Effect of new biologically active feed ingredient – potassium humate on productivity and milk quality of dairy cows
¹²Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Faculty of Agriculture,
Institute of Animal Sciences, 2 Liela Street, LV-3001 Jelgava, Latvia
³Peasant facility ‘Dukati’, Vitinu Parish, LV-3708 Auces Municipality, Latvia
*Correspondence: aiga.trupa@lbtu.lv
Abstract:
In animal feeding, the
use of effective bioactive feed additives of natural
origin, which have a stimulatory effect on the digestive
and metabolic processes in an animal organism, while maximally
maintaining the conditions for a healthy rumen environment, in combination with an environmentally friendly and
economically beneficial agricultural production process, is being studied. Humates can play an important
role in addressing this problem. Therefore, a study with Holstein-Friesian
Black-and-White cows was carried out on the farm ‘Dukati’, Vitinu
Parish, Auce Municipality, to understand the
effect of potassium humate on the productivity and milk quality of dairy cows. Animals
were selected for the research and assigned by the
analogy principle to two treatment
groups: trial and control; each group consisted of
15 dairy cows. The dairy cows were kept in free stall barns. The animals were provided
with all welfare requirements according to the guidelines. During the trial, a
decrease in productivity in both groups of cows was
observed, but this decrease was slower in the trial group – by 6 kg ECM, compared to the beginning of the trial. During
the trial, the milk composition,
according to its fat and lactose content, was similar for cows of both groups.
The protein content in the milk of the cows of both groups differed (P < 0.05).
In the trial cow group,
the protein content in milk increased
by 0.15%, but
the urea content in the milk decreased by 0.96 mg dL-1,
and somatic cell count by
180 thsd mL-1 compared to the beginning of the trial.
Key words:
dairy cows, milk quality, potassium humate, productivity