Degradability and rumen microbiota modulation of sesbania, leucaena, and anabasis forages in the rumen of dromedary camels and Barki Sheep

Understanding rumen degradation and microbial colonization of tanniniferous forages is key to optimizing their utilization in ruminant feeding and mitigating methane emissions. This study investigated rumen degradation and microbial attachment of Sesbania sesban, Leucaena leucocephala, and Anabasis articulata in camels and sheep. The results revealed that the chemical composition of plants and animal species affected the rumen degradation and microbial colonization. Sesbania has higher degradability of dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, and crude protein (p < 0.05). Higher rumen microbial alpha diversity indices were observed in anabasis incubated in camels, while lower diversity was observed in leucaena incubated in sheep. On average, the bacterial community was dominated by the phyla Bacteroidota and Firmicutes. A higher Bacteroidota abundance was observed in sesbania incubated in sheep, while a higher Firmicutes abundance was observed in anabasis incubated in camels. The dominant bacterial genera were Prevotella, Rikenellaceae RC9 gut group, Ruminococcus, Christensenellaceae R-7 group, and Butyrivibrio. Archaeal community was dominated by genus Methanobrevibacter, which was higher in sesbania incubated in camels and was lower in leucaena incubated in sheep. Microbial function prediction showed that sesbania incubated in sheep was enriched in the pathways of carbohydrate digestion and protein metabolism. Thus, fodder plants such as sesbania that have lower saponins and crude fiber with a proper amount of protein revealed a higher rumen degradability; therefore, these plants can be included in the feeding of the desert ruminants.