Abstract

Twenty crossbred beef steers and twenty crossbred beef heifers were randomly allotted to two treatments to evaluate the effect of supplementation on animal performance in animals grazing cotton plant residues: (1) 10 steers and 10 heifers were allowed to graze ad libitum in an 8 ha cotton field after harvest, and (2) 10 steers and 10 heifers grazed in a similar field but received 1kg day1 of supplement. Water intake and mineral consumption were measured daily. Cotton plant residues were obtained from an adjacent 10 ha field by collecting 12 representative samples using a 1m2 frame, and separating leaves and cottonseeds for lab analysis. Dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), cellulose, lignin, silica, calcium, phosphorus and nitrogen ADF were determined. Supplementation did not affect the total weight gain of the steers or the heifers during the 30-day grazing period. The unsupplemented steers gained 0.500kg day1, while the supplemented steers gained 0.466kg day 1. The supplemented and unsupplemented heifers gained 0.266kg and 0.233kg day1, respectively. Water intake did not differ between treatments, but mineral consumption was significantly greater for the unsupplemented calves. The total cotton residues in the soil accounted for about 2,100kg ha1 of DM. The economic analysis indicated an increased profitability when using steer calves without supplementation.

Department(s)

Geography, Geology, and Planning

Document Type

Article

Additional Information

The original publication is available also at http://www.iieta.org

DOI

https://doi.org/10.2495/SDP-V1-N2-226-232

Rights Information

© 2006 WIT Press. The original publication is available also at http://www.iieta.org

Keywords

Chihuahua, Cotton residues, Economic impact, Grazing, Mexico, Sustainability

Publication Date

12-1-2006

Journal Title

International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning

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