Ligularia virgaurea improved nutrient digestion, ruminal fermentation, and bacterial composition in Tibetan sheep grazing on the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau in winter

Summary

This 2023 field trial evaluated Ligularia virgaurea (LV) supplementation in Tibetan sheep grazing low-quality winter forage on the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau. Supplementation at 100–300 mg/kg body weight improved nutrient digestibility and shifted rumen bacterial composition towards taxa associated with cellulose and carbohydrate degradation, whilst enriching metabolic pathways related to lipid metabolism and membrane transport. The findings suggest LV, a locally available forage plant, may enhance feed utilisation efficiency in high-altitude pastoral systems during the nutritionally challenging cold season.

Regional applicability

This study was conducted in China on the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau with Tibetan sheep breeds and cold-season rangeland conditions not directly comparable to United Kingdom pastoral systems. However, the methodological approach to evaluating forage plant supplements for improving rumen function and the genomic assessment of microbiota-driven improvements may have transferable value for UK upland or organic sheep systems seeking to optimise diet quality on low-input pastures.

Key measures

Dry matter intake, nutrient digestibility, ruminal fermentation parameters, bacterial phyla and genera relative abundance (16S rRNA sequencing), metabolic pathway enrichment prediction

Outcomes reported

The study measured nutrient digestibility, ruminal fermentation parameters, and bacterial composition in Tibetan sheep supplemented with varying amounts of Ligularia virgaurea during winter grazing. It assessed how dietary LV influenced rumen microbiota structure and metabolic function under cold-season, low-quality forage conditions.

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