Effect of feeding sugarcane bagasse treated with alkali and white rot fungi on dairy cow performance, blood metabolite and ruminal fermentation

Bagasse is the left over obtained from sugar production plants. After improving the quality with NaOH and white fungus, Pleurotus sajor-caju, it can be used as roughage source for ruminant animal. However, use at different levels in TMR diet is expected to produce different responses. Therefore, the objective this study is to find the suitable level of fermented sugarcane bagasse (FSB) as an ingredient in TMR with 14% dietary protein content on dairy cow performance, blood metabolite and ruminal fermentation. In CRD experiment, nine crossbred Holstein lactating multiparous cows (avg. b. wt. 405±45 kg) were randomly allotted to 3 dietary treatments comprising of 3 levels of FSB in TMR diet viz., 10, 20 and 30%. The result showed that inclusion of FSB at different levels in TMR diet had no effect on DMI and milk production. However, FSB at 20% in TMR had improved the milk composition. Increasing the level of FSB in TMR diet was effect to increase blood glucose, while blood urea nitrogen has the highest in 1.5 hours after feeding FSB at 10% in TMR diet. Level of FSB in TMR diet had no effect on ruminal fermentation as evidenced in every hour of determination, except 4.5 hours after feeding while FSB at 10% in TMR diet had highest TVFA concentration in the rumen. Therefore, the study suggests that FSB at the level of 20–30% in TMR diet for optimum performance, blood metabolite and ruminal fermentation.