Vol. 10, Special Issue 1, Part B (2025)

Author(s): Adire Chandrakanth, CH Harikrishna, DBV Ramana, A Sarat Chandra and M Venkateswarlu

Abstract: A study was conducted to investigate how elevated temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations affected the digestibility of groundnut haulms used as feed for livestock. The groundnut crop was grown using the standard set of procedures in carbon dioxide and temperature gradient chambers (CTGC) in four different climatic conditions, viz: chamber with ambient temperature and carbon dioxide with 27 ± 0.5ºC temp and 380 ± 25 ppm CO₂ (T1; control), chamber with elevated temperature of 5 ± 0.5°C higher than control (T2; eTemp), chamber with elevated CO₂ concentration of 550 ± 50 ppm (T3; eCO₂) and chamber with elevated CO₂ concentration of 550 ± 50 ppm with elevated temperature of 5 ± 0.5°C, over control (T4; eCO₂+eTemp). At harvest stage, representative groundnut plants from each chamber were collected, haulms were separated and screened by chemical composition and digestibility of nutrients through a digestibility trial in Nellore Ram lambs. The average daily dry matter intake recorded in Nellore ram lambs fed with groundnut haulms grown in T1, T2, T3 and T4 chambers with different environmental conditions are not significant. The dry matter digestibility coefficients recorded in the present study ranged from 60.38 ± 0.41 (T2) to 60.87 ± 0.42 (T1) per cent in Nellore ram lambs fed with groundnut haulms grown in different CTGC chambers are statistically not significant. The crude protein digestibility coefficients ranged from 70.38 ± 0.50 (T4) to 70.84 ± 0.24 (T1) per cent in Nellore ram lambs fed with groundnut haulms grown in different CTGC chambers were comparable among them. The crude fibre digestibility coefficients recorded in the present study were ranged from 60.48 ± 0.05 (T4) to 60.79 ± 0.10 (T1) per cent in Nellore ram lambs fed with groundnut haulms grown in different CTGC chambers were also statistically not significant.The study concludes that the digestibility of groundnut crop haulms grown in CTGC chambers indicates that elevated temperature and carbon dioxide could impact digestibility. Under elevated temperature conditions, the digestibility of groundnut haulms decreased due to increased lignification. Lower nutritional digestibility in small ruminants would be caused by haulms of groundnut crop grown under elevated temperatures and carbon dioxide environments.