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Jiang M, Zhang X, Wang K, Datsomor O, Li X, Lin M, Feng C, Zhao G, Zhan K. Effect of Slow-Release Urea Partial Replacement of Soybean Meal on Lactation Performance, Heat Shock Signal Molecules, and Rumen Fermentation in Heat-Stressed Mid-Lactation Dairy Cows. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2771. [PMID: 37685035 PMCID: PMC10486772 DOI: 10.3390/ani13172771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to assess the effects of partially substituting soybean meal in the diet with slow-release urea (SRU) on the lactation performance, heat shock signal molecules, and environmental sustainability of heat-stressed lactating cows in the middle stage of lactation. In this study, 30 healthy Holstein lactating dairy cattle with a similar milk yield of 22.8 ± 3.3 kg, days in milk of 191.14 ± 27.24 days, and 2.2 ± 1.5 parity were selected and randomly allocated into two groups. The constituents of the two treatments were (1) basic diet plus 500 g soybean meal (SM) for the SM group and (2) basic diet plus 100 g slow-release urea and 400 g corn silage for the SRU group. The average temperature humidity index (THI) during the experiment was 84.47, with an average THI of >78 from day 1 to day 28, indicating the cow experienced moderate heat stress conditions. Compared with the SM group, the SRU group showed decreasing body temperature and respiratory rate trends at 20:00 (p < 0.1). The substitution of SM with SRU resulted in an increasing trend in milk yield, with a significant increase of 7.36% compared to the SM group (p < 0.1). Compared to the SM group, AST, ALT, and γ-GT content levels were significantly increased (p < 0.05). Notably, the levels of HSP-70 and HSP-90α were significantly reduced (p < 0.05). The SRU group showed significantly increased acetate and isovalerate concentrations compared with the SM group (p < 0.05). The prediction results indicate that the SRU group exhibits a significant decrease in methane (CH4) emissions when producing 1 L of milk compared to the SM group (p < 0.05). In summary, dietary supplementation with SRU tended to increase the milk yield and rumen fermentation and reduce plasma heat shock molecules in mid-lactation, heat-stressed dairy cows. In the hot summer, using SRU instead of some soybean meal in the diet alleviates the heat stress of dairy cows and reduces the production of CH4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maocheng Jiang
- Institute of Animal Culture Collection and Application, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (M.J.); (X.Z.); (K.W.); (O.D.); (X.L.); (G.Z.)
| | - Xuelei Zhang
- Institute of Animal Culture Collection and Application, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (M.J.); (X.Z.); (K.W.); (O.D.); (X.L.); (G.Z.)
| | - Kexin Wang
- Institute of Animal Culture Collection and Application, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (M.J.); (X.Z.); (K.W.); (O.D.); (X.L.); (G.Z.)
| | - Osmond Datsomor
- Institute of Animal Culture Collection and Application, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (M.J.); (X.Z.); (K.W.); (O.D.); (X.L.); (G.Z.)
| | - Xue Li
- Institute of Animal Culture Collection and Application, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (M.J.); (X.Z.); (K.W.); (O.D.); (X.L.); (G.Z.)
| | - Miao Lin
- Institute of Animal Culture Collection and Application, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (M.J.); (X.Z.); (K.W.); (O.D.); (X.L.); (G.Z.)
- Institutes of Agricultural Science and Technology Development, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, The Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Chunyan Feng
- Shanghai Menon Animal Nutrition Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200000, China;
| | - Guoqi Zhao
- Institute of Animal Culture Collection and Application, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (M.J.); (X.Z.); (K.W.); (O.D.); (X.L.); (G.Z.)
- Institutes of Agricultural Science and Technology Development, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, The Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Kang Zhan
- Institute of Animal Culture Collection and Application, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (M.J.); (X.Z.); (K.W.); (O.D.); (X.L.); (G.Z.)
- Institutes of Agricultural Science and Technology Development, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, The Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
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