Phosphorus requirement of the buffalo (Bos bubalis) for maintenance

Abstract

SUMMARYThe phosphorus requirement of the buffalo (Bos bubalis) for maintenance has been determined from the data of two feeding and balance experiments each with twelve animals in randomized block designs and one with six animals using 3x3 latin square designs in duplicate. The level of phosphorus intake was varied by adding appropriate quantities of sodium dihydrogen phosphate in Exp. 1, by adding wheat bran in Exp. 2 and by adding dicalcium phosphate in Exp. 3.Regressions of phosphorus outgo (7) on P intake (X) gave values of 14–7 g/day in Exps. 1 and 2 and 17–2 g/day in Exp. 3. These values can be taken to be estimates of the P requirement of the adult buffalo for maintenance.The initial and final serum inorganic phosphorus in Exp. 1 also indicated that the phosphorus requirement was between 12 and 17 g/day.