TITLE:
Effect of Substituting Alfalfa by Wheat Straw Powder on Rumen Digestion, Metabolism and Production Performance in Lactating Dairy Cows
AUTHORS:
Xueyan Lin, Zhiyong Hu, Na Li, Qiuling Hou, Yun Wang, Jun Peng, Yue Jiang, Zhonghua Wang
KEYWORDS:
Wheat Straw Powder, Alfalfa, Production Performance, Digestion Metabolism, Cow
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology,
Vol.10 No.8,
August
16,
2019
ABSTRACT: China has abundant straw resources. However, the
straw has high levels of crude fiber, low levels of crude protein and fat, poor
palatability and low digestibility and a large volume. This study explored the
feasibility of using wheat straw powder to replace some of alfalfa and the suitable replacement ratio for
lactating dairy cows. In this trial, cows in the mid-lactation stage were fed
with rations in which alfalfa hay was replaced isocalorically
and isonitrogenously at 0%, 20%, 40% and
60% by wheat straw powder to explore the rumen metabolism and production
performance of lactating dairy cows. Using a large randomized block design, 60
cows were selected and divided into 4 groups: the positive control group CG (0%
replacement), and groups AL (20% replacement), AM (40% replacement), and AH
(60% replacement). The pre-feeding period was 2 weeks and the trial period was
8 weeks. Milk yield, milk protein yield, milk protein percentage, lactose
yield, lactose percentage, milk fat yield, and milk fat percentage were not
affected by the diets, and the differences among the groups were not
significant (P > 0.05). The results show that replacing 20% alfalfa with
wheat straw powder is most beneficial to production. When only the feed costs
were considered, without considering other costs (such as labor, machinery,
etc.) in the economic benefit calculation process, and assume that other costs are the same among the groups, and the economic
benefits obtained by the AL group were the largest. The experimental results
provide a basis for the further development of straw feed.