ABSTRACT The study aimed to nutritionally evaluate the silage of pineapple crop waste in sheep feeding in different planes of nutrition (L). We used eight growing sheep and four male castrated adults, in individual metabolic cages distributed in a switch-back design with two treatments and three periods. The treatments were the different planes of nutrition: L = MEI⁄Mm, MEI⁄1.5Mm, and MEI⁄2.5Mm, in which L = MEI/Mm, MEI is the energy amount of the feed intake and Mm is the maintenance. We performed a digestibility trial of the diet composed of silage of pineapple crop waste, ground corn, and soybean meal. Data were analyzed using regression analysis. Nutrient intake behaved linearly according to the increase in the L, except for organic matter, which presented a quadratic behavior. Planes of nutrition did not affect protein and fiber digestible fractions. However, digestible fractions of fat and non-fibrous carbohydrates (NFC) increased with L. The indigestible fractions displayed a quadratic behavior with an increase in the L. Regarding the microbial synthesis efficiency, we observed a linear decrease with the increase in L. Thus, the silage of pineapple crop waste is a feed very rich in NFC. Besides, silage of pineapple crop waste presented a good alternative roughage during forage shortages. Diet inclusion of 2.5x the maintenance does not compromise the sheep performance.

Resumo O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as medidas biométricas e o conteúdo de nutrientes das culturas de milho, sorgo e milheto desde 30 dias após a semeadura até o momento da ensilagem. O experimento foi conduzido em delineamento de blocos ao acaso, tendo-se avaliado as três culturas, com oito repetições. A altura e o diâmetro do caule e a largura e o comprimento das folhas foram medidos para determinar o crescimento das plantas. Além disso, foram coletadas amostras para avaliar a composição química das plantas. Para a caracterização do acúmulo de nutrientes e a avaliação biométrica, foram utilizados modelos lineares e não lineares. O acúmulo de matéria seca não diferiu entre o milho e o sorgo, mas diminuiu no milheto do quinquagésimo dia até a ensilagem. Proteína bruta, cinzas e fibras em detergente neutro tendem a diminuir com o tempo. As variáveis biométricas não diferem entre o milho, o milheto e o sorgo desde 30 dias após a semeadura até o momento da ensilagem.

Abstract The objective of this work was to evaluate the biometric measurements and nutrient contents of the corn, sorghum, and pearl millet crops from 30 days after sowing up to ensiling time. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design, in which the three crops were evaluated with eight replicates. Stem height and diameter and leaf length and width were measured to determine plant growth. In addition, samples were collected to evaluate plant chemical composition. For the characterization of nutrient accumulation and biometric evaluation, linear and nonlinear models were used. Dry matter accumulation did not differ between corn and sorghum, but decreased in pearl millet from the fiftieth day up to ensiling. Crude protein, ashes, and neutral detergent fiber tend to reduce over time. The biometric variables do not differ between corn, pearl millet, and sorghum from 30 days after sowing until ensiling time.

ABSTRACT: The use of supplements eliminates deficiencies imposed by pasture, increases weight gain in animals and maximizes profits from the activity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance, carcass traits and meat quality of steers in grazing systems that received or did not receive a protein energy supplement at the level of 0.6 % body weight. The experiment lasted 160 days and included 36 Brangus × Zebu animals. Eighteen animals received supplementation and another eighteen did not receive supplementation. Carcasses were evaluated for yield, loin eye area, fat thickness and length. The assessment of meat quality evaluated the shear force, myofibril fragmentation index, color, exudative losses and collagen. The carcass traits of the supplemented animals showed higher values (p < 0.0001). Supplementation improved the color of the meat (p = 0.0434) and increased the amount of soluble collagen (p = 0.0456). The use of a protein energy supplement for steers in a pasture system increased the efficiency of muscle deposition of these animals and improved meat quality when compared to animals that were not supplemented.

ABSTRACT This experiment was conducted to evaluate the degradation kinetics and microbial efficiency of beef cattle grazing on low-quality forage and receiving supplements with different levels of rumen undegradable protein (RUP). The animals grazed on palisade grass pasture solely or this pasture and supplement containing 40 or 60 g of RUP per 100 g of crude protein (CP). The degradation profiles of neutral detergent fiber, fiber carbohydrates, and neutral detergent insoluble protein were interpreted kinetically by using a decreasing logistic model. Treatments (no supplement, or RUP at 40 or 60 g−1 100 g CP) did not affect rumen fill; however, the increase in the indigestible fiber carbohydrate fraction that occurred at the expense of the digestible fiber carbohydrate fraction resulted in a greater rumen fill effect. The palisade grass showed a significant proportion of its nitrogen in the form of slowly degradable protein as neutral detergent insoluble protein, which amounted to 26 g per 100 g CP. Supplementation with 40 g of RUP per 100 g CP decresead the indigestible fraction of the low-quality forage. However, the absence of a rumen-fill effect demonstrates that the additional supply of nutrients contributes greatly to increasing growth efficiency and use of the available energy from the forage by the ruminal microorganisms.

ABSTRACT Ten Holstein-Zebu crossbred cows distributed into two simultaneous Latin squares (5 × 5) as a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement formed by chopped sugarcane or elephant grass silage, both with high or low protein degradability supplements and a corn silage as a control treatment, were compared using orthogonal contrasts. The studied variables were the performance, plasma concentrations of urea-N, glucose, and creatinine, urine-N and milk urea-N, and the nychthemeral variation in NH3-N in the rumen fluid of dairy cows. Nutrient intake, milk production, and milk composition were affected by the treatments. The total mixed ration containing elephant grass silage combined with rumen undegradable protein (RUP) provided balanced amounts of carbon and nitrogen in the rumen. This effect may explain the 18% increase in milk yield compared with the other treatments. The diurnal pattern of ruminal NH3-N was interpreted with a sinusoid model. In general, cows fed elephant grass silage exhibited higher concentrations of blood plasma and milk urea-N than animals fed sugarcane. The cows that consumed elephant grass silage with rumen degradable protein concentrate showed a higher milk urea-N compared with animals that consumed elephant grass silage with the RUP concentrate. The use of diets based on corn silage leads to a better use of nitrogen compounds because these diets resulted in lower levels of urea-N in the plasma, urine, and milk at the same level of milk production compared with diets containing elephant grass silage or chopped sugarcane as roughages. In sugarcane-based diets, even greater nitrogen losses in the urine are observed, despite the presence of readily fermentable carbohydrates in the diet.

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%.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to simulate total dry matter intake and cost of diets optimized by nonlinear programming to meet the nutritional requirements of dairy does and growing doelings. The mathematical model was programmed in a Microsoft Excel(r) spreadsheet. Increasing values of body mass and average daily weight gain for growing doelings and increasing body mass values and milk yield for dairy does were used as inputs for optimizations. Three objective functions were considered: minimization of the dietary cost, dry matter intake maximization, and maximization of the efficiency of use of the ingested crude protein. To solve the proposed problems we used the Excel(r) Solver(r) algorithm. The Excel(r) Solver(r) was able to balance diets containing different objective functions and provided different spaces of feasible solutions. The best solutions are obtained by least-cost formulations; the other two objective functions, namely maximize dry matter intake and maximize crude protein use, do not produce favorable diets in terms of costs.

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.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of F1 (Holstein × Zebu) cows in lactation according to different levels of substitution of soybean meal for a protein equivalent non-protein nitrogen originated from slow-release urea (SRU). Eight F1 (Holstein × Zebu) cows in the first third of lactation, with an average milk yield of 12.7 kg (±3.1 kg)/day and a live weight of 552 kg (±30 kg), were used. The experimental design was composed of two simultaneous 4 × 4 Latin squares, with the following treatments: 100% soybean meal and 0% SRU; 66% soybean meal and 34% SRU; 34% soybean meal and 66% SRU; and 0% soybean meal and 100% SRU. Sorghum silage, used as roughage, was supplied together with the concentrate. Feed intake and digestibility as well as milk yield and milk composition were measured. The obtained data were subjected to analysis of variance, adopting a 5% probability level. No intake variable showed significant differences among the treatments, and the mean values for the intakes of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) were 18.35 2.62 and 5.85 kg/day, respectively. The results for apparent digestibility also did not show differences among treatments, with DM, CP and NDF averaging 58.16, 58.64 and 36.21%, respectively. Milk yield and composition were similar among the treatments. The average 4%-fat-corrected milk yield was 13.39 kg/animal day. Intake, digestibility and milk yield and composition variables are not changed according to the substitution of the soy protein for slow-release urea. Thus, for average-milk-yield crossbred.animals, this substitution depends on economic variables only.

The present study evaluates the efficiency of different sulfur sources for ruminant nutrition. The fiber digestibility and the amino acid profile were analyzed in the duodenal digesta of crossbred steers fed Brachiaria dictyoneurahay. The sources utilized were elemental sulfur (ES70S), elemental sulfur (ES98S); calcium sulfate in hydrated (HCS), CaSO4.2H2O, and anhydrous (ACS), CaSO4, forms; and ammonium sulfate (AS), (NH4)2SO4, keeping a nitrogen:sulfur ratio of 11:1. The iso-protein supplements had 50% of protein in the total dry matter (DM). Five Holstein × Zebu steers, which were fistulated in the rumen and abomasum, were distributed in a 5 × 5 Latin square. The different sulfur sources in the supplement did not affect any of the evaluated nutritional factors, such as intake of hay dry matter and protein supplement, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber corrected for ash and protein (NDFap), organic matter (OM), non-fibrous carbohydrate (NFC), ether extract (EE), total digestible nutrients (TDN), NDFap and CP digestibility coefficients, ruminal pH, and ruminal ammonia concentration. The concentrations of amino acids available in the abomasal digesta did not differ significantly in the tested diets. The sulfur sources evaluated in the present study are suitable as supplement for cattle, and their employment may be important to avoid environmental contaminations.

The objective of this study was to present some factors affecting feed efficiency in dairy goats. To develop our work, individual and average data from performance experiments with lactating goats were used. The following variables were evaluated: gross feed efficiency, adjusted feed efficiency, dry matter intake, milk-yield, 3.5% fat-corrected milk yield, dry matter digestibility, dietary neutral detergent fiber content, different roughage-to-concentrate ratios and body weight. The statistical analyses involved the application of descriptive and dispersion measures besides Pearson's correlation coefficient and linear regression analysis. The analyzed variables were highly correlated with feed efficiency. The feed efficiency of lactating goats was affected by the milk fat correction, dry matter digestibility, dietary fiber content, proportion of roughage in the diet and body weight. Among these factors, standardization of the milk fat appeared to be the most efficient in correcting the feed efficiency in lactating goats. Correction of some of these factors implies greater precision in the measurement of feed efficiency.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of five nitrogen doses on the productive and quality characteristics and the use efficiency of Brachiaria brizanthacv. Marandu grass. The treatments consisted of four doses of nitrogen (0, 60, 120, 180 and 240 kg ha-1), distributed through a completely randomized design with four replicates. Samples of the material were collected to analyze productivity variables, concentrations of neutral detergent fiber, crude protein and neutral detergent insoluble nitrogen, and in vitro dry matter digestibility. The nitrogen use efficiency, recovery of the applied nitrogen (RAN) and agronomic efficiency of the applied nitrogen (AE) were calculated. Dry mass production increased by 1,624.67 (kg/ha) as the nitrogen doses were increased. The doses of nitrogen affected the concentrations of neutral detergent fiber (from 294.6 to 381.4 g.kg-1, in the leaf), crude protein (from 86.1 to 99.6 g.kg-1, in the leaf) and neutral detergent insoluble protein (from 402.9 to 396.2 g.kg-1 CP, in the leaf). Nitrogen use efficiency increased, whereas RAN and AE were not affected by the nitrogen doses. Nitrogen fertilization promotes improvement in productivity and chemical composition of Marandu grass, also improving the efficiency with which the grass utilizes the nitrogen.

Objetivou-se mensurar a movimentação das massas de gordura e proteína corporal, além de quantificar as massas dos órgãos e vísceras de cabras Alpinas ao longo das oito semanas de lactação. Foram utilizadas 51 cabras multíparas da raça Alpina, alocadas em baias metabólicas individuais. As cabras foram distribuídas em um delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com oito tratamentos e seis repetições, sendo os tratamentos constituídos pelas semanas de lactação. Foram realizados abates sequenciais de seis cabras por semanas de lactação para mensuração das massas de gordura e proteína, e também o peso dos órgãos e vísceras. Ocorreu redução significativa na massa dos tecidos proteico e adiposo, porém de forma adversa, sendo que o tecido proteico foi mobilizado com maior intensidade nas primeiras duas semanas pós-parto, já a o tecido adiposo uma queda de forma constante. Não houve efeito sobre peso do fígado, rúmen, omaso, abomaso e intestino grosso, mas ocorreu redução nos pesos do intestino delgado, útero e glândula mamária. As cabras Alpinas nas três semanas pós-parto mobilizam não apenas gordura, mas também proteína corporal para atender a demanda de produção de leite. Somente o intestino delgado, útero e glândula mamária tiveram seus pesos afetados com as oito semanas de lactação.

This study aimed to measure the changes of masses of body fat and protein, and also quantify the masses of organs and viscera of Alpine goats throughout the eight weeks of lactation. We used 51 multiparous Alpine goats, allocated in individual metabolic pens. The goats were distributed in a completely randomized design with six replications and eight treatments, and the treatments by weeks of lactation. Slaughters were carried sequential six goats per week of lactation to measure the mass of fat and protein, as well as the weight of the organs and viscera. Significant reduction in mass and adipose tissue protein, but adversely, and the tissue protein was mobilized with greater intensity in the first two weeks postpartum, since the fat falling steadily. There was no effect on liver weight, rumen, omasum, abomasum and large intestine, but there was a reduction in the weights of the small intestine, uterus and mammary gland. The Alpine goats within three weeks postpartum mobilize not just fat, but also body protein to meet the demand of milk production. Only the small intestine, uterus and mammary gland shown weight affected with eight weeks of lactation.

The study was conducted to determine the kinetic parameters of in situ DM and NDF and the passage of particles of forages produced from the intercropping of brachiaria grass with corn and soybean crops. Three experiments were performed, as follows: Experiment 1 - Brachiaria grass intercropped with corn at different plant ages; Experiment 2 - Cultivation of brachiaria grass intercropped with corn set in different sowing arrangements; and Experiment 3 - Intercropping of brachiaria grass and soybean. Passage kinetic of particles was determined by the recovery of markers in feces. In order to obtain the ruminal degradation of DM and NDF, nylon bags were used at zero time, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120 and 144 hours. The particles' passage kinetic of corn with brachiaria grass silage and brachiaria grass silage presented 3%/h and 2.3%/h, respectively; and for soybean and brachiaria grass silage, it was 1.8%/h, which can be explained in part by the mixture of materials ensiled. The materials originated from the intercropping caused rumen fill. Degradation rates were lower when compared with literature data. The brachiaria grass silage obtained from corn and/or soybean crop-pasture integrated system is a feed with low nutritive value due to its low NDF degradation rate and low passage rate, causing rumen fill and, thus, possibly resulting in low intake and poor animal performance.

This study aimed at estimating the kinetic parameters of ruminal degradation of neutral detergent fiber from agroindustrial byproducts of cashew (pulp and cashew nut), passion fruit, melon, pineapple, West Indian cherry, grape, annatto and coconut through the gravimetric technique of nylon bag, and to evaluate the prediction equation of indigestible fraction of neutral detergent fiber suggested by the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System. Samples of feed crushed to 2 mm were placed in 7 × 14 cm nylon bags with porosity of 50 µm in a ratio of 20 g DM/cm² and incubated in duplicate in the rumen of a heifer at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 16, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96 and 144 hours. The incubation residues were analyzed for NDF content and evaluated by a non-linear logistic model. The evaluation process of predicting the indigestible fraction of NDF was carried out through adjustment of linear regression models between predicted and observed values. There was a wide variation in the degradation parameters of NDF among byproducts. The degradation rate of NDF ranged from 0.0267 h-1 to 0.0971 h-1 for grape and West Indian cherry, respectively. The potentially digestible fraction of NDF ranged from 4.17 to 90.67%, respectively, for melon and coconut byproducts. The CNCPS equation was sensitive to predict the indigestible fraction of neutral detergent fiber of the byproducts. However, due to the high value of the mean squared error of prediction, such estimates are very variable; hence the most suitable would be estimation by biological methods.