SEVAI-OFI Cow farm undertakes study on feeding Sugar cane Tops.

sugar cane top at the tips

“SEVAI-OFI Cow farm undertakes study on feeding Sugar cane Tops” said SEVAI-OFI- cow farm manager Devendran. He further said, “The Sugarcane tops are the important crop residue yielding about 10% of the total sugarcane yield. In Pettavaithalai, a sugar factory is functional for decades and several sugarcane cultivators cultivate cane sugar for the supply of sugar cane to this Pettavaithalai sugar factory. Thus there is abundant availability of sugarcane tops at the time of harvest in Sirugamani area where SEVAI-OFI Cow farm has been established”. Devendran added “sugar cane top (SCT) which could be used a fodder to reduce pressure on the cultivable land. Information on the effect of feeding value added sugarcane tops silage with 1% urea, 0.5% salt and 2% molasses on the reproductive traits in dairy cattle is to be added. The tops were then chopped to a length of 4-5 cm using chaff-cutter and ensiled in silo pits with one per cent urea, 0.5% common salt and two percent molasses on air-dry basis. The Bajara-Napiar hybrid grass was mixed with Alfalfa in the ratio of 1:1.09 in order to match the nitrogen and energy content. In Tamilnadu state sugar cane is cultivated as an economic crop. It is grown in a selected track around the sugar mills and also sporadically by big farmers in remote villages for jaggary production. The sugar cane tops is a rich resource for animal feeding. Sugar cane is cultivated in irrigated area, Where the Crossbreed animals concentration is also high and it a complementing situation. The major requirement for ensiling the sugar cane tops with the green leaves is a chaff cutter to seed the matured lignified materials can be well packed to create an anaerobic condition to promote fermentation. Very good silage can be obtained, as soluble sugar is available for effective fomentation. Considering the dry matter contends other crop residue with low dry matter content can also be mixed for ensiling. The chaffed sugar cane tops can also be directly fed to the high yielding crossbreed animals for economic milk production. Harvesting of sugar cane coincides with the winter a scarcity period of energy rich fodder for animals. In Trichy District, livestock depend heavily on SCT, especially in winter when the productivity of most other species is at its lowest. The preserved SCT materials have been well received by both the livestock and the farmers. The rate of urea application has been 4 – 5 percent of SCT dry matter. However, further study is needed, and that is why, with the support of KVK-Sirugamani SEVAI proposes to undertake study on Sugar cane tops as fodder for cows those are giving milk, not for pregnant cows.”-Govin