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Molybdenum as a Dietary Essential for Lambs^1,2,

Missouri Agriculture Experiment Station, Columbia

Abstract

Molybdenum and copper additions to rumen microorganism from alfalfa fed sheep promoted increased in vitro cellulose degradation to the same degree as alfalfa ash additions. Washed rumen organisms from alfalfa fed sheep contained about 1 p.p.m. molybdenum on a dry fat free basis. A semi-purified ration containing 0.36 p.p.m. molybdenum was formulated. A similar ration was supplemented with sodium molybdate to raise its molybdenum content to 2.36 p.p.m. In two feeding trials, lambs receiving the ration with added molybdenum made significantly faster gains than their controls. The addition of molybdenum significantly increased the digestibility of cellulose but did not significantly alter the digestibility of the other proximate ration constituents.

This work demonstrates a nutritional role for molybdenum in the growing lamb in that it is required for optimum cellulose digestion by the rumen flora. It further suggests that part of the beneficial effect of alfalfa ash for ruminants fed poor quality, high roughage rations resides in its molybdenum content.

¹ Journal Series Paper No. 1730 approved by the Director of the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station.

² Supported in part by a grant from Swift and Company, Chicago, Illinois. Dr. George B. Garner assisted with the in vitro tests.