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Response to Elemental Sulfur by Calves and Sheep Fed Purified Diets

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705

Abstract

Free amino acid profiles in plasma and liver as well as body, organ and gastrointestinal growth were compared in 20 weanling bulls (four per treatment) fed diets deficient (.04%), excessive (.94 and 1.72%) or adequate (.34%) in S. Body, organ and gastrointestinal comparisons also were made with yearling rams fed .04 and .34% S diets. The .34% S diet was fed at two levels, one ad libitum, the other in amounts equal on a body weight^.75 basis to that consumed by animals fed the .04% S diet ad libitum. Animals were allowed to consume other diets ad libitum. The calves fed the .04% S diet had negative S, but slightly positive N, balance and were unable to maintain body weight. As dietary S content was increased, plasma and liver methionine increased linearly. An increased histidine in plasma of calves fed the .04% S diet may be due to reduced intake because the calves restricted-fed the .34% S diet also had high plasma histidine. Plasma citrulline, cystine, serine and total nonessential amino acids decreased markedly as dietary S intake became adequate. Intermediate S diets resulted in reduced concentrations of plasma alanine, serine, proline and total nonessential amino acids. Calves restricted-fed the .34% S diet were the most efficient in retaining N with less urinary N. Excesses of S were not detrimental to growth, but plasma valine increased linearly as S intake increased. The S deficiency in calves reduced the ratio of the rumen-reticulum tissue to body weight, and in rams it reduced the ratio of gastrointestinal tissue and preintestinal tissue to body weight. Per kilogram of intestinal-free body weight, there was a linear decrease in liver and testes but an increase in adrenals as S was decreased for calves. The kidney, adrenals and pituitary were increased by S deficiency in rams. Of the amino acids assayed, only methionine from the plasma and liver in calves reflected both an excess and a deficiency of S independent of feed intake effects.

¹ Ruminant Nutr. Lab., Anim. Sci. Inst.

² We thank John Grinsted and Banner Phillips for animal care, Edward Williams, Jr., for diet preparation and for maintaining and sampling animals in metabolism crates, Mary A. Poos-Floyd for analysis of amino acids and David Dinius, Larry Douglass and Margaret Smith for assistance in statistically analyzing data collected.

³ I thank W. Chalupa and R. R. Oltjen for originating the idea to conduct this research, for designing the calf treatments imposed and for assaying or supervising the assay and collection of calf samples.

⁴ Present address: School of Vet. Med., Univ. of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square 19348.

⁵ Present address: Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Anim. Res. Center, Clay Center, NE 68933.