Pooria Dadvar - Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Animal Science and Food Technology, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, Mollasani, Iran
Tahereh Mohammadabadi - Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Animal Science and Food Technology, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, Mollasani, Iran
Mohsen Sari - Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Animal Science and Food Technology, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, Mollasani, Iran
Jamal Fayazi - Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Animal Science and Food Technology, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, Mollasani, Iran

The aim of this experiment was to investigate rumen fermentation and some blood parameters of dromedary camels fed with C۳ and C۴ forage. Four fistulated dromedary adult camels were fed with diets as a changeover design, ۳۰ days for each period. The diets included alfalfa hay + wheat straw (C۳ forage) and atriplex+ suaeda + seidlitzia (C۴ forage). At the end of the experiment, rumen and blood parameters, gas production of wheat straw and atriplex as a ۲ × ۲ factorial experiment were determined. The highest blood glucose and urea nitrogen levels were found for camels fed with C۳ forage, ۲ hr after feeding (p < ۰.۰۵). The maximum NH۳-N concentration in the rumen was for diets C۳ and C۴, ۲ and ۴ hr after feeding (p < ۰.۰۵). The lowest rumen pH was observed for C۳ diet at ۲ and ۴ hr and for C۴ diet at ۴ and ۸ hr after feeding. The activity of rumen carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase) and microcrystalline cellulase (MCCase) enzymes was the highest for C۳ and C۴ diets, ۸ hr after feeding, however, during feeding the enzyme activity in C۴ was higher than that of ۲ hr (p < ۰.۰۵). The rumen volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations were significantly higher in camels fed C۳ forage in comparison with C۴ (p < ۰.۰۵). The results showed that the gas production potential was significantly higher in treatments containing atriplex, however, the gas production rate was higher in treatment containing wheat straw (p < ۰.۰۵). The results suggested that for camels maintained in closed systems, the replacement of C۳ forages instead of C۴ could be possible and useful.

Atriplex, Blood metabolites, Dromedary camel, Rumen parameters, Wheat straw