Water Quality for Dairy Cows in Transylvanian Farms
Abstract
The aim of this study was the analysis of the quality of water consumed by dairy cows in Transylvanian farms. The water quality was determined based on indicator parameters (pH, ammonia, sulphate, iron, chlorides, organic substances, overall hardness, total number of germs, number of Coliform bacteria) and chemical parameters (nitrites, nitrates), by collecting and analysing 140 water samples (from sources and from watering devices) in 20 farms. The results were compared with the previsions of the Laws 458/2002 and 311/2004. The data was statistically processed using the SPSS version 17 software. The quality of the water from the sources and from the watering devices varied, being higher in the sources (p<0.05). 5% of the samples from the sources had nitrates exceeding the recommended value and 10% had nitrites. Within the indicator parameters, the following ones showed alterations: ammonia (15% from samples), iron (45% from samples), chlorides (5% from samples), overall hardness (45% from samples), organic substances (40% from samples), total number of germs (95% from samples), the number of Coliform bacteria and fecal coliforms (65% from samples). Nitrites exceeding the threshold limits were identified in three samples from the watering devices. The following indicator parameters showed divergences from the legal previsions: iron (65% from samples), chlorides (5% from samples), overall hardness (35% from samples), organic substances (70% from samples), total number of germs (95% from samples), the number of Coliform bacteria and fecal coliforms (90% from samples). In 95% of the studied farms the water consumed by dairy cows is qualitatively unsuitable, being microbiologically contaminated.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:a) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
b) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
c) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
