STUDY ON FEEDING PRACTICES AND MINERALS STATUS OF LACTATING BUFFALOES IN JAMNAGAR DISTRICT OF GUJARAT 2828
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Date
2019-06
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JAU, JUNAGADH
Abstract
A survey of Jamnagar district of Gujarat state was conducted during
September 2018 to December 2018 for 1) survey of feeding practices followed by
dairy farmers in Jamnagar district, 2) to assess proximate constituents of feeds and
fodder, 3) to assess mineral status of soil, feeds/fodder and lactating buffaloes and 4)
to evaluate soil-plant-animal relationship.
The survey was conducted in five talukas viz. Jamnagar, Kalawad, Dhrol,
Lalpur and Jam-jodhpur. Multistage random sampling technique was used to select
the respondents. Four villages were selected at random in each taluka, which were
geographically located apart in direction and truly represented the animal husbandry
practices of the taluka, for collection of samples of soil, feeds and fodder as well as
blood plasma for lactating buffaloes. In each village, three respondents were selected
at random. For this purpose, those respondents were considered, who owned farm,
own grown feeds and fodder and lactating buffalo. The selected farmers were
interviewed and the desired information was collected in the pro-forma developed for
the purpose.
The survey work revealed that most of the dairy animal owners/farmers reared
their lactating buffaloes on stall feeding and supplementation of green maize, jinjvo,
lucerne, juwar hay, groundnut straw and local mixed grasses collected from the
wasteland, as the basal roughages. Generally, 16 kg green fodder and 7 dry fodder
were fed daily to lactating buffaloes. Average DMI of lactating buffaloes is 16.33 ±
0.58 kg.
The quantity of concentrate (kg/day) fed to lactating buffaloes ranged between
3.92 to 11.38 kg, with the overall average being 7.90 kg in lactating buffaloes. The
proximate composition and certain mineral content were within the normal range.
Various concentrates like cottonseed cake, cottonseed, and maize cake are supplement
with/without wheat bran or maize bran.
Among the macro minerals, Ca (1.13%) and Mg (0.36%) were above critical
level while, P (0.0019%) was found below the critical level, and among the micro minerals, Cu (2.23 ppm) was found above the critical level and Fe (1.97 ppm) and Zn
(0.64 ppm) were found below the critical level of soil in Jamnagar district.
The average calcium content in concentrates was low. Cottonseed contained
just around 0.11 per cent Ca. Lucerne (0.90%) had higher Ca content. Green fodder
viz. maize (0.31%) and jinjvo (0.47%) were low in Ca. Ca content in dry roughage
like jowar hay (0.21%) was low. However, gotars of groundnut (0.98%) was
exceptionally high in Ca. The concentrate ingredients commonly fed to lactating
buffaloes contained high P (0.47%). The values of P in green fodder (0.19%) and dry
fodder (0.14%) were much lower than concentrates. Magnesium was rich in green
fodder (0.36%), dry fodder (0.54%) as well as concentrates (0.27%) especially in
groundnut straw (0.59%).
The average Cu level was recorded in pasture grass (20.88 ppm), jowar hay
(6.79 ppm) and groundnut straw (35.51 ppm). The green roughages contained Cu
above the 10 ppm. Green maize (16.43 ppm) and cottonseed cake (16.31 ppm)
contained a high level of Cu. Distribution of iron was found to be unique in the sense
that it exceeds the requirement in all the feeds and fodder even straw were rich for
iron. Green maize, green jinjvo and lucerne were contained 306.89, 698.22 and
531.12 ppm, respectively. Groundnut straw is quite a good source of Fe. Groundnut
straw (21.85 ppm) and jowar hay (27.25 ppm) were low in Zn; however, cottonseed
cake was a somewhat good source of Zn. Zinc content in green fodder varied from
13.39 to 50.92 ppm. Whole cottonseed cake (42.27 ppm) were higher in Zn as
compared to roughages.
Macro minerals concentration viz. Ca, Mg and P in the blood plasma of
lactating buffaloes were above the critical level and among the micro minerals, Fe and
Zn were found above the critical level while Cu was observed deficient in the blood
plasma of lactating buffaloes.
Blood plasma calcium having a significantly positive relation with dry fodder
and concentrates calcium. Whereas, blood plasma copper having a highly
significantly positive relation with soil copper in Jamnagar district.