Tropentag, September 11 - 13, 2024, Vienna "Explore opportunities... for managing natural resources and a better life for all"

Milk quality based on soil fertility and pasture composition in Fleckvieh systems in the Peruvian Amazon

¹Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas, Instituto de Investigación en Ganadería y Biotecnología, Peru
²GENEX CDP PERU, Global Development, Peru
³Christian Albrechts University of Kiel, Institute of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Germany

Abstract

This study aims to assess the relationship between milk quality with soil fertility and pasture nutritional composition in ten Fleckvieh bovine production systems distributed across four provinces within the Amazon region: Chachapoyas (system I; n = 2), Bongara (system II; n = 4), Rodriguez de Mendoza (system III; n = 2), and Utcubamba (system IV; n = 2). The chemical compositions of milk (crude fat, crude protein, lactose, total solids, and fat and protein corrected milk), bromatological composition of pasture (dry matter, humidity, crude ash, crude fat, crude fiber, crude protein, nitrogen-free extract, gross energy, and dry matter digestibility), and soil parameters (pH, electric conductivity, phosphorus, potassium, carbon, organic matter, and nitrogen) were analyzed and compared using Duncan's Multiple Range Test across systems (n = 4). Pearson's correlation coefficient was then calculated to assess the strength and direction of the relationships (n = 10). No significant differences among systems were observed between pasture nutritional composition, milk, and soil parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity, phosphorus, and potassium. However, statistical differences between soil concentrations of carbon, organic matter, and nitrogen were found between systems. Strong correlations were identified between pasture partial dry matter and milk fat (r = 0.62), as well as with milk crude protein (r = 0.61). Moderate correlations were observed between pasture partial dry matter and milk total solids (r = 0.52), milk lactose and soil phosphorus (r = -0.44), milk crude protein and soil potassium (r = 0.40), electric conductivity and pasture total dry matter (r = 0.44), soil potassium and pasture crude ash (r = 0.49), soil carbon and pasture crude fat (r = 0.40), and soil organic matter and pasture crude fat (r = 0.40). This suggests that the combined makeup of pastures and soil can influence the nutritional profile of milk in these systems. Thus, implementing effective soil and pasture management strategies could enhance the overall productivity of these regimens.

Keywords: Amazon region, dual-purpose system, pastoral systems, pasture quality, rainforest

Contact Address: Deysi Yenny Ruiz Llontop, Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas, Instituto de Investigación en Ganadería y Biotecnología, Jr. Triunfo Cuadra 2, 01001 Chachapoyas, Amazonas, Peru, e-mail: yennyruiz2211gmail.com