الفهرس 
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Palatability and toxicity of guar for ruminantsOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
The present study was carried out at Mallawi, Animal Production research Station, which belongs to Animal Production Research Institute (APRI), Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Egypt. This station is lies between longitudes 27 º 43 ’ N, latitudes 30 º 50 ’ E and about 52 meters above sea level.
The objective of this study was focused on the possibility of using green forage guar plant (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) and the cowpea ( Vigna Unguiculata L. ) as a partial replacer of control diet ( 60% commercial feed mixture( CFM ) + 40% rice straw- RS ) for saidi male sheep fed under Middle Egypt conditions and its effects on: 1-nutritive values (digestibility coefficients, feeding values and nitrogen balance ) .2- Growth performance.3- Economical efficiency.
4-Selected blood biochemical.A total of 4 adult rams ( 40-45 kg live body weight ) were used for digestibility experiment and arranged as a complete block design, while 24 growing Saidi male lambs, aged 6 months and weighed 26.09±0.69 kg LBW were used for growing experiment.
Animals in each trial were divided randomly into four comparable groups ( 6 each ) according to their live body weight . Four rations were used in all experiments:1-Ration 1 (R1) control: ( 60% CFM + 40 % RS ) .2- Ration 2 (R2) : ( 20% CFM + 40% guar green forage (GGF) + 40 % RS) .
3- Ration 3 (R3) : ( 20% CFM + 40 % cowpea green forage (CGF) + 40% RS) 4-Ration 4 (R4) : ( 20% CFM + 20% GGF + 20 % cowpea green forage (CGF) + 40% RS)
During the experimental periods , live body weight, total body gain, daily gain and feed conversion ratio were determined , wile economic efficiency was calculated. Blood samples were collected monthly from all experimental animals before morning feeding (fasting) . Blood serum was separated until chemical analysis for total protein, albumin, glucose, urea N, total cholesterol, AST and ALT enzymes and triiodothyronine hormone ( T3). Results obtained could be summarized as follows:I-Nutritive values :1. Chemical analysis of cowpea green forage (CGF) and R3 ration (20% CFM + 40 % CGF + 40 % RS) showed the highest percentage of CP content among all experimental diets.2.Calculated of gross energy were almost the same among the experimental diets.3.Digestibility coefficients of DM, OM, CP, and CF increased insignificantly ( P>0.05) by feeding treated rams on GGF(R2) , CGF (R3) and mixed between GGF and CGF diets (R4) compared with the control group . Digestibility coefficients of EE and NFE showed a significant increase ( P<0.05 ) by feeding treated diets when compared to the control ones.4.The nutritive values of DCP and TDN increased insignificantly in experimental diets compared with the control ones.
5. The nutritive values of DE and ME increased significantly by feeding on the treated diets compared with the control ones. The highest values were observed in R3 containing cowpea green guar compared with other treatment diets.
6. The values of total nitrogen intake (TNI) were 16.14, 20.81, 20.76 and 17.40 gn /animal/day for R1, R2, R3 and R4 , respectively .The differences among treatments were not significant .
7. Result of nitrogen execrated in afeces was decreased significantly (P<0.05) for R2 compared to treated diets . The values were 3.16, 2.68, 2.84 and 2.87 g/day for R1, R2 , R3 and R4 respectively.
8. The amounts of N-excreted in urine decreased significantly ( P<0.05) by feeding treated diets compared with the control. The values were 4.89, 3.25, 3.61 and 3.45 gm/day for R1, R2, R3 and R4, respectively. 9.Total nitrogen excretion in feces and urine decreased significantly (P<0.05) in lambs fed on treated diets compared with the control ones. The values were 8.05, 6.93, 6.45 and 6.32 gm\day respectively for R1, R2 , R3and R3.10.The amount of nitrogen balance (NB) increased significantly for R2 and R3 rations compared with R4 and R1 . The values were 7.09, 13.88, 14.31 and 11.08 gm\day for R1,R2, R3 and R4, respectively. The same trend was noticed in the values of nitrogen absorbed (NAb) which increased significantly (P<0.05) for R2 and R3 rations compared with R4 and R1. The values were 11.98, 17.13, 17.92 and 14.53 for R1,R2, R3 and R4, respectively. 11.The amount of apparent N utilization increased significantly (P<0.05) in treated diets compared with the control. The values were 74.22, 82.31, 86.32 and 83.651 for R1,R2, R3 and R4, respectively.
II- Growth performance : 1Feeding saidi sheep male on green guar forage (GGF) and green cowpea forage (CGF ) increased insignificantly live body weight when compared with the control ones . Means of body weight during 120 days were 43.51,44.82, 46.43 and 45.12 kg for R1,R2,R3 and R4, respectively. 2. Total body weight gain (kg) increased insignificantly due to fed treated diets , while daily body weight gain (g) increased significantly ( P<0.05) for R3 and R4 rations compared with R2 and R1. Means were 141.33, 151.08, 160 and 154.33 kg for R1,R2,R3 and R4 , respectively.
3. Daily consumption of digestible energy and metabolic energy (MJ/kg DM) increased significantly by feeding lambs on treated diets. Means were 1373, 1543, 1778 and 1466 in digestible energy and 1126,1266 , 1458 and 1202 in metabolic energy for R1,R2,R3 and R4 respectively.4. Daily consumption of digestible crude protein (g) increased significantly in R3 and R4 diets compared with R2 and R1. Means were 67.37, 71.18, 91.64 and 75.7 for R1, R2, R3, and R4 respectively.
5. No significant differences were found in feed conversion of DE, ME and DCP when diets of lambs treated with GGF or CGF compared with the control 6.The net revenue and economic efficiency increased in treated diets indicated that supplemented diets with guar and cowpea improved economic return and economic efficiency in growing lambs
III-Blood metabolites:1. Results showed that concentrations of serum total protein (TP) , albumin (AL) and total globulins (TG) did not differ significantly among treatments . Regardless the treatments, concentrations of total protein and total globulins decreased significantly (P<0.05) in the experiment progress. 2.Concentration of glucose in blood serum of R2 and R1 groups increased significantly (P<0.05) compared with R3 and R4 diets. Regardless the treatments, concentrations of serum glucose increased significantly (P<0.05) in the experiment progress. The highest level was observed in the end of the experimental trial (P3) than other periods 3.Feeding diets containing control and cowpea were higher significantly (P0.05) in urea –N concentration compared with fed guar and mixed of guar and cowpea. While total cholesterol level did not differ due to fed the experimental rations. Regardless the treatments, concentrations of urea – N in blood serum increased significantly (P<0.05) in P2 than other the experiment periods.4. The activity of serum transaminase enzymes ( AST and ALT ) in blood serum of saidi rams fed treated diets showed that mean of ALT did differ significantly among treatments , while AST level was higher (P<0.05) in rams fed cowpea than other treated diets.
5. Regardless the treatments, concentration of ALT increased significantly (P<0.05) in P1 and P2 compared to the last period of the trial. Concentration of AST increased significantly (P<0.05) in the first trial (P1) an then decreased gradually to the end of the experimental trials.
6. Blood serum level of triiodothyronine (T3) was higher significantly ( P<0.05) in blood serum of male sheep fed on GGF and CGF groups than other treated groups. Regardless the treatments, levels of T3 hormone affected significantly ( P<0.05) by the period of the trial. The highest levels in T3 hormone observed in P2 period of trial compared with other periods . It could be concluded that: According to the results of this study it could be concluded that feeding diets containing guar and cowpea plants as a non-traditional ration and source of partial protein instead of CFM until 40% and the ration containing mixture of guar and cowpea (20% + 20% ) enhanced the digestibility , nutritive values and nitrogen balance which improved productive performance represented in live body weight, daily gain and feed efficiency with no harmful effect on animal health. Moreover, the better economic return and economic efficiency recorded by feeding lambs on rations containing guar or a mixture of guar and cowpea.