MEDIA RELEASE: Looking for natural solutions to boost feed-efficiency in animal husbandry

Nairobi, Kenya, 8 July 2020 — More than 60% of protein fed to ruminant animals is excreted in the form of waste. This low feed-conversion ratio constitutes a tremendous loss for farmers while also negatively impacting the environment via released methane and ammonia gasses. 

Led by Bu Dengpan, director of the Joint Laboratory on Agroforestry and Sustainable Animal Husbandry of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and World Agroforestry (ICRAF), a team of scientists from the Institute of Animal Science of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Department of Animal Science of Ohio State University, and the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences carried out a study accepted for publication in the journal, Science of the Total Environment. 

The study is entitled ‘Giant milkweed (Calotropis gigantea): A new plant resource to inhibit protozoa and decrease ammoniagenesis of rumen microbiota in vitro without impairing fermentation’. 

The research evaluated the potential of forest plants to improve protein efficiency through inhibiting rumen protozoa, known for adversely affecting feed-conversion ratios.