Effects of dry season supplementation of Calliandra calothyrsus leaf-meal mixed with maize-bran on dairy cattle milk production in the West Usambara Highlands, Tanzania

David D Maleko¹, George M Msalya^1,2 and Kelvin M Mtei³

¹ Department of Animal, Aquaculture and Range Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture
maleko@sua.ac.tz
² Tanzania Dairy Board, Dodoma, Tanzania
³ Department of Water Resources, Environmental Science and Engineering, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania

Abstract

The dry seasons decline in milk production due to insufficient feed supply to dairy cattle poses a great challenge to sustainability of smallholder dairy production systems in Tanzania. Locally produced leguminous fodder tree leaf meals combined with maize bran provide a great potential for overcoming the dry season protein-energy deficit in the basal roughage feeds. This study evaluated the effects of dry season Calliandra calothyrsus (Calliandra) leaf-meal: maize-bran based protein-energy homemade supplementary ration (HSR) on milk production of lactating cross-bred dairy cows in the Western Usambara Highlands (WUHs), Tanzania. Complete randomized design was employed whereby four groups of 4 lactating dairy cows were subjected to four levels of HSR rationed at 0, 2, 4 and 6 kg/cow/day. The lactating cows which were not subjected to HSR supplementation (0 kg/cow/day) were left under farmers’ feeding practices as a control. HSR had significant effect on dry season milk yields (P<0.001) whereby milk yields were 2.7, 4.5, 5.6 and 6.1 litres/cow/day for 0, 2, 4 and 6 kg HSR/cow/day, respectively. In conclusion during the dry seasons the supplementation level of 4 kg HSR/cow/day to the basal diets is recommended.

Key words: Calliandra leaf meal, dairy cattle, milk yield

Introduction

Dry season protein and energy deficiencies are common in the grasses and crop residues which are the major constituents of dairy cattle basal diets in the tropics (Leng 1990; Mtengeti et al. 2008). Supplementation of poor roughages with balanced protein, energy and mineral rich concentrates is essential for meeting both maintenance and production nutrient demands of dairy cattle (Moran 2005; Olafadehan and Adewumi 2009). However, selection of appropriate supplementation strategies which can be easily adopted by the majority of smallholder dairy farmers within their local environments has remained a great challenge (Chakeredza et al 2008; Makkar 2016). Leguminous multipurpose fodder tree species including Calliandra calothyrsus have proven to be among the cheap sources of protein which can be easily produced under East African crop-livestock mixed farming systems (Wambugu et al. 2011; Franzel et al. 2014). In East Africa, fodder legumes and maize bran play an important role as alternatives for expensive commercial protein and energy concentrate feeds, respectively (Paterson et al. 1998). On the other hand, commercial dairy feed concentrates including dairy meals, oil seed cakes and molasses syrup are often locally unavailable and with unreliable quality in the most of rural dairy farming areas of Tanzania (Maleko et al 2018b)

A number of studies have shown that the use of multipurpose leguminous tree leaves has potential for improving dairy cattle performance in East Africa. For example, Place et al. (2009) reported a daily addition of 1 kg of C. calothyrsus leaf meal to a Napier and lablab basal diet fed to dairy cattle culminated in milk yield increase by 0.7 litres per cow per day. Likewise, Franzel et al, (2014) reported that 1 kg of Calliandra leaf meal (24% crude protein) increased milk yield by roughly 0.6 - 0.8 kg/day under the smallholder dairying conditions in Kenya. However, the milk production response was variable, depending on extraneous factors such as health of the cow and the quantity and quality of the site-specific basal feeds.

Effects on milk production resulted from supplementation of poor roughages with protein-energy rich concentrates are also documented. For example, Nkya and Swai (2000) reported that supplementation with 0.8 kg/cow/day of concentrate comprising of maize bran (70%), cottonseed cake (28%) and minerals (2%) during dry season improved cattle milk yields by 34%. Also, Mlay et al. (2005) reported that supplementation of cows with 4 kg/cow/day of concentrates constituting 68% maize bran, 31% sunflower meal and 1% mineral premix showed an average improvement in milk yield by 1.5 l/cow/day in the Eastern Tanzania.

Unfortunately, the data is sparse and invalid for constructing a milk response curve to show the effect of varying quantities of C. calothyrsus leaf meal mixed with maize bran based diets on milk production in West Usambara highlands (WUHs). This is augmented by the fact that variations in the constituents of the site-specific basal feeds mandate site-specific supplementary feeding trials. This is crucial for recommending a proper amount of supplements towards the optimization of local feeds in improving milk production, in particular, eliminating milk gaps during dry seasons.

In view of the above, on-farm feeding trial aiming at recommending proper supplementation level for optimizing on-farm grown feed resources was conducted. The dry season predominant basal feed at WUHs is dry maize stover in combination to unreliable natural pastures, Guatemala and Napier fodder grasses (Maleko et al 2018a).

This work was based on the hypotheses that optimal feeding of on-farm feed resources has the potential to enhance dry season milk production. This information is envisaged to catalyze adoption of fodder legume growing and dairy cattle supplementation practices and technologies in Western Usambara Highlands and elsewhere with similar environments.

Material and methods

Study site description

The study was conducted at Irente Biodiversity Farm located in Lushoto district, Tanga region, North Eastern Tanzania (4°47′36′′S, 38°15′52′′E) at 1413 m above sea level. Irente farm has an area of about 200 ha managed under multiple land use system which includes dairy farming, nature based ecotourism, aquaculture and apiculture. The farm has a herd of about 100 Friesian - zebu crossbred dairy cattle kept under stall feeding (cut and carry) with partial grazing in natural pastures within the farm. Also, the farm has an established stand of C. calothyrsus of about 5 ha managed under high frequency cutting for stall feeding.

Lushoto district lies in the Western Usambara highlands (WUHs) with an elevation range between 1200 and 1800 m a.s.l, and it is amongst the important milk sheds in the country. Rainfall at the WUHs is bimodal in nature averaging 1100 mm annually. Usually, long rainfalls begin in March and end in earlier June while the short rains occur between late October and December.

Basal feeds used in this study

The basal feeds were mainly crop residues and established pasture purchased from smallholder farms in the villages around Irente farm, whereby they were cut and carried for stall feeding. The availability of the basal feeds was in the order of dry maize stover > Guatemala grass > Napier grass > natural pastures > sugarcane tops. However, the availability of basal feeds was opportunistic in nature and with limited control of quality. The natural pastures mainly Cynodon and Setaria grass species often mixed with weeds and herbaceous legumes were gathered within the farm. Basal feed samples were collected and analyzed for nutrient compositions (Table 1) through Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) techniques described by Corson et al (1999).

Supplementary feed used in this study

A supplementary homemade/on-farm ration (SHR) comprising of 56% maize bran (MB), 40% C. calothyrsus leaf meal (CLM), 2% mineral vitamin premix (MVP) and 2% molasses powder (MP) was formulated. Nutrient concentrations are shown in Table 2 (Analyzed by NIRS techniques). Maize bran a co-product of maize grain was selected based on the fact that maize cultivation and maize grain processing are common practices in Lushoto. Maize is among the staple food in Lushoto thus guaranteeing the availability of maize bran (Maleko et al 2018a). C. calothyrsus leaf meal was incorporated as a protein concentrate (CP = 25.2%). C. calothyrsus was widely grown at Irente Biodiversity Farm and in nearby smallholder farms. The C. calothyrsus stand at Irente Biodiversity Farm was established in mid 1990s. The main trunks of the C. calothyrsus tree are maintained at a height of about 1.5m whereby new branches are regularly pruned for livestock feeding. Leaf meal was prepared through cutting and sun drying of small branches of C. calothyrsus during the dry season. Sun drying was done immediately after cutting for 2-3 days on plastic sheets placed on ground followed by sorting the sticks off dry leaves. At the time of this study in Tanga urban, leaf meal mainly of Leucaena species was being sold at a price of 0.27 USD/kg compared to 0.45 and 0.58 USD/kg for sunflower seedcake and cotton seedcake concentrates, respectively (Personal observation). Commercial MP and MVP were purchased from the accredited local dealers. MP was important for improving energy and palatability of the supplementary ration. MVP was essential for enhancing concentration of mineral elements and vitamins that are essential for milk production.

Milk sample collection and analysis

The cows were hand milked before milking the teats and udder were washed with clean water and then a milk salve teat lubricant was smeared. The cows were milked twice daily at 0700 and 1600 hours with individual cattle milk yields recorded at each milking. Milk was sampled once per week and immediately assessed for milk protein, fat, lactose and solids non-fat components using a portable Ultrasonic Milk Analyzer Model Master LM2 (Milkotester, Bulgaria).

Experimental design, treatments and animal care

Completely randomized design was employed in which a total of 16 lactating crossbred Zebu-Friesian dairy cows were used in this study. Four (4) groups each consisting of 4 lactating crossbred dairy cows making a total of 16 cows were subjected to four levels of HSR rationed at 0, 2, 4 and 6 kg/cow/day. Those 4 lactating cows which were not subjected to HSR supplementation (0 kg/cow/day) were left under farmers’ feeding practices as a control which is supplementing a 1 kg/cow/day maize bran (Maleko et al. 2018a). These were tested to determine the optimal feeding strategy in terms of milk production and economic returns under the WUHs farming conditions.

The selected lactating cows were at their 3^rd and 4^th calving and with mean live weight of 359.38 ± 38.10 kg and average daily milk yield of 3.06 ± 0.91 litres/cow/day. The experimental period was 55 days which was the peak of dry season during September and October 2018. The first Ten (10) days were counted for acclimatization of the experimental diets/protocol and 45 days for data collection. Health care including proper prophylaxis e.g. vaccination and health management were provided by a veterinary expert contracted by the farm. Prior to actual feeding, the experimental cows were dewormed using Ivermectin injection and sprayed with acaricides weekly. The body weights of the experimental animals were estimated using a weigh band and their body condition score (BCS 1-5) assessed one day prior to commencing the study and thereafter biweekly. Animals were supplemented twice a day during milking (0700 and 1600 hours). Animals had access to adequate amount of drinking water and basal feeds in troughs, mineral lick blocks were provided ad libitum. Partial grazing was practiced during mid-days and during night times animals were housed in a well-constructed cowshed. The cowshed had stone walls, concrete floor and corrugated iron roof. The cowshed was cleaned daily to ensure animal comfort and hygienic conditions adherence.

Statistical analysis

The general linear model (GLM) under MINITAB® 18 computer based statistical program was used to assess the effects of supplementary ration, lactation phase and experimental week on milk quantity and quality (Lesik, 2018). The following model was used: Yijk = μ + Si + Lj + Wk + (SL)ij + (SW)ik +(LW)jk + (SLW)ijk + Eijk. Where: Yijk is milk yield /nutrient composition of the i^th supplementary ration, in j^th lactation phase fed i ^th ration on the k^th experimental week. μ = overall mean, Si = effects of the i^th supplementary ration, Lj = effects of the j^th lactation phase, Wk effects of k^th experimental week, (SL)ij = effects of the interaction between i ^th supplementary ration and j^th lactation phase, (SW)ik = effects of the interaction between i^th supplementary ration and the k^th experimental week, (LW)jk = j^th lactation phase and the k^th experimental week and (SLW)ijk = effects of the interaction between i^th supplementary ration, j ^th lactation phase and the k^th experimental week and Eijk = error term.

Results

The level of CLM-MB-MVP-MP supplementation was found to have an effect on daily milk yields (p < 0.001). In which, increase in amount of supplement offered to cows was resulting to increased daily milk yields (DMY) as indicated in Table 3, Figure 1 and 2. The un-supplemented cows yielded consistently low milk compared to the supplemented ones (Figure 1 and 2). Body condition score and body weight of the experimental animals were not affected by the varied amount of CLM-MB-MVP-MP supplementary concentrate feeds (Figure 3)

Figure 1. Effects of graded CLM-MB-MVP-MP supplementary concentrate feed on dry season milk production trends of lactating Friesian crossbred cows fed maize stover, Napier grass, Guatemala grass and natural pasture as basal feeds in September to October 2018, WUHs, Tanzania

Figure 2. A polynomial equation fitted to the data indicating milk yield was increasing with increased amount of the supplement	Figure 3. Polynomial equations fitted to the data indicating that BCS (left) and BW (right) of lactating crossbred Friesian cows fed maize stover, Napier grass and natural pasture as basal feeds was not affected by the varied amount of CLM-MB-MVP-MP supplementary concentrate feeds in September to October 2018, WUHs, Tanzania

It was also found that milk fat, protein, lactose and SNF composition were affected by S (p < 0.05) (Table 4). Nonetheless, S and L, and interactions between S and L had significant effects on milk protein content (p = 0.002 and p = 0.003, respectively) (Table 4.).

Discussion

The observed lack of significant influence of HSR supplementation on body condition and weight changes is attributed to short duration of this experiment. Roche et al., (2009) argued that the body condition of a lactating cow apart from feed is determined by interplay of other factors including hormones, lactation stage, gestation period, diseases and physical activity. However, effects of feeding on milk response can be observed within few hours or days upon altering either feed quantity or quality. The observation that increase in supplementation level was concurrent to milk yield increase was in agreement to our prior assumptions.

However, lack of significant difference between 4 and 6 kg HSR/cow/day could be attributed to the poor genetic potential of the cows. This is owing to the fact that there were no records on genotypes and breeding of the crossbred dairy cows at the study site. At Irente farm and nearby villages, estrous cows received bull services from crossbred Friesian bulls of untraceable origin while artificial insemination was not practiced. Thus, indigenous cattle genotype (Bos indicus) might have dominated that of temperate dairy cattle (Bos taurus) hence reducing milk production potential. This is also supported by Chagunda et al. (2016) who reported milk yields of 7.3 and 11.9 litres/cow/day for cattle with genotypes of 1/2 Friesian x 1/2 Malawi Zebu and 3/4 Friesian x 1/4 Zebu Malawi, respectively.

Nonetheless, the observed significant effect of HSR on milk quality improvement in particular milk fat is in agreement with Paterson et al. (1999). These authors reported that Calliandra based diet increased milk butterfat by 10% under the smallholder farming conditions in the Kenyan highlands. Therefore, implying that adoption of HSR feeding strategies has potential for improving both milk yields and quality in the WUHs.

Conclusion

• The supplementation level of 4 kg HSR/cow/day to the basal diets was found sufficient for sustaining lactating dairy cows’ productivity in terms of improved milk yields which is vital for encouraging farmers to optimize locally produced feeds.

Acknowledgements

The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) is thanked for funding this study through a grant number RU/2015/CARP/06. Authors are thankful to the Irente Biodiversity Farm management, dairy farmers and livestock government officials from the Lushoto District Council for being supportive of this study. This work was part of first the author’s PhD Thesis at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) available at <https://dspace.nm-aist.ac.tz/handle/20.500.12479/945>. We acknowledge support from the NM-AIST community.

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