Sugarcane as an alternative feed resource for livestock: production and utilization

1. Sugarcane as an alternative feed resource
for livestock: production and utilization
Dr. Suheel Ahmad
Sr. Scientist and OIC ICAR-ICAR-
IGFRI, Regional Research Station
Srinagar, UT of J & K

2. Need for fodder technologies
The livestock sector represents around a third of agricultural GDP in most
countries.
Low productivity of livestock owing to fodder deficit (accounts for 50-60
%), genetic improvement, health management
The limited land endowments make it difficult for the farmer to earmark
adequate land for fodder cultivation.
(Wani et al., 2014; Ahmad et al, 2017)
 The possibility of increased forage production by bringing additional area
under fodder cultivation are limited and it is therefore, imperative that
continuous efforts are made to augment forage resource availability through
other niche areas.

3. There has been greater demand for
livestock products globally as human
populations increase and their dietary
preferences change.
In the past three decades, production and
consumption of livestock products in
developing countries has grown at 3-5%
p.a.
By 2050, total meat and milk consumption
in developing countries is expected to at
least double.
These trends present both opportunities
and challenges for livestock production
sytems.

5. The livestock sector is the backbone of India’s economy in
terms of;
• Income
• Employment
• Equity
• Sustainability
• Foreign exchange earnings

6. Agriculture & allied sector share in Total
GDP (%)
17.32
Livestock contribution to Agriculture GDP (%) 25.6
Growth rate of Agriculture sector in 12th Plan (%)
(in first 4 years)
1.60
Growth rate of Livestock in 11th Plan (%) 4.80
Milk production (2015-16) in million tonnes 155.50
Per capita milk availability in India (2015-16) in
gms/day
337.00
Facts of Indian Livestock sector
**Economic survey 2017-18

7. Projected livestock population estimates
(million Adult Cattle Unit, ACU)
** Source: Livestock census published by the Directorate of Economic & Statistics
and Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying

8. **Source: Department of Animal Husbandry, Annual Report 2016-17

9. ** Source: IGFRI Vision 2050

11. Low productivity of Livestock
Average yield of milk and meat: 20-60% lower
than world average
Responsible Factors:
• Feed & Fodder deficiency - 50.2%
• Breeding & reproduction - 21.1%
• Diseases
• Management
- 7.9%
- 10.5%

12. FEED SUPPLY SYSTEM
 Feed and fodder are the major important inputs
representing 50-75% of the total cost of
production in any livestock production
influencing the survivability of the enterprises.
 Milk production in India is increasing
 But feed and fodder resources are depleting due to
increased human population, urbanization and
pressure on land to grow cereal and cash crops
 Have led to qualitative and quantitative
insufficiency of feed and fodder resources.

14. THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED THROUGH
MULTIPRONGED APPROACH
Strategies to increase forage production per unit area
Encouraging forage production in mixed farming systems
Exploitation of waste lands, denuded, degraded,
marginal and sub marginal lands for the development of
pastures and agro-forestry systems
Strategies for efficient utilization of available resources like
crop residues, non-conventional feeds and
fodders
National Fodder Mission

15. Non-conventional Feed/Fodder Resources
The NCFR generally refer to all those feeds that have not been
traditionally used for feeding livestock and are not commercially
used in the production of livestock feeds.
These have been frequently used to describe sources such as oil
palm by-products, cassava foliage, spent brewer’s grains, rubber
seed meal, single-cell proteins and feed materials derived from agro-
industrial by-products of plant and animal origin,
poor-quality cellulosic roughages from farm residues and other
agro-industrial by-products such as slaughter-house by-products and
those from the processing of sugar (bagasse, molasses) cereal
grains, citrus fruits and vegetables from the processing of food for
human consumption and some aquatic plants
(Chadhokar, 1984; Amata, 2014).

16. The NCFRs are not to replace the traditional feeds and fodder but
to be used to supplement the existing limited feed resources.
Characteristics of NCFRs
Some of the important characteristics of non-conventional feed resources are as
following (FAO, 1985 and Amata, 2014 modified).
•They are mostly of plant and organic origin.
•Most of the NCFRs are generally low in energy, protein and minerals.
•The majority of NCFRs of crop origin are bulky and poor in quality.
•The NCFRs high in moisture and many of them may contain high amounts of anti-
nutritional components that may have adverse impact on animal health.
•Some of the NCFRs are the end products of production processes and consumption
that have not been used, recycled or salvaged.
•They are mostly cellulosic roughages with high crude fiber and low nitrogenous
content and therefore, suitable for feeding to ruminants.
•The NCFRs such as banana rejects, pineapple pulp, sugarcane and sugarbeet tops
are rich in sugars, therefore, energetically beneficial to animals.

17. Fodder Sugarcane
Crude
Protein
10.95%
NDF 64.96%
ADF 37.07%
Ash 9.66%
Dry matter
digestibility
65.69%

18. Sugarcane plant is a tall, leafy, perennial tropical or sub-tropical
grass that out-yields most tropical grasses and that can be a valuable
fodder for livestock.
As a forage plant, sugarcane has multiple advantages.
1) adaptation to the tropical and subtropical environments,
2) less sensitivity than other crops to poor soil fertility, the hot-
humid climate, and insect and disease problems,
3) existing technology for its production,
4) a high yield capability, and
5) the unique ability to maintain consistent quality as a standing
crop in the field.

21. Variety Selection:
Sugarcane has numerous varieties with widely varying characteristics.
The three important items to consider are
crop yield (plant and ratoon crops),
nutritive quality (i.e., sugar and fiber contents) and
ease of harvesting.
Sugarcane varieties that are lower in fiber content should be selected.
Forage sugarcane varieties have been especially bred for forage production.

26. Sugarcane by-products as livestock feed
Sugarcane bagasse
Bagasse is the residual fibre resulting from the extraction of
sugarcane juice. There are two main types of bagasse.
1. Factory bagasse
2. Farm bagasse
The materials are fibrous and relatively high in lignocellulose.
Most of the residue substances have insufficient crude protein
(CP) (<9% of DM) for efficient rumen fermentation, with a high
crude fiber (CF) and cell wall content.
Residues also have a low mineral content, especially phosphorus,
and are deficient in vitamins.

27. Sugarcane trash
In India, approximately 6.5 million tonnes of sugarcane trash is being produced every year,
with most of the residues usually burned in the field.
About 5-8 tonnes of trash can be obtained from one hectare of sugarcane.
But, when sugarcane trash is burnt, most of the organic matter and nutrients in the trash
are lost, leading to dreadful environmental pollution
Loss of nutrients due to burning of crop residues

28. In India, crop residues are traditionally utilized as animal feed by
itself or by supplementing with some additives
To meet the nutritional requirements of animals, the residues need
processing and enriching with urea and molasses, and supplementing
with green fodders (leguminous/non-leguminous) and legume (sun
hemp, horse gram, cowpea, gram) straws.

29. Sugarcane trash is very bulky material and light occupies lot of
space. This can be a major drawback during transportation.
The problem can be overcome by chaffing to small pieces with the
help of mechanical chaff cutter (10 to 15 cm). This is essential for
before feeding to animals.
At the National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, total
mixed ration was formulated using 70% of dry trash, 20% seasonal
fodder and 10% c o n c e n t r a t e mixture.
The c o n c e n t r a t e mixture was prepared with the composition
of maize grain, 35%; groundnutcake, 32%; rice bran, 15%; wheat
bran, 15%; mineral mixture, 2% and salt 1%).

30. Complete Feed System or Balanced Rationing
The feeding value of these crop residues can be increased
by incorporating them into total mixed rations (TMR) by
fortifying them with required nutrients
TMR can be defined as a mixture of both the roughages and
the concentrate ingredients, formulated and mixed
thoroughly to form a balanced feed.
It can form a sole feed source for a 24 hour period and can
be offered ad libitum for best results.

31. Ingredients (%) in total mixed ration
Level of inclusion of some crop residues in total mixed rations

32. TMR formulations for cattle (For 100 kg feed)
S.No Ingredient Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Type 4
1 Maize/Sorghum/Bajra grains 10 4 5 6
2 Groundnut/Soybean meal 15 15 10 6
3 De-oiled Sunflower cake 10 5 4 5
4 Rice bran 22 23 18 10
5 Molasses 10 10 10 10
6 Maize/wheat/jowar straw/dry
grasses/Sugarcnae
trash/bagasse/tops/press mud
30 40 50 60
7 Mineral mixture 2 2 2 2
8 Salt 1 1 1 1
Type 1 : For high producing dairy animals (more than 20 kg milk/day)
Type 2 and 3 : For medium producers, growing heifers and pregnant animals
Type 4 : For dry animals

33. Sugarcane press-mud (SPM)
It is produced during clarification of sugarcane juice, and its
current production is about 8-10 million tons annually in India,
which is roughly 23% of world’s production.
During the course of clarification of sugarcane juice most of its
impurities are precipitated.
These impurities are filtered in filter process and washed to
remove sugar content.
The cake, which is discharged after washing, is called press- mud.
Generally, it amounts to 3.80 per cent of sugarcane.

34. SPM is one such potential feed ingredient, which can be
incorporated in livestock feeding.
Suresh and Reddy, 2011 and Suma et al. 2007 reported
that SPM is a potential source of protein (11-13%) and
other nutrients including major minerals Ca, P, K, Mg and
S as well as trace minerals like Cu, Fe, Zn and Mn, which
could contribute in body growth of animals.

35. Molasses
Molasses is a sticky dark by-product of processing sugar cane or sugar
beets into sugar.
The calcium content of sugar cane molasses is high (up to one
percent).
Cane molasses is also high in sodium, potassium, magnesium and
sulphur.
Molasses also contains significant quantities of trace minerals such as
copper, zinc, iron and manganese.
Nutrient composition of molasses (dry matter basis)
Dry Matter 74%
Crude Protein 6.5%
Oil Trace
NDF Nil
Starch Trace
Sugar 65%
ME (MJ/KG DM) 12.5

36. Molasses can be a source of quick energy and an
excellent source of minerals for farm animals.
Supplementing poor quality hay with molasses will
increase feed intake and improve palatability.
Microbes in the rumen break down the sugars in
molasses rapidly, which extensively causes a rapid release
of energy that makes molasses very useful for balancing
other feeds in the dairy diet all year round.
 Feeding molasses to farm animals will improve
digestion of pastures/hay; increase milk production, help
maintain body condition and appetite and result in less
feed waste.

37. BENEFITS
Molasses can reduce the dusty powdery nature of some finely ground
feeds.
In this role, it makes a feed mixture more palatable and edible to
livestock.
Molasses can be added to replace missing sugar and trace minerals
and help with fermentation in cases of low quality forages
especially with low sugar levels.
Cattle and Dairy
• Provides sugar during early pasture growth
• Promotes animal health
• Increases milk solid production
• Increases diet density when intake is reduced before calving
• Improves milk
• Improves digestion of fiber
• Helps reduce heat-related stress
• Helps growth and development of young stock