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Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
School of Agricultural and Food Sciences
Department of Animal and Wildlife Sciences
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
The University has a high producing Holstein herd of a hundred cows in milk, which is available to the livestock and feed industry for research on animal nutrition, physiology or breeding. The average milk production is 35kg milk/cow/day and some cows produce more than 50 kg milk/day.
The herd is invaluable in the sense that students get hands on experience and post-graduate students have the opportunity to conduct research trials. The research program is focused on improving the efficiency of utilisation of dietary protein, energy and fiber through the strategic utilisation of a spectrum of feed additives.
Recent research results indicated that the supplementation of lactic acid rumen bacteria could play an important role in optimising rumen function and decreasing post partum metabolic disturbances. In another study a synergistic action of an ionophore and a non-ionophore antibiotic was demonstrated; milk production was significantly increased by the combined supplementation when compared to supplementation of only virginiamycin or only monensin.
Various techniques were compared as a quick method to evaluate the effectiveness of rumen protected amino acids and responses in milk protein percentage proved to be an easy and reliable method to evaluate rumen protected amino acids, especially when in the liquid form.
Prof LJ Erasmus
Animal and Wildlife Sciences
+27 (0) 12 420 4947
lourens.erasmus@up.ac.za
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