Replacement of soybean meal by urea or starea in diets for late lactation dairy cows.

Author(s)

Carolina de Almeida Carmo

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC)
• Defense date: 2002-01-22

Examining board members

Flavio Augusto Portela Santos; Telma Teresinha Berchielli Moreno; Alexandre Vaz Pires

• Advisor: Flavio Augusto Portela Santos

Abstract

Two trials were conducted to study the partial replacement of soybean meal by high level (2% of DM) of urea in diets for late lactation dairy cows. Conventional urea also was compared to urea extruded with a starch source (Starea - 150S). In trial 1, 38 late lactation Holstein cows producing around 20 kg of milk/d, were used in a randomized block design. The experimental period lasted 60 days. Diets were composed by elephant grass silage with dried citrus pulp, tapioca meal, dried citrus pulp, tallow, mineral and vitamin mix and the protein supplements. The treatments were: a) soybean meal (FS); b) soybean meal + starea (A150S); c) soybean meal + urea (U). The partial replacement of soybean meal by high levels of NPN sources or the urea processing, did not affect milk and 3,5% FCM yields, protein content and yield, total solids yield, and plasma urea N and glucose. Feeding 2% of urea (U) increased milk fat and total solids content and the efficiency of amino-acids extraction by the mammary gland. In trial 2, 5 dry Holstein cows, fitted with ruminal canulas, were fed the same treatment diets used in trial 1 (corn silage was used instead of grass silage). Dry matter intake, total tract nutrient digestibility’s, total rumen VFA molar concentration and acetic, propionic and butyric acid molar proportion, plasma urea-N and plasma glucose were not affected by treatments (P>0,05). Rumen pH was higher for U diet, 2 to 4 hours post-feeding, and rumen ammonia N was higher for U and A150S diets (P<0,05). The partial replacement of soybean meal by high levels of urea, is an alternative to reduce costs of diets for late lactating cows milking around 20 kg/d. Extrusion of urea with a starch source, in attempt to slow ammonia release in the rumen (A150S), did not show any advantage compared to conventional urea. (AU)