ABSTRACT The objective was to evaluate the effects of maturity at harvest and row spacing on fermentative profile, aerobic stability, and nutritional value of biomass sorghum (BRS 716) silage. The experiment was conducted using a split-plot completely randomized block design with three row spacings (45, 70, and 90 cm) and four maturities at harvest (70, 100, 130, and 160 days) and eight replications. Polyvinyl chloride silos of known weight measuring 50 cm length and 10 cm diameter were used for […]

ABSTRACT Our objective was to identify the best fit mathematical models for in vitro gas production kinetics using rumen fluid and forage plants commonly used in ruminant feed to obtain better estimates of parameters that describe the rumen fermentation. Four mathematical models were tested, two unicompartmental (M1 = first order, M2 = Gompertz) and two bicompartmental (M3 = M1 + M2; M4 = M2 + M2). Two temperate grasses were evaluated, as well as four tropical grasses and three temperate […]

ABSTRACT An in vitro study was carried out to identify the effects of different inclusion levels of postbiotics from Lactobacillus plantarum RG14 on rumen fermentation profiles, gas production kinetics, and microbial population in rumen fluid collected from goats. Postbiotics were added at different levels (0, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9, and 1.2%) and incubated for 72 h with 200 mg dry matter (DM) of a substrate containing 60% Guinea grass and 40% commercial concentrate. The experiment was conducted in triplicate on different […]

This work was carried out to evaluate the forage particle passage rates and ingestive behavior of dairy heifers from three genetic groups Holstein (H) and Zebu (Z) cattle (7/8HZ, 15/16HZ, Graded Holstein – GH), kept in feedlot regime and submitted to diets, in a total mixed ration, with two fiber levels (30 and 60%) of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), using chopped Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum, Schum., cv. Mineirão) as forage. The experiment was conducted in a 3 × 2 factorial […]

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 2×6 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 […]

The experiment was conducted utilizing hull and dehydrated pulp of coffee cultivars Catuaí, Rubi and Mundo Novo. Pulp was obtained by moist pulping in a mechanical pulper and dried up to 13% moisture. Materials were stored in raffia bags in ventilated, moistureless environment and sun sampled every 90 days. 400 mg of each sample (DM and NDF) were incubated in vitro in triplicates in a water bath at 39ºC. The cumulative gas production was obtained at 1,2,3,4,5,5,12, 18, 24, 30, […]