ANIMAL productivity depends on genes, nutrition and management. In our country, nutritional requirements of livestock are mainly met through fodder, shrubs, grasses and agro-industrial by-products.

These feedstuffs are low in protein, minerals, energy and digestibility and high in fibre. Available feed resources are categorised into fodder crops, range vegetation, crop residues and non-conventional feeds and industrial by-products.

Currently, livestock is getting 51, 38, three, six and two per cent of nutrients from green fodder/ crop residues, grazing vacant lands, post-harvest grazing, cereal by-products and oil cakes. In irrigated areas about 85-90 per cent nutrient requirements are derived by fodder crops.

Feedstuffs like wheat straw, rice straw and hulls are poor in nutrients and digestibility and the situation deteriorates when coupled with fodder shortage periods.

Livestock is getting only 62 and 74 per cent of the required crude protein and total digestible nutrients. Strong competition with cash crops decreases fodder cultivation area at two per cent per decade and thus threatens the nutrients availability for livestock. Two fodder shortage periods (June–July and Nov-Dec.) also adversely effect the livestock productivity.

Crop residues like wheat straw, rice straw, barley straw, corn stovers and gram residues are also used as animal feed. Due to low energy, protein, minerals and digestibility, the gap between nutrients availability and supply cannot be breached. About 60 per cent of the total area of the country is rangelands.

About 60 per cent of needs for nutrients for sheep and goat are met through rangelands. In Balochistan the ratio goes up to about 90 per cent of required nutrients. Rangelands are not efficiently utilised by livestock due to poor management, rainfall, soil fertility and presence of some toxic plant species.

Rapidly growing human population is constantly decreasing the land available for fodder production. The efforts to explore new feed resources have opened a new horizon for ‘non-conventional’ feed resources. It includes feedstuffs like molasses, sugar cane pith, maize gluten, maize bran, corn steep liquor, enzose etc

However, these non-conventional feedstuffs are not as resourcefully used by farmers as it should be, probably due to lack of extension services and some technical aspects involved in its use.

If we take a look of livestock productive status, it will reveal that average age at first breeding in cattle and buffalo is usually three or five years. While in developed countries heifers are usually bred at 14 month of age. High age at maturity significantly reduces the productive life span of a dairy animal. During transition period ( three weeks before and three weeks after parturition) dairy animals face various metabolic problems like milk fever, ketosis, bloat and acidosis etc. which ultimately reduces animal productivity.

Occurrence of milk fever not only decreases 3.4 years of productive life of a dairy animal but also invites other problems like retained placenta and dystocia. Low milk yield, reproductive efficiency, delayed maturity and poor animal growth rate are the consequences of imbalance nutrition.

Under these circumstances, provision of balance nutrition can perk up the animal productivity up to 50 per cent with the existing gene pool. Chemical, biological and physical treatments of agro-industrial byproducts can increase digestibility of poor quality feedstuff. Preparation of quality hay and silage are important tools to fight against fodder shortage periods during hot summer and cold winter.

Moreover, ensiling of Jambo grass, mott grass and oat fodder with two per cent molasses for 30 days could safely replace conventional fodders in the diets of lactating buffaloes. Berseem and lucerne fodders ensiled at 30 per cent DM level with two per cent molasses could safely replace the conventional leguminous fodder in the diets of lactating buffaloes.

Wheat straw can be used to attain 30 per cent DM before ensilation of legume fodder. This technique has not only preserved fodder, it also enhanced the nutritive value of wheat straw used as moisture absorbent. The nutritive value and digestibility of wheat straw can be increased through urea treatment. The five per cent urea treated wheat straw ensiled with six per cent cane molasses or corn steep liquor for 15 days under anaerobic conditions has improved crude protein, dry matter intake, digestibility and thus increased milk production in buffaloes.

Inclusion of treated straw and corncobs can also reduce the concentrate requirements (50 per cent) by lactating buffaloes. During periods of fodder scarcity wheat straw treated with urea and ensiled with acidified molasses could be used as a promising alternate to green fodder. These technologies not only increase nutrient availability round the year but also provide an opportunity for cost-effective dairying.

Use of agro-industrial byproducts like molasses and wheat bran etc. in the form of urea molasses multi-nutrient block and urea molasses lick also tend to reduce the gap between nutrient availability and demand. Moreover, identification and evaluation of local forage species, introduction of heat and water resistant exotic grass varieties, water conservation techniques, artificial reseeding and development of water catchment areas in rangeland can perk up its potential many folds for livestock nutrition.