Cactus Cladodes and Sugarcane Bagasse Can Partially Replace Earless Corn Silage in Diets of Lactating Dairy Cows

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of replacing earless corn silage (ECS) with cactus cladodes (CC; Opuntia spp.) and sugarcane bagasse (SB) on nutrient intake, digestibility, feeding behavior, milk yield (MY), and composition of lactating dairy cows. Ten Holstein cows, weighing 571 ± 97.0 kg and producing 23.0 ± 4.4 kg of milk per day, were assigned to two contemporaneous 5 × 5 Latin squares. Treatments consisted of five levels of ECS replacement with CC plus SB (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%). The results showed a linear increase in dry matter (DM) intake (p p p p p p p < 0.05). Additionally, the CC–SB diets linearly reduced the time spent on feeding and rumination and total chewing time. For Holstein cows fed common semiarid diets, milk production can be maximized by replacing 38.6% of ECS with CC plus SB.

Keywords

• cactaceae
• coproducts
• efficiency
• energy
• semiarid