Introduction and Objective: The use of medicinal plants, essential oils, and their extracts in the diets of fattening animals has always been an important and appealing topic for scientific research. One of these medicinal plants is Mallow (Malva sylvestris), which, due to its abundance in the pastures of Khuzestan, Bushehr, and Hormozgan provinces and its numerous medicinal and therapeutic properties, can help improve rumen fermentation, growth performance, reduce feed costs, and prevent food resource waste. This plant is recognized as a rich source of bioactive compounds that can have positive effects on animal health. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of adding different levels of hydroalcoholic extract of Mallow to the diet on growth performance, digestibility, rumen, and blood parameters of male lambs.
Material and Methods: In this study, 30 male Arabic lambs with an average weight of 22 ± 2 kg and an average age of 100 ± 5 days were used in a completely randomized design with 3 treatments and 10 replications for a duration of 90 days. The experimental treatments included a control treatment (without Mallow extract) and treatments containing 0.2% and 0.4% of daily dry matter intake of Mallow extract. Throughout the experimental period, weekly weight measurements and daily feed intake records were accurately conducted. Additionally, blood serum and rumen content sampling were performed to examine blood and rumen parameters.
Results: The results indicated significant differences in final weight (P=0.008), daily weight gain (P=0.008), dry matter intake (P=0.02), and daily feed intake (P=0.06) among the experimental treatments. The highest final weight, daily weight gain, and dry matter and feed intake were observed in the treatment containing 0.2% Mallow extract. These results demonstrate the positive effect of Mallow extract on improving the growth performance of lambs. Furthermore, the results of the apparent digestibility of nutrients in the experimental diets showed significant differences in the digestibility of organic matter (P=0.09), neutral detergent fiber intake (P=0.06), and acid detergent fiber intake (P=0.06) among the experimental treatments. The highest digestibility of organic matter was observed in the treatment containing 0.2% Mallow extract. This increase in digestibility may be due to the presence of active compounds in Mallow extract that aid in improving digestive processes and nutrient absorption. Results from some blood serum parameters indicated that there was a significant difference only in blood urea nitrogen concentration (P=0.001) among the experimental treatments. These findings suggest the effect of Mallow extract on improving the nutritional status of lambs and reducing nitrogen load in the blood serum, which can help decrease environmental pollution. The results of rumen fermentation parameters showed that there was a significant difference only in rumen pH (P=0.03) among the experimental treatments. The lowest rumen pH was observed in the treatment containing 0.4% Mallow extract. This decrease in pH may contribute to improving rumen fermentation conditions and increasing the production of volatile fatty acids. The total volatile fatty acids in the treatments containing Mallow extract numerically increased compared to the control treatment (P=0.96), which could lead to improved energy availability for the animals.
Conclusion: The overall results of the present study indicated that growth performance, apparent digestibility, and total volatile fatty acid concentration in the rumen liquid improved with the consumption of 0.2% Mallow extract additive. These findings suggest that using Mallow extract as a natural additive in animal diets can effectively enhance growth performance and overall animal health. Based on the obtained results, it is recommended that further research be conducted in the future on the long-term effects and precise mechanisms of Mallow extract on animals.