Effect of Source of Water and Days to Harvest on Volatile Fatty Acids of Maize (Zea mays) and Wheat (Triticum aestivum) Fodder Under the Hydroponic Condition

Background and Objective: Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs) are Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs) and energy sources for ruminants. This study was conducted in Ibadan, Nigeria, to quantify the Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs) content and composition of fodders produced under hydroponic conditions with varying sources of irrigation water and days to harvest. Materials and Methods: Two forage species, maize (Zea mays) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) were evaluated. Two water sources-nutrient solution and borehole water and 3 days to harvest 8, 10 and 12 days were combined in a factorial arrangement to form six treatments in a Complete Randomized Block Design with five replicates. Seeds of each experimental crop were sown in an aluminum tray after being subjected to pre-sowing treatments for hydroponic fodder production. At harvests, fodder samples were randomly taken, weighed, oven-dried at 70°C for 48 hrs and milled for onward VFAs determination using high-performance liquid chromatography. Results: Results showed that the chief VFAs in both fodders was acetic acid. Largely, VFAs in fodders from both species were higher (p<0.05) when irrigated with a nutrient solution than borehole water, while values of VFAs increased with age in wheat, no definite pattern was recorded for maize fodder. Interacting source of water and days to harvest showed that both acetic acid, ethanol, iso-valeric and N-butyric were highest (p<0.05) when harvesting was delayed till 12 days after sowing using nutrient solution than in other treatments. This study recorded that days to harvest and sources of water are important tools to influence the VFAs contents and composition within a forage species under hydroponic conditions. Conclusion: Therefore, concluded that for a quantifying amount of VFAs harvesting is best done 8-10 DAS for maize-fodder and up till 12 DAS using a nutrient solution for wheat under hydroponic conditions.