Zalán VARGA, Department for Agriculture, October 29, 2015

1. Use of ´Novum wheat´ in animal
feeding
Zalán VARGA
Department for Agriculture
October 29, 2015.

2. Background
• Important factor for Hungarian animal product producers: self-production of
the feed (forage) material or have it produced geographically close
• Basic feed: soy-maize (~80-85% imported GM soy)
• To replace import GM soy, from 2015 Hungary provides extra support for
domestic, GM-free soy production with expectation to triple the soy area by
2020
• But an alternative feed grain is also needed (more and more drought
periods→low maize yield)
• Ministry budget for development → „Support for agricultural research”
• Feed wheat in general: low quality and thus unsuitable for milling and for
human food
• Novum wheat: nationally listed species hybrid, currently with one variety
bred especially for animal feeding purpose

3. Briefly about Novum wheat I.
• Species hybrid: Triticum speltivum (Triticum spelta x Triticum aestivum),
basically a thresable spelt
• Similarities with the spelt in everything regarding quality, as well as
production technology
• Protein content: 18-25% (in dry matter)
• Variety used in the experintemt is a soft, winter type with 8-14 mm/h
spreading → feed type
• Proper yield even in drought, no need for nutrient supply (NPK), quite
tolerant to diseases

4. Briefly about Novum wheat II.
• Feeding indicators:
• Cost comparison (2010 Hungarian base prices):
protein concentration 28,0%
nutrient rate 1 : 3.20
starch rate 1 : 2.50
net starch value 650
common
wheat
4 t/ha
maize
6 t/ha
soybean
2,50 t/ha
Novum
4 t/ha
First cost $/ha 780 1050 675 485
First cost $/t 195 180 275 110-125
crude protein kg/ha 500 470 850 840
crude protein $/kg 1.55 2.20 0.80 0.46-0.56

5. • Conducted by NARIC-ÁTHK in 2012-2013, covered by „Support for
agricultural research”
• Pork fattening (now a poultry experiment is in preparation)
• The goal was:
− to fully replace soy protein
− to compare with maize-soy diet
− to examine difference between two different wheat types (feed vs.
food wheat)
• Soy replacement was with 50% wheat partly
• Need for extra glucanase and xylanase enzymes in the second fattening phase
has also been examined
• Experimental setup:
− chemical analyses (nutriment and amino acid content)
− three phased fattening experiment (Phase I: between 80-123 days
old age; phase II: between 138-177 days old age; full phase: from
80 days old age until slaughter)
The project (experiment)

6. Aestivum (control) Novum
Dry matter 88,00 89,64
Crude protein 13,67 14,06
Digestable protein 12,75 13,85
Protein digestibility 93,30 98,50
Crude fat 1,42 1,97
Crude fiber 2,38 1,91
Digestable energy (MJ/kg) 14,37 14,89
Metabolizable energy (MJ/kg) 13,98 14,47
Specification values (nutriment content)

7. Feed composition (%)
Denomination
Feed
Control Experimental
1. 2. 3. 4.
Aest. Novum Aest. Novum
Maize 45,00 45,00
Aestivum wheat 25,00 50,00
Novum wheat 25,00 50,00
Extr.soy 46% 23,50 23,50
Extr.sunflower 37% 28,00 28,00
Fat powder-40 17,00 17,00

8. Feed nutriment content (%)
Denomination
Feed
Control Experimental
1. 2. 3. 4.
Aestivum Novum Aestivum Novum
Dry matter 88,00 88,00 88,00 88,00
Digestible energy, MJ/kg 13,78 13,78 13,69 13,69
Crude protein 17,60 17,70 17,50 17,70
Crude fat 2,49 2,63 8,07 8,35
Crude fiber 2,62 2,51 7,47 7,23
Lysine 0,95 0,96 0,96 0,97
Methionine 0,37 0,37 0,37 0,37
Methionine+cystine 0,69 0,69 0,69 0,69
Threonine 0,67 0,64 0,67 0,67
Ca 0,90 0,91 0,89 0,88
P 0,63 0,62 0,73 0,72
Na 0,16 0,16 0,16 0,16
A-vitamin, NE/kg 10279 10279 10279 10279
D3-vitamin, NE/kg 2000 2000 2000 2000
E-vitamin (alfa-tokoferol), mg/kg 21 21,31 21,31 21,31

9. Meat productivity
Treatments→
Control Control Control Experimental Experimental Experimental
1 2 1-2 3 4 3-4
Aestivum Novum wheat Aestivum Novum wheat
Slaughter weight, kg 111±4,4 113,4±3,7 112,2±4,1 111±7 109,4±3,7 110,1±5,5
Meat% 55,6±3,1 53,2±4,2 54,4±3,7 54,3±4,1 55,4±3,3 54,8±3,6

10. Feeding costs/porker (early 2013 prices)
Control Experimental
Aest. Novum Control Aest. Novum Control
Phase I.
Feeding cost , $/day 0.86 0.83 0.84 0.86 0.84 0.85
Cost for 43 days 36.98 35.69 36.12 36.98 36.12 36.55
Phase II.
Feeding cost, $/day 1.01 0.99 1.00 1.11 0.96 1.05
Cost for 54 days 54.54 53.46 54.00 59.94 51.84 56.70
Cost for 97 days 91.52 89.15 90.12 96.92 87.96 93.25
- 2.37 -8.96
Control Experimental
Aest. Novum Control Aest. Novum Control
Phase I.
Feeding cost , $/day 0.86 0.83 0.84 0.80 0.78 0.79
Cost for 43 days 36.98 35.69 36.12 34.40 33.54 33.97
Phase II.
Feeding cost, $/day 1.01 0.99 1.00 1.04 0.90 0.98
Cost for 54 days 54.54 53.46 54.00 56.16 48.06 52.92
Cost for 97 days 91.52 89.15 90.12 90.56 82.14 86.89
- 2.37 -8.42
If extr.
sunflower
$0.25/kg
If extr.
sunflower
$0.17/kg

11. Results
• Better specification values in Novum wheat
• The maize-soy diet (with 25% wheat) did not show better result than the
feed with 50% wheat
• Feed intake was less regarding the Novum mixture (both in Phase I-II.) →
better digestibility
• Novum mixture had nearly the same nutriment content as the soy-maize
mixture (some components were a bit higher)
• According to the results, with 50% Novum wheat proportion, porkers can be
fattened succesfully without any loss of efficiency
• In Phase II. there is no need for additional enzyme
• Because of the Novum’s higher energy content, animals consume less feed
therefore feeding cost/porker can be lowered by $8.50 (or more)

12. Conclusions
• It would be practical to use real feed wheat instead of food wheat, because
more advantageous production abilities, and more favourable nutriment-
content.
• Because of the Novum’s higher energy content, animals consume less feed
therefore the feeding cost can be lowered. (the cost comparison was made
between the Novum and the food wheat, but comparing it to the soy-maize
mixture cost, it is still a bit more favourable)
• The results can be applicable mainly for those who are able to produce the
feed material for themselves.
• Important: the used Novum material was with very low quality compared
with itself (late sowing, late harvest, got soaked, lodged). With average or
high quality Novum wheat, feeding is more efficient.

13. Thank you for your attention!