COMPARATIVE-EVALUATION OF HUMID SACCHARINA (RUSTIC) AND FRESH SUGAR-CANE (WITH ADDITIVES) FOR MILK-PRODUCTION UNDER NONIRRIGATED CONDITIONS

Sixty crossbred Holstein (HxZ) cows were selected for milk production (12 +/- 0.4 litres) and live weight (420 +/- 14 kg) randomly distribut ed in the following treatments: A) 15 kg/cow/day of wet Saccharina; B) 15 kg/cow/day of ground integral sugar cane + 1.5% urea and 0.5% mine rals and C) 5 kg of a commercial feed (control). The animals in the th ree treatments grazed bermuda 68 grass (Cynodon dactylon) and silage w as supplemented. A multiplicative model was used for the analysis of m ilk yield. The remaining measurements were analysed according to a sim ple classification model. The results indicated a significantly better milk production with wet Saccharina (9.9 kg/day) and a commercial fee d (10.2 kg/day) compared to that with fresh sugar cane with additives (9.3 kg/day). No significant differences in any of the treatments were found in the blood indices. The fermentation of sugar cane improves a nimal response when compared with cows fed sugar cane with additives.