Adequate drinking water is essential to maintain acceptable production levels in beef cattle operations. In the context of global climate change, the water scarcity forecasted for the future is a growing concern and it would determine an increase in the use of poorer quality water by the agricultural sector in many parts of the world. However, consumption of high-salt water by cattle has consequences often overlooked. A meta-analysis was carried out to assess the impact of utilizing high-salt water on dry matter (DMI) and water intake (WI), and performance in beef cattle. The dataset was collected from 25 studies, which were conducted between 1960 and 2020. Within the dataset, the water quality was divided into three categories according to the ratio of sulfates (SO4) or sodium chloride (NaCl) to total dissolved solids (TDS): 1) TDS = all studies included (average SO4:TDS = 0.4); 2) NaCl = considered studies in which water salinity was dominated by NaCl (average SO4:TDS = 0.1); and 3) SO4 = considered studies in which water salinity was dominated by SO4 (average SO4:TDS = 0.8). Results showed that DMI and WI were negatively affected by high-salt water consumption, although the magnitude of the effect is dependent on the type of salt dissolved in the water. There was a quadratic effect (P < 0.01) for the WI vs. TDS, WI vs. NaCl, DMI vs. TDS, and DMI vs. NaCl, and a linear effect (P < 0.01) for WI vs. SO4 and WI vs. SO4. Average daily gain (ADG) and feed efficiency (FE) were quadratically (P < 0.01) affected by high-salt water, respectively. This study revealed significant negative effects of high-salt water drinking on beef cattle WI, DMI, and performance. However, the negative effects are exacerbated when cattle drink high-sulfate water when compared with high-chloride water. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first approach to evaluate animal response to high-salt water consumption and could be included in the development of future beef cattle models to account for the impact of water quality on intake and performance. In addition, this meta-analysis highlights the need for research on management strategies to mitigate the negative effects of high-salt water in cattle.

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高盐水摄入对肉牛影响的荟萃分析评价

充足的饮用水对于维持肉牛生产可接受的生产水平至关重要。在全球气候变化的背景下，对未来水资源短缺的预测日益受到关注，它将决定世界许多地区农业部门对劣质水的使用增加。然而，牛饮用高盐水的后果往往被忽视。进行了一项荟萃分析，以评估使用高盐水对干物质 (DMI) 和饮水量 (WI) 以及肉牛生产性能的影响。该数据集收集自 1960 年至 2020 年间进行的 25 项研究。在该数据集中，根据硫酸盐 (SO4) 或氯化钠 (NaCl) 与总溶解固体 (TDS) 的比率将水质分为三类：1) TDS = 包括的所有研究（平均 SO4:TDS = 0.4）；2) NaCl = 考虑的研究，其中水盐度以 NaCl 为主（平均 SO4:TDS = 0.1）；3) SO4 = 考虑的研究，其中水盐度以 SO4 为主（平均 SO4:TDS = 0.8）。结果表明，DMI 和 WI 受到高盐水消耗的负面影响，尽管影响的大小取决于溶解在水中的盐的类型。WI vs. TDS、WI vs. NaCl、DMI vs. TDS、DMI vs. NaCl 存在二次效应（P < 0.01），WI vs. SO4 和WI 与 SO4。平均日增重 (ADG) 和饲料效率 (FE) 分别受高盐水的二次影响 (P < 0.01)。这项研究揭示了饮用高盐水对肉牛 WI、DMI、和性能。然而，与高氯化物水相比，当牛饮用高硫酸盐水时，负面影响会加剧。据我们所知，这是评估动物对高盐水消耗反应的第一种方法，可以纳入未来肉牛模型的开发中，以说明水质对摄入量和性能的影响。此外，这项荟萃分析强调需要研究管理策略以减轻高盐水对牛的负面影响。这是评估动物对高盐水消耗的反应的第一种方法，可以包括在未来肉牛模型的开发中，以考虑水质对摄入量和性能的影响。此外，这项荟萃分析强调需要研究管理策略以减轻高盐水对牛的负面影响。这是评估动物对高盐水消耗的反应的第一种方法，可以包括在未来肉牛模型的开发中，以考虑水质对摄入量和性能的影响。此外，这项荟萃分析强调需要研究管理策略以减轻高盐水对牛的负面影响。