Water efficiency under mixed (crop livestock)‎ farming system in Nile Delta and upper Egypt : 2. preliminary trial to determine water productivity during growth and fattening periods of buffalo calves

Abstract EN

governorates: two in Delta El-Beheira (B) and Kafer El-Sheikh (K) representing buffalo – rice based system and one in Upper Egypt Qena (Q) for buffalo -sugar cane based system.

The study objectives were to calculate water required to produce 1 kg live body weight gain from growing and fattening buffalo calves under the above mentioned system.

Structured questionnaire was used to collect data on feeding and watering systems during growth and fattening.

Water consumed was estimated in two production periods: growth from approximately 80 kg till 200 kg body weight and in two phases for fattening: the first between 210 and 340 kg and the second from above 340 to marketing weight (450 kg).

Results showed that revenue (L.E/m3 water) was LE.

5.37, LE.

4.30 and LE.

3.57 for growing calves in the three governorates K, B and Q, respectively.

The corresponding figures for fattening claves were LE.

4.69, LE.

5.23 and LE.

4.35/ m3.

Water required to produce 1 kg body weight gain was 5.87 m3, 6.46 m3 and 8.95 m3 for growing calves and 5.45 m3, 4.96 m3 and 6.12 m3 for fattening calves for the three studied governorates, respectively.

As strategic decisions may base on results of such studies, there is a real need for more investigation in this subject to get precise estimates on water consumption and efficiency.