Effect of sodium bentonite on milk yield, digestibility and feed intake of Holstein dairy cows fed phosalone pesticide-contaminated alfalfa silage

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of sodium bentonite (SB) on milk yield, digestibility and feed intake of Holstein dairy cows fed phosalone pesticide-contaminated alfalfa silage. Twenty Holstein dairy cows (average weight 577±37 kg) were used as a completely randomized design with repeated measurements. Experimental treatments were 1) control: containing alfalfa silage without pesticide phosalone and SB, 2) control SB alone (330g SB/head/day), 3) control contaminated alfalfa with phosalone, and 4) control SB (330g/day) contaminated alfalfa with phosalone. Dry matter intake (DMI) and milk efficiency were not affected by the treatments, but the milk production, digestibility of DM and organic matter were higher in treatments containing SB compared to control (P