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Related Experiment Videos

Evaluating sugarcane diets for dairy cows using a digestion model.

E Kebreab1, A G Assis, J Dijkstra

  • 1The University of Reading, Department of Agriculture, Berkshire, UK. E.Kebreab@reading.ac.uk

Tropical Animal Health and Production
|March 20, 2001
PubMed
Summary

A mechanistic model for sugarcane digestion aids in identifying supplements to boost dairy cow milk production. This model accurately predicts milk yield improvements from supplements like Leucaena and rice bran.

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Area of Science:

  • Animal Science
  • Nutritional Biochemistry
  • Agricultural Modeling

Background:

  • Sugarcane-based diets are common for dairy cows in tropical regions.
  • Optimizing milk production requires understanding nutrient limitations in these diets.
  • Feeding trials are resource-intensive; predictive models can reduce their necessity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate a mechanistic model for sugarcane digestion in dairy cows.
  • To use the model to identify optimal supplements for enhancing milk production.
  • To compare model predictions with experimental data from published feeding trials.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a mechanistic model of sugarcane digestion.
  • Simulated milk production in crossbred dairy cows fed sugarcane/urea diets with various supplements.

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  • Compared model outputs (milk production, ruminal parameters) with published experimental data from four feeding trials.

    • Main Results:

    • The model identified key limiting nutrients for milk production under different feeding scenarios.
    • Leucaena supplementation increased amino acid availability; energy became limiting.
    • Rice bran supplementation increased energy availability; amino acids became limiting.
    • Combined Leucaena and rice bran improved milk yield, with energy again being limiting.
    • Leucaena outperformed king grass, primarily due to enhanced amino acid absorption via increased microbial outflow.
    • Average model prediction error for milk production was 0.57 kg/d.

    Conclusions:

    • Mechanistic modeling is a viable tool to reduce unnecessary feeding trials for optimizing sugarcane-based dairy cow diets.
    • Supplementation strategies (Leucaena, rice bran) can be effectively predicted to overcome specific nutrient limitations.
    • The model provides valuable insights into nutrient dynamics and microbial populations influencing milk production in cows fed sugarcane diets.