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Updated: 09-12-10

STATUS OF TWO MACRO ELEMENTS CALCIUM AND MAGNESIUM, OF PASTURE AND CATTLE GRAZING IN A SEMIARID REGION OF CENTRAL PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

ZAFAR IQBAL KHAN¹, MUHAMMAD ASHRAF^2,3, KAFEEL AHMAD¹, NASRA RAZA¹ , NAZIR AHMAD⁴,AND EHSAN ELAHI VALEEM⁵  

Abstract: In the present investigation, concentrations of two macro elements Ca and Mg in forages and plasma of lactating cows in a pastureland located in Sargodha district, central Punjab, Pakistan were assessed during the winter season of the year 2009. At this animal ranch the lactating cows were not being supplemented with minerals. Blood samples of these cows were sampled at one month interval and a total of 50 forage and blood samples of each month were obtained and analyzed by wet digestion. Macro mineral levels in forage samples during different sampling periods ranged from 0.15 to 0.25 % for Ca, 0.321 to 0.344 % for Mg, whereas macro mineral  levels in plasma at different sampling intervals were 75 to 90 mg/L Ca and 11.81 to 16.84 mg/L Mg, respectively. The findings of this study indicate that forage Ca was moderately and Ca and Mg in blood plasma were marginally deficient indicating the warranted requirement of supplementation to enhance the plasma Ca and Mg levels and to prevent any growth and metabolic disorders in animals at this ranch.

¹Department of Biological Sciences, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan.

²Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan

³Second affiliation: King Saud University Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

⁴Department of Chemistry, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan

⁵Department of Botany, Govt. Degree College Buffer Zone, Karachi -75850, Pakistan

*Corresponding Authors: drzafar10@hotmail.com; valeem@hotmail.com 

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