TY - JOUR
T1 - Rumen parameters of yaks (Bos grunniens) and indigenous cattle (Bos taurus) grazing on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
AU - Shi, Fuyu
AU - Wang, Hucheng
AU - Degen, Abraham Allan
AU - Zhou, Jianwei
AU - Guo, Na
AU - Mudassar, Shah
AU - Long, Ruijun
N1 - Funding Information:
1State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro‐ ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China 2Desert Animal Adaptations and Husbandry, Wyler Department of Dryland Agriculture, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben‐Gurion University of Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel 3Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China 4School of Life Sciences, International Centre for Tibetan Plateau Ecosystem Management, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
Funding Information:
We are grateful for financial support from the National Key Research and Development Plan of China (2018YFD0502302) and National Youth Natural Science Foundation of China (31302001). We also thank Jian‐guo Zhang and Rong‐ji Zeren for analytical help and Mr. Liu for assistance in sample collections.
Funding Information:
National Key Research and Development Plan of China, Grant/Award Number: 2018YFD0502302; National Youth Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant/Award Number: 31302001
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Blackwell Verlag GmbH
PY - 2019/7/1
Y1 - 2019/7/1
N2 - Yaks and indigenous Qaidam cattle and cattle-yak crosses (C × Y) graze on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) throughout the year, but yaks are raised at higher elevations than cattle. Yaks do not receive supplementary feed whereas cattle require supplementary feed during harsh winter. We hypothesized that yaks would cope with the severe conditions of the QTP better than cattle and utilize the pasture more efficiently. We also hypothesized that differences between species would be pronounced in winter, when conditions are particularly harsh. To test these hypotheses, seasonal rumen fluid parameters of yaks, C × Y and cattle (n = 3 for each) were examined. Rumen fluid was collected in summer and winter from each genotype 2, 5 and 12 hr after a day of grazing. Concentrations of total volatile fatty acid (VFA), acetate, propionate, isobutyrate and isovalerate were greater in yaks than in cattle in summer (p < 0.05), while propionate concentration was lower in yaks than in cattle in winter (p < 0.05). Concentrations of ammonia and urea were greater (p < 0.001) in yaks than in cattle (p < 0.001) in summer, whereas, concentrations of free amino acids (AA) were greater in cattle than in yaks in summer and winter (p < 0.001). Concentrations of total VFA, acetate, propionate and butyrate decreased linearly (p < 0.05), whereas concentrations of isobutyrate and isovalerate increased linearly for yak and C × Y with sampling time (p < 0.05) in summer. In summer, concentrations of isobutyrate and isovalerate were greater in yaks than in cattle (p < 0.05). In conclusion, rumen fermentation characteristics of yaks showed that they coped better than cattle or C × Y in the harsh climate as we hypothesized. However, in contrast to our hypothesis, this emerged only in summer, when pasture was plentiful and not in winter, when pasture was scarce.
AB - Yaks and indigenous Qaidam cattle and cattle-yak crosses (C × Y) graze on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) throughout the year, but yaks are raised at higher elevations than cattle. Yaks do not receive supplementary feed whereas cattle require supplementary feed during harsh winter. We hypothesized that yaks would cope with the severe conditions of the QTP better than cattle and utilize the pasture more efficiently. We also hypothesized that differences between species would be pronounced in winter, when conditions are particularly harsh. To test these hypotheses, seasonal rumen fluid parameters of yaks, C × Y and cattle (n = 3 for each) were examined. Rumen fluid was collected in summer and winter from each genotype 2, 5 and 12 hr after a day of grazing. Concentrations of total volatile fatty acid (VFA), acetate, propionate, isobutyrate and isovalerate were greater in yaks than in cattle in summer (p < 0.05), while propionate concentration was lower in yaks than in cattle in winter (p < 0.05). Concentrations of ammonia and urea were greater (p < 0.001) in yaks than in cattle (p < 0.001) in summer, whereas, concentrations of free amino acids (AA) were greater in cattle than in yaks in summer and winter (p < 0.001). Concentrations of total VFA, acetate, propionate and butyrate decreased linearly (p < 0.05), whereas concentrations of isobutyrate and isovalerate increased linearly for yak and C × Y with sampling time (p < 0.05) in summer. In summer, concentrations of isobutyrate and isovalerate were greater in yaks than in cattle (p < 0.05). In conclusion, rumen fermentation characteristics of yaks showed that they coped better than cattle or C × Y in the harsh climate as we hypothesized. However, in contrast to our hypothesis, this emerged only in summer, when pasture was plentiful and not in winter, when pasture was scarce.
KW - Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
KW - free-grazing animals
KW - indigenous cattle
KW - rumen fermentation
KW - yak
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85064510181&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/jpn.13095
DO - 10.1111/jpn.13095
M3 - Article
C2 - 30985029
AN - SCOPUS:85064510181
SN - 0931-2439
VL - 103
SP - 969
EP - 976
JO - Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition
JF - Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition
IS - 4
ER -