Effect of mixed silage of Moringa oleifera leaves and sugarcane tops on growth performance and immune function of beef cattle

CHEN Jicheng; WANG Xiaoling; HUANG Xiuyun; PAN Yan

doi:10.13557/j.cnki.issn1002-2813.2025.11.001

Abstract：The experiment aimed to explore the effects of adding sea buckthorn polysaccharides to prepare a mixed silage feed of Moringa oleifera leaves and sugarcane tops on the growth performance and immune function of beef cattle.The experiment first selected the optimal ratio of sugarcane tops and Moringa oleifera leaves for silage mixing,and then conducted subsequent animal experiments using the optimal ratio of silage mixture.75 healthy and similar-weight Simmental cattle were selected and randomly divided into five groups,with three replicates in each group and five cattle in each replicate.The control group was fed the basal diet,while the experimental groups were replaced with 20％,40％,60％,and 80％ of the whole-plant corn silage by the optimal silage mixture.The pre-test period was 10 days,and the formal test period was 90 days.The results showed that the crude protein(CP)and crude fat(EE)concentrations in group E(60％ Moringa oleifera leaves+40％ sugarcane tops+2％ sea buckthorn polysaccharide+5％Lactobacillus plantarum)were significantly higher than those in other groups(P＜0.05),the neutral detergent fiber(NDF)and acid detergent fiber(ADF)concentrations were significantly lower than those in other groups(P＜0.05),and the lactic acid,acetic acid,propionic acid,and butyric acid concentrations were significantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05).The average daily feed intake and average daily gain of beef cattle in the 40％ group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05),and the feed-to-weight ratio was significantly lower than that in other groups(P＜0.05).The serum glucose(GLU),total protein(TP),albumin(ALB)concentrations of beef cattle in the 40％ and 60％ groups were significantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05),and the serum triglyceride(TG)content of beef cattle in the 40％ group was significantly higher than that in the control group(P＜0.05).The concentrations of serum immunoglobulin A(IgA),immunoglobulin G(IgG),immunoglobulin M(IgM),interleukin-2(IL-2),and interleukin-6(IL-6)in the 40％ group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05),and the serum IgG content of beef cattle in the 20％ and 60％ groups was significantly higher than that in the control group(P＜0.05).The study indicates that the silage mixture of Moringa oleifera leaves and sugarcane tops prepared by adding sea buckthorn polysaccharides and probiotics can improve the growth performance and immune function of beef cattle by replacing 40％ of the whole-plant corn silage.