The Milk Fat-to-Protein Ratio as Indicator for Ruminal pH Parameters in Dairy Cows: A Meta-Analysis
2020
Marleen Zschiesche | André Mensching | A. Reza Sharifi | Jürgen Hummel
Subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) represents one of the most important nutritional disorders in high-producing dairy farms. The determination of ruminal pH is a key factor for the diagnosis of SARA. However, measuring ruminal pH in the field is not practicable. Therefore, indicators that reflect the ruminal pH are in demand. The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between the milk fat-to-protein ratio (FPR) and ruminal pH parameters (daily mean pH, daily time with pH <: 5.8, and pH range) on a meta-analytical level including 47 studies with 189 treatment means. Besides the FPR, it was examined how a stepwise extension of further indicators (milk yield, rumination time, and dietary starch and structure effectiveness) can improve the prediction of ruminal pH parameters. Significant associations between milk FPR and ruminal pH parameters were found. The inclusion of further on-farm indicators improved the prediction of daily mean ruminal pH up to Rm2 = 0.46 and time with pH <: 5.8 up to Rm2=0.58. Still, a considerable part of variability was explained by the random factor study. Additional information (dietary PUFA content) may improve the models in further investigations.
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