Evaluation of the Effect of Soil Bulk Density and Soil Moisture Content on the Nutrient Composition of Forages Used in Ruminant Diets and Its Impact on Animal Performance Indicators

In sustainable livestock systems, forage quality is one of the main components of ruminant diets and plays a decisive role in increasing productivity, improving animal health, and enhancing food security. On the other hand, soil physical properties, especially bulk density and water holding capacity, have a direct impact on the growth of forage plants and ultimately their nutritional quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of soil bulk density and moisture content on the nutrient composition of forages such as clover, alfalfa, and silage corn, and to assess the impact of these changes on performance indicators of ruminant animals. For this purpose, an experiment was conducted as a completely randomized block design with different treatments of soil bulk density (low, medium, and high) and soil moisture levels (۵۰%, ۷۵%, and ۱۰۰% of field capacity). After harvesting the forages, nutritional components including crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), dry matter (DM), and metabolizable energy (ME) were determined. Subsequently, the forages were fed to groups of animals, and indicators such as daily weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and animal health index were measured. Results showed that high soil bulk density and moisture deficit significantly reduced forage quality and decreased animal performance. Overall, optimal physical soil management plays an important role in providing quality feed and improving the economic and environmental efficiency of livestock production.

کلیدواژه ها:

Soil physics ، soil bulk density ، soil moisture ، forage quality ، ruminant nutrition ، animal performance ، sustainable agriculture ، livestock food security