The value of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) hay and silage grown under Mediterranean conditions as forage for dairy cattle

The value for laity cattle of safflower grown under Mediterranean condition was investigated in two experiments. In experiment 1, safflower hay was given ad libitum as sole food to four dry dairy cows. The DM ingested from hay was of medium CP and NDF contents (148 and 406 g kg(-1), respectively). Values of in vivo and in vitro Tilley and Terry DM digestibility were 723 and 646 g kg(-1) DM, respectively. In the second experiment, 19 cows were fed a total mixed ration (TMR) including 4 kg (as DM) of corn. plus wheat (CW) silage, and another 19 received the same TMR, with safflower silage (S) substituted for CW silage, on the same DM basis, for 62 days. Diets were of similar NDF content (314 and 331 g kg(-1) DM, for CW and S, respectively), but cows fed S consumed less 3 DM than those fed CW (20.2 and 22.5 kg, P < 0.02). Milk production (30.2 kg day(-1)), and the contents of fat (35.4 g kg(-1)), lactose (46.4 g kg(-1)), and urea (0.32 g kg(-1)) were similar between groups. Milk CP tended to be lower in S, than in CW (31.6 and 33.6 g kg(-1), respectively, P=0.07). Changes in body live-weight and condition score were not affected by diet. Safflower silage has the potential for widespread adoption as a feed in Mediterranean countries, if special characteristics such as protein degradability are taken into account to optimize its inclusion in TMRs. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.