| Artemisia selengensis is used as a vegetable,and 80%–86% of its stem and leaf waste is formed during commercial processing.It is urgent to carry out experimental research on how to use this resource for feed purposes.In order to explore the effect of Artemisia selengensis on the growth performance and economic benefit of beef cattle,this experiment was conducted with Artemisia selengensis waste and beef cattle as the main research objects.The conventional nutritional composition of the whole plant of Artemisia selengensis and its waste stems and leaves,corn silage,wheat straw,beef cattle concentrate supplement,and corn flour were monitored;four beef cattle diets were designed: wheat straw + corn silage + concentrate(group S),alfalfa hay +corn silage + concentrate(group H),Artemisia selengensis waste + wheat straw +corn silage + concentrate(group L1),Artemisia selengensis waste + wheat straw +concentrate(group L2).Base in Yunnan Mohao Agriculture Co.,Ltd.in Zhanyi District,a 90-day comparative trial of beef cattle fattening was conducted to analyze feed intake,growth performance,energy conversion efficiency,feed rewards,and other indicators.The above experiments were conducted to explore the feasibility,advantages,and disadvantages of using Artemisia selengensis waste as a fattening beef cattle diet and to provide basic data and technical support for further research and production practice.The results are as follows:(1)The waste stem and leaf parts of Artemisia selengensis have high nutritional value and excellent palatability.It contained 22.8% crude protein,6.4% crude fat,10.1% crude ash,8.5% crude fiber,and 51.9% nitrogen-free extract based on dry matter,making it a suitable forage with a high crude protein content but low energy and crude fiber content for beef cattle fattening.(2)There was no significant difference in dry matter intake,but there were significant differences in crude protein and energy intake among the four groups of beef cattle.The average head dry matter intake of beef cattle in the four groups was5.96 kg/d,5.29 kg/d,5.39 kg/d,and 5.57 kg/d,respectively,with no significant difference between the groups.The average head crude protein intake of beef cattle in group S was 568.13 g/d,which was the lowest among the four groups and was highly significantly lower than 717.03 g/d in group L1 and 769.07 g/d in group L2(P< 0.01),and not significantly different from 633.22 g/d of beef cattle in group H.The average net energy intake per head in group L1 was 19184.95 k J/d,the lowest among the four groups,not significantly different from group S at 20913.70 k J/d,but significantly lower than group H at 20845.78 k J/d and group L2 at 21002.20 k J/d(P <0.05).(3)There was no significant difference in the trend of total weight gain among the four groups,but there was a significant difference in daily weight gain.The average head weight of beef cattle in group S increased from 205.33 kg to 282.00 kg,with a live weight gain of 76.67kg;the average head weight of beef cattle in group H increased from 197.67 kg to 299.00 kg,with a live weight gain of 101.33kg;the average head weight of beef cattle in group L1 increased from 197.00 kg to 278.67 kg,with a live weight gain of 81.67kg;the average head weight of beef cattle in group L2 increased from 201.33 kg to 269.67 kg,with a live weight gain of 68.33 kg.The average daily weight gain of beef cattle in Group S,Group H,Group L1,and Group L2 was 0.85 kg,1.13 kg,0.91 kg,and 0.76 kg,respectively.The L2 group was significantly lower than the H group(P < 0.05),and there was no significant difference between the S and L1 groups.(4)There was no significant difference in the gross energy intake of the four groups of beef cattle,but there was a significant difference in energy conversion efficiency(P < 0.05).The average gross energy intake per head of beef cattle in groups S,H,L1,and L2 was 102498.58 k J/d,92439.30 k J/d,94142.97 k J/d,and97662.50 k J/d,respectively,with there was no significant difference between the groups.The energy conversion efficiency of beef cattle in the four groups was 9.27%,15.43%,10.67%,and 8.14%,respectively,with no significant difference between the S,L1,and L2 groups,but all were significantly lower than the H group(P < 0.05).(5)There were significant differences(P < 0.05)between the four groups in terms of diet costs and gross profit indices.Average per head diet costs of beef cattle in groups S,H,L1 and L2 were 21.64 rmb,22.76 rmb,15.01 rmb,and 13.27 rmb,respectively;with no significant differences between groups S and H and L1,but significantly higher than those in group L2(P < 0.05),and group H was highly significantly higher than groups L1 and L2(P < 0.01);the average gross profit per head of beef cattle in the four groups was 9.03 rmb,17.78 rmb,17.66 rmb,and14.06 rmb,respectively;and group S was significantly lower than groups H and L1(P<0.05),and not significantly different from group L2.In conclusion,Artemisia selengensis waste has good feeding value and can be used as a kind of high protein forage source for beef cattle fattening.Adding an appropriate proportion of Artemisia selengensis waste to the diet can significantly reduce feed costs and improve the economic benefit of beef cattle fattening. |
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