Abstract
The experiment was conducted on 10 small-holder dairy farmers under the administration of Dairy Promotion Organization of Thailand (DPO) in the Northeast region of Thailand. The aim of the research was to investigate the effect of legume (Phaseolus calcaratus, PC) as roughage mixed with Ruzi grass for dairy cows. Fours cows per farm were assigned into 2 groups including Ruzi grass (control) and PC mixed with ruzi grass (at the ratio 50:50), were given ad libitum as a roughage sources. All cows were offered a concentrate with ratio to milk yield of 1:2. The results revealed that roughage source did not affect on ruminal pH and temperature, ammonia nitrogen, blood urea nitrogen, and milk urea nitrogen concentrations. Total volatile fatty acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid proportions, and acetic acid to propionic acid ratio were not significantly different among treatments. Dry matter intake and digestibility of nutrient including dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber were not significantly different among treatments. Moreover, amount of digested dry mater was similar among treatments. However, cows received PC mixed with Ruzi grass tended to be higher on dry matter, organic matter, and crude protein digestibility and dry matter digestible nutrient intake than control group. Milk yield, and 3.5% fat corrected milk were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in cow fed with PC mixed Ruzi grass than those the control group. Milk compositions and feed cost were similar among treatments; in contrast, the income and profit from milk selling were greater in cows fed with PC mixed with Ruzi grass than the control. High quality roughage such as PC mixed with Ruzi grass could be advantages for dairy farming in the Northeast of Thailand.
Highlights
Dairy farming in Thailand is rapidly increasing
Fours early lactating Holstein Friesian crossbred dairy cows (~82.5% Holstein Friesian) per farm were assigned into 2 groups (2 animals/group) to received ruzi grass and mixed Phaseolus calcaratus and ruzi grass in ad libitum as a roughage source
It was found that total feed intake, roughages intake and concentrate intake tended to be lower in control group were not significantly different among treatments (P > 0.05) it was (Table 2)
Summary
Dairy farming in Thailand is rapidly increasing. The production of raw milk can not meet the demand of the whole country. Local milk production comprised only about 20% of the total consumption, the rest had to be imported. 95% to 99% of dairy farms in Thailand can be classified as small scale or small-holder farms under mixed crop-livestock farming systems. Most farmers have planted only one kind of grass with much use of chemical fertilizer as soil fertility and grass improvement. The use of appropriate forage systems involving leguminous plants, dairy farming could enhance the quality of environment and ecosystem, especially improving both quality of the roughage and soil fertility especially nitrogen contain. Tau-mun (Phaseolus calcaratus) is a sprawling leguminous shrub grows well in poor soils and in dry areas. Wanapat et al [3] found that Tau-mun intercrop with Ruzi grass biomass yield were 10.6 tonnes DM/ha and CP was 14.1 percent of DM with NDF being
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