The impact of dietary 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio) butyric acid isopropyl ester (HMBi) on rumen fermentation in cashmere goats was investigated to determine the effect of this ester on cashmere production. Four healthy castrated Liaoning cashmere goats with permanent rumen cannulas were assayed for four periods. In each period, goats were fed a different diet: control diet (containing 0% MetaSmart (an HMBi product)), diet I (containing 0.85% MetaSmart), diet II (containing 1.27% MetaSmart) or diet III (containing 1.70% MetaSmart). Rumen pH, ammonia-N concentration, […]

The objective of this study was to identify the pattern of deposition of feces by supplemented crossbred dairy cows after the lactation peak on cultivated areas under levels of intensification of the system and its effects on nitrogen cycling, with the aid of geostatistics, in the rainy period. Treatments were composed of two levels of nitrogen fertilization (equivalent to 400 and 800 kg N/ha/year) and two types of animals, according to the daily milk production. Geostatistical and descriptive analyses of […]

This study evaluated the effect of ractopamine (RAC) on the performance of finishing pigs and the meat quality of these animals. Seventy crossbred pigs (35 barrows and 35 females) selected for high gain of lean meat, with initial weight of 77.1±0.32 kg were distributed in randomized blocks with five treatments (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 ppm RAC in the diet) and seven replications during 28 days. The experimental unit was represented by a male and a female pig. Regarding […]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of carbohydrate sources (corn, soybean hulls or wheat bran) in the diet on performance of feedlot steers in the finishing phase. Twenty-four Charolais × Nellore crossbred steers, aged 22 months and initial weight of 335.0±10.9 kg were used in the experiment. Diets contained 40% sorghum silage and 60% concentrate. The intakes of dry matter (DM; 10.68, 10.16 and 10.34 kg/day) and crude protein (1.66, 1.70 and 1.72 kg/day) were not […]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a short-term supplementation with rice bran (2 kg/cows/day) on the endocrine and metabolic profiles and hepatic gene expression, associated with the reproductive response in beef cows in grazing conditions. Thirty-eight primiparous beef cows (Hereford, Angus and Hereford × Angus) were used in a randomized block design according to genotype, calving date and body condition score at calving (BCS). At 64±14 days postpartum (day 0 of the experiment), cows were […]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of sources of nitrogen on the intake and digestibility of nutrients and production and chemical composition of goat milk. Soybean meal (SBM), soybean meal + urea (SBM+U), cottonseed meal + urea (CM+U), cottonseed cake + urea (CC+U) and whole cottonseed + urea (WC+U) were used, representing the different sources of nitrogen in the diet. Ten crossbred goats were used (Alpine + Saanen), weighing on average 47.90±1.94 kg of body weight […]

This study was carried out with the objective of estimating the genetic parameters of agronomic traits in Panicum maximum hybrids. Genotypes obtained from the crosses between the sexual plants S10 and S12 and cultivars Tanzania and Mombasa were evaluated. The design was an incomplete blocks design with two replicates (clones) and 33 blocks. Each block was constituted by three lines or plots with nine plants each, which were evaluated in six harvests. All the characters presented low broad sense heritabilities […]

The effects of liquid vinasse (LV) in the diet for growing rabbits on performance, carcass yield and intestinal morphometry were assessed. Eighty New Zealand white rabbits were used in a randomized block design with five treatments (LV inclusion at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 g/kg diet) and four replications. There was no effect of the treatment on final weight, daily weight gain, mortality rate and carcass yield characteristics. The daily intakes of feed, dry matter, crude protein and energy […]

The experiment was carried out on Cynodon spp cv. Tifton 85 pastures grazed by sheep under rotational stocking, with the objective of evaluating the structural characteristics as well as the forage mass of the pastures subjected to three grazing intensities in successive cycles. Treatments were composed of three residual leaf area indices (rLAI; 2.4; 1.6 and 0.8), allocated in completely randomized blocks with seven replications, totaling 21 experimental units. Tiller population density, pasture height, leaf area index, forage morphological composition […]

A total of 204,912 records of birth weights up to 550 days of age, of 24,890 Nellore cattle, offspring of 375 sires and 16,917 dams from five herds in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, were used in order to describe the variability of the weight development by random regression models. The model evaluated as the most suitable used the covariance function of fourth order to describe the variability of the effects of additive genetic, animal permanent environmental and maternal […]