Effects of supplementing cassava root silage to grazing dairy cows on nutrient utilization, milk production and composition in the tropics

• Published in: Tropical animal health and production 2024-04, Vol.56 (3), p.120-120, Article 120
• Main Authors: Galvão, Luckas Thiago Oliveira, Vargas, Julián Andrés Castillo, Mezzomo, Rafael, Oliveira, Luis Rennan Sampaio, dos Santos, Perlon Maia, Maciel, Raylon Pereira, Soares, Emilly Araújo, Farias, Maria Luiza Costa, Caldas, Cláudia Siqueira, Faciola, Antonio Pinheiro, Alves, Kaliandra Souza
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal fat; Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Body weight; Carbohydrates; Casein; Cassava; Cattle; Composition; corn meal; Dairy cattle; Digestibility; Feed additives; Female; Food intake; Girolando; Grazing; Kenya; Lactose; Life Sciences; Manihot; Megathyrsus maximus; Milk; milk fat; Milk production; milk yield; neutral detergent fiber; nutrient intake; Nutrient utilization; Nutrients; Plant Extracts; Regular Articles; Silage; skim milk; Statistical analysis; Supplements; Tropical environments; Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science; Zoology
• ISSN: 0049-4747; 1573-7438
• DOI: 10.1007/s11250-024-03962-8

The current study evaluated the effects of supplementing cassava root silage (CRS) to dairy cows grazing on Megathyrsus maximus cv Mombasa on nutrient intake and digestibility, as well as on milk production and composition. Ten primiparous Girolando cows with average body weight ± (SEM) of 373.45 ± (63.55) kg were used in a replicated 5 × 5 Latin square. Animals were subjected to five treatments: (I) grazing cows without supplementation (WCS); (II) grazing cows provided with 5 kg DM of supplement without CRS (0 g/kg DM of CRS) or including (III) 260, (IV) 520, and (V) 780 g/kg DM of CRS. Statistical analyses were performed using the PROC MIXED of SAS with significance at P