ABSTRACT The live weight gain of cattle on tropical pastures is reviewed and found to be low and dependent on the length of the growing season. Supplements may be added to address the primary limiting nutrient, which, in the dry season, is crude protein. The response relationships of live weight gain to level of supplement (protein or energy) that have been developed for animals on pasture in Brazil and Australia have been compared and found to be very similar. This […]

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the morphogenetic traits and biomass accumulation of Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraés subjected to doses of N (0, 125, 250, 375 and 500 kg.ha-1 N). The treatments were arranged in a completely randomized design with four replications. Morphogenetic traits and biomass accumulation of dry matter (DM).ha-1 were evaluated. The results were subjected to statistical analysis by grouping the data in two periods, rainy season and throughout the year. Nitrogen doses influenced leaf appearance […]

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the structural characteristics and agronomic traits of Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraés under different nitrogen levels (0, 125, 250, 375 and 500 kg.ha-1 of N) grown in Campus Rondonópolis, Mato Grosso, in the period 10/12/2006 to 08/23/2007. The treatments were arranged in a randomized design with four repetitions. The results were submitted to statistical analysis by grouping the data into two periods: rain and throughout the year. The N influenced the number of […]

This study proposed to select and characterize bacteria of the genus Bacillus on rhizosphere of Brachiaria brizantha as plant growth promoters and to correlate the different selection criteria of the bacteria utilized in laboratories and greenhouse. After collecting samples of plants in three municipalities of Sao Paulo, bacteria were isolated from the rhizosphere and subsequent phenotypic characterization was carried out, regarding the potential for colonization of the roots of pasture, antagonism to pathogenic fungi, production of auxins, phosphatases and proteases […]

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of 47 Bos taurus x Bos indicus beef heifers until two years of age. Heifers were early weaned (EW) with average age of 91 days and minimum of 70 kg of liveweight or weaned at conventional age with average of 170 days and average liveweight of 130.3 kg (CW), supplemented (Su) or not (NSu) with concentrate containing 14% crude protein and 75% total digestible nutrients (TDN) during 91 days in the first […]

Red clover is a temperate legume species that shows good dry matter yield potential and forage quality, being indicated to supplement livestock animals during the cool season in the Southern part of Brazil. The objective of this experiment was to study seed yield in red clover through the use of path analysis, aiming to generate basic information to be used on breeding program or in management strategies, which lead to an increase on seed yield, natural reseeding and thus to […]

Twenty one crossbred yearlings Holstein-Zebu heifers, with average initial age and weights of 14 months and 245 kg, respectively, were used in the performance evaluation. For evaluation of the ruminal parameters and sampling of the consumed pasture, five Limousin x Nelore steers, fistulated in the rumen and esophagus and maintained in an extra pasture of Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, were used to evaluate ruminal parameters, pasture intake and to collect pasture samples. The experiment was carried out during three experimental […]

Dry matter intake (DMI) of Tanzania grass under grazing conditions was estimated using 24 Holstein-Zebu and Gir cows from the in vitro dry matter digestibility of extrusa samples (esophageal fistulated cows) and fecal output. The fecal output was estimated using chromium mordant and a non-linear model. The pasture was managed in a rotational system with three days paddock occupation and 39 days of resting period. The stocking rate was 2.0 cows/ha during the rainy season. Four different equations based on […]

ABSTRACT – This experiment was conducted in an elephant grass pasture from EMBRAPA/CNPGL to compare methods for estimating forage availability, as well as to evaluate the accuracy of three observers in the evaluations. The cutting, plant height, ground cover and height x ground cover methods, multiple regression analysis and the visual comparative yield were compared with the total productions in respective half of evaluated area. The visual comparative yield method always provided the highest coefficients of determination of estimating equations, […]