Effect of N fertilisation rate, energy supplementation and supplementation strategy on efficiency of N utilisation in the sheep rumen.

The effect of nitrogen (N) fertilisation (200 vs. 400 kg N ha-1 year-1) of pasture cut in the beginning (end of May) and the end (end of August) of the grazing season and of simultaneous or separated feeding of maize and grass (400 kg N ha-1 year-1) on efficiency of N utilisation in the rumen has been studied using four rumen cannulated wethers. Doubling N fertiliser rate increased grass CP production by about 60%, but induced extensive excess of rumen degradable N, reflected in high urinary urea excretion (rpearson = 0.747). The latter was lower (74% at the maximum) when feeding less fertilised or older grass or when supplementing with maize silage. Although simultaneous feeding of maize silage with grass changed patterns of rumen ammonia concentrations, no change in urinary excretion of purine derivatives was observed. Hence, faecal or urinary N excretion was unaffected by the supplementation strategy. Microbial growth efficiency was estimated from urinary excretion of purine derivatives and fermented OM. The latter was calculated from total rumen CH4 production, based on rumen fermentation stoichiometry and taking into account proportional concentrations of individual volatile fatty acids. Higher levels of intake tended to improve rumen microbial growth efficiency slightly (rpearson = 0.406), which, however, could not compensate for the reduced effective rumen DM degradability (rpearson = -0.442). The latter was apparently associated with a partial shift of the fermentation from the rumen to the hindgut, as suggested from the negative correlation (rpearson = -0.745) between faecal RNA concentrations and rumen effective degradability.