Resumen

HAZARD, Sergio; ROJAS, Claudio  y  HEWSTONE, Cristian. Comparison of kernel corn and sprouted wheat for diets of dairy cows with autumn calving and consumption of corn silage. Agric. Téc. [online]. 2004, vol.64, n.1, pp.25-33. ISSN 0365-2807.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0365-28072004000100003.

In the Carillanca Regional Agricultural Research Institute, kernel corn (Zea mays L.) was compared with sprouted wheat (Tritricum aestivum L.) incorporated in the concentrate of cows that consumed corn silage plus 4 kg of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Eight Chilean Frison Negro cows were assigned to each treatment. The treatments evaluated were 7 kg of the concentrate 64% kernel corn (T1), 70% highly sprouted wheat (T2); 74% moderately sprouted wheat (T3), 69% slightly sprouted wheat (T4). The rations were isoproteic and isoenergetic. The experimental design was a randomized complete block. There were no significant differences in the average daily milk production with values of 24.88; 23.30; 23.77 and 24.88 L d^-1 for treatments T1, T2, T3, and T4, respectively (P > 0.05). There were no differences in contents of fatty matter, protein and total solids of the milk (P > 0.05). Dry matter intake was 17.81; 18.86; 16.46 and 16.32 kg cow^--1 for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively; a difference was observed between T2 and the other treatments. It was concluded that highly, moderately and slightly sprouted wheat can be used in dairy cow diets without affecting milk production or the composition of the milk, having the same productive response as including kernel corn in the diet.

Palabras clave : sprouted wheat grain; dairy cows feeding; Triticum aestivum L.; Zea mays L..