeding on sheep ... more A 39-day field experiment was conducted to assess the effect of grape marc (GM) feeding on sheep productivity, health, and environmental sustainability. Forty merino sheep were divided into two dietary groups, each having five replications (n = 4 sheep/replication). Experimental diet consisted of: (i) control: 55% lucerne hay + 40% wheat grain + 5% faba bean; (ii) GM treatment: control diet with 20% replaced by GM on a dry matter (DM) basis. The GM treatment contained 2–10% higher phytochemical contents than the control. The DMI from the GM treatment was 15% higher than the control (p < 0.001). No difference was found in sheep live weight gain, behaviour, and quality between groups (p > 0.05). No difference was found in total faecal production, faecal organic matter, and nitrogen contents (p > 0.05) and parasitic egg count. The GM treatment led to higher nitrogen intake (23.1 vs. 27.2 g/d) and faecal nitrogen excretion (6.3 vs. 8.7 g/d) compared to the control. Urinary crea...

Nitrogen (N) inputs are critical for productive and profitable grazing-based dairy systems, but i... more Nitrogen (N) inputs are critical for productive and profitable grazing-based dairy systems, but inefficient use can contribute to excess N in the broader environment. Whole-farm N balance (WFNB) provides the commonly used recovery metrics: N use efficiency (NUE), milk production N surplus and N surplus/ha; all recognised as environmental performance indicators. We determined annual WFNB for the Australian dairy industry over a 22 year period, and for a diverse range of 16 commercial dairy farms for the 2013/2014 production year. The industry as a whole demonstrated a long-term declining trend in all N recovery metrics, associated with ongoing intensification. Individual farms in a single production year had a wide variation in NUE, productivity N surplus and N surplus/ha, and a poorly defined relationship between NUE and N surplus/ha. At an industry level, the determination of average farm NUE, milk production N surplus and N surplus/ha provides a useful environmental performance in...

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2020

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between plasma amino aci... more ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between plasma amino acid (AA) concentration and urinary nitrogen (N) concentration of dairy heifers offered cut plantain or perennial ryegrass-white clover pasture indoors. Twelve Jersey-Friesian heifers aged 9–10 months were equally assigned to two dietary treatments (plantain vs. perennial ryegrass-white clover pasture) in a completely randomised design. Urinary N concentration was lower in plantain fed heifers (1.4 g/kg) than in perennial ryegrass-white clover pasture fed heifers (3.4 g/kg). Feeding cut plantain or perennial ryegrass-white clover pasture did not have an effect on either plasma essential AA, non-essential AA or total AA. There was no association found between plasma AA concentration and urinary N concentration in the present study. Therefore, the urinary N concentration reduction in plantain fed heifers compared with perennial ryegrass-white clover pasture cannot be attributed by the differences in plasma AA.

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2019

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to quantify amino acid (AA) profiles in plasma collected... more ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to quantify amino acid (AA) profiles in plasma collected from dairy heifers grazing swards containing ryegrass/clover, chicory and plantain in autumn and spring. The study comprised a 28-day autumn trial and a 21-day spring trial using 56 Friesian x Jersey heifers. Total AA concentrations ranged from 2849 to 3165 μM in autumn and from 3195 to 3454 μM in spring, with no treatment effect. Season affected essential AA (EAA) and total AA concentrations. Total plasma AA concentrations were lower in autumn (2965 μM) than in spring (3303 μM). Based on these results, feeding dairy heifer’s either pure chicory, binary mixture or pure plantain does not affect EAA and total AA of Friesian x Jersey heifers. Further, no relationship was established between AA and weight gain of heifers in this study.

Journal of Dairy Science, 2018

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of wintering pregnant, nonlactating dairy c... more The objective of this study was to examine the effect of wintering pregnant, nonlactating dairy cows outdoors on either kale or grass, fed in 1 [11 kg dry matter (DM) of kale or grass + 3 kg DM of baled barley straw offered in the morning] or 2 allocations (5.5 kg DM of kale or grass grazed + 1.5 kg DM of barley straw offered morning and afternoon) per day. The body condition score (BCS) gain over the 47-d winter feeding period was higher for grass-fed (0.5 BCS units) than kale-fed cows (0.3 BCS units), but was unaffected by feeding frequency. Forage DM utilization was higher for kale-fed (97%) than grass-fed cows (76%), leading to higher estimated dry matter intake (DMI) in kale-fed (10.7 kg of DM/ cow per day) than grass-fed cows (7.7 kg of DM/cow per day). Forage DM utilization and estimated DMI were not affected by feeding frequency. Prehension bite rate was greater for grass-fed (37.3 bites/min) than kale-fed cows (7.6 bites/min), but more mastication bites were required for kale-fed cows. Cumulative DMI after 2, 3, and 6 h was greater in cows allocated forage once than twice a day and for kale than grass after 3 and 6 h. Mean eating time was greater for cows offered forage once (477 min) than twice (414 min) per day. In conclusion, increasing feeding frequency from once to twice per day decreased the intake rate within the first 6 h after allocation, but did not affect total daily DMI, DM utilization or BCS gain. Thus, moving cows more frequently would not have any significant advantage. It may increase labor requirements, thereby creating a more challenging wintering management than feeding once per day.

The Journal of dairy research, 2017

The study reported in this Research Communication was carried out to examine how parity and milki... more The study reported in this Research Communication was carried out to examine how parity and milking time affected donkey milk yield under a typical Chinese production system. Eighteen Jiangyue breed donkeys with good health condition, aged between 6 and 9 years, and with parities 3 and 4, were selected. Milk production was measured commencing from the fourth week post-foaling, with a total data collection of 170 d in milk (lactation length). Mean milk yield of the donkeys used in this study was 3·0 kg/donkey/d. Results showed milk yield decreased with days in milk from 3·3 kg/donkey/d at the start of the study, to 2·2 kg/donkey/d by the end of the 170 d. Parity 3 donkeys produced 22% more milk than parity 4 donkeys (3·3 kg/donkey/d vs 2·7 kg/donkey/d). The information provided by this study should aid producers in estimating the expected milk yields from individual donkey, and better predict milk yield over the course of a production cycle.

Animal Production Science, 2017

Feed types consumed by cows on 44 contrasting dairy farms from all major dairy regions in Austral... more Feed types consumed by cows on 44 contrasting dairy farms from all major dairy regions in Australia were identified and sampled on five occasions over a 15-month period to determine nutritive characteristics and mineral concentrations. Perennial ryegrass was the most dominant and commonly used forage, although a broad range of other home-grown forages was also grazed or conserved. Almost all farms utilised cereal or legume grains or grain-based concentrates, as well as a range of by-products and mineral additives. The present study has documented, for the first time, the nutritive characteristics, mineral concentrations and dietary cation–anion difference (DCAD) of the broad variety of feed types used on dairy farms across Australia, and has also highlighted the substantial variation that can occur among and within feed types. While there were effects of season, region and some defined farm-management practices on important nutrients for specific feeds, among-farm variation was gene...

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are key nutrients which drive production in grazing dairy farms. ... more Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are key nutrients which drive production in grazing dairy farms. However, if not used efficiently, N and P deficiency can limit production while excesses can degrade water and air quality. Pasture and fertiliser management generally assume that nutrient loads are relatively uniform across a farm landscape. However, there is evidence that cows spend different times in different areas on the farm and uneven nutrient load distribution is poorly understood. The purpose of this paper is to outline key components of N and P flows and transformations within grazing-based dairy operations, and present data on N and P use efficiency and varying nutrient distribution from dairy cows at a grazing scale. We recommend that a greater understanding of animal movements and expected patterns of within-farm nutrient distribution is required to improve N and P management decisions on dairy farms.

Intake and foraging behaviour of dairy cows grazing kale offered at 11 (K-11) or 14 (K-14) kg DM/... more Intake and foraging behaviour of dairy cows grazing kale offered at 11 (K-11) or 14 (K-14) kg DM/cow/day, and grass offered at 11 (G-11) kg DM/cow/day were measured during week 2 and 5 of a 7-week winter feeding period. The % dry matter (DM) utilisation of K-11 (96%) and K-14 (88%) were higher than G-11 (70%). Apparent DM intake (kg DM/day) was higher for K-14 (12.3) than K-11 (10.6). Apparent DM intake of G-11 was low (7.8 kg DM/day) due to the lower % DM utilisation. Grazing behaviour was altered by both forage type and allowance. Within 6 hours of being offered a fresh break, cows had consumed over 86% of their apparent daily intake with DM consumptions of 10.4, 10.5 and 7.3 kg DM/cow for the K-11, K-14 and G-11 treatments, respectively. Cows on the K-14 treatment grazed for longer over the day and consumed a further 1.6 kg DM. Based on these results, monitoring kale grazing residuals mid afternoon following a morning allocation of forage, and modifying break widths may be a usef...