Assessment of water footprint for growth of Murrah buffalo calves under field conditions

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to calculate the water footprint of Murrah buffalo calves in order to quantify the amount of water used for their growth. The present study was carried out under field conditions using the volumetric approach. The direct water intake, water demand for washing of sheds and washing of animals were measured. Feed intake of individual animals was also recorded to calculate the indirect water footprint. Results revealed that the water requirements for drinking and operational purpose were 12.23±0.07 and 5.89±0.02 L/animal/day, respectively. The measured quantities of water consumed by growing calves were 18.12±0.08 L/animal/day for direct usage and 470.44±10.41 L/animal/day for indirect usage. The water footprint of growing Murrah calves was 488.56±10.42 L/animal/day under field conditions. There was a significant difference ( p <0.05) between water footprint of growth across different seasons with the majority of water footprint being contributed by the indirect component.