Drinking Water of Different Salinity Levels and Its Effect on Nutrient Use in Murrah Buffalo Calves

Twenty Murrah buffalo male calves of 12–18 months of age were divided into 5 groups of 4 animals each in order to study the influence of saline water on feed intake and nutrient utilization All the animals were fed standard rations comprising of concentrate mixture, green fodder and wheat straw to meet their nutrient requirements (ICAR, 2013). However, water provided to the animals in control (C), T₁, T₂, T₃ and T₄ groups contained 500, 2000, 4000, 6000 and 8000 ppm of total dissolved solids (TDS), respectively. The results revealed that with an increase in the TDS up to 4000 ppm, there was increase in the feed intake and water intake, however, at 6000 and 8000 ppm TDS, there was decrease (P<0.05) in feed intake. Digestibility of DM, OM, CP, EE and NDF also decreased (P<0.05) at a level of 8000 ppm TDS. It was concluded that growing buffalo calves could tolerate TDS level of up to 4000 ppm in water without any adverse effect, however, further increase in TDS level had adverse impact on intake and digestibility of nutrients.