Study Explores Impact of Bt Cottonseed Cake on Growth and Health of Rams

ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute researchers investigated any possible long-term effects of feeding Bt cottonseed cake (CSC) to rams in a tropical setting.  The results are published in Tropical Animal Health and Production.

The researchers divided eighteen male rams into three treatment groups: one with no CSC, one with 35% non-Bt CSC, and one with 35% Bt CSC in their feeds.  Over 320 days, they monitored the rams' growth, feed intake, blood parameters, and semen quality.

The results showed no significant differences between the groups in terms of body weight, feed intake, nutrient digestibility, nitrogen intake and retention, or blood metabolites.  Semen quality, including volume, sperm count, and motility, also remained within normal ranges across all groups.  The study concluded that feeding up to 35% Bt cottonseed cake in the concentrate mixture did not have any observable negative impacts on the rams' health or reproductive performance over a long period.

Read the research article from Tropical Animal Health and Production.

See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=21218