Table 3.
Results of the comparison of means of the variables related to body weight, food intake, milk yield and composition, somatic cell count and basal metabolism, according to the effects considered, in Experiment 2.
| Variable | Diet | Sampling Signification | Interaction Signification | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | AB | AP | SEM | Signification | |||
| Initial BW (kg) | 50.1 | 48.6 | 50.9 | 0.92 | n.s. | − | − |
| Average BW (kg) | 48.7 a | 46.4 c | 47.4 b | 0.36 | *** | *** | n.s. |
| Milk yield (kg/day) | 2.01 | 1.90 | 1.82 | 0.072 | n.s. | n.s. | n.s. |
| FCM (3.5%; kg/day) | 2.44 a | 2.44 a | 2.15 b | 0.086 | * | *** | n.s. |
| FPCM (kg/day) | 2.31 a | 2.28 a,b | 2.05 b | 0.078 | * | *** | n.s. |
| Feed efficiency (Milk yield/DMI) | 1.02 | 1.05 | 0.95 | 0.058 | n.s. | n.s. | n.s. |
| Feed efficiency (FPCM/DMI) | 1.18 | 1.23 | 1.08 | 0.066 | n.s. | *** | n.s. |
| Fat (%) | 4.88 b | 5.35 a | 4.73 b | 0.149 | ** | *** | n.s. |
| UDM (%) | 9.14 a,b | 9.62 a | 9.06 b | 0.178 | * | *** | n.s. |
| DM (%) | 13.9 a,b | 14.4 a | 13.8 b | 0.17 | * | *** | n.s. |
| NFDM (%) | 9.69 b | 9.80 a,b | 9.82 a | 0.046 | * | *** | ** |
| Protein (%) | 4.22 b | 4.28 a,b | 4.36 a | 0.046 | * | ** | * |
| True protein (%) | 3.89 b | 3.94 a,b | 4.01 a | 0.041 | * | ** | * |
| Casein (%) | 3.37 | 3.43 | 3.45 | 0.033 | n.s. | *** | * |
| Whey protein (%) | 0.523 a,b | 0.506 b | 0.556 a | 0.013 | ** | *** | n.s. |
| Lactose (%) | 4.34 | 4.31 | 4.30 | 0.027 | n.s. | ** | n.s. |
| Ash (%) | 0.441 | 0.476 | 0.436 | 0.015 | n.s. | n.s. | n.s. |
| LSCC (cell/mL) | 5.77 a,b | 5.72 b | 5.90 a | 0.061 | * | ** | *** |
| Glucose (mg/dL) | 59.5 | 57.2 | 59.8 | 1.03 | n.s. | *** | n.s. |
| Cholesterol (mg/dL) | 109 a,b | 111 a | 102 b | 2.5 | * | *** | *** |
| Urea (mg/dL) | 43.2 a | 38.9 b | 42.2 a | 1.00 | ** | n.s. | n.s. |
| BHB (mmol/L) | 0.410 | 0.417 | 0.405 | 0.019 | n.s. | ** | ** |
| NEFA (mmol/L) | 0.631 | 0.717 | 0.625 | 0.054 | n.s. | * | *** |
| Haematocrit (%) | 31.6 | 32.1 | 32.1 | 0.55 | n.s. | *** | ** |
C: Control diet, AB: Diet with artichoke bracts silage, AP: Diet with artichoke plant silage, SEM: Standard error mean; BW: Body weight, DMI: Dry matter intake, FCM: Fat corrected milk, FPCM: Fat and protein corrected milk, UDM: Useful dry matter (% fat + % protein), DM: Dry matter, NFDM: Non-fat dry matter, LSCC: Log10 somatic cell count, BHB: β-hydroxybutyrate, NEFA: Non-esterified fatty acids; a, b, c: different letters in the same row indicate significant difference between diets. * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001.