USE OF (SACCHARUM SPP.) SUGARCANE AS ANIMAL FOOD IN CARLOS MANUEL DE CÉSPEDES MUNICIPALITY

Abstract

With the objective of knowing the current situation regarding to the use of the sugarcane as animal food in the municipality of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, in Camagüey province, a total of 41 surveys were carried out to check the use and the way in what this animal food is given and to identify the main causes of their non-use, as well as to value the behavior of some productive indicators of the bovine mass with and without the use of this forage source. The dates obtained were processed by the Statgraphics Centurion XV. I Statistical Program. Frequency distributions and non parametric tests (Mann- Whitney P < 0,05) were done. The survey results checked that in eight cattle farms, that represents the 19,51 % of the total surveyed farms, the sugarcane is used for the animal feeding, and only three of them(37,5 %), make a correct use of it. The main causes detected for which the sugarcane was not used as animal feeding were the lack of farmer training and non-availability of the seed of recommended varieties. Also, it was demonstrated that this forage source had a positive impact on the increase of milk production and the reduction of average age to sacrifice.