v.22 no.2 ÅèÒÊØ´á¡éáÅéÇ - kasetsart...

Volume 22, No.2, June 2003 ISSN: 0125-6726

BUFFALO BULLETIN

Editor

S. Sophon

International Buffalo Information Center

Buffalo Bulletin (June 2003) Vol.22 No. 2

27

RICE POLISHINGS AS AN ECONOMICAL SUBSTITUTE FOR WHEAT BRAN AS ASUPPLEMENT TO A WHEAT STRAW DIET FOR LACTATING BUFFALOES

(Bubalus bubalis) IN THE NORTHERN PLAINS OF INDIA

Narayan Dutta, K. Sharma and Uma Naulia

ABSTRACTTwenty-six non-descript lactating buffaloes

from 21 farm families were equally divided in twogroups. The lactating buffaloes consumed a basaldiet of wheat straw ad libitum which wassupplemented with either wheat bran (WBC) or ricepolish (RPC) supplement on iso-nitrogenous basisfor 4 months duration. The amount of supplementwas decided on the basis of milk yield. Thedry-matter intake (% BW or g/kg W 0.75) oflactating buffaloes from straw or concentratemoiety did not differ significantly irrespective ofdietary supplements.The digestibility coefficients ofDM, OM, CP, EE, NDF, ADF were also compa-rable. Similar, the nutrient composition and intake ofcomposite diet in terms of DCP, TDN and ME didnot differ significantly. Milk yield and compositionwere monitored at fortnightly intervals and foundcomparable irrespective of dietary supplement. Thecost-benefit analysis of substitution effect of ricepolish revealed that the cost of concentrate forlactating buffaloes could be reduced significantly ifwheat bran is completely replaced by rice polish.

INTRODUCTION

Small holder livestock production systems arelargely based on fibrous crop residues in developingcountries. The major limitations of crop residues aretheir bulkiness and poor nutritive value. With thevarious enrichment (treatment) technologies

available to improve the nutritive value finding littleacceptance by farmers (Owen and Jayasuriya, 1989;Dolberg, 1992; Devendra, 1997), the only viableoption left is to concentrate on catalyticsupplementation with other feeds that provideadditional protein, minerals and energy. Of theseveral alternative supplementation strategies thatmay be adopted, the most common is the use ofpurchased protein supplements, such as oil cakes(Devendra, 1977). However, the high cost, pooraccessibility and tendency to divert better feeds(brans, cakes and chunies) to cities for use onspecialized peri-urban dairy farms (Kiran Singh etal., 1977) restricts their use in animal feeding in therural sector. Considerable research has gone intoidentifying and assessing various possibilities, andthere is no dearth of on-station feeding trials to evalu-ate nutritive value and animal response (Devendra,1997). Rice polish is freely available in predominantlypaddy-cultivating areas of the Upper Gangetic Plainsof northern India at a much cheaper rate (Rs.300/q)as compared to wheat bran (Rs.500/q) and isusually not favoured by the farmers as a supple-ment in the diet of lactating animals, especiallyduring winter. Since the chemical composition of ricepolish is comparable to that of wheat bran, farmersmay be encouraged to use rice polish as a substitutefor wheat bran in the diet of lactating buffaloes toreduce the cost of milk production. Keeping this inview, an on-farm trial was conducted in the selectedlocales to assess the comparative performance oflactating buffaloes given wheat bran or rice polishas a constituent of concentrate supplement to thebasal diet of wheat straw.

Centre for Advanced Studies in Animal Nutrition, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar-243 122 ,India


28

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Experimental animals and locationThe location chosen for the on-farm

investigation, the Bareilly district of Uttar Pradeshprovince, is located at 170 m above sea level (28o22’ latitude north and 79 o22’ longitude east) in theNorthern Upper Gangetic Plain of India, having anannual rainfall of 900-1200 mm. It is the region ofthe deepest soil, with hardly any variation in relief.This constitutes the wheat and rice bowls of Indiaand is fertile and suitable for growing various typesof subtropical crops. Wheat and rice being the maincultivated crops, cereal straws form the basaldiet of ruminants. Milk production in the area ischaracterized by low yielding non-descript buffaloes,small producers with little land holdings, use of cropresidues with or without costly concentrates as feedsupplements and a scarcity of land for forageproduction.

Animals, feeding system and collection ofsamples

A 120-day lactation trial was conducted on 26lactating buffaloes (2nd to 6th lactation; avg. bodyweigh: 502.51 ± 13.51kg) collectively owned by 21farmers of Kalapur/Mudia Khera villages of Bareillydistrict. The initial selection of farmers for OFTwas based on their willingness to participate andownership of at least one lactating buffalo from 25to 45 days post-partum producing a minimum of 4.0litres milk per day. The buffaloes were equallydivided in two groups in a completely randomizeddesign, consumed a basal diet of wheat strawad libitum which was supplemented with iso-nitrogenous concentrate (Table 1) containing eitherwheat bran (WBC) or rice-polish (RPC). Theamount of supplement was decided on the basis ofmilk yield (1 kg supplement / 2 litres milk) as per theusual practice of the farmers. The information onvarious parameters of the study was collected ofduring bi-weekly visits to the households of partici-pating farmers. The on-farm feeding trial continuedfor about 4 months (120 day of lactation) duringwhich a weekly record of milk production and drymatter intake (DMI) and general health of theanimals was maintained. Milk composition was moni-tored at fortnightly intervals.

The nutrient digestibility was measured byrestricting the normal movements of the animals withthe help of owners during digestion trial. Perceptionof participating farmers regarding feasibility ofreplacing wheat bran with rice polish in the diet oflactating buffaloes and net benefit were also recordedat regular intervals.

The lactating buffaloes were fed in individualfeeding stalls during entire experimental periodand provided free access to water twice daily. Adigestibility trial of 6 days was conducted followingat least 60 days of experimental feeding. Totaldry matter intake and faecal output (24 h) wererecorded daily and a sub-sample collected and driedin a forced drought oven to a constant weight fordry matter estimation. Representative samples ofeach daily faecal collection were drawn, pooled forseven days and preserved in diluted (25%) sulphuricacid for N-estimation. The other samples wereretained for further chemical analysis.

Analytical procedure

The pooled feed, residue and faeces samplescollected daily during the digestion trial wereanalysed for proximate composition (AOAC, 1995)and fibre fractions (Goering and Van Soest, 1970).Milk samples collected at fortnightly intervals wereanalysed for fat, total solids, SNF, crude protein andash (AOAC, 1995). The results were subjected toanalysis of variance and treatment means werecompared using t-test (Snedecor and Cochran, 1989).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Chemical composition

The chemical composition of wheat bran, ricepolish, WBC, RPC and wheat straw used in thisexperiment is given in Table 1. Ether extract, ADFand ash content of rice polish were higher than wheatbran. However, CP and NDF content were higherthan wheat bran. The CP content of wheat strawwas below the critical level required at normalforage consumption by buffaloes (NRC, 1981; Kearl,1982). Though the supplements were iso-nitrogenous,the ether extract content was significantly higher inRPC.


29

Nutrient intake and utilization

Total daily dry matter intake (%BW or g/kgW0.75) of lactating buffaloes did not differ signifi-cantly (P<0.05) between the two treatments. TheDMI of lactating buffaloes ranges from 98.9 to 148.5g/kg W 0.75 (Taparia and Sharma, 1980; Lamba etal., 2002). In this study, the buffaloes had DMintakes of 116-119 g/kg W0.75, which clearly indi-cates that both the supplements were equallypalatable and non-repugnant. Further, the intake ofstraw or concentrate moiety of the diet did notdiffer significantly in buffaloes irrespective of dietarysupplement (Table 2). Rice polish has been reportedto improve dry-matter intake, stimulate volatile fattyacid concentration, microbial numbers and efficiencyof rumen synthesis (Preston et al., 1976; Elliot etal., 1978; Cardenas Garcia et al., 1992). However,Patle and Tripathi (1978) reported that 59% deoiledrice polish in the ration of lactating buffaloes had noeffect on DMI as observed in this study. Similarly,the digestibility coefficient of dry matter (DM),organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), etherextract (EE), neutral and acid detergent fibre (NDFand ADF) did not differ significantly betweentreatments (Table 2). These results are inagreement with the earlier findings which indicateno significant change in OM digestibility, nitrogen-retention, DM disappearance and effectivedegradability of grass hay with increasing level ofrice polish (Chicco et al., 1974; Cardenas Garcia etal., 1992). However, contrary to reports thatindicate toxic effect of increased amount of dietaryfat on cellulolytic bacteria and inhibition of fiberdegradation (Harfoot et al., 1972; Hag and Miller,1972), the digestibility of fiber fractions (NDF andADF) in the present study was not adverselyaffected due to inclusion of rice polish and the fatlevel of RPC (3.4%) remained below the toxic levelto rumen bacteria. The intake (g/kg W0.75) ofdigestible organic matter (DOM), total digestiblenutrients (TDN) and digestible crude protein (DCP)was also similar in the buffaloes on both the diets. Itis significant to note that CP and DCP intake (g/day) of all the lactating buffaloes was 12-23 %24-30 % lower than the recommended value1.2-1.3 kg for CP and 0.73-0.77 kg for DCP,

respectively. However, the animals were able tomaintain their body condition during the experiment,which gives an indication that indigenous buffaloesmay require moderately lower levels of dietary pro-tein than the recommended values in vogue. TheTDN intake, g/animal as well as percent live weightor g/kg W0.75 of buffaloes either on WBC or RPCwas close to the recommended values (Kearl, 1982;ICAR, 1998).

Milk yield and composition

The average daily milk production ofbuffaloes (kg/day) was similar between the dietarysupplements throughout the experiment (Figure 1).Similarly, the milk composition (Table 3) in terms oftotal solids, crude protein, fat and ash did not differsignificantly in buffaloes fed WBC or RPC. Thecomparable milk yield and composition in the presentstudy was in agreement with the earlier report ofPatle and Tripathi (1978) that indicate no significanteffect on these parameters by incorporation of 59%deoiled rice polish in the concentrate mixture forlactating buffaloes.

Socio-economic implications

The cost-benefit analysis of substitution effectof rice polish revealed that cost of concentrate (Rs/kg; US $ 1.00 = Rs. 48.00) for lactating buffaloescould be reduced from 6.00 to 4.82 if wheat bran iscompletely replaced by rice polish. The cost of milkproduction (Rs./ l) was 4.13 in buffaloes given WBCcompared to Rs. 3.59 in their counterparts givenRPC. Thus, the milk producer could save up to Rs.3.30 per day or Rs. 100.00 per month on the feedingof a buffalo giving about 4-6 lits milk/day. The rateof return on investment made for feeds was 220.4and 268.8 % on WBC and RPC, respectively. In theopinion of the participating farmers, substitution ofwheat bran with rice polish significantly improvesthe level of benefits. Farmers perceived feeding ofrice polish as practical without any constraint. Allthe farmers continued to feed rice polish even afterthe termination of the experiment.


30

Table 1. Ingredients and chemical composition.

Attributes Supplements Wheat straw

Wheat bran Rice polish WBC RPC

Ingredients(%DM)Maize/Wheat 10 10Wheat bran 65 -Rice polish - 63Deoiled SBM 25 27Chemical composition (% DM)Dry-matter 91.01 90.00 90.1 90.2 92.8Crude protein 14.05 12.01 22.9 21.7 3.9Ether extract 5.52 12.51 4.3 8.6 1.6Ash 6.40 13.69 6.5 11.0 11.2NDF 45.70 39.96 33.7 29.5 78.5ADF 14.02 20.08 12.1 15.9 47.8

WBC: Wheat bran based supplement, RPC: Rice polish based supplement

Figure 1. Average milk production of buffaloes on WBC or RPC.

CONCLUSION

Rice polish can be effectively used as aneconomical substitute of wheat-bran in theprevalent feeding systems of buffaloes in theIndo-Gangetic plains of northern India without anyconstraint.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This study was financially supported byfunds provided by Indian Council of AgriculturalResearch (AP-Cessfund), New Delhi, India.


31

Table 2. Nutrient intake, digestibility and plane of nutrition of buffaloes on WBC or PRC supplements.

Variables Supplements SEMWBC RPC

Body Weight, Kg 505.00 498.70 13.14Intake, Kg/dayDry matter 12.65 12.26 0.30Roughage 9.56 9.35 0.35Concentrate 2.87 2.85 0.20Organic matter 11.09 10.78 0.31DM IntakeKg W 0.75 119.25 115.98 2.88% live weight 2.52 2.45 0.08Digestibility, %DM 51.38 50.01 2.05OM 55.52 53.99 2.06CP 53.67 54.02 1.98EE 55.67 58.79 2.32NDF 50.80 48.90 1.97ADF 41.71 40.03 2.41Nutrient concentration, %DMDCP 4.42 4.37 0.31TDN 50.83 50.08 2.13ME, Mcal/kg 1.84 1.81 0.07Nutrient intake, g/Kg W 0.75

DCP 5.23 5.07 0.30DOM 57.37 55.41 1.99TDN 60.19 58.16 2.01ME,Kcal 218 210 -


Table 3. Milk composition (%) of buffaloes on WBC or RPC supplements.

Variables Supplements SEM

WBC RPC

Total solids 17.36 17.30 0.60Crude protein 3.87 3.75 0.17Fat 7.45 7.22 0.32SNF 9.90 10.06 0.26Ash 8.7 8.8 0.02



32

REFERENCES

AOAC.(1995). Official Methods of Analysis. 16th

ed. Association of Official AnalyticalChemists, Washington, DC.

Cardenas Garcia, D., C.J. Newbold, H. Galbraith,and J.H. Topps (1992). The effect ofincluding Colombian rice polishing in the dieton rumen fermentation in vitro. Anim. Prod.,54: 275-280.

Chicco, C.F., J.T. Perdono, S.T. Garbati and T.A.Shultz (1974). Replacement of rice polish forfattening pigs. Agronomia –Tropical-Venzuela24: 477-481.

Devendra, C., (1997). Crop residues for feedinganimals in Asia: Technology development andadoption in crop/ livestock systems.In:C.Renard (ed).Crop Residues in Sustain-able Mixed Crop/Livestock FarmingSystems. (CAB International, Wallingford), p.241-267.

Dolberg, F. (1992). Progress in the utilization ofurea-ammonia treated crop residues: Biologi-cal and socio-economic aspects of animalproduction and application of the technologyon small farms. Livestock Research forRural Development 4: 20-31.

Elliot, R., H. M. Ferreiro and A. Priego (1978). Anestimate of the quantity of feed proteinescaping degradation in the rumen of steersfed chopped sugar cane, molasses/urea supple-mented with varying quantities of ricepolishing. Tropical Anim. Prod. 3: 36-39.

Goering, H.K. and P.J. VanSoest (1970). ForageFibre Analysis (apparatus, reagents,Procedures and some applications), Agricul-tural Handbook No.379, ARS-USDA,Washington, DC.

Hag, E.I. and T.B. Miller (1972). Evaluation ofwhiskey distillery by-products. VI. Thereduction in digestibility of malt distiller’s grainsby fatty acids and interaction with calcium andother reversal agents. J. Sci. Food and Agri.,23: 47-258.

Harfoot, C.G., M.L. Crouchman, R.C. Noble andJ.H. Moore (1974). Cometition between foodparticles and rumen bacteria in the uptake oflong chain fatty acids and triglycerides. J.Applied Bact. 37: 633-641.

ICAR. (1998). Nutrient Requirements of Livestockand Poultry. Indian Council of AgricultureResearch. New Delhi.

Kearl, L.C. (1982). Nutrient requirement ofruminants in developing countries. UtahAgricultural Experimental Station, Utah StateUniversity, International Feedstuffs Institute,Logan, USA

Kiran Singh, G. Habib, M.M. Siddiqui and M.N.M.Ibrahim (1997). Dynamics of feed resourcesin mixed farming systems of south Asia.In:C.Renard (ed). Crop residues in sustainablemixed crop/livestock farming systems. (CABInternational, Wallingford) p. 113-130.

Lamba, J.S., M. Wadhwa and M.P.S. Baksh (2002).Effect of feeding naturally fermentedurea wheat straw on the productive and re-productive performance of milch buffaloes.Bubalus bubalis 89(2) : 72-79.

NRC. (1981). Nutrient Requirements of Goats.National Academy of Sciences. NationalResearch Council, Washington, DC.

Owen, E. and M.C.M. Jayasuriya (1989). Use ofcrop residues as animal feeds in developingcountries: A review. Research Developmentin Agriculture 6: 124-128.

Patle, B.R. and G.S. Tripathi (1978). Incorporationof deoiled rice polish in milch buffalo ration.Indian J. Dairy Sci., 31(4) : 388-390.

Preston, T.R., C.F. Carcano,. J. Alvarez and D.G.Gutierrez (1976). Rice polishings as a supple-ment in a sugar cane diet; effect of the level ofrice polishings and of processing the sugar caneby derinding or chopping. Tropical Anim.Prod., 1: 150-162.

Snedecor, G.W. and W.G. Cochran (1989). Statisti-cal Methods. 7 th ed. The Iowa State Univer-sity, Iowa, USA.

Taparia, A.L. and V.V. Sharma (1980). Somefactors affecting voluntary food intake inbuffaloes. J. Agri. Sci. (Camb.), 95: 147-159.


33

DIGESTIBILITY OF RATIONS WITH DIFFERENT CONTENTS OF UREA IN THECONCENTRATE MIXTURE CONSUMED BY WEANED BUFFALO CALVES

M. Tzankova and K. Dimov

ABSTRACTAt the Agricultural Institute - Shumen a study

was made of the digestibility of rations withdifferent contents of urea in the composition of theconcentrate mixture consumed by weaned buffalocalves. A tendency was observed that thecoefficients of digestibity of the separate nutrientsin the rations of weaned buffalo calves wereincreased by including urea in the concentratemixture.

Significant differences were established in thedigestibility of the crude protein and fibre (P<0.05)in the diets in which part of the crude protein of theconcentrate mixture was replaced equivalentlywith 2% urea. Significant differences (P<0.05 andP<0.01) in the digestibility coefficients of NFE andcrude fat in the portions were also found in diets inwhich part of the crude protein of the concentratemixture was replaced equivalently with 4% urea.

It was established that in the structure ofrations for weaned buffalo calves consisting of wheatstraw, alfalfa hay and concentrated mixture, - 56 %of the crude protein of the concentrate mixture canbe replaced with an equivalent quantity of urea.

INTRODUCTIONProviding agricultural animals with protein

is one of the main problems in their feeding. This isa question of present interest in our country becausethe basic protein feeds of vegetative origin areexpensive and in short supply. The nutritive value ofurea and other synthetic nitrogen compounds iswell known especially when they are used toimprove the protein feeding with cattle, but with

buffaloes the investigations in this direction are notsufficient. This issue becomes even more importantbecause buffaloes usually are fed with roughage withlow content of protein.

The studies carried out with buffaloes bydifferent authors mainly concern replacing part ofthe crude protein of the concentrate mixture in theration with urea (Sawhney, 1963; Ichhponani andSidhu, 1965; Ranjhan et al., 1971; Gill, 1972; Furlanet al., 1988) by treating the roughages (Bhatia, 1967;Ranjhan et al., 1988) or by urea mineral lickingblocks (Dela Cruz et al., 1996; Florendo et al.,1996).

The aim of the present study is toestablish the digestibility of rations in weanedbuffalo calves in which part of the protein of theconcentrated mixture has been replaced with urea.

MATERIAL AND METHODSFour balance experiments on digestibility were

carried out according to the conventional method(Platikanov, 1954) with buffalo calves at 11-12months of age. Each experiment comprised twogroups (control and experimental) of three animalsanalogically equalized in breed, age, body weight andsex.The experiments were carried out in twoperiods: preparatory - 15 days when the quantityof the consumed feeds has been measured and acollection period - 7 days when the excrement andsamples for analysis were gathered.

Table 1 shows the composition of the experi-mental rations in all groups and experiments, andTable 2, the composition of the concentrate mixtures.

Agricultural Institute. BG - 9700 Shumen, Bulgaria


34

Only in the first experiment, rock salt was includedin the concentrate mixture; in the rest of the experi-ments salt was available in blocks for licking. Forthe experimental group, 19% of the crude protein ofthe concentrate mixture in first experiment wasreplaced with 1% urea, 33% of the crude protein ofthe concentrate mixture for experimental group inthe second experiment was replaced with 2% urea.In the experimental groups in the third and fourthexperiments these figures were, respectively, 50%crude protein replaced with 3% urea and 57% crudeprotein replaced with 4% urea.

All consumed feeds and samples of excrementwere analyzed.

The obtained results were treated using theconventional statistical procedure (Snedekor, 1961).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The data about the consumed feeds andnutrients daily per head in groups and experimentsis given in Table 3.There are no significantdifferences between the quantity of feed consumedby buffalo calves of the experimental and controlgroups. In the experimental groups in the first andsecond experiments there was observed a certaindecrease in the quantity of the feed consumedcompared to the control groups, which expressed inpercent is respectively 11% and 23%, whereas inthe experimental groups in the third and fourthexperiments there was a slight increase in the quan-tity of the feed consumed compared to the controlgroups. The same fluctuations have been observedregarding the nutrients. Replacing part of the crudeprotein in the concentrated mixture with urea hasnot led to a substantial change in the structure of theconsumed nutrients.

Jchhponani and Sidhu (1965) obtained similarresults using rations with and without urea.

The digestibility coefficients in groups andexperiments are given in Table 4. The analysis ofdata shows that in the experimental groups, thecoefficients of digestibility had higher values for mostnutrients. The present differences were significant(P<0.05) only between the digestibility coefficientsof crude protein and crude fibre in the secondexperiment and between the digestibility coefficientsof NFE and crude fibre in the fourth experiment(P<0.05 and P<0.01).

The results from the study show that thereplacement of 19%, 33%, 50% and 56% of thecrude protein in the concentrated mixture in rationsfor weaned buffalo calves with equivalentquantities of urea - 1%, 2%, 3% and 4% did notsignificantly influence the consumption of nutrients.In this way it is possible to save the expensiveprotein components in concentrated mixtures (Table4).

CONCLUSIONS

A tendency was observed that the coefficientsof the separate nutrients in the rations of weanedbuffalo calves were increased by including urea inthe composition of the concentrated mixture.

Significant differences were established in thecrude protein and fibre (P<0.05) in the rations inwhich part of the crude protein of the concentratedmixture was replaced equivalently with 2% urea.Significant differences (P<0.05 and P<0.01) in thedigestibility coefficients of NFE and crude fat werealso found when part of the crude protein of theconcentrate mixture was replaced equivalently with4% urea.

It was established that in the structure ofrations for weaned buffalo calves consisting of wheatstraw, alfalfa hay and concentrated mixture, 56% ofthe crude protein of the concentrate mixture can bereplaced with an equivalent quantity of urea.


35

Table 1. Composition of the rations for all experiments and groups.

FODDERS %

1. Wheat straw - ground 452. Alfalfa hay - ground 253. Concentrate mixture 30

Table 2. Composition of the concentrate mixtures in the separate experiments and groups.

Experiment I st IInd IIIrd IVth

Groups Control Experi Control Experi Control Experi Control ExperiFeeds mental mental mental mental

Wheat 44.00 44.00 - 10.0 - - 50.00 15.00Oats 37.00 47.00 - 14.14 - 17.00 - -Barley - - 60.00 23.06 60.00 15.00 15.00 19.00Corn - - 10.00 40.00 10.00 62.00 - 60.00Sunflower 16.00 5.00 27.00 8.00 27.00 - 33.00 -expellerUrea - 1.04 - 2.00 - 3.00 - 4.00Dicalciumphosphate 1.20 1.16 2.20 2.00 2.20 2.20 1.20 1.20Premix 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50Microelement mixture 0.30 0.30 0.30 0.30 0.30 0.30 0.30 0.30Salt 1.00 1.00 - - - - - -Feed units 1.05 1.04 1.11 1.13 1.11 1.15 1.10 1.18Crude protein 158 158 175 177 175 176 205 209


36

Table 3. Consumed feeds and nutrients averagely per day by a buffalo calf in the separate experim

ents and groups.

Experiments

I st – 1% II nd – 2%

III th – 3%IV

th – 4%G

roupsC

ontrolExperi

Control

ExperiC

ontrolExperi

Control

ExperiTreats

mental

mental

mental

mental

Consum

ed feed, kg6.01

5.356.00

4.615.56

5.585.49

6.18- concentrated m

ixture1.80

1.632.10

1.581.67

1.691.60

1.84- w

heat straw 2.74

2.422.55

2.002.54

2.542.43

2.83- alfalfa hay

1.471.30

1.351.03

1.351.35

1.461.51

Consum

ed energy and nutrients, kg- feed units

3.443.07

3.752.90

3.273.38

3.223.78

- dry matter, kg

5.164.60

5.173.96

4.784.79

4.725.30

- crude protein, kg0.63

0.600.71

0.550.61

0.640.69

0.74- crude fat, kg

0.100.09

0.120.09

0.100.10

0.080.11

- crude fibre, kg1.44

1.281.43

1.041.35

1.301.37

1.45- N

FE *2.63

2.332.56

2.042.40

2.452.27

2.69- O

rganic matter, kg

4.814.30

4.833.72

4.464.45

4.424.99

* Nitrogen free extract


37

Tabl

e 4. D

iges

tibili

ty co

effic

ient

s of n

utrie

nts (

aver

age o

f 6 an

imal

s ± st

anda

rd er

ror).

Trai

tsD

ry m

atte

r, %

Org

anic

mat

ter,%

Cru

de p

rote

in, %

Cru

de fa

t, %

Cru

de fi

bre,

%NE

Fx ±

Sx x

± S

x

x ±

Sx

x

± S

x

x ±

Sx

x ±

SxEx

perim

ent

Gro

up x

± Sx I

Con

trol

79.67

±0.3

34 81

.00

±0.0

00 83

.00

±0.5

7780

.33±

1.452

72.00

±2.5

1683

.67 ±

0.33

4Ex

perim

enta

l18

1.00

±0.2

5681

.67±

2.858

85.00

±2.0

0082

.67±

1.332

76.33

±2.7

2884

.67 ±

2.84

8Si

gnifi

canc

e-

--

- -

-

IIC

ontro

l71

. 00 ±

1.000

72.33

±0.9

13 76

.33

±0.9

1367

.33±

1.779

62.33

±0.4

0876

.67 ±

1.22

4Ex

perim

enta

l17

4.00

±1.1

5575

.33 ±

1.472

79.33

±0.4

0868

.67 ±

1.871

68.0

0 ±1.7

3280

.00

±1.5

77Si

gnifi

canc

e-

-1-

2-+

-1-

2-+

-

IIIC

ontro

l 80

.33

±1.2

2481

.33±

1.224

84.00

±0.5

7783

.33±

0.913

76.00

±1.1

5583

.33 ±

1.22

4Ex

perim

enta

l18

1.00

±0.5

77 82

.33

±0.7

1784

.00±

0.000

83.3

3±

0.707

76.33

±0.7

0785

.00 ±

0.57

7Si

gnifi

canc

e-

--

--

-

IVC

ontro

l72

.67 ±

1.202

73.67

±1.2

0279

.00±

1.000

67.33

±2.6

0267

.33±

2.041

77.0

0 ± 0.

577

Expe

rimen

tal

174.

67 ±

0.882

75.33

±1.8

8379

.33±

0.408

72.00

±1.0

0068

.67±

0.913

7

9.00

± 0

.577

Sign

ifica

nce

--

-1-

2-++

-1-

2-+

+-

P<0.

05

++-

P<0.

01


38

REFERENCES

Bhatla, J. (1967). Final Report Punjab AgriculturalUniversity, Ludhiana.

Dela Cruz, P.C., D.L. Aquino, S.P. Neria and S.K.Ranjhan (1996). Growth performance ofbuffaloes fed urea-molasses mineral blockunder stratified concentrate feeding schemes,Abstracts of Water Buffalo Researches inthe Philippines, 1981-1995, Philippine Cara-bao Center, Manila.

Elorendo, P.C., D.L. Aquino, D.H.Duran, N.D.Lorenzo, F.P. Aquno, S.M. Lorenzo and F.V.Mamuad (1996). Development and utilizationof urea-molasses mineral block (UMMB) lickfor milk production of buffaloes. BuffaloBulletin, Abstracts of Water BuffaloResearches in the Philippines, 1981-1995,Philippine Carabao Center, Manila.

Gill, R.S. (1972). Replacement of feed nitrogen withurea in the ration of growing buffaloes,Ph.D.Thesis, P.A.U., Ludhiana.

Ichhponani, Z.S. and G.S.Sidhu (1965). Z. Anim.Sci., 24: 888.

Luiz R. Furlan, L.C. Cristian, Balmer, C.G. AntonioNeto, Ma’Rio De B. Arrigoni and ClaudineiParre (1988). Effect of partial substitution ofcottonseed-meal protein by urea on day weightgain and linear development of yearlingbuffaloes, Abstract of II World BuffaloCongress, Proceedings vol. 1: 209, Decem-ber, 1988, New Delhi.

Platikanov, H. (1954). Zootechnical researchagricultural methods of feeding of agriculturalanimals. Reports of the Institute of Animals.BAS, 5.

Rajan Gupta, S.S. Sengar, S.S. Dahiya and V.D.Mudgal (1988). Effect of urea and aqueousammonia treatment on proximate principlesof wheat straw, Abstract of II World BuffaloCongress, Proceedings vol. II: 244-248,December, 1988, New Delhi.

Sawhney, P. (1963). Urea as a protein substitute inthe ration of cows and buffaloes for growthand milk production, J.C.A.R. Report.

Snedecor, J. (1961). Statistical methods appliedto the researches in agricultural andbiology. Moscow, pp. 161 (Ru).


39

EFFECT OF L-CARNITINE SUPPLEMENTATION ON PRODUCTIVE AND REPRODUCTIVEPERFORMANCE OF BUFFALO COWS

W.M.B. Noseir, M.A. Hegazy and K.E. Elekhnawy

Theriogenology Dept., Fac. Vet. Med., Alex. Univ., Animal Reproduction Research Institute, Giza, Egypt.

SUMMARY

Thirty apparently healthy pregnant multiparousbuffalo cows were used starting from two weeksprepartum until 120 days postpartum. They weredivided according to their parity and body conditionscore into two groups. The first group (control, n=10)was fed basal ration while the second group(L-carnitine, n=20) was fed on the same rationsupplemented with about 5 gm/head/day ofL-carnitine. It was found that, L-carnitine supple-mentation led to a significant improvement in bodycondition score, dry matter as well as energyintakes in addition to significant increase in milkproduction during early lactation. Serum concen-trations of keton bodies, bilirubin and AST duringthe first month of lactation were all significantlyreduced in the L-carnitine group compared control.Whereas, serum concentrations of cholesterol andinsulin hormone were significantly increased bysupplementation. Time intervals to first ovulation aswell as first estrus were significantly (P<0.011)decreased in buffalo cows receiving L-carnitinesupplementation (41.50±7.04 and 62.20±2.27 days,respectively) compared to the non-supplementedcontrol (58.00±2.72 and 75.83±3.90 days, respec-tively). Similarly, time interval to first service andconception (days open) was significantly (P<0.01)reduced by L-carnitine supplementation. Therecorded values were 95.83±5.58 and 119.67±3.98days, respectively in the control group compared with74.35±1.78 and 81.60±3.44 days, respectively in theL-carnitine group. Number of services per concep-tion was also decreased (P<0.01) in buffalo cowsreceiving L-carnitine (1.40±0.11) compared to thenon supplemented control (2.00±0.01).

INTRODUCTION

Inadequate dietary energy in the short term oras a consequence of a prolonged depletion of bodyreserves during early lactation in both dairy cowsand buffaloes can have deleterious effects onresumption of ovarian activity postpartum andother markers of reproductive success such asconception rate to first service, services perconception as well as calving-to-conception inter-vals (Hegazy, 1993, Hegazy et al., 1995 and 1996and De Vries et al., 1999).

L-Carnitine is a water-soluble vitamin-likenaturally occurring substance (Blum, 1994). It ispresent in the tissues of all animals, especially inmuscle and liver. It is biosynthesized from protein-bound lysine and methionine in the liver. Recently,L-carnitine has been demonstrated to act as acarrier in the transport of activated long chain fattyacids across the membrane of the mitochondria(Scholte et al., 1996). Moreover, its role indetoxifying excess intracellular acyle groupsand in the production of metabolic energy from avariety of other substances such as fatty acids,pyruvate and ketone bodies add to it importance(Blum, 1994). Also, it stimulates lipolysis andthermogenesis, and acts as a receptor and storagesubstance for activated fatty acids. In this capacity;it is essential for fat and energy metabolism.

Trials have indicated that, L-carnitine hasbeneficial effects in both productive and reproduc-tive performance of monogastric species includingsows (Harmeyers, 1993 and Freemaut et al., 1993),mares (Then and Leibertseder, 1994) and poultry(Leibertseder and Then, 1994). In contrast tomonogastric species the energy supply of ruminants


40

is based almost entirely on oxidation of short andlong chain fatty acids rather than carbohydrates.L-carnitine is therefore, even more important forruminant than monogastric species. Noseir andEIAmrawi (2000) found an improvement effect ofL-carnitine supplementation on fertility of normaland subfertile rams.

The aim of this work was to investigate theeffect of L-carnitine supplementation on bothproductive and reproductive performance ofbuffalo cows during early lactation.

MATERIALS AND METHODSThirty apparently healthy pregnant multipa-

rous buffalo cows were used starting from twoweeks prepartum until 120 days postpartum. Theywere divided according to their parity and bodycondition score (Surinder et al., 1987) into twogroups. The first group (control, n=10) was fedad libitum on a balanced total mixed rations (Table1) according the feeding standard of buffaloes(Ranjhan and Pathak, 1979). The second group(L-carnitine, n=20) was fed on the same ration

supplemented with 5 gm/head/day of L-carnitine(Carniking, Lonza Ltd., Basel, Switzerland). L-carnitine was premixed with mineral and vitaminmixtures before being added to the ration. Monthlysamples were taken from the ration for proximateanalysis according to AOCA (1984). Unconsumedamounts of TMR were recorded daily for calculationof dry matter (DM) and TDN intake. Body conditionscoring was carried out by the same person everymonth. Milk yield as well as fat% of each animal wererecorded weekly.

One week after calving, each buffalo cow wasexamined rectally twice weekly to detect bothuterine and ovarian changes. Estrus was checkedtwice daily by a prone fertile bull.

Animals coming in heat after 45 dayspostpartum were naturally serviced and examinedrectally 45 days later. Blood samples were taken twiceweekly to measure serum progesterone (P4) hormonestarting from 2 weeks postpartum until conception.Progesterone was qualified by radioimmunoassay kitsupplied by Diagnostic System Laboratories, USA.First ovulations were verified by occurrence of twoconsecutive observed P4 values > 1.0 ng/ml serum.

Table 1. Ingredients as well as chemical constituent of total mixed rations offered to buffalo cows until 120days of lactation.

Ingredients Kg/head/day

Ground com 4.80Rice bran 3.70Cotton seed meal 4.00Mineral mixture 0.034Vitamin mixture 0.017Lime stone 0.23Common salt 0.11Berseem hay 4.00Wheat Straw 2.75 Chemical constitutents(on DM basis)Dry matter (Kg) 17.00Crude protein(%) 14.00Total digestible nutrients(%) 67.00Calcium(%) 0.70Phosphorus(%) 0.35


41

Serum samples taken during the firstmonth postpartum were used for calorimetricdetermination of ketone bodies (Pawan, 1958) aswell as for bilirubin, cholesterol and AST (Aspartateamino-transferase) using kits supplied by Sclavo,Italy. Insulin hormone was determined by radioim-munoassay kit supplied by Diasari, Italy. All datawere statistically analyzed according to Snedecorand Cochran (1981).

RESULTSResponse in body condition score, DM and

TDN intake as well as milk yield during the first 120days postpartum are presented in Table 2. Bodycondition score loss during the first month oflactation was significantly (P<0.05) less in buffalocows receiving L-carnitine than control. DM andTDN intake were significantly greater withL-carnitine administration during the first 2 monthsof postpartum period. Milk yield (7% fat correctedmilk) was significantly (P<0.01) higher during thefirst 120 days of lactation in buffalo cows receivingL-carnitine when compared with control group.

Table 3 showed that serum concentrations ofketone bodies, bilirubin and AST during the first monthof lactation were all significantly reduced in theL-carnitine group compared to the control.Whereas serum concentrations of cholesterol andinsulin hormone were significantly increased bysupplementation.

It is worth mentioning that, two buffalo cows(untabulated data) from each group (2/10, 20% inthe control group compared with 2/20, 10% in theL-carnitine group) were suffering from anestrum untilthe end of the experiment (at 120 days postpartum).The data of such animals was not included in thecalculation of the following reproductive traits.

Table 4. represent the effect of L-carnitinesupplementation in the time interval from parturitionto complete uterine involution, first ovulation, firstestrus, first service and days open as well as onnumber of services per conception. It was foundthat uterine involution did not significantly vary withL-carnitine supplementation. Time intervals to firstovulation as well as first estrus were significantly

(P<0.01) decreased in buffalo cows receivingL-carnitine supplementation compared to the nonsupplemented controls.

Time interval to first service and conception(days open) were significantly (P<0.01) reduced byL-carnitine supplementation. Number of services perconception was also decreased (P<0.01) in buffalocows receiving L-carnitine compared to non supple-mented controls.

DISCUSSIONBody condition score loss during the first month

of lactation was significantly less in buffalo cowsreceiving L-carnitine than in controls. Similar resultswere recorded in sows by Freemaut et al. (1993)and Harmeyers (1993). A cardinal feature of dairycows and buffaloes, particularly high-yieldinganimals, in the first month of lactation is thedevelopment of negative energy balance becausefeed intake is insufficient to meet the nutrientdemand for both maintenance and lactation (Hegazy,1993 and NRC, 2001). As a result of this energydeficiency, buffalo cows mobilize body reserves formilk production and lose condition and weight.The positive effect of L-carnitine supplementationon body condition in the present study is probably aresult of more efficient use of fatty acids, promotingglyconeogensis and formation of propionate in therumen, preventing ketosis as well as ensuring asustained release of energy for the animal.

The improvement in milk yield in L-carnitinesupplemented sows was previously recorded byFreemaut et al. (1993) who suggested that thepositive effects were probably a result of betterenergy utilization. Experimental evidence producedby recent research suggests that L-carnitine not onlypromotes mitochondrial oxidation of fatty acids butalso fulfils other biochemical functions. Suchfunctions include acetyl buffers, maintenance ofsufficient mitochondrial concentrations ofCo-enzyme A under conditions of anaerobicgeneration of energy, stimulation of both the tricar-boxylic acid cycle and the outward transport of ATPfrom the mitochondria during intensive muscle work(Scholte et al., 1996).


42

Table 2. Effect of L-carnitine supplementation on perform

ance of buffalo cows.

Items

ControlL-carnitine

Probability

Body condition score change (unit):0-30 days postpartum

-0.56±

0.03-0.31

±0.03

bP<0.05

30-60 days postpartum+0.31

±0.05

+0.43±

0.05N

S

60-120 days postpartum +0.51

±0.09

+0.49±

0.06N

S

Dry m

atter intake (Kg/day):

0-30 days postpartum12.70

±0.38

a13.63

±0.31

bP<0.08


±0.28

a15.10

±0.27

bP<0.05


±0.32

16.56±

0.21N

S

Total digestible energy intake (Kg/day):


±0.26

a9.13

±0.21

bP<0.08


±0.25

a10.11

±0.18

bP<0.05


±0.21

11.10±

0.14N

S

Daily m

ilk yield (7% FC

M#K

g)0-30 days postpartum

7.40±

0.31a

9.64±

0.34b

P<0.0130-60 days postpartum

11.83±

0.31a

13.80±

0.35b

P<0.0160-120 days postpartum

9.40±

0.34a

11.40±

0.34b

P<0.01

Within row

s, means follow

ed by different letters were significantly different at corresponding P.

# 7% fat corrected m

ilk.


43

Table 3. Effect of L-carnitine supplementation on serum concentration of some metabolites during the first month of lactation of buffalo cows.

Parameters Control L-carnitine Probability

Keton bodies (mg%) 2.46 ± 0.11a 1.46 ± 0.06b P<0.01Cholesterol (mg%) 81.70 ± 2.71a 93.90 ± 1.50b P<0.01Bilirubin (mg%) 2.69 ± 0.10a 1.55 ± 0.05b P<0.05AST (IU/ml) 69.10 ± 1.80a 52.20 ± 1.74b P<0.01Insulin (IU/ml) 12.90 ± 0.30a 15.40 ± 0.25b P<0.05

Within rows, means followed by different letters were significantly different at corresponding P.

Table 4. Effect of L-carnitine supplementation on postpartum reproductive traits of buffalo cows.

Traits Control L-carnitine Probability

Uterine involution (day) 31.00 ± 1.41 28.45 ± 0.90 NS*

First ovulation (day) 8.00 ± 2.72a 41.50 ± 7.04b P<0.01First detected estrus (day) 75.83 ± 3.90a 62.20 ± 2.27b P<0.01First service (day) 95.83 ± 5.58a 74.35 ± 1.78b P<0.01Days open (day) 119.67 ± 3.98a 81.60 ± 3.44b P<0.01Number of services/conception 2.00 ± 0.01a 1.40 ± 0.11b P<0.05

Within rows, means followed by different letters were significant at corresponding P.*Non significant


44

The results of the present paper show thatthere were significant elevations in serum ketonebodies, bilirubin, and AST levels in control groups.These alterations in blood composition reflect themetabolic consequence of the high priority accordedmilk production of dairy cows in early lactation whenappetite is limited and the hormonal environment maypredispose to mobilization of ‘adipose tissue reserves(Baird, 1982). Baumgartner and Bauman, (1996)suggested that a metabolism overloaded with ketonebodies and their precursor (acetate and butyrate)results in a marked increase in acetyl-CoA and areduction in free CoA, thereby severely inhibitingthe generation of energy through the tricarboxylicacid cycle. This metabokic bottleneck might besignificantly alleviated through the increasedavailability of L-carnitine, which is known to act asa buffer for the acetyl group of acetyl-CoA.Lactating ruminants are unable to make additionalsupplies of carnitine available. However, the demandfor L-carnitine in this situation is disproportionallyincreased as a result of the secretion of largequantities of L-carnitine in the milk and urine.Nevertheless, a specific ratio of acetyl coenzymeA to free CoA is an essential precondition fornormal mitochondrial energy metabolism. Adequatesupplies of L-carnitine make the generation ofenergy more efficient and promote of the transportof ATP from the mitochondria to the cystosol. As aresult the metabolism of stored fat (lipolysis) isstimulated to a lesser extent and the energyutilization of ketone bodies improve. Harmeyers(1993) suggested that L-carnitine supplementationincreases ketogenesis in the liver, stimulating ketonbody oxidation by peripheral tissue at the sametime. This is coupled with a decrease of ketone bodyplasma concentration. Moreover, in subclinicalketosis the L-carnitine excretions increase stillfurther (Baumgartner and Bauman, 1996).L-carnitine supplementation in the feed cancompensate for any reduction in L-carnitine in dairycows as a result of metabolic processes.

Concerning insulin level, Bassett et al. (1971)reported that peripheral concentrations of insulin are

directly proportional to level of feed intake inruminants. The L-carnitine group in the present studyconsumed more DM than the control group. Lowinsulin makes ovarian follicles less responsive toGnRH stimulation (Cornfield et al., 1990). Poretskyand Kalin (1987) suggested that insulin affectsovarian tissues similarly to pituitary gonadotropins;these actions include direct effects on steroidogenicreceptors number, modulation of gonadotropinreceptor number, non-specific enhancement of cellviability and synergism with other gonadotropins.They added that insulin augmented the effect of FSHin stimulating granulosa cell proliferation andenhanced progesterone from small and largefollicles.

The reported increase in serum plasma biliru-bin in the control group in the current study can resultfrom increased input of bilirubin into plasma or froma decrease in removal from the circulation. It isthought that free fatty acids that increase in earlylactation due to the metabolic stress of negativeenergy balance compete with bilirubin for bindingsites on the hepatic transport system and reducedhepatic uptake of bilirubin (Naylor et al., 1980). Also,the elevation of the enzyme AST in the control groupmay increase damage or disruption of the hepaticcell membrane.The reduced cholesterol concentra-tion in the serum of control buffalo cows reflectsreduced synthesis and / or secretion of cholesterolby the liver. A condition was previously recorded incows suffering from fatty liver during early lacta-tion without a concurrent increase in BCS (Reid etal., 1983). This may due to reduced hepatic choles-terol synthesis (Brumby et al., 1975).

The improvement effect of L-carnitine inbuffalo cows fertility is in agreement with previousreport, of improved fertility in sows by Freemantet al. (1993) and Harmeyers (1993) and in rams byNoseir and ElAmrawi (2000). Recovery or improve-ment in energy balance from its nadir towards apositive state may provide an important signal forinitiation of ovarian activity. This signal includes anincrease in glucose, insulin and insulin-like growthfactor-1 and decrease in free fatty acids. Moreover,


45

initiation of cycling requires adequate DM and bodyreserves. If these condition are met, LH pulse andfrequency will increase, insulin will also increaseassociated with an increase in number and affinityof LH receptors leading to first ovulation 10-14 daysafter the negative balance nadir. LH is a peptidehormone that requires sufficient amounts of ATP forits formation (Lehninger, 1982). In the present studythere was a significant increase in serum choles-terol in the L-carnitine supplemented group. Mostof the female sex hormones that controls reproduc-tion (e.g. estrogen and progesterone) are steroidhormones, and all steroid hormones are ultimatelymade from a single precursor, cholesterol, which inturn is made from acetyl-CoA (Lehninger, 1982).

In the same line, Stevenson and Call (1983)suggested that the conception rate in lactating cowswas related to the number of ovulatory cyclespreceding insemination. Hence the reestablishmentof ovulatory cycles early after parturition assuresmultiple estrous cycles prior to the recommendedbreeding period and in this manner influences theconception rate.

From this work, it can be concluded that,L-carnitine can be successively used for dairybuffalo cows during early lactation to enhance theirproductive and reproductive status.

REFERENCES

AOAC. (1984). Official methods of Analysis.Association of Official Analytical Chemists.14 ed., Washington, USA.

Baird, G.D. (1982). Primary ketosis in the highproducing cows: Clinical and subclinical disor-ders, treatment, prevention, and outlook.J. Dairy Sci., 62: 1.

Bassett, J.M., R.H. Weston and J.P. Hagan (1971).Regulation of plasma insulin and growthhormone concentration in sheep. Aust. J. BioI.Sci., 24: 321.

Baumgarter, M. and R. Bauman (1996). L-carnitinefor ruminant-requirement and effect of anadequate supply. Internal report for LonzaLtd, Muenchensteinerstrasse 38, C4002 Basel.

Blum, R. (1994). Nutritional aspect of L-carnitine.Proceedings of the 4th annual Congress ofthe European Society of Veterinary Inter-nal medicine (ESVIM), Brussels, (Belgium),p. 17.

Brumby, P.E., M. Anderson, B. Trukley, J.E. Storby,and K.G. Hibbitt(1975). Lipid metabolism inthe cow during starvation-induced ketosis.Bioch. J., 146: 609.

Confield, R.W., C.J. Sniffen and W.R. Butler (1990).Effect of excess degradable protein on post-partum reproduction in dairy cattle. J. DairySci., 73: 2342.

De Vries, M.S., S. Van Der Beek, L.M.T.E. Kaal-Lansbergen, W. Ouweltjes and J.B.M.Wilmink, (1999). Modeling of energy balancein early lactation and the effect of energy deficitin early lactation on first detected estruspostpartum in dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci., 82:1927.

Freemaut, G., Roeymaecker, des, Letre, J. and J.Aerts (1993). Do lactating sows benefit fromL-carnitine supplementation, Varkensbedrijf(June): 30.

Harmeyers, J. (1993). The effect of additionalL-carnitine at the end of gestation andduring lactation on sow and litter perfor-mance. Internal report for Lonza Ltd,Muenchenst-inerstrasse 38, C4002 Basel.

Hegazy, M. A. (1993). A study on the effect ofsome nutrients on the reproductive perfor-mance of buffaloes. Ph.D. Thesis, Fac. Vet.Med., Cairo Univ., Egypt.

Hegazy, M.A., A.N. Elias and H. Omaima, Ezzo(1996). Effect of feed restriction and lacta-tion period on subsequent blood glucose,insulin, T3 and T4 profil and the reproductiveperformance of lactating buffaloes. Beni- suef,Vet. Med. Res., 6(1): 9.

Hegazy, M .A., S.A. Essawi and A.N. Elias (1995).The relationship between postpartum milkprogesterone concentration and conception inbuffalo cows maintained on two nutritionallevels. Beni-suef, Vet-Med. Res., 5(1): 288.


46

Iben, Ch. and J. Leibertseder (1994). Carnitine inHorse. Proceeding of the 4th AnnualCongress of the European Society ofVeterinary Internal Medicine (ESVIM),Brussels, (Belgium), pp. 19.

Lehninger, A.L. (1982). Principles of Biochemis-try CBS Pub & Distrib., Shahdra, Delhi,India.

Leibertsecler, J. and Ch. Iben (1994). Carnitine inpoultry. Proceeding of the 4th annualcongress of the European Society ofVeterinary Internal Medicine’ (ESVIM),Brussels, (Belgium) pp. 17.

Naylor, J.M., D.S. Knonfeld and K. Johonson(1980). Fasting hyperbilirubinaemia and itsrelationship to free fatty acids and triglyceridein the horse. Proc. Soci. Exp. BioI. Med., 165,86.

Noseir, W.M.B. and G.A. El-Amrawi (2001).L-carnitine supplementation in normal andsubfertile rams. Proc. 12th Ann. Cong.Egyptian Soc. Anim. Reprod. Fert., pp. 137.

NRC (2001). Nutrient requirement of dairy cattle.7th ed., Natl. Acad. Sci., Washington, D.C.

Pawan, N. (1958). A simple micro method for thequantitative determination of acetone andacetoacetate in biological fluid. Bioch. J., 68:33.

Poretsky, L. and Kalin, M.F. (1987). Thegonadotrophic function of insulin. Endocri.Rev., 8: 132.

Ranjhan, S.K. and N.N. Pathak (1979).Management and feeding of buffaloes. 1st

ed., Vikas pub. House PVT, Ltd, New Delhi,India.

Reid, I.M., G.J. Rowlands, A.M. Dew, R.A. Collins,C.J. Roberts and R. Manston (1983). Therelationship between post-parturient fatty liverand blood composition in dairy cows. J. Agric.Sci., Comb., 101: 473.

Scholte, H.R., A.M.C. Boonnman, L.M. Hussaarts-Odilk, J.D. Ross, L.J. Van Qudheusden, R.R.Poraira, and H.C.S. Wallenberg (1996). Newaspect of the biochemical regulation of thecarnitine system and mitochondrial fatty acidoxidation. In: Carnitine PathochemicalBasics and Clinical Application, Eds Seim,H., Loster, H, Ponte press Bochum, pp. 11.

Snedecor, G.W. and W.G. Cochran (1982). Statis-tical Methods (7th Ed), Iowa State, Univ.Press, Ames, U.S.A.

Stevenson, J.S. and E.P. Call (1983). Influence ofearly estrus, ovulation and insemination inpostpartum Holstein cows. Theriogenology,19: 367.

Surinder, S.B., M.S. Tiwang and S. Harinder (1987).Effect of body condition at calving onsubsequent reproductive performance inbuffaloes. Indian J. Anim. Sci., 57(1): 33.

RESEARCH ABSTRACTS

A. Kannan, Sajjan Siha and K.R. Yaday. Depart-ment of Animal Nutrition, CCS HaryanaAgricultural University, Hisar –125 004,India. Effect of replacing mustard cake withsunflower cake on milk yield and compositionin Murrah buffalo. Indian Journal ofAnimal Nutrition (2003), 20(2) : 198-201.

Twelve lactating Murrah buffaloes with similarcalving period were divided into three groups of foureach based on body weight and milk yield in acompletely randomized design. The buffaloes werefed iso-nitrogenous and iso-caloric concentratemixtures containing deoiled sunflower cake replacingmustard cake at 0, 50 and 100 % protein source(T1, T2 and T3) to elucidate the effect on milk yieldand milk composition. In addition, weighed quantityof wheat straw (ad-libitum) and green oat (20 kg)were fed as per Ranjhan (1998) requirements. Thefeed intake and milk yield were recorded daily whilethe milk composition parameters were analysed atweekly intervals. Though the daily dry matter intakewas similar, intake of DM per kg milk productionwas found to be significantly (P<0.05) higher at 100%replacement. The daily milk yield as well as 6%FCM and SCM yields did not differ due to dietaryvariations. Similar trend was observed with respectto milk composition in terms of fat, protein, totalsolids and SNF. This resulted in comparable cost of

FEEDING AND NUTRITION


47

HEALTH AND DISEASES

Ashwani Kumar, S.S. Randhawa and Rajvir Singh.Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana,Punjab 141 004 India. Effect of concurrenthypophosphorosis and molybdenosis on somemineral profile in buffalo calves (Bubalusbubalis). Indian Journal of AnimalSciences (2003), 73(4) : 367-371.

Buffalo calves were fed phosphorusdeficient diet for 90 days, and in 1 group simulta-neous feeding of molybdenum @ 3 mg/kg bodyweight was also done to investigate the effect ofconcentration of molybdenum, phosphorus, iron andcopper on different body fluids, viz. Plasma, rumenliquor and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at different timeintervals. Significant decline in plasma inorganicphosphorus was observed on day 45 in group T2 (fedon phosphorus deficient and molybdenum supple-mented diet) and group T3 (fed on phosphorusdeficient diet alone) as compared to group T1 (healthycontrol). Animals of group T2 showed more gradualdeclining trend accompanied by intense fall on day90. Plasma inorganic phosphorus decreased on day45, which was followed by fall in rumen liquorphosphorus on day 60 in both the group. Nonsignifi-cant difference was noted in groups T2 and T3regarding CSF and rumen liquor phosphorusconcentration. In group T2 plasma molybdenumincreased significantly and gradually after day 15following feeding of molybdenum, whereas, plasmacopper declined significantly on day 45. In molybde-num supplemented animals copper concentrationdecreased initially (day 30) in rumen liquor followedby fall in plasma on day 45 and in CSF on day 90.Iron concentration in all the groups in different bodyfluids showed inconsistent and nonsignificantfluctuation.

REPRODUCTION

A.K. Misra, R. Kasiraj, M. Mutha Rao, N.S. RangaReddy and H.C. Pant. Sabarmati Ashram,Gaushala (managed by NDDB), Lali,Gujarat 387 120 India. Estrus responsefollowing PGF2α and superovulationtreatment(s) and its relationship with fertiliza-tion and viable embryo production in the waterbuffalo (Bubalus bubalis). Indian Journalof Animal Sciences (2003), 73(3): 245-248.

Estrus in parous cyclic Murrah-type buffaloes(54) was synchronized with 2 im injections of PGF2α11 days apart (PG1 and PG2) and they weresuperovulated on days 9-11 of the cycle with 600mg NIH-FSH-P1. Luteolysis was induced byadministration of PGF2α at 72 (PG3) and 84 hr(PG4) after the first gonadotrophin treatment andfixed-time AI was done beginning at 36 h after PG3and at 12 h intervals thereafter, up to 72 h. Nonsur-gical embryo collection was done on day 5.5 to 6after the onset of superovulatory estrus. A signifi-cantly higher proportion (54/54) of buffaloes wasreported in estrus following PG3 compared to PG1(42/54) or PG2 (45/54). All animals showedstanding estrus following PG3 compared to incidenceof 90.5 and 75.5% after PG1 and PG2 respectively.High degree of synchrony of estrus was achievedafter PG3 as 90.7% of buffaloes exhibited estrusbetween 25 and 48 h after treatment, compared toonly 18.4 and 20.6% after PGI and PG2 respec-tively. The interval from PGF2α to onset of standingestrus decreased as the number of PGF2α treat-ments increased; but compared to PG1 treatment,the duration of estrus was significantly longer afterPG3. Interval from PG3 to standing estrus had noinfluence on the superovulatory response and totalembryo recovery. However, fertilization rate andviable embryo recovery were higher when theestrus occurred between 24 to 48 h after PG3 thanwhen it occurred after 48 h.

feeding and per unit milk production. Thus, mustardcake can completely be replaced with deoiledsunflower cake in a concentrate mixture without anyadverse effect on milk yield and composition oflactating Murrah buffaloes.


48

CONTENTS

Rice polishing as an economical substitute for wheat bran as a supplement to a wheatstraw diet for lactating buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) in the northern plains of IndiaNarayan Dutta, K. Shama and Uma Naulia............................................................ 27

Digestibility of rations with diferent contents of urea in the concentrate mixtureconsumed by weaned buffaloes calvesM. Tzankova and K. Dimov..................................................................................... 33

Effect of L-carnitine suplementation on productive performance of buffalo cowsW.M.B. Noseir, M.A. Hegazy, and K.E. Elekhanawy................................................ 39

Research Abstracts .................................................................................................. 46

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