In situ degradation of almond (Prunus dulcis L.) hulls, a potential feed material for ruminants.

The nutritive values of almond hulls (AHs), alfalfa (ALF), and sugar beet pulp (SBP) were determined using the in situ nylon bag technique. The ruminal dry matter (DM) degradation kinetics of 4 varieties of AHs were compared with ALF and SBP. The almond varieties tested were Rabbi (RAB), Mamaii (MAM), Shahrud 15 (SH15), and Shokufe (SH). Samples were incubated in triplicate at 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h in 3 rumen-fistulated steers. The average total degradability fraction (TDF) of DM in AHs was 89.00%. Although the TDF of AHs (86.50%) was lower than that of SBP (98.00%), it was higher (P < 0.05) than that of ALF (67.00%). The soluble (a) fraction in AHs (55.00%) was higher than in both ALF (20.00%) and SBP (26.00%). This high (a) fraction of AHs was attributed to their relatively higher nonfibrous carbohydrate and lower neutral detergent fiber content than ALF and SBP. The degradation rate of ALF (0.14%) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) compared to the other samples, whereas that of SBP (0.05%) was not significantly different (P > 0.05) from those in AHs. The results showed that AHs are potential feed materials for ruminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]