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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1585992
This article is part of the Research TopicUnravelling the Unknown of the Rumen Microbiome: Implications for Animal Health, Productivity, and BeyondView all 23 articles
Effects of different levels of chili straw supplementation on growth performance, rumen fungal community structure, function and economic benefitsin sheep
Provisionally accepted- Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Ürümqi, China
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Chili straw is a crop residue that can be used as an unconventional feed additive in animal production, exhibiting potential value in improving animal health. This study investigated the effects of dietary chili straw on growth performance, rumen fungal community composition, and metabolic function in sheep. Thirty finishing sheep (3-4 months old) with similar body weights were randomly divided into three groups (n = 10) and fed diets containing 0%, 10%, and 20% capsicum straw (CS) for 63 days, including a 7-day adaptation period. At the end of the trial, body weights were recorded, and rumen fluid samples were collected to assess growth performance, fungal diversity, and functional profiles. Dry matter intake (DMI) significantly increased in the 10% CS group (P<0.01), which was 9.71 % higher than that of CON group, while DMI and final body weight of 20% CS group (P<0.01 or P<0.05)decreased by 6.81% and 8.81%, respectively, compared with CON group. Final body weight and average daily gain (ADG) showed an upward trend in the 10% CS group (P > 0.05), while ADG displayed a downward trend in the 20% CS group (P>0.05). The ACE and Chao1 indices were significantly elevated in the 20% CS group (P<0.05). Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis (NMDS) showed that compared with the control (CON) group, the representative points of the 20% CS group gathered more closely. Relative abundances of Ascomycota and Cladosporium increased, whereas Basidiomycota and Kazachstania decreased in CS-supplemented groups (P>0.05). FUNGuild functional prediction indicated increased relative abundances of symbiotrophic and pathotrophic fungi and decreased saprotrophic fungi in CS groups (P>0.05). The gross profit and net profit of the CS10 % group were significantly higher than those of the other groups, which were 15.16 % and 24.44 % higher than those of the control group, respectively. Thus, adding 10% CS to sheep feed can improve the composition of rumen fungi and growth performance, thereby increasing profitability in sheep production.
Keywords: Chili straw, Sheep, growth performance, Rumen fungi, Economic benefits
Received: 01 Mar 2025; Accepted: 09 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Xu, He, Tuo, Yang, Ma and GUO. 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: Tongjun GUO, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Ürümqi, China
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