Fauzi, N.A.A., Chung, E.L.T., Abu Bakar, N.A. et al. (4 more authors) (2025) Blood indices of sheep fed with ensiled signal grass (Brachiaria decumbens). New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research. ISSN 0028-8233
Abstract
The Brachiaria species, particularly B. decumbens, is a key ruminant feed in the tropics but contains steroidal saponins that may cause toxicity, raising concerns for small ruminant farmers. Eighteen 6-month-old sheep were randomly assigned to three treatments over a 90-day feeding trial: Negative control (fresh P. purpureum), fresh B. decumbens, and positive control (ensiled B. decumbens). Blood samples were collected on days 0, 30, 60, and 90 for haematology and biochemistry analyses. Fresh B. decumbens group exhibited significantly elevated (p < 0.05) haematological parameters, including red and white blood cell counts, plasma protein, and various liver, kidney, and serum protein markers. In contrast, positive control group showed no significant differences (p > 0.05) compared to the negative control. Despite these variations, some values remained within normal ranges. The findings suggest that feeding ensiled B. decumbens mitigates the adverse effects of steroidal saponins, promoting overall healthier outcomes in sheep compared to fresh B. decumbens. Ensiling B. decumbens is a promising strategy to address saponin toxicity and improve ruminant feed safety.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent. |
Keywords: | Ensiled Brachiaria decumbens, steroidal saponin, haematology, biochemistry, Dorper cross sheep |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Biological Sciences (Leeds) > School of Biology (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 28 May 2025 12:31 |
Last Modified: | 28 May 2025 15:08 |
Published Version: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00288... |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/00288233.2025.2475944 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:227074 |
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