Effects of dietary N-carbamylglutamate on rumen fermentation parameters, and bacterial community diversity of Holstein dairy cows in Tibet

IntroductionThe Tibetan Plateau is characterized by low temperature and hypoxia. N-carbamylglutamic acid (NCG) can increase blood oxygen saturation, and have the potential to be used to prevent the high-altitude hypoxia stress state of cows. However, its beneficial effect on the rumen microbiota of Holstein dairy cows remains unclear. MethodsHence, the experiments 12 multiparous (parity ranged from 2 to 7) Holstein dairy cows (413.0 +/- 42 kg) were randomly assigned to 2 treatments with 6 replicates in each treatment: basal diet (CON, control group) and basal diet plus 20 g/d/cow of NCG (NCG, experiment group), respectively. To study the effects of dietary NCG supplementation on rumen microbiota of Holstein dairy cows in Tibet. The experiment lasted for 45 days, with 15 days of pre-feeding and 30 days of formal trail period. ResultsThe results showed that ruminal NH3-N concentration in NCG group was lower (p < 0.05) than that in the CON group, while molar proportion of acetic acid and total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration were increased (p < 0.05) with the addition of NCG. Microbial diversity increased (p < 0.05) in NCG group, with Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Patescibacteria as the most abundant phyla. The KEGG pathway analysis showed that the potential function of ruminal bacteria was mainly enriched in metabolism (carbohydrates, amino acids, lipids, energy, and nucleotides) and genetic information processing (replication, repair, and translation). ConclusionIn conclusion, NCG can improve rumen nitrogen utilization, total VFA and acetic acid production, and increase rumen microbial diversity, all of which could make the introduced Holstein dairy cows to better adapt to the harsh environment in Tibet and improve their production performance.

Automated summary

This study investigated the effects of N-carbamylglutamic acid (NCG) supplementation on rumen microbiota of Holstein dairy cows in the Himalayan region. The results showed that NCG supplementation can lower ruminal NH3-N concentration, increase the production of acetic acid and total volatile fatty acids, and enhance microbial diversity. These findings indicate that the use of NCG can improve the adaptability and production performance of dairy cows in the high-altitude hypoxia environment.