Urea Treatment and Concentrate Supplementation on the Utilization of Sugarcane Top Pellets in Goats

Abstract

Sugarcane tops (SCT) are agricultural crop residues commonly used as roughage in ruminant production. However, their utilization is limited due to low protein content and poor digestibility. Biological treatments of high-fiber have been shown to improve the feeding value of crop residues for ruminant production. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the intake and digestibility of SCT pellets treated with urea and supplemented with varying levels of concentrate and the interaction effect of these factors when fed to goats. The dietary treatments considered two factors: factor A (untreated and urea-treated SCT) and factor B (concentrate supplementation levels at 0.75%, 1.00%, and 1.25% body weight [BW]), on a dry matter [DM] basis). Data on intake and digestibility were analyzed using a two-way analysis of variance for a factorial experiment in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The results indicated urea treatment significantly increased neutral detergent fiber (NDF) intake, with the most notable improvements in NDF digestibility. The intake and digestibility of SCT pellets were enhanced considerably when the pellets were urea-treated and supplemented with concentrates at 1.00% of BW (DM basis). In contrast, untreated SCT pellets showed the highest improvements in intake and digestibility when supplemented with concentrates at 1.25% of BW. Based on these findings, treating SCT with urea is recommended to improve digestibility further when fed to goats. Concentrate supplementation is also highly recommended to enhance the utilization of sugarcane top pellets, with suggested levels of 1.00% to 1.25% for untreated SCT and 0.75% to 1.00% for urea-treated SCT.