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Kikuyu grass in winter–spring time in small-scale dairy systems in the highlands of central Mexico in terms of cow performance and fatty acid profile of milk

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Abstract

The work herein reported closes the evaluation of the role of kikuyu grass in small-scale dairy systems in the highlands of Mexico. The objective was to compare the productive response of vacas lecheras en pastoreo continuo de kikuyu (Cenchrus clandestinus) with a sown frost-resistant tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) during the winter-spring dry season in dairy systems and determine the fatty acid profile of feeds and milk. An on-farm double cross-over experiment with three periods the 14 days each was undertaken with eight Holstein cows randomly assigned to treatments sequence. Treatments were daytime grazing for 8 h/d of a Cajun II endophyte free tall fescue pasture invaded by kikuyu grass (CJ) or a naturally invaded kikuyu grass pasture (KY), both associated with white clover (Trifolium repens) and annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum). Cows were supplemented in pens with 6.0 kg DM/cow/day with maize silage and 4.6 kg DM/cow/day of commercial concentrate. The fatty acid profiles of feeds and milk were determined by gas chromatography. There were differences (P<0.05) for net herbage accumulation and chemical composition between pastures, but not for in vitro digestibility or estimated metabolizable energy. In animal variables, protein content in milk was higher in KY (P<0.05). There were significant differences (P<0.05) among experimental periods for milk fat content and milk urea nitrogen with the highest values in Period 3. Pasture DM intake was lowest (P<0.05) in Period 3. In terms of fatty acid content, there were significant interactions (P<0.05) for vaccenic acid (C18:1t11) and linoleic acid (C18:2c9c12) with the highest values in Period 3. Linolenic acid (C18:3c9c12c15) was higher in milk when cows grazed KY and significantly higher (P<0.05) in Period 3. It is concluded that kikuyu pastures complemented with maize silage and concentrates in winter-spring perform as tall fescue pastures in the season of herbage scarcity. Milk from cows grazing kikuyu grass pastures complemented with maize silage and concentrates has a higher content of linolenic fatty acid and an atherogenic index favorable for human health.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors express gratitude to Prof. Nicolás López-Villalobos of the School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, New Zealand, and Centro Universitario UAEM Temascaltepec, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México for his advice on statistical analysis. Our gratitude also to the two collaborating farmers and their families who participated in this experiment, whose privacy is respected by not disclosing their names. This work was undertaken thanks to funding by the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México) through grant UAEM 4487/2018/CI, and the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT— Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología) for the postgraduate grant for Dalia Andrea Plata-Reyes. Our appreciation also to Ms. Laura Edith Martínez-Contreras for her assistance in laboratory analyses.

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Funding

Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México) through grant UAEM 4487/2018/CI, and the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT—Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología) for the postgraduate grant for Dalia Andrea Plata-Reyes.

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  1. Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Rurales (ICAR), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM), Campus UAEM. El Cerrillo, El Cerrillo Piedras Blancas, CP, 50090, Toluca, Estado de México, México

    Dalia Andrea Plata-Reyes, Carlos Galdino Martínez-García & Carlos Manuel Arriaga-Jordán

  2. Programa de Ganadería, Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus Montecillo, CP, 56230, Texcoco, México

    Omar Hernández-Mendo

  3. Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias (ICAP), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Av. Rancho Universitario s/n km 1, CP, 43760, Tulancingo, Hidalgo, México

    Rodolfo Vieyra-Alberto

  4. Centro Universitario UAEM Temascaltepec, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Carretera Toluca-Tejupilco Km.67.5, C.P., 52300, Temascaltepec, México

    Benito Albarrán-Portillo

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  1. Dalia Andrea Plata-Reyes
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Contributions

Dalia Andrea Plata-Reyes (dplatar144@alumno.uaemex.mx). ORCID: 0000-0001-9017-1177. Contribution: investigation, laboratory analyses, writing— original draft.

Omar Hrenández-Mendo (ohmendo@colpos.mx). ORCID: 0000-0003-0756-7387. Contribution: methodology, writing—review and editing.

Rodolfo Vierya-Alberto. ORCID: 0000-0001-5889-1203. Contribution: methodology for fatty acid analyses, interpretation and discussion of fatty acids results, writing—review and editing.

Benito Albarrán-Portillo (balbarran@uaemex.mx). ORCID: 0000-0001-9807-8452. Contribution: methodology for formal statistical analyses, interpretation and discussion of results, writing— review and editing.

Carlos Galdino Martínez-García (cgmartinezg@uaemex.mx). ORCID: 0000-0001-9924-3376. Contribution: writing— review and editing.

Carlos Manuel Arriaga-Jordán (cmarriagaj@uaemex.mx), ORCID: 0000-0002-6140-0847. Contribution: conceptualization, resources, writing—review, editing and translation, supervision, funding acquisition.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carlos Manuel Arriaga-Jordán.

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Experimental procedures with dairy cows and work with collaborating farmers followed guidelines accepted by Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Rurales (ICAR) of Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México.

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The paper reports an on-farm experiment undertaken with two participating farmers who had knowledge of the objectives of the work and were always duly informed, their decisions respected, and were actively involved in the research. Their privacy and that of their family respected by not disclosing their names.

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Plata-Reyes, D.A., Hernández-Mendo, O., Vieyra-Alberto, R. et al. Kikuyu grass in winter–spring time in small-scale dairy systems in the highlands of central Mexico in terms of cow performance and fatty acid profile of milk. Trop Anim Health Prod 53, 225 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-021-02672-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-021-02672-9

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