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A note on the value of molasses and tapioca as energy supplements to forage for growing steers
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 September 2010
Summary
The intake and digestibility of diets containing dried grass supplemented with either molasses or tapioca was studied with 12 Friesian steers in two experiments, using a Latin square design. Three periods were used, each containing 3 weeks preliminary followed by a 10-day collection period. In both experiments long, artificially dried grass was given to appetite (treatment A). The other treatments in Experiment 1 were 25% molasses plus 75% dried grass (B) and 50% molasses plus 50% dried grass (C). In Experiment 2 the treatments were 21% tapioca plus 79% dried grass (D) and 42% tapioca plus 58% dried grass (E). There was no significant difference in dry matter or organic matter intake between the diets, though the intakes in both experiments tended to be lower when the dried grass was supplemented with either molasses or tapioca than when it was given alone. Nor were there any significant differences in the digestibility of dry matter or organic matter between the diets in either experiment. In both experiments the digestibility of crude fibre was significantly lower (P<0·05) when either molasses or tapioca was given with the dried grass than when the grass was offered alone.
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- Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1975
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