Relative In Sacco Dry Matter Degradation in Cattle and Buffalo Due to Source and Level of Dietary Protein and Fibre

Experiments were carried out to correlate the ruminal dry matter degradation with rumen microbial profile, source and level of dietary protein and fibre using 8 different substrates viz., wheat straw, paddy straw, sorghum stover, oat hay (2.4 to 4.7% CP) and wheat straw solely supplemented either with groundnut cake or clusterbean meal (12 ot 16% CP), suspended simultaneously in the rumen of cattle and buffalo. Average ruminal dry matter disappearances of feeds was similar between species (54.8 and 54.2%). However, significantly higher (P<0.05) feed dry matter (59.5 to 60.6% vs 55.5 to 56.4%) was degraded from the subssrates with 16% crude protein than those with 12% CP In cattle and buffalo. Insplte of higher bacterial and protozoal population in the rumen of buffalo (7.13, 4.49) than in cattle (4.92 x 10¹⁰/ml and 3.36 x 10⁵/ml), there was no species differences with respect to dry matter disappearance. Ruminal disappearances appeared to be influenced (P<0.05) due to source of fibre.