The effect of clay on the 137Cs secretion with milk when it is included in the cow diet

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of the work was to study the possibility of using local clay as a 137Cs sorbent when including it in the diet of lactating cows. The research was conducted in 2020 in the Zlynkovsky district of the Bryansk region contaminated with radioactive substances as a result of the disaster at the Chernobyl Atomic Electric Power Station. In the experiments, animals selected according to the principle of analogues were used, which were fed with clay, in accordance with the experiment scheme, previously mixed it with concentrated feeds. The experiments were carried out in the winter-stall and summer-pasture periods. During the research, the daily milk yield was considered and milk samples were taken. Then the 137Cs and milk fat content was determined in them. The obtained results were subjected to statistical processing. As a result, it was found that clay included in the cow diet reduces radionuclide content in milk. In the first experiment carried out during the winter-stall period, the inclusion of clay in the diet in the amount of 200, 400, and 600 g/day/head reduced the 137Cs content in milk of the experimental groups by 30% (P>0.05), 50% (P<0.05), and 80% (P<0.05) accordingly. In the second experiment, performed during the summer-pasture period, clay was added to the main diet in the amount of 300 and 600 g/head/day. As a result, the content of 137Cs in milk decreased by 42 and 79%, respectively, compared with the control group. At the same time, there is a positive trend in clay effect on dairy productivity. The inclusion of clay in the animal diet in the amount of 300 and 600 g increased the daily yield by 4 and 6%, respectively.