Evaluating the Effect of Drinking Saline Water on Fermentation Kinetics, Methane Production and Nutritional Value of Alfalfa Hay and Barley Grain Using In Vitro Gas Production Technique in Sheep

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of drinking saline water on fermentation kinetics, methane emission and nutritional value of alfalfa hay (AH) and barley grain (BG) using in vitro gas production technique in sheep. Rumen liquor collected from eight rumen cannulated Shal rams, which had received different levels of saline water as four treatment containing 480, 4000, 8000 and 12000 ppm total dissolved solids (TDS). The results showed that there were significant differences between the experimental treatments in terms of the amount of methane produced as well as total gas production and relevant parameters (P<0.05). The lowest amount of methane production in AH and BG was observed at the treatment containing 4000 ppm TDS. The treatment containing 12000 ppm TDS, had the highest amount of gas production in AH at the most of incubation times. Short chain fatty acids (SCFA), digestible organic matter (DOM), metabolisable energy (ME), net energy for lactation (NEL) of AH and BG significantly differ between treatments (P<0.05), with the highest amount at the highest salinity level. In a general conclusion, drinking water salinity seems to affect fermentation kinetics and nutritive value of AH and BG depending on the level of salinity and the type of feedstuffs.