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Dry Matter Intake Prediction from Milk Spectra in Sarda Dairy Sheep. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13040763. [PMID: 36830549 PMCID: PMC9952237 DOI: 10.3390/ani13040763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Individual dry matter intake (DMI) is a relevant factor for evaluating feed efficiency in livestock. However, the measurement of this trait on a large scale is difficult and expensive. DMI, as well as other phenotypes, can be predicted from milk spectra. The aim of this work was to predict DMI from the milk spectra of 24 lactating Sarda dairy sheep ewes. Three models (Principal Component Regression, Partial Least Squares Regression, and Stepwise Regression) were iteratively applied to three validation schemes: records, ewes, and days. DMI was moderately correlated with the wavenumbers of the milk spectra: the largest correlations (around ±0.30) were observed at ~1100-1330 cm-1 and ~2800-3000 cm-1. The average correlations between real and predicted DMI were 0.33 (validation on records), 0.32 (validation on ewes), and 0.23 (validation on days). The results of this preliminary study, even if based on a small number of animals, demonstrate that DMI can be routinely estimated from the milk spectra.
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Kalogianni AI, Moschovas M, Chrysanthakopoulou F, Lazou T, Theodorou G, Politis I, Bossis I, Gelasakis AI. The Effects of Replacing Soybean Meal with Rapeseed Meal, Cottonseed Cake, and Fava Beans on the Milk Yield and Quality Traits in Milking Ewes. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12030274. [PMID: 35158598 PMCID: PMC8833526 DOI: 10.3390/ani12030274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The substitution of soybean meal in farm animal diets is considered vital for the economic and environmental sustainability of the livestock sector. However, data regarding the effects of a soybean meal replacement on the milk yield and quality traits in dairy sheep are scarce. In our study, two isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were used, with soybean meal of a typical ration being replaced by a mixture of rapeseed meal, cottonseed cake, and fava beans. The milk yield and the body condition scores were recorded, and milk samples were analyzed monthly for their fat, protein, lactose, and total solids yields, as well as for somatic cell counts, total bacterial counts, pH, electrical conductivity, and the refractive index. Daily and 100-day fat yields were significantly increased in the group fed the experimental ration and the electrical conductivity was significantly decreased in the same group, while no adverse effects on any of the rest of the studied milk production traits were observed. Abstract The replacement of soybean meal (SBM) from intensively reared dairy sheep diets has emerged as a significant challenge for sustainable production. However, the effects of this replacement on milk production have not been sufficiently elucidated. The objective of this study was to prospectively assess the effects of replacing SBM with a mixture of alternative protein sources on the milk yield (MY) and the milk quality traits (MQT) in intensively reared dairy sheep. A total of 112 multiparous, purebred milking ewes of the Chios and Frizarta breeds, from two intensive dairy sheep farms, were involved in the study, postweaning, and were assigned to either the control (CR) or the experimental ration (ER) group. In the ER, 3/4 of the SBM was replaced by a mixture of rapeseed meal, cottonseed cake, and fava beans, producing a ration of a similar nutritional value. MY, MQT, and body condition scores were recorded for each individual ewe monthly for a period of 4 months during lactation. The experimental ration was associated with beneficial effects on daily and 100-day fat yields and on the electrical conductivity of milk as an improved udder health status indicator, with no adverse effects on any of the rest of the studied milk production traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aphrodite I. Kalogianni
- Laboratory of Anatomy and Physiology of Farm Animals, Department of Animal Science, School of Animal Biosciences, Agricultural University of Athens (AUA), Iera Odos 75 Str., 11855 Athens, Greece; (A.I.K.); (M.M.)
| | - Marios Moschovas
- Laboratory of Anatomy and Physiology of Farm Animals, Department of Animal Science, School of Animal Biosciences, Agricultural University of Athens (AUA), Iera Odos 75 Str., 11855 Athens, Greece; (A.I.K.); (M.M.)
| | | | - Thomai Lazou
- Laboratory of Hygiene of Foods of Animal Origin—Veterinary Public Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece;
| | - Georgios Theodorou
- Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, Department of Animal Science, School of Animal Biosciences, Agricultural University of Athens (AUA), Iera Odos 75 Str., 11855 Athens, Greece; (G.T.); (I.P.)
| | - Ioannis Politis
- Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, Department of Animal Science, School of Animal Biosciences, Agricultural University of Athens (AUA), Iera Odos 75 Str., 11855 Athens, Greece; (G.T.); (I.P.)
| | - Ioannis Bossis
- Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, Department of Agricultural Sciences, School of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece;
| | - Athanasios I. Gelasakis
- Laboratory of Anatomy and Physiology of Farm Animals, Department of Animal Science, School of Animal Biosciences, Agricultural University of Athens (AUA), Iera Odos 75 Str., 11855 Athens, Greece; (A.I.K.); (M.M.)
- Correspondence:
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