The objective was to evaluate elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) pastures, under the agroecological and conventional systems, as forage mass and stocking rate. In the agroecological system, the elephant grass was established in rows spaced by 3.0 m from each other. During the cool season ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) was established between these rows, which allowed the development of spontaneous growth species during the warm season. In the conventional system the elephant grass was established singularly in rows spaced 1.4 […]

This experiment was carried out to evaluate the nutritional requirements of protein, energy and macro minerals for Nellore calves from birth to 180 days. A total of 20 calves, 10 males (M) and 10 females (F) with average body weight (BW) of 30±3 kg were used. Soon after birth, four (2 males and 2 females) calves were slaughtered to estimate initial body composition of animals that remained in the trial. At 90 days, another eight calves were slaughtered (4 males […]

The Cornel Net Carbohydrate and Protein System model version 5.0 was assessed as for its prediction of dry matter intake and milk production of grazing lactating Holstein × Zebu cows. Eight lactating cows grazing elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum, Schum., cv. Napier) were used in two experiments of 30 days each. The experimental design was of randomized blocks (subplots). Dry matter intake was estimated using the chromium oxide and in vitro dry matter digestibility techniques. The estimated dry matter intake was […]

Thirty mid lactating Holstein cows (159 DIM) were used to evaluate the substitution of ground corn with gluten feed (FGM-21) in total mixed diets containing corn silage as the main forage and citrus pulp as part of the energy source. Treatments were: no FGM-21 and 20% ground corn in total feed DM (FGM 0), 10% FGM-21 and 10% ground corn in total feed DM (FGM 10), and no corn and 20% FGM-21 in total feed DM (FGM 20). The parameters […]

The aim of this work was to evaluate the ability of the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) version 5.0 to estimate the dry matter intake (DMI) of grazing lactating Holstein cows, grazing coast-cross pasture supplemented with corn silage and concentrate (3 or 6 kg/cow/day). Six experiments were carried out, with 12 cows each. The cows were fed 17 kg/cow/day of corn ensilage in three experiments. The chemical composition of extrusa samples of forage was determined, obtained using an […]

Thirty six mid lactating Holstein cows, 123 days in milk (DIM), were used to evaluate the substitution of ground corn (GC) by soybean hulls (SH) for in total mixed diets containing corn silage as the main forage source and citrus pulp as part of the energy source. The replacement of 0, 10 and 20% of ground corn by soybean hulls in total mixed diets (%DM) were evaluated: SH 0 – 0% SH and 20% GC, CS 10: 10% SH and […]

One experiment was run to study the chemical composition, in vitro dry matter digestibility and the dry matter mass of elephantgrass pasture cv. Napier. Estimates of forage mass were accomplished monthly according to the hand plucking technique with samples being taken one day before the cows were turned into the paddocks. Forage samples were taken observing the stubble height of the pasture in the former grazing cycle. Six samples per treatment were collected from high, medium and low representative tuffs […]

Equations for predicting elephantgrass (Pennisetum purpureum, Schumack) dry matter intake (DMI) by Holstein x Zebu lactating dairy cows under grazing were developed by stepwise regression analysis. The dataset consisted of results of trials carried out at Embrapa Gado de Leite (Coronel Pacheco, MG, Brazil). The independent variables related to animal factors (days in milk; milk protein, fat and total solids contents and yields; live weight; live weight at calving; milk and fat-corrected milk yield; Holstein x Zebu gene fraction; order […]

The objetives of this research were to detect how many days were necessary to animals adapt to the diets, by measuring intake; to evaluate the effect of crescent levels of wheat middlings as a replacement for corn meal in the diets on the milk production and composition, the intake and apparent digestibilities of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), ether extract (EE), total carbohydrates (TC), crude protein (CP), intake of total digestible nutrient (TDN) and non […]

This trial was run at Estación Experiment Agropecuária of INTA (EEA-INTA, Rafaela), Argentina. Thirty-two high producing Hostein-Argentina dairy cows were used in early lactation, aiming to evaluate blood parameters at two levels of protected fat (0 and 400 g/cow/day) and two types of alfalfa (fresh or haylage). All cows were submitted to a pre-trial period of fifteen day in two groups: with and without fat supplementation. The animals, post-partum, were allocated to paddocks with green or pre-dried alfalfa, comprising, then, […]