Rosa roxburghii Tratt Residue Can be Used as a Novel Feed Resource for Cattle

Rosa roxburghii tratt residue (RRTR) is a regional and uncommon byproduct in Guizhou. Little information is available on whether RRTR can be used as feed for ruminants. In this study, the feasibility of using RRTR as a new feed resource for cattle was investigated by chemical composition analysis, in vitrogas production(Trial 1) and animal feeding experiments (Trial 2). In trial 1, compared to the commonly used fruit residues, RRTR had a medium proximate nutrientlevel; the in vitro gas production at 24 h (166.67 mL) and dynamics fellwithin the normal range. In trial 2, 16 cattle were allocated to the control and treatment groups,with 8 replicates of 1 cattle each. Cattle in the control group were fed a basal diet without RRTR,while those in the treatment group were fed a diet containing 30% RRTR. Feeding RRTR had little effect on the growth performance of the control and treatment cattle (P>0.05). The feed-to-gain ratio was greaterin the treatment group than in the control group throughout the trial period (P<0.05). Compared with those in the control group, the plasma urea levels in the treatment group were lower (P<0.05), and the levels of other plasma biochemical metabolites were not differentbetween the two groups of cattle (P>0.05). The in vivo rumen fermentation parameters did not differ between thecontrol and treatment groups (P>0.05). Our findings indicate that RRTR has a nutritional profile similar to that ofcommonly used fruit residues; improves plasma protein utilization efficiency; and has little negative impact on growth performance, blood metabolites, and rumen fermentation parameters in cattle. Accordingly, RRTR can serve as a novel feed resource for cattle.