ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Anim. Sci.
Sec. Animal Nutrition
Nutrient value and in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics of pumpkin vines, sweet potato vines, grape vines and pepper straw for yaks
Provisionally accepted
- 1Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, China
- 2College of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, China
- 3Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, China
- 4Ganzi Prefecture Animal Science Research Institute, Kangding, China
- 5Institute of Agro-product Safety and Nutrition, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, China
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This study evaluated pumpkin vines (PV), sweet potato vines (SPV), grape vines (GV), and pepper straw (PS) as alternative feed resources for yaks by analysing their chemical composition, in vitro ruminal fermentation characteristics, and associated rumen microbiota. The results revealed distinct nutritional profiles: 1) GV and PV had a higher crude protein content, while PS had the highest levels of dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF, P < 0.001); 2) After 72 hours of in vitro fermentation, PV and SPV had superior gas production and nutrient degradability (DM, NDF and ADF, P < 0.001); 3) The fermentation parameters showed that SPV and GV promoted more efficient fermentation, characterised by a lower pH and a lower acetate-to-propionate ratio, but higher microbial protein (MCP) levels (P < 0.001). PV yielded the highest concentrations of volatile fatty acids (P < 0.001). 4) Rumen microbiota analysis identified distinct, diet-specific enrichments of bacterial genera (P < 0.05), including: g_Fusobacterium and g_Basfia in PV; g_Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group and g_Streptococcus in SPV; g_norank_f__p-251-o5 and g_Butyricicoccus in PS; g_Lachnospira and g_Pseudobutyrivibrio in GV Critically, Spearman correlation analysis linked these microbial shifts to fermentation outcomes: Genera such as g_Fusobacterium and g_Basfia were found to be positively correlated with MCP (P < 0.05), while g_Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group and g_Butyricicoccus were positively associated with total volatile fatty acids (P < 0.05). In conclusion, while all four by-products show potential as alternative feeds, SPV and GV show better overall feeding value for yaks, supported by their balanced nutrient composition, improved fermentability, and positive associations with rumen microbiota. This integrated assessment provides a strong basis for utilising them to enhance the sustainability of yak production.
Keywords: Grape vines, Nutrient value, Pepper straw, pumpkin vines, Rumen fermentation, Sweet potato vines, Yak
Received: 07 Oct 2025; Accepted: 17 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 He, Yang, Zhu, Pan and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Rui Li
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