Bioavailability of selenium in 'Jose' tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum ponticum var 'Jose') hay as a substitute for sodium selenite in the diets of dairy cattle

Due to its potential toxicity to wildlife, selenium (Se) is a highly regulated trace element in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California. Tall wheatgrass (TWG) is a Se-accumulating, salt tolerant forage suitable for cropping systems which re-use agricultural drainage waters. Utilization of TWG hay as an alternative Se supplement for dairy cattle could reduce the importation of 'new' Se into the SJV in the form of sodium selenite (SS) diet supplements. Our study used Se-enriched (4.65 mg/kg DM) TWG hay as a Se source for lactating dairy cows and measured Se accumulation in milk, blood, urine and feces to assess its bioavailability using several indices. Using a 3 × 3 Latin Square design, three pens of ~ 310 cows each were fed a similar total mixed ration over 4 week periods, except for Se which was higher in TWG and SS diets (0.53 and 0.65 mg/kg DM) vs. Control diet (0.35 mg/kg DM). Feeding Se-enriched TWG increased blood Se by 6.4% over Control; whereas SS increased it by 4.8%, suggesting higher Se bioavailability for TWG vs. SS. Marginal Se outputs in milk, feces and urine were judged to be better indicators of bioavailability as they estimate Se specifically from supplemental SS or TWG hay. In milk, TWG cows expressed 3.0% of supplemented Se vs. 0.6% for SS cows, supporting higher Se bioavailability for TWG. In contrast, more supplemental Se was retained and not expressed in feces by the SS cows (72.5%) vs. TWG cows (55.1%) which suggested higher Se bioavailability for SS. Based on published guidelines, Se intakes were 'adequate' for cows in all treatment groups, but milk and fat production increased with Se supplementation suggesting that Control cows were Se-deficient to some extent. Collectively, results suggest that the Se in TWG hay had comparable bioavailability to Se in the base diet.