Effect of feeding urea treated wheat straw with or without sulphur source on feed utilization by crossbred heifers

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Date
2003
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MPUAT, Udaipur
Abstract
An experiment was conducted at the Livestock Farm, Rajasthan college of Agriculture, Udaipur (Rajasthan) to find out the effect of feeding urea treated wheat straw with or without sulphur source on feed utilization by crossbred heifers. The main objectives of the experiment were to measure the voluntary feed intake, nutrient digestibility, rate of passage of feed residues through the digestive tract, nitrogen balance, live weight change and reproductive efficiency in crossbred heifers. Twenty five crossbred heifers were utilized in a completely randomized design for a period of 244 days. Animals were randomly divided into five treatments with five heifers in each treatment. Five treatments compared were, T1: wheat straw ad lib. + concentrate mixture as per requirement, T2: Wheat straw ad lib. treated with 1.5% urea at 40% moisture + concentrate mixture as per requirement, T3: Wheat straw ad lib. treated with 1.5% urea and 0.5% single super phosphate at 40% moisture + concentrate mixture as per requirement, T4: Wheat straw ad lib. treated with 4% urea at 40% moisture + concentrate mixture as per requirement and T5: Wheat straw ad lib. treated with 4% urea and 1.5% single super phosphate at 40% moisture + concentrate mixture as per requirement. . The digestibility coefficients of DM, OM, CP, CF, EE and NFE in treatment T5 were significantly higher than other treatments and that of T3 were also higher than T1 and T2. The values of DCP, TDN, DE and ME were significantly different and highest values were observed in treatment T5. The value of DM intake when expressed as such, % BW and metabolic body size basis (g/kg W0.75) of T5 was significantly higher than other treatments and that of T3 also higher than T1 and T2. The difference in CPI, DCPI and TDNI was significant and highest value was found in T5. The DE intake values observed in T3 and T4 did not differ significantly among themselves but were significantly lower than T5. The highest value of ME intake was observed in T5 which differ significantly from other treatment groups. Nitrogen balance of animals on T5 was significantly higher as compared to other treatment groups and that of T3 also higher than T1 and T2. Highest of average daily gain was observed in treatment T5 which was significantly greater than all other treatments and lowest of body weight gain was observed in control group. The lowest value of 5% excretion time, Rumen Retention Time (S) and Mean Retention Time (R) was observed in treatment T5, which was significantly different from other treatments. There exists a relationship between Rumen Retention Time, CF content and CF digestibility. This relationship indicates that a ration having higher CF content will normally stay longer in the rumen to result in optimum break down of the fibre. But when NPN supplements are added to a fibrous diet such as wheat straw, the breakdown of the straw will be hastened i.e. feed residues will be retained in the rumen for shorter period of time. This is true, by and large in the present investigation. Also there exists an inverse relationship between DM digestibility and Mean Retention Time. A lower age at first heat and sexual maturity was observed in treatment T5, which was significantly different from all other treatment group. The differences between the treatments for body weight at first heat and sexual maturity were found non-significant in the present investigation. The conception rate of 100% was observed in all the treatments. The lowest of feed cost per kg body weight gain was observed in treatment T5. Supplementation of urea treated wheat straw with sulphur source resulted in lower feed cost per kg body weight gain as compared to only urea treated rations and control. Based on these results, it is concluded that sulphur supplementation improved the utilization of urea treated wheat straw based rations in crossbred heifers. It may be concluded from these results that sulphur supplementation through single super phosphate improved the utilization of wheat straw by enhancing digestibility of DM and its constituents, feed intake, nitrogen retention, body weight gain, rate of passage and reproductive efficiency in crossbred heifers on urea treated wheat straw based rations. Thus, sulphur along calcium and phosphorus is more important because of its regulatory, metabolic and structural function. Under these conditions, supplementation of sulphur source with NPN based diets may produced beneficial effects. Thus wheat straw may be treated with 1.5% urea plus 0.5% single super phosphate solution before feeding for its optimum utilization in growing heifers. This practice may be compared with 4% urea ammonia practice. However, for further improvement in utilization of wheat straw, 4% urea ammonia plus 1.5% single super phosphate at 40% moisture and stacked for 21 days under cover may be a better practice as compared to 4% urea ammonia treatment of low grade roughages.
Description
Effect of feeding urea treated wheat straw with or without sulphur source on feed utilization by crossbred heifers
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Citation
Gupta and Murdia, 2003
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