ABSTRACT. This study evaluated the effect of increased energy via supplementation on the performance, ingestive behavior, nutrient digestibility, and nitrogen metabolism of grazing heifers fed tropical forage in the rainy-dry transition season. Treatments consisted of mineral supplementation ad libitum (control) and multiple supplements formulated to provide different energy levels and the same amount of protein (300 g CP animal d-1) and were denominated as low (LE; 340 g TDN animal d-1), medium (ME; 780 g TDN animal d-1) and high (HE; 1220 g TDN animal d-1) energy. Animals supplemented with ME, and HE had a greater average daily gain in relation to the control treatment, with an increase of 41 and 46%, respectively. Greater values for total apparent digestibility of neutral detergent fiber were observed for the treatment HE. Lesser values of urinary urea N were observed for the control and HE treatments. Our results define the use of energy levels in the supplement as a tool for pasture management. If the purpose of the production system is to enhance forage intake, the option is to supply supplements with less energy levels. In contrast, if the purpose is to increase the stocking rate, supplements with greater energy levels should be used.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the intake and digestibility of silages containing pineapple pulp and coast-cross hay, with or without addition of urea, and the recovery of the markers chromium oxide (Cr2O3), indigestible neutral detergent fiber (iNDF), indigestible acid detergent fiber (iADF), and indigestible dry matter (iDM), in a digestibility assay, in sheep. Treatments were as follows: two levels of pineapple pulp (818 and 758 g kg−1) and two levels of urea (with and without urea), in a completely randomized design. Twelve sheep (three per treatment) were used, kept in metabolic cages. Fecal excreta were determined by total collection or estimated by using the markers. Marker samples were obtained in morning and afternoon collections, with mean concentrations obtained for both daily activities. The level of silage pulp did not affect intake, while addition of urea increased the intake of crude protein (CP), but did not influence the intakes of dry matter, organic matter, neutral detergent fiber, or acid detergent fiber. The digestibility coefficients of all afore-mentioned fractions increased with the increase in pulp, the same happening with the addition of urea. The internal marker with lowest variability among the internal markers was iADF, with mean values near 100%. Mean recovery of Cr2O3 was approximately 107%, but with lower variability among treatments. Inclusion of pineapple pulp in silage does not influence intake, while addition of urea only increases the intake of CP. The levels of pineapple pulp in silage with or without urea increase the digestibility of the silage. Indigestible acid detergent fiber is the marker with lowest variability of recovery, with mean recovery for the four silages used very close to 100%.

ABSTRACTThe objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritive value of passion fruit by-product for cattle, contrasting the results with those found with sorghum silage. Four treatments were then constituted, comprising the combinations of the two roughages and the two levels of supplementation (with or without), in a completely randomized design with four animals per treatment. The considered variables included: feed intake, digestibility coefficients of the diets, and live weight gain of the animals. The experimental period lasted 70 days, preceded by a standardization period of 30 days. Chromium oxide was utilized to estimate the fecal output, in the digestibility trial. Treatments were compared by means of three orthogonal contrasts: between the two roughages and between the two concentrate levels within each roughage. Animals fed passion fruit by-product showed higher feed intake (total, per 100 kg of live weight (TLW), and per unit metabolic size) and had higher TLW gain than those fed sorghum silage (1.304 kg vs. 0.134 kg). The coefficients of apparent digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), and crude protein (CP) and the digestibility coefficient of neutral detergent fiber from passion fruit by-product were high, and much higher than those from sorghum silage. The concentrate supplement did not improve the TLW gain of animals fed passion fruit by-product and had a limiting effect on the digestibility coefficients of the diet. The concentrate supplement had a positive associative effect on intake and digestibility coefficients of DM, OM, and CP from sorghum silage. The by-product of fresh passion fruit is an excellent food for growing cattle as it provides high intake levels and weight gains, even when supplied as the only feed.

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the protein and carbohydrate fractions, and to estimate the in situ rumen degradation kinetic parameters of Brachiaria decumbens grass silage with inclusion of rice bran. Five rice bran inclusion levels were tested: 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40% of the natural matter, distributed into a completely randomized design with five replications. The brachiaria grass was obtained at 60 days of regrowth by cutting the forage at 10 cm from the soil and ensiling it in 10-L experimental silo bags, which were opened after 40 days. The degradability profiles for DM, CP, NDF and of the feeds for each animal utilized made it possible to obtain the estimates of the parameters analyzed. The contents of total carbohydrates (TCH), fibrous carbohydrates and fraction A+B1 of the TCH decreased linearly as the rice bran levels were elevated. Fraction A of the protein was increased linearly by 0.64% for every 1% of rice bran added to the silage. For nitrogenous fractions B3 and C, there was a decrease of 0.11 and 0.40% for each 1% of rice bran added to the silage, respectively. For the rumen degradability parameters of the dry matter, fractions A and I had estimated increases of 0.54 and 0.04% for every 1% inclusion of rice bran. For the degradation rate of fraction B (c), treatments had no effect. Fractions A and I of the crude protein degradability parameters increased by 0.22 and 0.72%, respectively, with inclusion of 1% rice bran. Inclusion levels of rice bran had no effect on fraction D, on the degradation rate of fraction B (c) or lag time (L) estimated for neutral detergent fiber. Inclusion of 10 and 20% rice bran in the brachiaria grass silage improves protein and carbohydrate fractions and rumen degradation kinetic parameters of dry matter, crude protein and neutral detergent fiber.

Estudou-se a influência do nível de ingestão de pasto sobre a degradabilidade das partículas de capim-elefante nas seções do trato gastrintestinal (TGI) e sobre aspectos ligados à cinética ruminal de bovinos. O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado, em parcelas subdivididas, com doze tratamentos nas parcelas (fatorial 2x6, sendo dois níveis de ingestão de pasto: alimentação restrita - NA1 e alimentação irrestrita - NA2 e seis épocas de abate) e as cinco seções do TGI nas subparcelas. Foram usados 36 novilhos, mantidos em regime exclusivo de pasto de capim-elefante. Ao início do experimento e a cada 35 dias, foram abatidos três animais de cada nível alimentar, pesando-se e amostrando-se as digestas das várias seções do TGI. Utilizou-se o peneiramento seco das digestas na determinação do tamanho médio de partículas (TMP) e o módulo de finura (MF). O TMP e o MF da digesta do rúmen-retículo (RR) foram maiores que das demais seções. O nível alimentar não influenciou o TMP. Verificou-se, entretanto, maior MF na digesta do RR, para animais do tratamento NA2. Houve evidência de que partículas menores que 1,19 mm atravessam preferencialmente o orifício retículo-omasal. Não se verificou influência do nível alimentar sobre as taxas de desaparecimento da MS, FDN e FDN digestível no RR, bem como sobre as taxas de passagem da FDN no RR, estimadas em 3,65 e 3,75%/hora, e suas taxas de degradação, estimadas em 2,46 e 3,12%/hora, para os tratamentos NA1 e NA2, respectivamente.

The influence of the level of forage intake on the degradability of particles of elephant grass in the sections of gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of bovines and on some traits of ruminal kinetics was studied. A completely randomized split plot design was used, with twelve treatments in the main plots (a 2x6 factorial, comprising two levels of feeding: restricted - NA1 and unrestricted - NA2, and six slaughter times) and the five sections GIT in the split plots. Thirty-six steers maintained exclusively under grazing in elephant grass were used. At the beginning of the trial and at each thirty five days, three animals from each feeding level were slaughtered, and the weights and samples of digesta from each GIT section were taken. The dry sieving was used to determine the average particle size (APS) and the modulus of fineness (MF) of digesta. The APS and de MF of digesta from RR were larger than those from the other GIT sections. Feeding level had no influence on APS. However, MF was higher in RR digesta of animals from NA2 treatment. There was evidence that particles smaller than 1.19 mm leave preferentially the rumen. There was no influence of feeding level on disappearance rates of DM, NDF and indigestible NDF from the rumen, as well as on passage rates of NDF from RR which corresponded to 3.65 and 3.75%h-1, and on digestion rates of NDF in the rumen, corresponding to 2.46 e 3.12%h-1, for treatments NA1 and NA2, respectively.

Estudou-se a influência do nível de ingestão de capim-elefante, sob pastejo sobre a composição da digesta e a concentração do indicador Cr2O3, ao longo do trato gastrintestinal (TGI) de bovinos. Usou-se o delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado, em parcelas subdivididas, com 12 tratamentos nas parcelas (fatorial 2x6, sendo dois níveis de ingestão de pasto: alimentação restrita e alimentação irrestrita e seis épocas de abate) e as cinco seções do TGI nas subparcelas. Foram utilizados 36 novilhos, abatendo-se três animais de cada nível nutricional ao início do experimento e a cada 35 dias. Na ocasião, pesou-se e amostrou-se a digesta de cada seção do TGI. Nos 16 dias que antecederam o abate, os animais receberam duas doses diárias de 5 g de Cr2O3. Foram determinados os teores de matéria seca (MS), fibra detergente neutro (FDN), fibra detergente ácido (FDA) e proteína bruta (PB) e as concentrações de cromo e energia bruta (EB) nas digestas das várias seções. O nível alimentar teve pouca influência sobre a composição da digesta, somente afetando (P<0,05) os teores de MS no rúmen-retículo (RR) e intestino delgado (ID) e o teor de PB no ID. Nos dois níveis de alimentação, a digesta do ID tendeu a apresentar os mais baixos níveis de MS, FDN e FDA e os mais elevados teor de PB e conteúdo de EB, enquanto a digesta do intestino grosso (IG) tendeu a apresentar os mais baixos conteúdo de EB e teor de PB e o mais elevado teor de FDA. A maior ingestão de pasto ocasionou acentuada redução da concentração de cromo na digesta das várias seções. As secreções do ID reduziram os teores de MS, FDN e FDA e a concentração de cromo na digesta, o que poderia interferir no cálculo de coeficientes de digestibilidade parcial na seção, com base na concentração desse indicador.

The influence of the level of intake of elephantgrass, under grazing, on the composition of digesta and on concentration of the marker Cr2O3 throughout the gastrintestinal tract (GTI) of bovines was studied. A split-plot completely randomized design with twelve treatments in the main plots (a 2x6 factorial with two levels of forage ingestion: restricted - NA1 and unrestricted - NA2, and six slaughter periods) and the five sections of GTI in the split-plots was used. Thirty six steers were used, and three animals from each feeding level were slaughtered at the beginning of the trial and at each 35 days. After slaughter, the digesta of each TGI section was weighed and sampled. In the last sixteen days that preceded the slaughter, the animals received daily two doses of 5g of Cr2O3. The contents of dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), crude protein (CP) and the concentrations of chrome and gross energy (GE) were determined in the digesta samples. Feeding level had small influence on composition of digesta, affecting only the contents of DM in reticulum-rumen (RR) and small intestine (SI) and percent CP in SI. In both feeding levels the digesta from SI tended to show the lowest levels of DM, NDF, ADF and the highest levels of CP and GE, while digesta from gross intestine (GE) tended to show the lowest levels of GE and CP and the highest level of ADF. Higher forage ingestion resulted in sharp reduction in chrome concentration in digesta of all sections. The SI secretions reduced the levels of DM, NDF and ADF and the concentration of chrome in the digesta, which could interfere in the results of partial digestion coefficients in that section, in the case of chrome being used as external marker.