Improving the digestion of BERMUDAGRASS silage and performance of dairy cows with enzymes

• Grant number: 13/13625-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: November 01, 2013
• End date: April 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Pastures and Forage Crops
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Andrade Reis
• Grantee: Andressa Fernanda Campos
• Supervisor: Adegbola T. Adesogan
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Florida, Gainesville (UF), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 11/06692-6 - Silage production of sugarcane with different particle sizes, BP.DR

Abstract

The project aims to determine the effect of adding fibrolytic enzyme addition and the amount of bermudagrass in a total mixed ration on dairy cows. Will be evaluated four diets: T1: 10% Tifton-85 silage, 40% corn silage, 50% concentrate without fibrolytic enzyme, T2: 10% Tifton-85 silage, 40% corn silage, 50 % concentrate with fibrolytic enzyme, T3: 30% Tifton-85 silage, 20% corn silage, 50% concentrate without fibrolytic enzyme, T4: 30% Tifton-85 silage, 20% corn silage 50% concentrate with fibrolytic enzyme. For the performance experiment will be used 84 cows in early lactation (21 ± 3 days), which will evaluate the nutrient intake (dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber), the milk production and quality by sampling twice a week, total aparent digestibility of nutrients, with the aid of chromic oxide as an external indicator, 10 days of adaptation to the indicator and 5 days of collection of feces, and leftover food provided in addition to blood collection weekly. Will be used 4 lactating cows cannulated in the rumen, to evaluate the pH, N-ammonia and volatile fatty acids. Data from animal performance will be analyzed in a completely randomized design. Weekly estimates of dry matter intake, milk production and composition, body weight, body condition score, blood glucose and urea N will be subjected to analysis of variance with repeated measures using the MIXED procedure of SAS. The model will include effects of treatment week parity block, x week treatment, treatment x parity x treatment x weeks and cow parity (parity x treatment). Ruen parameters will also be analyzed with similar model in which week will be replaced with time of the day. (AU)