Abstract
Digestibility, intake, and feedlot trials were conducted with cattle to determine the nutritive value of steam-pressure treated (SPT) sugar-cane bagasse. A diet containing 56% SPT bagasse dry matter (DM) had 8 and 7% higher DM and organic matter digestibilities, respectively, than a diet containing 56% raw bagasse DM. Digestibilities of crude fibre, neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre, and cellulose were respectively 44, 31, 67, and 46% higher in the SPT bagasse diet than in the raw bagasse diet. Crude protein digestibility was 55% higher in the raw bagasse diet. Steers given a diet with 32% SPT bagasse DM consumed twice as much DM than steers given a diet with 56% SPT bagasse DM. Steers given either diet exhibited a craving for fibre, a problem corrected by feeding hay. Average daily gain (ADG) by steers given diets containing 0, 14, and 30% SPT bagasse DM were 1.10, 1.23, and 1.40 kg, respectively. Feed efficiency (FE) improved in a similar manner. Both ADG and FE by steers, given a diet containing 46% SPT bagasse DM, were substantially lower than that of steers fed diets containing lower levels of SPT bagasse. Carcass measurements of steers given diets containing 46% SPT bagasse DM tended to be lower than those of steers given diets with lower levels of SPT bagasse.
