Water Use Efficiency in Milk Production of Selected Dairy Breeds in Central Region of Bihar: A Lifetime Analysis

Abstract

Water is one of the critical resources in livestock production system. Water footprint or water use efficiency for milk production can provide a perceptive nexus between water consumption and milk production. Cattle and buffalo breeds are having different water requirement over the lifetime and according to the availability of the water resource a breed can be preferred in a region. Primary data were collected for 180 animals of different age group from the selected breeds (Graded Sahiwal, Holstein–Friesian cross and Graded Murrah) using pre-structured interview schedule. Total water use was calculated by adding direct and indirect water use by the animals. Water requirement for Graded Sahiwal (12,080 m³/animal) was found 1.09 times and 1.20 times less than crossbred (13,216 m³/animal) and Graded Murrah (14,548 m³/animal), respectively, despite its longer herd life. Water use efficiency (WUE) for whole lifetime was estimated and it was found that WUE was the highest for crossbred cow (1.48 L/m³) followed by Graded Sahiwal (1.04 L/m³), and Graded Murrah (0.76 L/m³). It was due to the higher Life time Milk Yield in crossbred cow in comparison with Graded Sahiwal and Graded Murrah. It can be concluded that though the lifetime water requirement was the lowest for Graded Sahiwal but WUE of crossbred was the highest among the selected breeds due to higher lifetime milk production.