Toxic Compounds Present in Forages | Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science Optional for UPSC PDF Download

Toxic Compounds Present in Forages

Mimosine:

• Found in Leucaena leucocephala forage, mimosine can lead to reproductive issues in animals like ruminants, impacting their overall feeding performance.

Prussic acid:

• Various grass species, such as Sorghum, Sudan grass, Columbus grass, and Johnson grass, contain prussic acid which reacts with hemoglobin in the blood, hindering oxygen uptake, potentially causing death.
• Tapioca leaves, especially young ones, may also have toxic levels of prussic acid, with maturity reducing the toxicity.
• Sorghum species receiving high nitrogen fertilizer, plants recovering from drought, and older plants are prone to developing dangerous prussic acid levels.

Oxalates:

• Some fodder grasses and roughages have high oxalate salt levels, particularly Setaria varieties, which can be harmful to cattle, damaging kidneys and interfering with calcium and phosphorus absorption.
• Application of potassium fertilizers can increase potassium oxalate levels, while nitrogen fertilization can elevate oxalate content, especially in certain hybrid Napier varieties.

Nitrates:

• High nitrate levels in forage grasses, resulting from excessive nitrogen fertilizer application and sulfur deficiency in soil, can be toxic to animals.
• Excess nitrates reduce oxygen uptake in blood by combining with hemoglobin, potentially causing death in animals and premature expulsion of foetuses in pregnant cows.
• Forage crops with over 0.3-0.4% nitrates are considered potentially harmful to cattle.