Chemical, mineral composition, in vitro ruminal fermentation and buffering capacity of some rangeland-medicinal plants

ABSTRACT. A diverse group of rangeland-medicinal plants are being used by ruminant whilst some of them have not been assessed for their nutritional value. This study was aimed to evaluate the chemical and mineral composition, buffering capacity, and in vitro fermentation of some rangeland-medicinal plants including Thymus kotschyanus, Ziziphora persica, Lallemantia royleana, and Scutellaria litwinowii in the family Lamiaceae, and Hypericum scabrum, in the family Hypericaceae. The results indicated that crude protein (CP) content ranged from 8.66% (S. litwinowii) to 12.17% of DM (H. scabrum). It was found that Z. persica had the highest potential gas production, metabolism energy (ME), relative feed value (RFV), and dry matter digestibility (DMD) values of 53.44 (mL 200-1 mg DM), 5.84 (MJ kg-1 DM), 170.66 and 70.88%, respectively. Mineral content differed among plants; Ca ranged from 5.79 to 41.96 g kg-1 DM. The concentrations of Ca, K, Mg, Fe, Zn, and Co were highest for L. royleana. Total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) and propionate concentrations were highest in the culture medium cultured with Z. persica, however, acetate, and butyrate were highest in H. scabrum. Acid-base buffering capacity was lower in T. kotschyanus and H. scabrum compared to other plants, while it was higher in S. litwinowii. Overall, it can be concluded that among plants evaluated in this study, Z. persica had higher nutritional value for sheep feeding.