RESPONSE OF VARIED PROPORTIONS OF UREA TREATED RICE STRAW MIXED WITH NAPIER GRASS ON BUFFALO CALVES FATTENING
Author:
Kamana Adhikari, Luma Nidhi Pandey,Rabin Acharya, Avishek Poudel, Sujata Aryal, Kushal Acharya, Khem Raj Khatri
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
An experiment was conducted on buffalo calves at Baibhav Krishi Farm at Torikhet, Bharatpur-5 Chitwan under the supervision of Animal Nutrition Division, Nepal Agriculture Research Council, Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Nepal aiming to strengthen the commercial fattening practices of the buffalo calves. An experiment was done for 4 months, from March 29th to 26th of July of the year 2022 with the primary purpose to createlow-cost buffalo fattening technology that emphasizes feeding management. Sixteen buffalo calves including males and females both aged 3.5-6 months were selected for the experimental trial. 10 calves were taken from the farm and 6 more were purchased from nearby farms at Torikhet. The experimental trial was done in a Completely Randomized Design with 4 treatments each replicated four times. Urea treated rice straw (UTRS), Rice straw (RS), silage Napier grass, Urea Molasses Mixture Block (UMMB) and concentrate were taken as main feed ingredients. The treatment details were T1: Feed 1(RS 50%+Silage 25%+Green Grass 25%+Concentrate 0.75% of BW+40gm UMMB),T2: Feed2(UTRS 25%+Silage 25%+Green Grass 50%+Concentrate 0.75% of BW), T3:Feed 3 (UTRS 50%+Silage 25%+Green Grass 25%+Concentrate 0.75% of BW, T4: RS 25%+Silage 25%+Green Grass 50%+Concentrate 0.75% of BW+40gm UMMB). The dry matter requirement has been fulfilled at the rate of 3%of the body weight. The concentration was supplied at the rate of 0.75% of the body weight. Tagging was done on the buffalo calves and calves were vaccinated against FMD and HS. Buffalo calves were weighedfortnightly and feed was provided as per the body weight.The result showed that a significantly higher average daily gain (Kg) was found for T2 (0.54 kg) followed by T4 (0.37 kg), T3 (0.28 Kg), and T1 (0.26 Kg) respectively. On the basis of economic analysis the net benefit per animal was determined to be highest inthe T2 group fed with UTRS 25%,Silage 25%,Green Grass 50%, and Concentrate 0.75% ofthe BW as Rs.9731.16.Thusthe addition of UTRS 25%, Silage 25%, Green Grass 50% and Concentrate 0.75% of BW in a diet of buffalo calves can be safely used to enhance the growth performance for the buffalo calves fattening.
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
Nepal is recognized as an agricultural country because the agriculture sector employs the vast majority of the population; this sector employs approximately 60.4% of the overall population of the nation (MOALD, 2019/20), livestock rearing is a vital subsector of the Nepalese agricultural system, accounting for approximately 25.83% of the agriculture GDP (Statistical Information on Nepalese Agriculture, 2020/21), the nation rears approximately 7.46 million cattle and 5.15 million buffaloes (MOALD, 2020/21), currently, Nepal’s total annual milk production is approximately 2.16 million tons which comprises 63.31% from buffalo and 36.68% from cattle (MOALD, 2019/20), production of buffalo meat in Nepal rose by 0.59 % from 238,322 thousand tonnes in 2019 to 239,717 thousand tonnes in 2020, since the 0.72 % decline in 2015, production of beef and buffalo meat leaped by 6.96 % in 2020 (World Data Atlas,2020).
Buffalo is a crucial component of the Nepalese agricultural system, buffalo meat constitutes 58.3 percent of Nepal’s overall meat production (MOAC, 2015), as contrasted to other meats such as sheep, goat, pig, as well as chicken, the buffalo meat is the cheapest source of animal protein, this meat is in higher demand in Kathmandu, Pokhara, as well as other larger cities in Nepal, and demand is supplied from Siraha, Nawalparasi, Banke, and Bara districts, as buffalo meat has a reduced cholesterol content, it is more appealing to consumers, according to Sinclair et al., 1982, the cholesterol level of buffalo meat is (46%), goat (58%), and sheep (68%), rice straw is usually characterized by low levels of CP and high levels of structural polysaccharides, that drastically affects the digestion, DM intake, and ultimate performance (Wanapat et al., 1985; Chemjon, 1991; Safari et al., 2011).
According to a study, rice straw treated with urea (5%) improved overall intake, nutritional digestibility, VFA generation, and also the particle transit rate in rumen (Hart and Wanapat, 1992), rice straw has high levels of the oxalates (1-2% DM), that lowers Ca concentrations thereby necessitating Ca supplementation (Soest, 2006; Jackson, 1979), variety, N fertilization, duration between harvesting and storage, plant maturity (content of lignin goes on increasing with the maturity), plant health, as well as meteorological conditions all influence rice straw quality (Göhl, 1982; Drake et al., 2002), rice straw is rich as energy source, however, it accounts poor in protein (2-7%) and has limited digestion due to its high silica concentration (Drake et al., 2002), it is regarded as the low-quality, fluctuating roughage, some minerals (especially sulphur) can be limiting (Doyle et al., 1986), according to a study, urea (5%) treated rice straw improved overall intake, nutritional digestibility, VFA generation, and particle transit rate in the rumen (Hart and Wanapat, 1992). Urea treatment is the easiest to apply. It can be done by smallholder
farmers using plastic bags, with a 5% urea w/w solution. It can increase digestibility by 18% (Soest, 2006).
One of the most promising as well as high-yielding fodder is Napier, that produces a DM yield that is greater than that of other tropical grasses (Humpherys, 1994; Skerman and Riveros, 1990). If harvested once a year in fertile circumstances, Napier grass may yield more DM per unit area than several other crops (Bassam, 2010). Aside from its multiple beneficial properties for crop production, such as diazotrophic life, drought resilience, and compatibility with a wide range of types of soil (Morais et al., 2012). Napier grass may be readily propagated by immediately planting cuttings within the field (Lounglawan et al., 2014). Likewise, the use of silage is beneficial for the economic buffalo fattening process. In a study conducted by some researchers buffalo calves were fed maize silage and the results showed a significant increase in feed intake, weight gain, and feed efficiency (Bhatti et al., 2007). The researchers concluded that the maize silage inclusion in the diet of buffalo calves improved their performance and economic efficiency.
The major challenge for ruminants is improving the nutritional value as well as exsisting feedstuffs utilization. Strategic measures such as the use of urea, molasses, as well as enzymes to enhance digestibility of feed or the technology implementation for effectively preserving biomass from the forages that are seasonally available are necessary. Thus the use of locally
available feed ingredients can help in cost reduction with profit maximization (Olaniyi et al., 2013).To address feed-related issues, costeffective and widely accessible alternate feed options are required. Since grasses as well as other forages have large yields of dry matter (DM) and energy, including them in cattle feed may give nutrients at a reasonable cost (Wilkins, 2000). Forages supply more than 90% of the feed energy required by animals (Fitzhugh et al., 1978).












Pages | 46-52 |
Year | 2025 |
Issue | 1 |
Volume | 5 |