ChileanJAR

Wet and dry sugar pulp were evaluated with lactating cows. In trial 1, 10 Holstein cows were used in a switch back design to compare ad libitum feeding of wet and dried sugar beet pulp. The animal also received 1.5 Kg of rape seed meal and 0.2 Kg of a mineral mixture, per animal per day. Fat corrected milk (4% FCM) was 10.4 and 9.3 Kg/day (P < 0.05) for dried and wet sugar beet pulp, respectively. Beet pulp dry matter (DM) intake was 11.3 and 8.0 Kg/cow/day for the same treatments, respectively. In trial 2, 18 Holstein cows were used in a complete ramdomised block design during a 120 days period, to compare three treatments: I) dried sugar beet pulp ad libitum; II) wet beet pulp ad libitum; and III) dried beet pulp, approximately, 50% of the dry matter intake of treatment I), plus wet beet pulp ad libitum. The cows also received 1,6 Kg of rape seed meal and 0.2 Kg of a mineral mixture/cow/day. FCM production was 7.5, 8.8 and 8.4 Kg/cow/day (P > 0.05) for treatments I), II) and III), respectively. Total DM intake was 8.7, 10.6 and 10.4 kg/day (P > 0.05) for the same treamensts, respectively. In both trials milk fat was low and varied between 2.5 and 2.9%, and there was no difference bet ween treatments (P > 0.05). DM intake, obtained with wet or dried sugar beet pulp, was not adequate to meet nutrient requirements of cows with a milk production of 10 - 12 Kg/day.
Sugar beet pulp should be used in combination with hay or silage for dairy cattle rations during winter. Energy supplied by dried or wet sugar beet pulp was similar on a dru matter basis.