EFFECT OF ADDITIONS OF POTASSIUM AND NITROGEN INTO PRESS CAKE ON MAGNESIUM UTILIZATION OF GOATS WITH RELATION TO WATER INTAKE

In a study about minerals cycling in grassland agro-ecosystem, investigation on relations among two minerals, potassium(K) and magnesium(Mg), and nitrogen(N) was performed. Four kinds of diets different in K and N levels were fed to four goats with a Latin-square method and $2{\times}2$ factorial design. As the basal diet, press cake silage prepared from Italian ryegrass was used because of its uniformity and comparatively low mineral concentrations. Supplementation of K and N were made using potassium bicarbonate and urea. In the experiment, it was clearly shown that high K concentration in the forage crops is the main reason of the low utilization of Mg in ruminant animals. However, high nitrogen intake resulted in the increase of magnesium retention, urinary potassium excretion, water intake and volume of urine and in the decreases of potassium intake minus urinary potassium excretion. The results of high nitrogen intake seemed to be produced in the following order;increase of urine, increase of water intake, increase of urinary potassium excretion, and decrease of intake minus urinary potassium excretion. The amount of potassium intake minus urinary potassium excretion had significantly close relationships with magnesium utilization and serum magnesium concentration. As a conclusion, higher nitrogen intake by ruminants seemed to be preferable for magnesium utilization through increased water intake and urinary potassium excretion, if the sufficient drinking water could be supplied to ruminants.