*Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner
Department of Animal Nutrition, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125 004, India
Online published on 29 December, 2011.
Protozoal generic distribution was enumerated under in vitro ruminal fermentation of six isoproteinous (12% CP) wheat straw based diets containing either groundnut cake, mustard cake, cotton seed cake, concentrate mixture, lucerne hay or berseem hay as protein supplement using simultaneous rumen inoculum of cattle and buffalo. Distinctive differences in generic distribution of protozoa existed between ruminants but total protozoal population remained alike in both the species. Diplodiniurn and Ostracodinium, irrespective of protein supplement were densely populated in buffalo while Diploplastron and Epidinium were respectively about 3 and one and a half folds in cattle than in buffalo. Further, Metadinium and Eudiplodinium on fermentation of preformed proteins and good hay, respectively least frequented in cattle and buffalo. Among cakes, mustard cake relative to both hays propagated markedly Holotrichs protozoa in both ruminants. Ruminal Entodiniomorphids exceeded due to hays vis-a-vis protein supplements incubation.
