Biotech Updates

Performance and Milk Composition of Cows Fed with Bollgard II Cottonseeds

June 10, 2011

K. K. Singhal of the National Dairy Research Institute, India, together with other scientists, studied crossbred milk cows for 28 days to compare the dry matter intake (DMI), milk production and composition, and Bt protein concentrations in blood and milk plasma. The cows were grouped into two based on their diets. The first group of cows was fed with crushed Bollgard II (BGII) while the control cows were fed with crushed non-GM cottonseeds (CON).

Based on the findings, there were no significant differences in the DMI, body weight, milk yield and components of the two groups. Gossypol contents in BGII cottonseed and conventional cottonseed were similar. Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab2 proteins in Bollgard II cottonseed were 5.53 and 150.8 μg/g, respectively, but were not detected in the milk or plasma samples. This suggests that Bollgard II cottonseed can be safely used in feeding dairy cattle since no adverse effects on the cow's performance and milk composition were observed.

Read the abstract at http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8287866.