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Utilization of Urea and Water Metabolism by Zebu Cattle and Buffaloes under Tropical Conditions^1,2,

National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India

ABSTRACT

In four metabolic trials four Zebu Tharparkar cows and four Murrah Buffaloes were fed four rations: I, standard farm concentrate ration; II, a ration isocaloric and isonitrogenous with the above but in which 25% of total nitrogen was supplied by urea; III, ration as above but in which 38% nitrogen was supplied by urea; and IV, negative control for II, isocaloric with the above rations, but it supplied 25% less nitrogen, i.e., the nitrogen that was supplied by urea in II.

Dry matter intake, per unit metabolic body size, was unaffected by treatments (61.7, 61.6, 62.2, 61.3 g) and was similar for the two species (61.2 g cows, 62.2 g buffaloes). The digestibility coefficient of dry matter was different (P < .05) for species (48.2 cows, 53.1 buffaloes), but it was unaffected by the different treatments (50.7, 50.1, 51.2, 50.6). The nitrogen digestibility coefficient was different (P < 05) (43.1 cows, 49.7 buffaloes) and for the treatments (53.8, 46.3, 51.7, 33.9). The crude fiber digestibility coefficient was different (P < 05) for the two species (64.6 cows, 68.9 buffaloes). The nitrogen retention per kg^0.75 was also different (P < 05) for species (.06 g cows; .15 g buffaloes) and nitrogen retention in negative control was less (P < 05) than in the other treatments.

Total water intake and ratio of water intake to dry matter were not influenced by dietary protein or by urea (2% and 3% of concentrate mixture), but these were different (P < 05) for the two species, values for buffaloes being invariably higher than for cows.

¹ Research project financed in part be the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Public Law 480 agreement.

² Sponsoring Scientist: Dr. C. H. Gordon, Research Animal Husbandman, USDA, Beltsville, Maryland.

³ Present address: Professor and Head, Department of Animal Production Physiology, Haryana Agriculture University, Hissar, India.