Inclusion of calcium oxide in sugarcane silage with different particle size in diet of F1 Holstein / Zebu dairy cows: nutritional and productive parameters

Abstract The aim was to evaluate intake and apparent digestibility, productive performance and nitrogen balance of the F1 Holstein/Zebu dairy cows fed sugarcane silage with different particle sizes containing or not calcium oxide (CaO). Eight F1 Holstein/Zebu cows, with average body weight of 521.5 ± 55.17 kg, and 60 ± 10 days in milk were used, distributed in two simultaneous 4x4 Latin squares. The treatments were composed of sugarcane in two particle sizes (15 and 30 mm) with and without addition of CaO (10 g/kg natural matter basis), being the treatments compared according to a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance using the MIXED procedure of SAS (version 9.4). The intakes of the dry matter (13.05 kg/d), crude protein, non-fibrous carbohydrates and neutral detergent fiber were not modified (P > 0.05) by the inclusion of the calcium oxide, nor ot by particles size and interaction among both. However, there was interaction between CaO and particle size on dry matter digestibility (P = 0.002). The yield (13.85 kg/d) and composition of the milk were also not affected by diets (P > 0.05), similarly for nitrogen balance (P > 0,05). The addition of CaO to sugarcane silage with different particle sizes (15 and 30 mm) does not affect the yield and composition of the milk of Holstein/Zebu cows, nor the nitrogen balance. However, when CaO is added to sugarcane silage with reduced particle size, there is a loss in dry matter digestibility.