Good Morning List Friends,
This is a press release from MDirect, an ag. information firm in
Calgary. It tells of research conducted at the Lethbridge Research
Centre in Alberta, funded by the Canada Alberta Beef Industry
Development Fund (CABIDF).
The introduction of the genetics for the enzymes xylanase and glucanaze,
produced by rumen bacteria, into barley is expected to improve the
digestibility of cellulose in barley silage. This, in turn, will reduce
the total feed intake needed and so reduce manure production.
Researchers hope that eventually similar enzyme genetics can be inserted
into other forage crops as well.
A question: Do these enzymes interfere with the normal function of the
cellulose in the crop before it is ingested by the animals, or are they
only activated once the feed is consumed?
Regards
Ross Gould, P.Ag.
Calgary, Alberta
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Date: Mon, 03 Nov 2003 14:01:09 -0700
From: mdirect@meristem.com (MDirect)
To: srgould@shaw.ca
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CANADA ALBERTA BEEF INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT FUND
c/o Alberta Beef Producers
216, 6715 - 8 Street N.E., Calgary, Alberta T2E 7H7
Phone: (403) 275-4400 Fax (403) 274-0007
Email: abpfeedback@albertabeef.org
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For Immediate Release:
Enzyme generating barley to boost feed mileage, reduce manure
Calgary, Alberta, Nov. 4, 2003: The development of barley lines that can
generate valuable
feed-degrading enzymes is a major step towards the cattle industry's
ability to produce more
meat with less feed and forage, while reducing manure production.
As part of a recent study funded by the Canada Alberta Beef Industry
Development Fund (CABIDF),
researchers introduced a gene into barley that leads to the production
of feed-degrading
enzymes, which can make the crop easier for cattle to digest.
Enzymes, commonly used in the feedlot, are typically delivered to cattle
through feed rations
for approximately two months, says Dr. Surya Acharya, forage breeder at
Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada's Lethbridge Research Centre. The idea behind
enzyme-generating crops is to
reduce cost and extend the benefits of enzymes to grazing regimes
earlier in the animal's
development.
"New enzyme technologies show tremendous potential for increasing feed
and forage
digestibility, but enzyme additives cannot be used effectively under
extensive grazing
situations," says Acharya. "Producing crops that generate their own
enzymes eliminates this
problem. This approach looks to be a safe and stable way to deliver
enzymes to cattle
throughout the animals' life cycle, from pasture to feedlot."
Continued research progress could lead to the development of
enzyme-enriched barley varieties
within a few years, says Acharya. The novel process of growing cells to
regenerate fertile
green cereal plants is now patented and holds potential for improvement
in many crops used as
livestock feed and forage.
"Even a small increase in feed efficiency as a result of this research
would be a major
benefit," says Acharya. "It would significantly reduce the amount of
feed needed to produce
meat and reduce the costs of manure handling."
Along with Acharya, the project was conducted by Dr. Francois Eudes and
Dr. Andre Laroche of
the AAFC Lethbridge Research Centre; Dr. Brent Selinger of the
University of Lethbridge; Dr.
Jim Helm of Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and research
consultant Dr. K-J
Cheng.
The researchers chose barley as a starting point because of the crop's
relatively simple
genetic structure - which makes it easier to work with - and its
importance in cattle diets as
the main silage crop in Western Canada. The enzyme-generating gene,
which produces xylanase and
glucanase, has been incorporated into several barley lines, which will
be used as breeding
material toward future barley varieties.
Xylanase and glucanase enzymes are found in microbes of the cattle
rumen, explains Acharya.
Studies have shown that high levels of these enzymes are linked to
improvements in the ability
of cattle to digest the cellulose and glucose contained in plant cell
walls. This allows for
more complete forage digestion, which results in higher feed efficiency
and weight gain, and
less indigestible fibre that often leads to higher manure output.
"Further research is needed to ensure the gene expressions in the barley
plants are stable and
at a level useful to cattle," says Acharya. "Once the process is
perfected in barley, we can
begin work with other forage crops."
CABIDF is a joint $16.4 million fund of Alberta Agriculture, Food and
Rural Development and
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The Fund is administered by Alberta
Beef Producers and has
supported more than 50 projects in five major categories identified to
benefit the Alberta beef
industry.
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For more information:
Dr. Surya Acharya, Forage Breeder
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Lethbridge Research Centre
Phone: (403) 317-2277
Gary Sargent, General Manager
Alberta Beef Producers
Phone: (403) 275-4400
Fax: (403) 274-0007
