[01] Naziha Ayeb, Livestock and Wildlife Laboratory, Institute of Arid Regions, Medenine, Tunisia. [02] Ahlem Atoui, Livestock and Wildlife Laboratory, Institute of Arid Regions, Medenine, Tunisia. [03] Mohammed Hammadi, Livestock and Wildlife Laboratory, Institute of Arid Regions, Medenine, Tunisia. [04] Mabrouk Seddik, Livestock and Wildlife Laboratory, Institute of Arid Regions, Medenine, Tunisia. [05] Touhami Khorchani, Livestock and Wildlife Laboratory, Institute of Arid Regions, Medenine, Tunisia.

Face to the climatic factors variability and in order to manage seasonal and prolonged droughts, the breeders developed several strategies in southern Tunisia. To ensure their animal feed, they benefit from the favourable seasons to stock reserves by harvesting and drying some local feed such as: spontaneous plant species as natural hay locally known as “khortane”, the olive by-product and the collecte of Stipa tencissima. This work aims to estimate the in vitro digestibility of some local feed resources used in southern Tunisia by two sources of inoculum: faecal fluid (LF) and ruminal fluid (LR). The results showed that the best in vitro digestibility values of dry matter (IVDMD) using both inoculums were recorded for dried olive leaves (65.5 ± 0.25 and 65.4 ± 0.24%, respectively, for LR and LF). The lowest IVDMD value was recorded for Stipa tenacissima (29.64 ± 0.52 and 29.80 ± 0.80% respectively for LR and LF). The IVDMD was similar in the Khortane (grass hay) and oat hay (52.07 ± 0.79 and 51.57 ± 0.16%, respectively, for the LR and LF). These results led to the conclusion that IVDMD values of these local feed resources are close by using both sources of inoculum. Fecal liquor can without loss of effectiveness of replace the rumen liquor to estimate feed digestibility (R2 = 0.999).

in vitro Digestibility, Arid Region, Local Feed Resources, Inoculum

[01] Ayeb N., Hammadi M., Addis M., Khorchani T. 2014. Chemical composition and fatty acid profiles of some local forage resources in southern Tunisia. Options Méditerranéennes 109, 115-118. [02] Le Houérou, H. 1962. The natural pastures of arid and desert Tunisia. 110 p. [03] Ayeb N., Ouled belgacem A., Debbebi S., Khorchani T. 2011. Variation of the floristic composition of a local forage resource "khortane" according to the region in the south-east of Tunisia. Review of the Faculty of Sciences Bizerte. pp 53-57. [04] Génin D. 2005. Animal production and natural resources. utilization in the Mediterranean mountain areas. EAAP publication N° 115, 2005, Ioannima, Greece, pp: 614- 619. [05] Visser M., Morand F., Mahdhi H., 2002. Left of Stipa lagascae and rehabilitation of private lands in Saharan Tunisia. Cahiers Agricultures. Volume 11, Number 6, 377-83. [06] Ayeb N., Ouled Belgacem A, Debbabi S, Khorchani T. (2015). Traditional Method of preparation and use of local forage resources "the khortane" in southern. Tunisia. Journal of Material and Environment Science, 6: 1-09. [07] Tilley JMA, Terry RA (1963) A two stage technique for the in vitro digestion of forage crops. Journal of the British Grassland Society 18, 104–111. [08] Kayouli C. 2000. Profile fourrager. Tunisie. Country pasture profiles. FAO. [09] Ayeb N. Ouled Belgacem A. Khorchani T. 2009. [10] Longo Hammouda F. Siboukheur O. E. Chehma A. 2007. Aspects nutritionnels des pâturages les plus appréciés par Camelus. [11] Fournier, P. 2003. New tool to more accurately assess value forage energy. Info-fodder Nuro 1. CQPF hay day (Council Quebecois of Forage Plants) pp 1-12. [12] Chenost. 1970. Utilisation de la technique de digestibilité in vitro pour prévoir la valeur alimentaire des fourrages. In «Annual Zootechnie». pp: 243-253. [13] Borba A. E. S. Correia P. J. A. Fernandes J. M. M. Borba A. F. R. S. 2001. Comparison of three sources of inocula for predicting apparent digestibility of ruminant feedstuffs. Anim. Res. 50 (2001) 265–273. [14] Laudadio V., Lacalandra G. M., Monaco D., Khorchani T., Hammadi M., Tufarelli V. 2009. Faecal liquor as alternative microbial inoculum source for in vitro (DaisyII) technique to estimate the digestibility of feeds for camels Journal of Camelid Science 2 (2009) 01-07. [15] Van der Baan A. van Niekerk W. A. Rethman N. F. G. Coertze R. J. 2004. The determination of digestibility of Atriplex nummularia cv. De Kock (Oldman’s Saltbush) using different in vitro techniques. South African Journal of Animal Science 2004. 34. 95-97. [16] Mir. Z. Acharya. S. N. Mir. P. S. Taylor. W. G. Zaman. M. S. Mears. G. J. and Goonewardene. L. A. 1997. Nutrient composition. in vitro gas production and digestibility of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) and alfalfa forages. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 77: 119–124.