Meta-analysis and sustainability of feeding slow-release urea in dairy production.

ABSTRACT: Slow-release urea (SRU) is a coated non-protein nitrogen (NPN) source for providing rumen degradable protein in ruminant nutrition. A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing vegetable protein sources with SRU (Optigen®, Alltech Inc., USA) on the production performance of dairy cows. Additionally, the impact of SRU supplementation on dairy sustainability was examined by quantifying the carbon footprint (CFP) of feed use for milk production and manure nitrogen (N) excretion of dairy cows. Data on diet composition and performance variables were extracted from 17 experiments with 44 dietary comparisons (control vs. SRU). A linear mixed model and linear regression were applied to statistically analyse the effect of SRU on feed intake and production performance. Feeding

SUBMITTER: Salami SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7880434 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature