The objective of the present study was to evaluate the performance of beef cattle in feedlots fed diets containing either whole-crop maize silage or sugarcane silage, and with different formulations. Five diets were evaluated: MSF – diet containing whole-crop maize silage, with fixed formulation during feedlot period; MSV- diet containing whole-crop maize silage, with variable formulation according to feedlot phase; SCSF – diet containing sugarcane silage with fixed formulation; SCSV- diet containing sugarcane silage, with variable formulation; SCSV/MSV- SCSV diet […]

It was evaluated the performance of female lambs on cultivated pastures of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke) as exclusive food or as daily supplementation with commercial feed at the ratio of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5% of the body weight. The used grazing method was continuous with variable stocking. Female lambs on Italian ryegrass pasture supplemented with 0.5 and 1.5% of body weight presented greater average daily gain. Regardless to the level, supplementation on […]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the availability of pasture components, average daily gain and carcass characteristics of Nellore steers receiving supplements in the finishing phase during the dry season. The experiment was carried out on Brachiaria brizantha, cv. Marandu pasture, in six nine-hectare paddocks. Forty-eight 30 month old Nellore steers with 412 + 16 kg initial weight were randomly distributed in six groups of eight animals. Each group was placed in a paddock and was weighed at […]

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the nutritive value, animal performance and feed conversion of beef cattle steers grazing Panicum maximum Jacq. cv. Tanzania pasture subjected to intensities of rotational grazing. Treatments corresponded to two grazing intensities (post-grazing residues of 25 and 50 cm) associated with a grazing interval corresponding to the time necessary for a 95% canopy light interception (LI) condition during regrowth. A randomized complete block design was used, with two replications. The pre-grazing sward height, […]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of acidifiers to milk, milk replacer or post-weaning concentrate on the performance and health status of weaning and post-weaning calves. Three experiments were carried out, in the first experiment 62 Holstein × Zebu crossbred calves (males and females), reared from birth to 60 days of age, were distributed and fed milk with or without acidifier. From the third day, the calves were suckled (5L of milk/d) for […]

The aim of this study was to compare the selection criteria based on the average daily gain (ADG) and days to achieve 160 kg (D160) on pre-weaning of Guzerat cattle. Database on weight gains provided by the Brazilian Association of Zebu Cattle Breeders (ABCZ) was used. The estimated genetic parameters and breeding values was obtained by the Restricted Maximum Likelihood Method, using a uni-trait animal model, with equations of mixed models. The model included the fixed effect of contemporary group, […]

The productive and structural characteristics of Pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke) under continuous stocking rate and their relationship with beef heifers performance exclusively under grazing (PAST), supplemented with corn grain (PAST + C) or citric pulp (PAST + P) was evaluated. There was no difference among treatments for herbage mass, forage allowance, leaf lamina mass, leaf lamina allowance, daily accumulation rate of forage and herbage total production. Daily accumulation rate of forage, leaf lamina mass and leaf lamina allowance […]

This work measured lamb performance in a ryegrass pasture (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) under different grazing intensities and methods. The pasture was used from July 12th to November 1st of 2003 (total of 113 days). The treatments were two grazing intensities (moderate and low) in rotational and continuous stocking. The moderate and low grazing intensities were represented, respectively, by forage allowance of 2.5 and 5 fold the intake potential. It was used a factorial arrangement (2 intensities × 2 methods × […]

The objective of this trial was to evaluate ingestive behaviour and performance of sheep grazing Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) pasture with different herbage mass (HM): low HM: 1,000 – 1,200 kg/ha of DM (LHM); medium HM: 1,400-1,600 kg/ha DM (MHM); high HM 1,800-2,000 kg/ha DM (HHM). A completely randomized design with three treatments and two replicates (paddocks) per treatment was used. Data were submitted to polynomial regression analysis in function of the actual HM observed in each experimental unit: […]

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of genetic direct-maternal covariance on genetic parameters estimates and on ranking of breeding values (VG) for average daily gain from birth to weaning age (GMDND) and from weaning to 550 days of age (GMDDS) using records from 11,202 and 4,665 Angus animals respectively. Covariance components were estimated by restricted maximum likelihood method and for GMDND the model included the additive genetic direct, maternal, permanent environmental and residual random effects and […]