The efficiency of microbial protein synthesis in the rumen and the degradability of feed nitrogen between the mouth and abomasum in steers given different diets.

Protozoa-free steers with simple rumen and abomasal cannulas were given basal diets consisting of a concentrate mixture of flaked maize and tapioca with barley straw (BS) or alkali-treated barley straw (BSA). Other diets were supplemented with urea (BSU and BSAU respectively) or with fish meal replacing the tapioca (BSF and BSAF respectively). The diets were isoenergetic and calculated to provide sufficient metabolizable energy (ME) to support a growth rate of 0.5 kg/d. Rumen-degradable nitrogen (RDN):ME values (g/MJ) were estimated to be 0.50, 1.20 and 0.80 for the basal diet, urea- and fish-meal-supplemented diets respectively. RNA and alpha,epsilon-diaminopimelic acid (DAP) were used as microbial markers. 103Ruthenium and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were given as flow markers and flows (g/24 h) at the abomasum of organic matter (OM) and nitrogenous constituents were calculated. Samples of mixed bacteria separated from rumen digesta from animals receiving N-supplemented diets contained significantly more N than those from animals receiving basal diets (approximately 74 and 62 mg/g dry matter (DM) respectively) but there were no other significant differences in total-N contents between treatments. RNA-N:total-N values were similar for all diets (approximately 0.13). DAP-N:total-N values were significantly lower in bacteria from animals receiving alkali-treated (AT) rather than untreated (UT) straw (approximately 0.008 and 0.011 respectively). The proportion of OM intake digested in the rumen (ADOM) was significantly higher for animals receiving AT straw rather than UT straw (approximately 0.54 and 0.43 respectively). N supplementation had no effect on OM digestibility.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)