USE OF PLANT FORAGE LIGNIN AND SILICA AS DIGESTIBILITY INDICATORS FORQUANTITATIVE ESTIMATION OF FOOD-CONSUMPTION BY FREE-RANGING SAIGAS

Applying lignin and silica as food digestibility indicators in saigas was investigated. Some changes in standard technique of the lignin ana lysis were proposed due to unequal stability of herbaceous plants and indigestion remainders (feces) to hydrolysis by sulfuric acid. The col orimetric silico-molibdate method for determining silica was used. Lig nin and silica Were shown to be practically indigestive (fecal recover y of lignin was 93-98%, that of silica was 97-100%), that confirms the possibility to use them as digestibility, indicators. Consumption of food, nutrients and energy in free-ranging saigas was estimated. The d aily intake of food was calculated on the basis of the daily feces ege st and digestibility of consumed plants. Fecal mass was collected usin g feces bags hung on saigas; digestibility was determined by the ratio of lignin and silica concentration in consumed plants to that in fece s. The obtained results evidence that in dry period on the pastures wi th intensive livestock grazing, the forage resources (200 kg/ha) being low and of poor quality saigas consumed the sufficient amount of food and satisfied their requirements in nutrients and energy completely.