Özet:

The experiment was carried out to determine the effect of species on the nutritive value and methane production of citrus pulps. Species had a significant effects (P<0.001) on the chemical composition, gas production, methane production, metabolisable energy (ME) and organic matter digestibility (OMD) of citrus pulps. Crude protein (CP) content of Citrus paradise was significantly (P<0.001) higher than those of the other citrus species. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents of Citrus sinensis and Citrus reticulata were significantly (P<0.001) lower than the others. Methane production from Citrus reticulata was significantly (P<0.001) higher than those of Citrus limon and Citrus paradise. The ME of pulp from Citrus reticulata was significantly (P<0.001) higher than that of Citrus limon pulp whereas OMD of pulp from Citrus reticulata was significantly (P<0.001) higher than those of pulps from Citrus limon and Citrus paradise. As conclusion, citrus pulps from different species have a high potential as forage for ruminant animals since citrus pulps have high ME and OMD. However, the CP contents of citrus pulps should be taken into consideration and diets should be fortified with additional CP sources to compensate for the low crude protein when citrus pulps are included into ruminant diets.

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