A modelling investigation of the supplementation of sugarcane with leucaena for milk production by Holstein x Zebu cattle

Abstract

In a number of tropical countries, sugarcane is a readily available forage for dairy cattle. However, milk production with unsupplemented sugarcane is generally low, and animal performance can improve when supplements are added to the diet (Preston and Leng, 1980). Leguminous trees and bushes potentially provide a cheap supplementary source of nutrients. A simple mechanistic model of digestion of sugarcane in cattle has been constructed to assist in the search for suitable supplements (Dijkstra et al., 1996). The aim of the present paper is to investigate the optimum supplementation levels of Leucaena leucophala for milk production on sugarcane based diets, using this model.