Preliminary remarks on tobacco cv. Solaris seed cake in growing cattle diet

Fourteen growing Friesian and Crossbreed heifers, average weight 214.9 (±50.9, SD) kg and average age 313.4 (±152.7) days, were selected and divided in two homogeneous groups, Solaris (SOL) and Control (CTR) group. Isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets were formulated based on the nutritional needs of animals. Each group received daily 21 kg of legume and grass haylage, and groups were ad libitum fed mature grass hay and concentrates mixture made by 40% of corn, 40% of barley, 20% of commercial feed for CTR group, and by 40% of corn, 40% of barley, 10% of commercial feed and 10% of Solaris (PCT/IB/2007/053412) seed cake for SOL group. During 34 days of trial, feedstuff consumption was monitored. At 0- and 34-days animals were scored for body condition (BCS), locomotion capacity (LS) and faecal consistency (FS). At 34 day of the trial, Solaris seed cake resulted palatable as the daily group DM intake from concentrate was 85.8 (±1.46) kg and 82.8 (±1.58) kg, respectively for SOL and CTR group. At 0- and 34-days BCS was 3.34 (±0.21) and 3.50 (±0.35) in SOL group, and 3.39 (±0.31) and 3.60 (±0.30) in CTR group. All animals showed good locomotion score (average LS 1 in both groups), and faecal score (average FS 3.5 in both groups) with manure visibly darker in SOL group compared to yellow-olive colour in CTR group. Based on the preliminary observations, the introduction of this alternative vegetal protein source as feedstuff deserves to be more in depth studied as further opportunity for an innovated tobacco cultivation, in those marginal areas traditionally suited to tobacco and devoted to animal breeding. The recovered know-how of tobacco cultivation could represent a resilient strategy against the smoking tobacco sector crisis, recently experienced by the small farming system of inner Mediterranean areas. Research funded by AGRIFOOD, PON MISE.