A fecal test for assessing phosphorus overfeeding on dairy farms: Evaluation using extensive farm data

作者:Dou Z*; Ramberg C F Jr; Chapuis Lardy L; Toth J D; Wu Z; Chase L E; Kohn R A; Knowlton K F; Ferguson J D
来源:Journal of Dairy Science, 2010, 93(2): 830-839.
DOI:10.3168/jds.2009-2153

摘要

Managing P on dairy farms requires the assessment and monitoring of P status of the animals so that potential overfeeding may be minimized. Numerous published studies have demonstrated that for lactating dairy cows, increasing P concentrations in diets led to greater P excretion in feces. More recent work reported that inorganic P (P(i)) in 0.1% HCl extracts of feces (fecal extract P(i), g/kg) closely reflects dietary P changes. This has led to the proposal that 0.1% HCl fecal extract P(i) may serve as an indicator of the animal's P status (adequate or excessive) when compared with a benchmark value. Here, we present the results of an extensive evaluation of the proposed fecal P indicator test. With samples (n = 575) from >90 farms, fecal total P (TP, g/kg) and fecal extract P were positively correlated with dietary P (X, g/kg): TP = 1.92X - 0.17 (R(2) = 0.36); fecal extract P = 1.82X - 2.54 (R(2) = 0.46). Fecal extract P was responsive to dietary P changes, whereas the remaining P, calculated as TP minus fecal extract P, was not. A provisional benchmark value of fecal extract P representing near-adequate P status was set at 4.75 g/kg. Assessment of the farm data using the benchmark indicated that 316 out of 575 data points were associated with possible P overfeeding. Advantages of the fecal-based test over feed-based analysis to assess P status are discussed. The fecal extract P method is a simple and practical test that can be used as an assessment tool for helping dairy producers improve P management and reduce their environmental footprint.

  • 出版日期2010-2