International Journal of Dairy Science and Technology (IJDST) ISSN 1716-3498, Vol. 5(1), pp. 238-244, February, 2021. © Advanced Scholars Journals

Full length Research paper

Response of dairy cows (Friesian-Kenana crosses) to feeding on two rations with alfalfa supplementation under dryland conditions in Sudan

Mohamed O. Ali1, Mitsuru Tsubo2,Yasunori Kurosaki2,Amir M.S. Mukhtar1, Mahgoub G. El-Hag1, Khaleel I. Jawasreh3, Imad-eldin A. Ali-Babiker4 and Faisal M. El-Hag2,4,*

1 Faculty of Animal Production, University of Khartoum, Sudan

 *2 Arid Land Research Center (ALRC),Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori 680-0001, Japan. 

3 Department of Animal Productions, Faculty of Agriculture, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan.

4 Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC), Khartoum, Sudan

*Correspondingauthoremail:[email protected]

Accepted 2nd February, 2021

Abstract

A dairy ration based on sugarcane byproducts (Kenana ration) was compared with a conventional one (control ration), using fourteen dairy cows (Friesian-Kenana crosses) at different parities, under dryland farming conditions in Sudan. The cows were divided into two similar groups, randomly assigned to the two rations, kept in separate barns and individually fed. Alfalfa forage was supplemented to both groups: at 5 kg/cow/day for those on Kenana ration and ad libitum for controls. The trial was laid out as a randomized complete block design in different factorial arrangements and lasted for twenty-one weeks during January-June 2019. Cows on Kenana ration had higher (P<0.01) daily feed intake (P<0.01), lower daily milk yields (15.6 vs. 18.4 liter/cow) and less efficient (P<0.001) in converting feed to milk (FCR 1.300 vs. 0.875 kg feed/liter of milk) compared with those on the control ration. The 3rdparity cows had the highest (P<0.01) milk yields. Alfalfa supplementation was beneficial in adjusting protein contents of dairy rations. More research work is needed to evaluate different feed resources in dairy cattle feeding, together with assessing the economics of the different dairy processes.

Keywords: dairy cows, dryland farming, alfalfa forage, milk yield, parity, protein content