A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Slow-Release Urea Supplementation on the Performance of Beef Cattle
Slow-release urea (SRU) is a coated non-protein nitrogen (NPN) source for ruminant nutrition. This study applied a meta-analytic technique to quantify the effect of a commercial SRU (Optigen<sup>®</sup>, Alltech Inc., Nicholasville, KY, USA) on the performance of beef cattle. Data were e...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-04-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/4/657 |
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| author | Saheed A. Salami Colm A. Moran Helen E. Warren Jules Taylor-Pickard |
| author_facet | Saheed A. Salami Colm A. Moran Helen E. Warren Jules Taylor-Pickard |
| author_sort | Saheed A. Salami |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Slow-release urea (SRU) is a coated non-protein nitrogen (NPN) source for ruminant nutrition. This study applied a meta-analytic technique to quantify the effect of a commercial SRU (Optigen<sup>®</sup>, Alltech Inc., Nicholasville, KY, USA) on the performance of beef cattle. Data were extracted from 17 experiments and analysed using the random-effects model to estimate the effect size of SRU on dry matter intake (DMI), crude protein intake (CPI), live weight gain (LWG) and feed efficiency (FE) of growing and finishing beef cattle. There was no effect of feeding SRU on the overall DMI and CPI of beef cattle. Dietary inclusion of SRU improved the overall LWG (+92 g/d/head) and FE (+12 g LWG/kg DMI/head) of beef cattle. Notably, SRU supplementation in growing cattle exhibited a better improvement on LWG (130 vs. 60 g/d/head) and FE (18 vs. 8 g LWG/kg DMI/head) compared with finishing cattle. Moreover, SRU showed consistent improvements on the LWG and FE of beef cattle under several study factors. Simulation analysis indicated that positive effects of SRU on LWG and FE improved profitability through reduction in feed cost and reduced the emission intensity of beef production. These results indicate that SRU is a sustainable NPN solution in beef cattle production. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:32:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-58d03af862364dd9bd81540fd6aa2d61 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:32:53Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-58d03af862364dd9bd81540fd6aa2d612023-11-19T21:15:23ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152020-04-0110465710.3390/ani10040657A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Slow-Release Urea Supplementation on the Performance of Beef CattleSaheed A. Salami0Colm A. Moran1Helen E. Warren2Jules Taylor-Pickard3Solutions Deployment Team, Alltech (UK) Ltd., Stamford PE9 1TZ, UKRegulatory Affairs Department, Alltech SARL, Rue Charles Amand, 14500 Vire, FranceAlltech Biotechnology Centre, Summerhill Road, A86 X006 Dunboyne, IrelandAlltech Biotechnology Centre, Summerhill Road, A86 X006 Dunboyne, IrelandSlow-release urea (SRU) is a coated non-protein nitrogen (NPN) source for ruminant nutrition. This study applied a meta-analytic technique to quantify the effect of a commercial SRU (Optigen<sup>®</sup>, Alltech Inc., Nicholasville, KY, USA) on the performance of beef cattle. Data were extracted from 17 experiments and analysed using the random-effects model to estimate the effect size of SRU on dry matter intake (DMI), crude protein intake (CPI), live weight gain (LWG) and feed efficiency (FE) of growing and finishing beef cattle. There was no effect of feeding SRU on the overall DMI and CPI of beef cattle. Dietary inclusion of SRU improved the overall LWG (+92 g/d/head) and FE (+12 g LWG/kg DMI/head) of beef cattle. Notably, SRU supplementation in growing cattle exhibited a better improvement on LWG (130 vs. 60 g/d/head) and FE (18 vs. 8 g LWG/kg DMI/head) compared with finishing cattle. Moreover, SRU showed consistent improvements on the LWG and FE of beef cattle under several study factors. Simulation analysis indicated that positive effects of SRU on LWG and FE improved profitability through reduction in feed cost and reduced the emission intensity of beef production. These results indicate that SRU is a sustainable NPN solution in beef cattle production.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/4/657beef cattlerumen degradable proteinureagrowth performancefeed efficiency |
| spellingShingle | Saheed A. Salami Colm A. Moran Helen E. Warren Jules Taylor-Pickard A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Slow-Release Urea Supplementation on the Performance of Beef Cattle Animals beef cattle rumen degradable protein urea growth performance feed efficiency |
| title | A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Slow-Release Urea Supplementation on the Performance of Beef Cattle |
| title_full | A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Slow-Release Urea Supplementation on the Performance of Beef Cattle |
| title_fullStr | A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Slow-Release Urea Supplementation on the Performance of Beef Cattle |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Slow-Release Urea Supplementation on the Performance of Beef Cattle |
| title_short | A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Slow-Release Urea Supplementation on the Performance of Beef Cattle |
| title_sort | meta analysis of the effects of slow release urea supplementation on the performance of beef cattle |
| topic | beef cattle rumen degradable protein urea growth performance feed efficiency |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/4/657 |
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