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USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING José C. Dubeux; UFRPE – Brazil [email protected]

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Page 1: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK

FEEDING

José C. Dubeux; UFRPE – [email protected]

Page 2: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Outline

Introduction

Cactus Agronomic Potential

Cactus Chemical Composition and Digestibility

Processing and Feeding Systems

Water Intake

Animal Performance

Concluding Remarks

Page 3: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Introduction

Page 4: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Arid and semiarid regions of the world

Source: World Soil Resources Map, FAO/EC/ISRIC

Cacti is already

present in many of

these dry areas

Page 5: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Regions/countries Cultivated area(x 1000 ha)

Brazil 600

Other South American Countries 75

Mexico 230 + 3 M

Other North American countries 16

Tunisia 600

Algeria 150

Morocco 150

Italy 70

Total 1891 + ~ 3 M

Few statistics ….

Page 6: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Our focus today: dry areas

Dry areas Wet areas

Page 7: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Cactus: a multi-purpose crop

Page 8: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Our focus today: cactus as a forage

Page 9: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Annual crops + semiarid = RISK

Erratic rainfall distribution in the semiarid

Shallow soils with low water storage capacity

Drought often occurs

Grain productivity in these areas is low

In the semiarid of Brazil, maize grain productivity is

600 - 800 kg per ha/year

Page 10: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Grain price is increasing and is

coupled to energy price

Major reasons: biofuels, transportation cost, fertilizers

Page 11: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Demand for grain to produce livestock

products will grow as prosperity increases

Rosegrant and Ringler (1999)

1993 2020

Million metric Tonnes

China 73 183

Asia (developing count.) 32 70

Total Developing count. 194 418

World 636 945

Page 12: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Projections of water use and actual global water withdrawals

SCIENCE VOL 302 28 NOVEMBER 2003

Page 13: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Cactus is a viable option

Cactus productivity in

the semiarid of Brazil

may go up to 20 Mg

DM per ha/year (and

180 Mg of water)

Page 14: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Cactus replacing maize

Cactus represents 75% of

maize grain energy, but

produces at least 20 x more

in harsh semiarid

environments

Page 15: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Objective

Describe the importance of use of cactus as a

forage for livestocks in semiarid regions.

Page 16: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Cactus Agronomic Potential

Page 17: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Increment of cactus productivity in experimental

areas of NE Brazil in the last 40 years

Cact

us

pro

duct

ivity

(T o

f fr

esh

ma

tter

per

ha/y

ear)

Decade

Page 18: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

What is the limit?

Sa

nto

s et a

l, 2

00

9

DM

Yie

ld

(Mg D

M/h

a/2

yrs

)

Organic fertilization (Mg Cattle manure/ha/2 yrs.)

Page 19: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Sour

ce: Silv

a, N

.G.M

. –

pers

ona

l co

mm

unic

ation)

.

Agronomic practices and plant population

affect cactus productivity

Daily g

row

th r

ate

(kg D

M/h

a/d

ay

)

Organic fertilization (Mg Cattle manure/ha/yr)

Page 20: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Source: Dubeux Jr. et al. (2010)

Root mass per plant decreases at dense populations

(> 40,000 plants/ha)

ROOT MASS PER PLANT

Plants per ha

Root m

ass

per

pla

nt (g

)

Page 21: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

More dense

plant population

Less dense plant

population

More arid regions should work with less dense

plant population

Page 22: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Cactus Agronomic Potential

Potential productivity of 20 Mg of DM/ha/yr

Carrying capacity of 4.8 AU/ha/yr

This is 57.6 x higher than the carrying capacity of native

rangeland (12 ha/AU/yr)

In low-input systems, 5 – 6 Mg of DM/ha/yr is easily

obtained

Page 23: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Intensifying a small area with Cactus

improve sustainability of small farms

Production System Gross

Income

Native Rangeland (NR)1 x

Improved Rangelands2 4 x

50% NR + 50% Buffel grass (BG)3 4 x

50% NR + 40% BG + 10% Cactus4 12.8 x

Sourc

e: D

ub

eu

x J

r. 2

011

Page 24: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Cactus chemical composition and

digestibility

Page 25: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Cactus forage chemical composition

varies with:

Cultivar

Development stage

Fertilization

Plant population

Cladode order

Page 26: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

OPUNTIA - AVERAGE

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

Item (%)

Dry Matter 11.3

Crude Protein1 5.6

NDF1 28.5

ADF1 20.1

TDN1

NFC1

65.0

55.4

1- DM basis

Page 27: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Cactus macronutrients

Species N P K Ca Mg S

g kg -1

O. ficus-Indica1 6.7 – 20.6 1.1 – 4.7 25.8 – 33.4 14.9 – 34.4 5.9 – 7.4 1.7 – 6.1

O. engelmannii2 5.9 – 21.1 0.2 – 2.0 12.4 – 36.9 38.1 - 156 6.4 -18.4 ---

N. cochenillifera3 6.7 – 10.5 1.0 – 1.6 8.3 – 12.1 --- --- 0.9 – 1.9

1OFI: Teles et al. (2004); Santos (1990); Santos et al. (1996); Dubeux Jr. et al. (2010) 2OE: Nobel et al. (1987); Nobel et al. (1987)3NC: Dubeux Júnior e Santos (2005)

Page 28: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Cactus micronutrients

Species Fe Zn Mn Cu B Na

mg kg -1

O. ficus-Indica1 89 - 128 62 – 109 182 – 687 6.5 – 7.1 1 – 23 ---

O. engelmannii2 38 - 73 6 – 31 18 – 92 3.3 – 4.6 --- 42 – 179

N. cochenillifera3 59 – 77 70 – 83 430 - 499 4 --- 135 - 143

1OFI: Teles et al. (2004); Dubeux Jr. et al. (2010) 2OE: Nobel et al. (1987)3NC: Dubeux Júnior e Santos (2005)

Page 29: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

S. B. do Una

y = 0.007x + 10.8

R2 = 0.67; P < 0.03

Arcoverde

y = 0.02x + 7

R2 = 0.95; P < 0.001

Serra Talhada

y = 0.02x + 6.8

R2 = 0.99; P < 0.001

Sertânia

y = 4E-05x2 - 0.009x + 8.3

R2 = 0.70; P < 0.05

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

kg N ha-1

yr-1

N,

g k

g-1

Arcoverde

S.B. do Una

Serra Talhada

Sertânia

Fonte

: D

ub

eux J

r. e

t a

l. (2

00

6)

N fertilization increases cactus CP in

Opuntia ficus-indica Mill.

Page 30: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Font

e: D

ub

eux

Jr. e

t a

l. (2

00

6)

Plant population affects cactus

(Opuntia ficus-indica Mill.) N concentration

Page 31: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Sour

ce: Ba

tist

a e

t a

l., 2

00

9; Ba

tist

a e

t a

l., 2

00

3

Cactus ruminal degradability

645

650

655

660

665

670

675

680

Opuntia Nopalea

DM

rum

inal degra

dability (

g/k

g)

Effective ruminal degradability

Page 32: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Itens

Days of storage

0 8 16

DM (%) 10.3 8.2 9.8

CP (%) 5.3 5.1 5.2

DMI (% PV) 2.7 2.7 2.7

Milk Yield (kg/day) 11.3 11.1 11.2

Cactus may be stored without changing its

chemical composition and feeding value

Santos et al. (1998)

Page 33: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Simple rules

Cactus cannot be fed alone (diarrhea, weight loss).

Supplement with CP and fiber in a mixed diet.

Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid

adding molasses and limit the amount of grain in

the diet.

Page 34: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Processing and Feeding Systems

Page 35: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Cactus Processing

Cactus processing is important to:

Reduce cladode size

Prepare total mixed ration

Avoid selection by animals and increase intake

Mix cactus well with urea or concentrate feeding

Page 36: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Cactus chopped by knife

Click on the image to open video

Page 37: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Cactus chopped by machine

Click on the image to open video

Page 38: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Cactus chopped by machine

Click on the image to open video

Page 39: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

FEEDING SYSTEM WITH TRACTOR

Click on the image to open video

Page 40: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Processed cactus increases DM intake

Click on the image to open video

Page 41: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Processing mixes diet ingredients

Click on the image to open video

Page 42: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Different products available in the market

Page 43: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

16.02 a 16.07 a 16.56 a

13.34 b

5

10

15

20

TMR (M) TMR (K) CS (M) CS (K)

Kg

/dia

Feeding systems

DMI

Vilela (2007)

FEEDING SYSTEMS

CS = concentrate fed separated; TMR = total mixed ration; M = machine; K = knife

Page 44: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Mixing ingredients vs. separate ingredients

(Pessoa et al., 2004 – Brazil)

Diet: 39 % cactus + 31 %

sorghum silage + 30 %

concentrate

Page 45: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Cows select cactus!

Click on the image to open video

Page 46: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Wasted fruits in feed blocks

LAMBs (Chermiti & Ferchichi, 2000)

Diets Daily gain, g

Hay + barley grain 154

Hay + feed blocks (cactus fruit) 163

Page 47: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Water intake

Page 48: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Effect of water restriction on sheep

performance

0 25% 50% 75%

122 130

40

-56

-100

-50

0

50

100

150

1 2 3 4AD

G (g

/day)

Water restriction

Ben

Sa

lem

& A

bid

i, 2009

Page 49: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Cactus helps solving watering problems

in arid areas

Page 50: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

0

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

L/d

ay

Opunta Levels (%)

Water Intake

Cactus is an important source of water

Bis

po

et al (2

007

)

Opuntia in replacement of Elephant grass hay - Sheep

Page 51: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

0 20 40 60

L/d

ay

Opuntia Levels (%)

Water Intake

Opuntia in replacement of Tifton hay – Dairy cows

Water intake by dairy cows

Cavalc

anti (

20

05

)

Page 52: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Animal performance

Page 53: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

ITEMTreatments

With Maize Without Maize

Dry matter intake (kg DM/day) 15.5 a 15.4 a

TDN intake (kg/day) 9.4 a 9.1 a

Fat corrected Milk yield (kg/day) 15.9 a 15.4 a

% of Cactus 36.0 50.0

% of concentrate feeding 27.0 13.0

kg of milk: kg of concentrate 3.5 7.0

Araújo et al. (2004)

Performance of dairy cows fed cactus

with or without maize grain

Page 54: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

NDF forage - Minimum

NDF diet - Minimum

ADF diet -Minimum

NFC diet - Maximum

19 25 17 44

18 27 18 42

17 29 19 40

16 31 20 38

15 33 21 36

Dietary limits for NDF, ADF, and NFC

(NRC, 2001)

TAKE HOME MESSAGE: 50% of the fiber source should

come from non-cactus roughage and NFC should be < 40%

Page 55: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Animal performance and dry matter intake

by dairy cows fed cactus

Opuntia

(% in DM)

Milk- kg/day FS Opuntia Actual DMI DMI (% BW) DIET Authors

fresh intake (% BW) NRC-2001 NFC

Kg/day (%)

61.40 12.07 TMR 106.0 3.40 2.94 37.40 Pessoa, 2007

61.17 11.08 TMR 84.61 2.83 2.72 35.29 Warderley et al, 2006

44.80 12.17 TMR 86.00 3.95 3.11 26.15 Magahães et al, 2004

40.90 17.82 TMR 66.00 2.80 2.88 35.38 Melo et al., 2003

43.20 14.84 TMR 83.00 3.00 3.14 36.99 Araújo et al., 2004

39.00 22.51 TMR 90.00 3.40 3.39 39.22 Pessoa et al, 2004

39.00 21.88 IS 82.00 3.30 3.29 39.22 Pessoa et al, 2004

50.00 20.50 TMR 81.00 3.34 3.29 31.22 Cavalcanti et al,

53.40 12.36 IS 66.00 2.66 2.86 50.47* Santos et al, 1990

51.00 12.72 IS 62.00 2.68 3.04 51.91* Santos et al., 1998

65.54 7.10 IS 53.13 2.23 2.85 51.50* Santos et al., 2001

36.00 24.75 TMR 54.00 3.20 3.40 40.68 Wanderley et al., 2002

Page 56: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Opuntia in replacement of Sorghum silage

24,98 24,6225,7

24,75

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

0 12 24 36

Kg

/day

Opuntia Levels (%)

FCM (kg/day)

3,81

3,99

4,11

3,91

3,6

3,7

3,8

3,9

4

4,1

4,2

0 12 24 36

%Opuntia Levels (%)

Fat (%)

Wanderley et al. (2002)

Fat Max= 4.08

(42% of NFC)

Page 57: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Opuntia in replacement of Sorghum

silage – Dairy Cows

72

73

74

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

0 10 20 30 40

DM

Dig

esti

bil

ity

(%)

Opuntia levels (% of DM)

Andra

de (

2001)

• Maximum digestibility – 79% and 17.13% of Opuntia

• (NFC 40.94%)

Quadratic P = 0,006

R2 = 0,86

Page 58: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Opuntia in replacement of Tifton hay –

Dairy cows

Cavalc

anti (

2005

)

48

50

52

54

56

58

60

62

0 20 40 60

DM

Dig

esti

bil

ity

(%)

Opuntia levels (% of DM)

•NFC reached 38.2%

Linear (P<0,05)

R2 = 0,96

Page 59: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Opuntia (50% of DM) associated with

different forages - Dairy Cows

Silva

(20

06

)15,717,0 16,9 17,6 17,4

3,7 3,7 3,8 3,8 3,8

0

4

8

12

16

20

Sugar Cane Bagasse

Tif ton Hay Elephant Grass Hay

Sorghum Silage

Sorghum Silage + Sugar Cane Bagasse

Kg

/day a

nd

%

Forage

Milk Production and Fat

MY (kg/day)

MF (%)

Page 60: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Cactus replacing concentrate feeding

Many farmers rely

on expensive

concentrate feeding

Cactus + urea + Fiber

Cactus + legume

Solution?

Page 61: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

10,711,8

10,3 9,9 10,4

4,0 3,7 3,4 3,7 3,7

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Sorghum Silage

Sunf lower Silage

Leucena HayGuandu Hay Elephant Grass Hay

Kg

/day a

nd

%

Forage

Milk Production and Fat

FCM (Kg/day)

FAT (%)

Opuntia (60% plus 200g of urea) associated

with different forages - Dairy Cows

Wanderley et al. (2006)

Page 62: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Urea replacing soybean meal for

Lactating Dairy cows

Variable % Urea Effect

0 0.8 1.6 2.4

DMI (kg/day) 19.4 18.8 19.0 17.2 Linear

FCM (kg/day) 18.8 18.6 18.1 17.5 Linear

Fat (%) 3.4 3.4 3.6 3.4 NS

Urea (g/day) 0 150 300 420 --

Melo

et a

l.(2

00

3)

Cactus % 31.9 34.9 37.8 40.9 --

Soybean meal % 21.9 18.0 14.0 10.4 --

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Cactus +

Legume Hay +

0.8 kg Soybean meal

Cactus +

Bagasse +

2.4 kg Soybean meal

CV

(%)

Milk production

(kg/cow/day) 12.7 A 11.5 B 7.4

Legume replacing soybean meal

for Lactating Dairy cows

Cactus + Clitoria ternatea

Reduced use of soybean

meal in 67%

Dubeux et al., 2009

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Cactus in dairy cattle diets

Item Cactus in DM (%)

None Low Medium High

Cactus 0 20 40 60

Forage 70 55 40 25

Concentrate 30 25 20 15

NDF 55 45 40 35

NFC 30 32 34 36

Cost U$ U$ U$ U$

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Cactus in the diet (%DM)

0 7 14 21 28

Milk yield (kg/day) 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.5

Milk fat (%) 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.5 3.0

DM intake (kg/day) 1.9 2.1 2.3 2.3 2.3

Water intake (kg/day)

Voluntary 5.2 3.9 2.1 0.4 0.1

Via cactus 0.00 1.7 4.3 7.1 9.1

Costa et al, 2009

Cactus for dairy goats

*50% of Tifton hay in the diet

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Target association of drought tolerant species to meet

livestock needs in arid areas (Ben Salem et al., 2004)

Energy Barley Barley Cactus Cactus

Protein Soybean Atriplex Soybean Atriplex

Microbial N

(g/kg DOMI)3.5b 3.2b 8.3a 11.4a

ADG (g/d) 108a 59c 119a 81b

Weaned lambs fed on straw

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Concluding remarks

Page 68: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Concluding remarks

Cactus is an important forage option to semiarid regions.

It is more adapted to these regions than annual crops; its

nutritive value is close to maize grain.

It is rich in energy and has low fiber and CP

concentrations.

Limit in the diet is based on NFC.

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Concluding remarks

Cactus processing may improve DM intake and animal

performance.

Mixed rations should be the feeding option.

Cactus replaces partially cereal grains and reduces

feeding cost.

Urea + cactus may be one important option to reduce

soybean use as concentrate feeding.

Page 70: USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING - Feedipedia · USE OF CACTUS FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING ... Cactus is rich in soluble carbohydrates, thus, avoid adding molasses and limit the amount

Concluding remarks

Cactus is an excellent source of water for the animals.

Forage production may be part of a multipurpose

production system of cactus.

Fiting the right plant to the semiarid environment makes

more sense than changing the enviroment...

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Thank you!