Dairy Cattle Nutrition Division, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, India
*Present address: AICRP on Buffaloes, University of Agricultural Science, Dharwad.
Online published on 21 January, 2012.
Ten male buffalo calves distributed into two groups of five each were fed either the concentrate mixture containing soybeen (Group I) or soybean treated with formaldehyde (Group II) together with green fodder and wheat straw for a period of 90 days. The average DM intake was 2.70 and 2.48 kg/100 kg body weight, whereas Ca intake was 27.20±1.59 and 2G.80±1.57 g/day and P intake was 11.30±1.20 and 11.10±0.17 g/day in groups I and n, respectively. Apparent Ca absorption was 44.96±1.97 and 54.00±1.69 per cent whereas P absorption was 56.50±3.69 anil 49.43±2.86 per cent in groups I and II, respectively. The Ca absorption in group II was significantly (P<0.05) higher than group I but the difference in P absorption was non-significant. The net balances were + 6.00±0.98 and +9.80±l.11g for Ca and +0.88±0.12 and +1.30±0.15 g for P, in the respective groups which indicated better retention of these two minerals on feeding treated soybean.
