Effect of Apple Pomace Based Silage on Lactation Performance of Crossbred Cows

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of inclusion of apple pomace based silage on milk performance of crossbred cows at Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India. In a feeding trial of 90 days duration, 12 crossbred cows were selected on the basis of their milk yield and were divided into two groups of six animals each. Animals in the control group were fed with the standard feeding practices of the farm i.e., concentrate @ 4kg d-1, wheat straw @ 5 kg d-1 and Grewia optiva tree fodder @ 10 kg d-1. Whereas each animal in the treatment group were given 5 kg silage d-1consisting of maize, apple pomace (AP) and mulberry leaves in the ratio of 80:10:10 in addition to the standard feeding practices adopted. The daily milk yield of the animals in both the groups were taken at fortnightly interval for analysis of milk composition viz. milk fat, specific gravity, milk acidity, solid not fat (SNF) total solids and milk protein. Feeding of apple pomace based silage resulted in 9.95 per cent higher average peak mean milk yield than that of the control group. The average fat, SNF, total solids and protein content in the treatment group were 4.06, 9.19, 13.26 and 3.38 per cent while in the control group, it was 3.89, 8.98, 12.87 and 3.30, respectively. However, no significant difference in the milk acidity and specific gravity were observed. The study concluded that the incorporation of apple pomace based silage @ 5kg animal-1 day-1 improved the milk productivity and quality of milk in lactating crossbred cows

Nutritive Evaluation of Mulberry Leaves Based Apple Pomace Silage

The present study was conducted to evaluate the nutritive value of mulberry leaves based apple pomace silage in Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India. In the study, the silage was prepared by mixing of maize, apple pomace (AP) and mulberry leaves in ratios of 80:10:10 (T1), 70:20:10(T2) and 60:30:10 (T3), and mixing of apple pomace with wheat straw in the ratio of 85:15(T4), and the silage prepared by using 100 per cent chopped maize was taken as control. Silage bags were opened after a period of three months and the proportionate samples were drawn for nutritive analysis. The nutritive analysis of the silage samples revealed that the nutritional composition varied significantly on inclusion of apple pomace at 10, 20 and 30 per cent levels. Inclusion of apple pomace to the silage at 10% (T1) resulted in comparatively better nutritive parameters than recorded in T2, T3 and T4. The inclusion of apple pomace increased the silage CP in T1 (8.73%), T2 (8.37) and T3 (8.83%) compared to maize silage alone control (7.35%). The inclusion of apple pomace at 10, 20 and 30 % in T1, T2 and T3 respectively reduced the CF content to 25.67%, 22.72% and 21.53 % while the control had a CF content of 26.36%. AIA content decreased with the increase in the apple pomace content to 10, 20 and 30% in T1 (1.55%), T2 (1.35%) and T3 (1.25%) although the control with 100% maize silage was recorded to have the lowest AIA content with 1.04% suggesting that the silage was more digestible and high in minerals. Increasing apple pomace content in the silage at 10, 20 and 30 per cent resulted in the significant decrease in the pH, DM, CP, EE, CF, NDF, ADF, TA and AIA. The inclusion of apple pomace at 10% can be successively utilized in animal feeding for obtaining optimum yield and production

Evaluation of Mulberry Leaf Meal Feeding on the Growth and Hematological Profile of Cross Bred Heifers

Mulberry (Morus alba) is a multipurpose fodder tree with a high voluntary intake. Mulberry foliage is characterized by high digestibility and excellent level of protein which makes it comparable to commercial concentrates for dairy cattle. o evaluate the effect of dietary inclusion of mulberry leaf meal as a concentrate replacement (20%) in the crossbred heifers ration the present investigation was carried out at dairy farm Dr YSPUHF Nauni Solan. In the study, a total of 12 cross bred heifers (1-2 yr) were divided into two equal groups of 6 animals each, on the basis of body weight. The animals of the treatment group were supplemented with mulberry leaf meal to replace concentrate mixture at the level of 20% for a period of 4 months. All the animals under experiment were weighed and blood samples were collected at fortnightly intervals to assess the live weight gain and hematological profile. The mulberry leaf meal contained 15.44 % CP, 14.32 % ash, 15.27 % CF, 43.57% NDF and 31.66 % ADF. The mean body weight (159.65kg), weight gain (40.65kg), average daily gain (338.75gm/day) blood glucose (41.07 mg/dl) and blood total protein (83.27 g/litre) was higher in the treatment group as compared to the body weight (157.08 kg), weight gain (37.36kg), average daily gain (311.33gm/day), blood glucose (40.09 mg/dl) and blood total protein (82.03 g/litre) of the control group. Mean Hb concentration was higher in crossbred heifers of the treatment group (9.19 g/dl) as compared to the control group (9.17g/dl). While blood creatinine (µmol/lt) and blood urea level (mmol/litre) were higher in the control group (116.08 and 5.67) as compared to the treatment group (112.34 and 5.09). The study concluded that the replacement of concentrate mixture @ 20% by mulberry leaf meal in animal feeding resulted in better growth performance at a lower cost and did not have any adverse effect haematological profile of the crossbred heifers

Carbon Sequestration Potential of Pasture-Based Systems Along an Altitudinal Gradient in the North-Western Himalayas

The present investigation was carried out in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh (India) to identify the pasture-based land use systems being practiced by farmers and to find out their carbon sequestration potential along different altitudes. For carrying out the study, the area was divided into four altitudinal ranges viz., zone-I (\u3c1000 m amsl), zone-II (1000-1500 m amsl), zone-III (1500- 2500 m amsl) and zone-IV (\u3e 2500 m amsl), according to agro-ecological zones in the state. Results revealed that the pasture-based systems practiced by the farmers in the altitudinal zone-I and zone-II were silvo-pasture and pastoral-silviculture, while, at altitudinal zone-III and zone-IV, the pasture-based systems being practiced were pastoral-silviculture and horti-pastoral depending upon the composition of the components. The aboveground biomass was found ranging between 27.78- 38.18 Mg ha-1 among different pasture-based land use systems with maximum aboveground biomass under silvo-pasture system and minimum under pastoral-silviculture. Along altitudinal gradient, aboveground biomass was found to have been increased with values varying between 29.09- 34.12 Mg ha-1 . Belowground biomass ranged between 6.93- 9.80 Mg ha-1 in different systems under consideration and generally showed increasing trend with increasing altitude. Overall biological productivity was found to be highest under silvo-pasture system followed by horti-pastoral and pastoral-silviculture system. Being biologically most productive, silvopasture system stored maximum carbon stock and ultimately sequestered more carbon as compared to the other systems. The estimated vegetation carbon sequestration potential of the pasture-based systems was 63.71- 88.06 Mg ha-1 , while, along altitude the carbon sequestration potential varied from 67.14- 78.62 Mg ha-1 showing increasing trend with altitude

Influence of Modified Atmospheric Packaging on Shelf-Life and Quality of Naturally Grown Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Stored Under Different Conditions

Abstract A study was conducted to record the effect of modified atmospheric packaging (MAP), storage conditions (ambient, zero energy cool chamber and refrigerated) as well as storage period on shelf-life and quality of tomatoes produced through Subhash Palekar natural farming (SPNF) and chemical farming (CHEM) systems. Freshly harvested tomatoes (SPNF and CHEM) packed in LDPE pouches (25.40 μm and 10 pin holes/100 cm2 area) and without packaging were stored under ambient (27±2 °C and 70±2% RH), zero energy cool chamber (ZECC) (17±2 °C and 82 ±2 % RH) and low temperature conditions (10±2 ºC and 90 % RH) for shelf-life studies. The shelf-life comparison was done at every two days’ interval up to 24 days based on physiological loss in weight (PLW) and spoilage percentage. SPNF and CHEM tomatoes were compared on the basis of quality attributes (firmness, acidity, TSS, sugars, total phenols, antioxidant activity etc.), mineral content and sensory characteristics. Results revealed that tomato stored in refrigerated condition had significantly (p ˂0.05) lowest PLW and spoilage incidence and highest sensory acceptability up to 24 days and was at par with ZECC stored tomatoes. Quality evaluation indicated that tomatoes grown under SPNF system contained a higher amount of total solids, total sugars, reducing sugars, ascorbic acid, total phenols and ash. The results showed that tomatoes with MAP and stored under refrigerated storage condition retained maximum quality up to 24 days followed by tomatoes stored under ZECC (18 days) compared to 12 days at ambient conditions