Comparison of banana flower powder and sodium bicarbonate supplementation on rumen fermentation and milk production in dairy cows

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (10) ◽  
pp. 1650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sungchhang Kang ◽  
Metha Wanapat ◽  
Anusorn Cherdthong ◽  
Kampanat Phesatcha
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Bicarbonate ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Rumen Fermentation ◽  
Nutrient Digestibility ◽  
Dry Matter Intake ◽  
Microbial Nitrogen ◽  
Buffering Agent ◽  
Banana Flower

Four Holstein-Friesian crossbred dairy cows were randomly assigned according to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement in a 4 × 4 Latin square design to study the effect of banana flower powder (BAFLOP) and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) supplementation as rumen-buffering agents on rumen fermentation and milk production. The first factor was two ratios of roughage to concentrate (R : C) at 60 : 40 and 40 : 60, whereas the second was two sources of buffering agent (BAFLOP and NaHCO3) supplemented at 20 g/kg of dry matter intake. All cows were fed total dry matter intake at 25 g/kg bodyweight and untreated rice straw was used as a roughage source. Feeding R : C at 40 : 60 increased nutrient digestibilities, nitrogen absorption, allantoin excretion and absorption, microbial nitrogen synthesis, microbial crude protein and efficiency of microbial nitrogen synthesis in both BAFLOP- and NaHCO3-supplemented groups. BAFLOP supplementation could maintain ruminal pH as NaHCO3. Blood urea nitrogen, total volatile fatty acid and propionate, and milk yield increased in cows fed R : C at 40 : 60 both in BAFLOP and NaHCO3 supplementation, whereas acetate was relatively high in cows consuming R : C at 60 : 40. However, rumen microorganisms were similar among treatments whereas milk compositions were unchanged by the dietary treatments, except milk fat and total solids were the highest in cow consumed R : C at 60 : 40. The results suggested that feeding R : C at 40 : 60 resulted in improvement of nutrient digestibility, rumen fermentation efficiency and milk production, and supplementation of BAFLOP showed similar buffering capacity as NaHCO3. Therefore, BAFLOP could be used efficiently as a dietary rumen-buffering agent and promisingly deserves a replacement for bicarbonate sources in lactating dairy cows fed on a high concentrate diet.

Estimation of intake and digestibility of forage-based diets in group-fed dairy cows using alkanes as markers

1999 ◽  
Vol 133 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. UNAL ◽  
P. C. GARNSWORTHY
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Dry Matter Intake ◽  
Once Daily ◽  
Major Factors ◽  
Filter Papers ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Basal Ration ◽  
Food Consumed

Dry matter intake is one of the major factors limiting milk production in dairy cows, although the quantity of food consumed by an individual cow when housed and fed as part of a group is rarely known. Such information would permit more precise ration formulation, concentrate allocation and selection of cows according to efficiency of milk production. Alkanes have been used with sheep and cattle to estimate feed intake under grazing conditions and could provide a technique for measuring intake in housed dairy cows. The purpose of this study was to examine alkanes C32 and C36, in combination with alkane C33, as indigestible markers for estimating intake of housed dairy cows fed on different diets under experimental and commercial conditions. Three experiments were conducted with hay-based diets (Expt 1), silage only diets (Expt 2) and a diet consisting of a silage-based basal ration plus concentrates (Expt 3). Animals were dosed once daily with C32 and C36, either on filter papers (Expts 1 and 2) or as part of a specially prepared concentrate (Expt 3). Faecal recoveries of alkanes ranged from 0·88 to 0·99. Over the range of intakes found in the three experiments (6–24 kg DM/d), the r2 values for estimated versus actual dry matter intakes ranged from 0·81 to 0·99. It is concluded that alkanes could provide a useful technique for estimating intake in dairy cows housed and fed in groups.

Dry matter intake, nutrient selection and milk production of dairy cows grazing rainfed perennial pastures at different herbage allowances in spring

1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (8) ◽  
pp. 923 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Moate ◽  
D. E. Dalley ◽  
J. R. Roche ◽  
C. Grainger
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Dry Matter Intake ◽  
Neutral Detergent Fibre ◽  
Dry Matter Digestibility ◽  
Herbage Intake ◽  
Selection Differentials

Summary. The effect of herbage allowance (20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 kg DM/cow. day) on the consumption of nutrients from herbage and milk production by cows in early lactation, was examined. The experiment was conducted on rainfed perennial ryegrass pastures in September and October 1997 in south-eastern Victoria, Australia. The herbage on offer comprised 64% perennial ryegrass, 21% other grasses, 1% white clover, 5% weeds and 9% dead material on a dry matter (DM) basis. The average pregrazing herbage height was 13 cm, at an estimated pregrazing herbage mass of 3.6 t DM/ha. The herbage on offer was of high quality containing 11.6 MJ metabolisable energy/kg DM, 202 g crude protein/kg DM and 525 g neutral detergent fibre/kg DM. Concentrations of calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, sulfur and chloride were 4.4, 2.2, 4.4, 31.2, 3.5, 2.7 and 11.4 g/kg DM, respectively. As daily herbage allowance per cow increased, dry matter intake increased curvilinearly (P<0.01) from 11.2 to 18.7 kg DM/cow. day. This was associated with a decrease in utilisation of herbage from 54 to 26% and an increase in milk production from 25.9 to 29.1 kg/cow. day. The cows on all treatments grazed for less than 8.7 h/day. The increase in intake was achieved by an increase in the rate of herbage intake from 1.5 to 2.2 kg DM/h for herbage allowances of 20 and 70 kg/cow.day, respectively. Irrespective of herbage allowance, cows selected a diet that was approximately 10% higher in in vitro dry matter digestibility and 30% higher in crude protein than that in the herbage on offer. The neutral detergent fibre content of the herbage selected was lower (P<0.05) than that on offer. The herbage consumed contained more (P<0.05) magnesium, potassium and sulfur, the same amount of calcium and phosphorus and less (P<0.05) sodium and chloride than the herbage on offer. For rainfed perennial pastures in spring, herbage allowance is an important factor in determining voluntary feed intake and production of dairy cows. To achieve 30 L from herbage, without supplementation, high herbage allowances are required. The increase in herbage intake, with increasing herbage allowance, resulted from an increase in rate of dry matter intake and not an increase in grazing time. No relationship was evident between herbage allowance and the selection differentials for in vitro dry matter digestibility, crude protein and neutral detergent fibre. Selection differentials for rainfed perennial pastures in spring are similar to those reported for irrigated perennial pastures in northern Victoria in spring and autumn. When determining nutrient requirements it is important to consider the interaction between herbage intake and nutrient concentration in the herbage.

scholarly journals Effect of Heat Stress on Bacterial Composition and Metabolism in the Rumen of Lactating Dairy Cows

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 925
Author(s):  
Zhao ◽  
Min ◽  
Zheng ◽  
Wang
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
16S Rrna Genes ◽  
Dry Matter Intake ◽  
Rrna Genes ◽  
Bacterial Composition ◽  
Rumen Ph ◽  
Lactating Dairy Cows

Heat stress negatively impacts the health and milk production of dairy cows, and ruminal microbial populations play an important role in dairy cattle’s milk production. Currently there are no available studies that investigate heat stress-associated changes in the rumen microbiome of lactating dairy cattle. Improved understanding of the link between heat stress and the ruminal microbiome may be beneficial in developing strategies for relieving the influence of heat stress on ruminants by manipulating ruminal microbial composition. In this study, we investigated the ruminal bacterial composition and metabolites in heat stressed and non-heat stressed dairy cows. Eighteen lactating dairy cows were divided into two treatment groups, one with heat stress and one without heat stress. Dry matter intake was measured and rumen fluid from all cows in both groups was collected. The bacterial 16S rRNA genes in the ruminal fluid were sequenced, and the rumen pH and the lactate and acetate of the bacterial metabolites were quantified. Heat stress was associated with significantly decreased dry matter intake and milk production. Rumen pH and rumen acetate concentrations were significantly decreased in the heat stressed group, while ruminal lactate concentration increased. The influence of heat stress on the microbial bacterial community structure was minor. However, heat stress was associated with an increase in lactate producing bacteria (e.g., Streptococcus and unclassified Enterobacteriaceae), and with an increase in Ruminobacter, Treponema, and unclassified Bacteroidaceae, all of which utilize soluble carbohydrates as an energy source. The relative abundance of acetate-producing bacterium Acetobacter decreased during heat stress. We concluded that heat stress is associated with changes in ruminal bacterial composition and metabolites, with more lactate and less acetate-producing species in the population, which potentially negatively affects milk production.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document