Exploring comparative nutritional dynamics of conventional and hybrid varieties of Moringa oleifera in goat rumen inoculum

The present study aimed to evaluate the comparative nutritional value of Desi and PKM-1 varieties of Moringa oleifera foliage using in-vitro gas production (IVGP) technique in goat feeding. Five groups were established, with substrates comprising a mix of wheat straw and concentrate (60:40 ratio) without moringa foliage serving as the control (CON). The other groups were designated as P-10 and P-20 incorporating PKM-1 moringa foliage at 10% and 20%, respectively; and D-10 and D-20 incorporating Desi moringa foliage at 10% and 20%, respectively. The study revealed that PKM-1 variety exhibited significantly higher (P<0.01) organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP) content, while total ash (TA) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content were significantly lower (P<0.05) compared to Desi moringa foliage. The polyphenolic content remained comparable (P>0.05) between both varieties. Additionally, PKM-1 showed significantly higher (P<0.05) levels of phosphorus (P), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn) minerals compared to Desi moringa foliage. Furthermore, total gas volume (ml/200 mg) produced after 24 hours of incubation was significantly (P<0.01) higher in P-20 group compared to CON, D-10, D-20, and P-10 groups. Substrate degradation, measured as truly degradable organic matter in the rumen (TDOMR in mg/200mg; %), was higher (P<0.01) in P-20 group, followed by D-20 and P-10 groups, while it was lowest in D-10 and CON groups. Microbial biomass production (MBP in mg/200 mg), efficiency of microbial biomass production (% TDOMR), and partitioning factor (PF in mg TDOMR/ml gas volume) were also higher (P<0.01) in P-20 group, followed by D-20, P-10, and D-10 groups, with the lowest values observed in CON group. Hence, the incorporation of PKM-1 Moringa oleifera foliage at 20% of total dry matter significantly enhanced substrate degradation, truly degradable organic matter in the rumen, and the efficiency of microbial biomass production in goat’s rumen inoculum, as compared to Desi variety.