Calcium (Ca) to Phosphorus (P) Ratio: Key to Positive Ecosystem in Animal Production

Abstract

P is the most limiting nutrient for plants’ growth and development. Thus to avoid its deficiency, plants at maturity normally conserve P (known as phytate-P) for their next growing phase. However, the conserved phytate-P is tightly bonded to phytate which confers on them their indigestible characteristics as they are unavailable to the animal. This has resulted in the over-supply of P via inorganic sources to avoid P deficiency leading to wide dietary ratios between Ca and P or over-supplying of Ca in the diet because of phytate-P; this also results in wider ratios between Ca and P. Ca and P are very critical nutrients for bone health and development. Ca and P unlike other nutrients are not digested but must be solubilized into their ionic forms for absorption, utilization and retention. Their solubility is tightly dependent on their dietary ratio. Furthermore, their homeostasis is hormonally modulated which further stresses the usefulness of an agreeable ratio between Ca and P for their optimal retentions. This paper highlights some of the insights relating to the ratios of Ca to P in farm animal diets that can be adopted to better manage the nutrition of dietary ratio of Ca to P to improve animal performance, Ca and P retentions and therefore significantly reduce nutrient levels particularly those of Ca and P in the animal manure and urine. This aids to making animal production to influence environmental factors positively. The ratio that should be adopted to achieve these is Ca to P ratio of 1: 1, since they are mutually metabolized and also mutually antagonistic when their dietary ratios are in disagreement.