Meta-analysis and sustainability of feeding slow-release urea in dairy production

Slow-release urea (SRU) is a coated non-protein nitrogen (NPN) source for providing rumen degradable protein in ruminant nutrition. A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing vegetable protein sources with SRU (Optigen(®), Alltech Inc., USA) on the production performance of dairy cows. Additionally, the impact of SRU supplementation on dairy sustainability was examined by quantifying the carbon footprint (CFP) of feed use for milk production and manure nitrogen (N) excretion of dairy cows. Data on diet composition and performance variables were extracted from 17 experiments with 44 dietary comparisons (control vs. SRU). A linear mixed model and linear regression were applied to statistically analyse the effect of SRU on feed intake and production performance. Feeding SRU decreased (P < 0.05) dry matter intake (DMI, -500 g/d) and N intake (NI, -20 g/d). There was no significant effect (P > 0.05) on milk yield, fat-corrected milk, energy-corrected milk, and milk fat and protein composition. However, SRU supplementation improved (P < 0.05) feed efficiency (+3%) and N use efficiency (NUE, +4%). Regression analyses revealed that increasing SRU inclusion level decreased DMI and NI whereas increasing dietary crude protein (CP) increased both parameters. However, milk yield and feed efficiency increased in response to increasing levels of SRU inclusion and dietary CP. The NUE had a positive relationship with SRU level whereas NUE decreased with increasing dietary CP. The inclusion of SRU in dairy diets reduced the CFP of feed use for milk production (-14.5%; 373.13 vs. 319.15 g CO(2) equivalent/kg milk). Moreover, feeding SRU decreased manure N excretion by 2.7% to 3.1% (-12 to -13 g/cow/d) and N excretion intensity by 3.6% to 4.0% (-0.50 to -0.53 g N/kg milk). In conclusion, feeding SRU can contribute to sustainable dairy production through improvement in production efficiency and reduction in environmental impacts.