IN VITRO NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF SOME HALOPHYTES NATIVE FROM ALGERIANS SALT  ECOSYSTEMS BY CAMEL RUMINAL MICROBIOTA

I MEDILA; A ADAMOU; R ARHAB; O ALIA; M BOUTERA

I MEDILA Laboratoire protection des écosystèmes dans les zones arides et semi-aride, université Kasdi Merbah, Ouargla 2. Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université Echahid Hamma Lakhder El Oued
A ADAMOU Laboratoire protection des écosystèmes dans les zones arides et semi-aride, université Kasdi Merbah, Ouargla
R ARHAB Laboratoire des Molécules Végétales et Amélioration des Plantes, Faculté des Sciences Exactes et des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université Larbi Ben Mhidi, Oum El Bouaghi, Algérie.
O ALIA Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université Echahid Hamma Lakhder El Oued
M BOUTERA Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université Echahid Hamma Lakhder El Oued

Keywords: halophytes, arid zone, dromedary, nutritional value, ruminal microbiota, fermentability in vitro

Abstract

Three halophytes from El Oued (Atriplex halimusL., Sueda mollis, Zygophyllum album) which are preferentially grazed by camels, and in addition to the hay of vetch-oats (a reference control substrate), have been analyzed in order to determine their nutritional value for camels. Our study is based on the evaluation of their nutritional potential by measuring the fermentability in vitroby ruminal microbiota of camels. The results of the in vitro rumen fermentation by dromedary microbiota show that, with the exception of Z album, the total gas production, generated by the anaerobic degradation of these substrates, is relatively high compared to that of the reference substrate, contrary to most other domestic ruminants, to which most of studies mention that in vitrogas production is negatively influenced by the fiber content of foods and their content of secondary compounds. These results could be explained either by the fact that our tested substrates contain a highly digestible fiber fraction, or by the digestive and metabolic use capacity of camelin ruminal microbiota of this type of feed, or by the combination of these factors.