Grapevine branch-leaf silage in Kazakh ram diets: growth performance, serum biochemistry, and rumen microbiota
Replacing 50% of corn silage with grapevine branch-leaf silage maximized daily gain and feed intake in Kazakh rams, alongside improvements in oxidative and inflammatory serum markers.
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What the study showed
A 50% substitution produced an inverted U-shaped quadratic response for average daily gain and feed intake, outperforming both control and full replacement. GBLS groups showed reduced serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, urea nitrogen, IL-1β, TNF-α, and MDA, and increased IgA, IgM, IgG, SOD, and CAT. Rumen microbiota and metabolic data are mentioned but not detailed in the available abstract.
How it was done
Controlled feeding trial with 60 six-month-old Kazakh rams assigned to three dietary groups (CK, GBLS50%, GBLS100%), four replicates of five animals each, following a 10-day adaptation and a 90-day formal trial.
Risk of bias
The abstract is truncated, preventing full assessment of rumen microbiota and metabolism results. Findings are specific to Kazakh rams, limiting generalizability to other ruminant species or production systems.
What this study does NOT prove
The study does not establish effects on long-term productivity, carcass quality, or animal welfare beyond the 90-day observation window.
In clinical practice
Results may inform small ruminant nutrition where viticulture by-products are available, but field validation across diverse breeds and management conditions is needed before broad application.
Limitations
The abstract is truncated, preventing full assessment of rumen microbiota and metabolism results. Findings are specific to Kazakh rams, limiting generalizability to other ruminant species or production systems.
Technical appendix
Version history
- 1.0 · 2026-07-28 — Auto-generated under Evidence Standard v1.0
Paid access: structured summary from public metadata; consult the original study at the source.