Whole-crop wheat or wheat-common vetch silages for small-scale dairy systems in the dry season

Cloe Dafne Álvarez-García, Carlos Manuel Arriaga Jordán, Julieta Gerturdis Estrada-Flores, Felipe López González

Abstract


Background: Small-scale dairy systems have milk sales as the main income for these farming families who, despite uncertain scenarios, have been resilient and shown their adaptation capabilities, where feed resources are based on forages produced mainly in their farms. Forage of small grain cereals provide adequate nutrition for dairy cows as silage in the dry season, and the association with common vetch could increase soil fertility, higher dry matter yields, and a better nutritional quality. Objective: The objective was to evaluate in an on-farm participatory experiment three treatments of 8.3 kg DM/cow/day of silage plus 3.7 kg DM/cow/day of commercial concentrate. Treatments were: WHTS = 100% wheat whole-crop silage, WVS=100% whole-crop silage of wheat-common vetch, and MSLG= 100% maize silage. Methodology: Three lactating Holstein cows were randomly assigned to treatments in a 3x3 sequential latin squares in time design, maximizing limited experimental units. Results: There were significant differences in chemical composition of silages (p<0.05) and interactions (p<0.05) for DM, OM and pH. There were significant differences (p<0.05) for MUN, silage and total DMI, but not for milk yield or composition. Economically, the three treatments had positive margins over feed costs. The inclusion of whole-crop wheat, wheat-vetch, or maize silages are viable options in the feeding of dairy cows during the dry season. Conclusions: The experiment also showed the potential of small-grain cereal silage, as wheat silage, in the face of reduced rainfall that precludes adequate maize growth with yields below the wheat and wheat-vetch crop, with longer times between sowing and harvest, and at higher costs.

Keywords


Milk production; dry season; crop associations; wheat; common vetch; silage

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References


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URN: http://www.revista.ccba.uady.mx/urn:ISSN:1870-0462-tsaes.v29i2.65731

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.56369/tsaes.6573

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