Reproductive traits on three swine breeds, Duroc, Landrace and Large White, were used to evaluate the importance of inclusion of maternal genetic and the permanent environmental effects in animal models were analyzed. The traits for litter size at birth, litter size at weaning, litter weight at birth, litter weigh at 21 days, and loss rate were evaluated by the restricted maximum likelihood (REML) method, and one likelihood value for each trait and breed were obtained. The likelihood ratio test was […]

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of five dietary concentrate levels (25.0, 37.5, 50.0, 62.5, and 75.0%) on intake and the total and partial apparent digestibilities of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), total carbohydrates (CHO) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Five rumen, abomasum and ileum fistulated F1 Limousin x Nellore bulls, with average initial weight of 279 kg were used, in a 5 x 5 Latin square design, with […]

Three rumen cannulated buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) and three zebu cattle (Bos indicus) were fed chopped sugar cane ad libitum and 3 kg of concentrate/animal/day during 13 weeks. After two weeks of adaptation, samples of rumen contents were weekly collected at two times: just before feeding and 40 minutes after feeding to measure the concentration and composition of ruminal fauna. Ruminal contents were mixed and re inoculated among animals from the same species after five weeks of trial starting. During the […]

One hundred and twenty estrus cycles of 105 Mangalarga Marchador breed mares were analyzed to study the effect of number of inseminations per cycle on the fertility of mares inseminated with cooled semen. The mares were randomly allocated in the following group: T1 – one AI/cycle; T2 – two AI/cycle; T3 – tree or more AI/cycle. The cycles were controlled by rectal palpation and teasing. The insemination were made at each 48 hours, from a 30-35 mm follicle diameter until […]

A 3-year study was conducted at EPAGRI – Experimental Station of Ituporanga, SC – Brazil, to select corn and sorghum cultivars suitability for silage production. Thirteen and eight corn and sorghum cultivars were tested and allotted to a complete randomized block experimental design, with three replications. The planting was done in 6m x 6m plot area. The harvest was done when the plant presented a dough stage of maturity. The evaluated characteristics included dry matter yield, crude protein, and total […]

Data of Duroc, Landrace and Large White swine were used to estimate genetic trends for maternal and direct genetic effects of litter size (TLN) and litter weight (PLN) born alive, litter size (TLD) and litter weight (PL21) at 21 days and mortality rate (TM). The genetic parameters were estimated by restricted maximum likelihood (REML) method. Estimated genetic direct and maternal trends were obtained by regressing genetic values averages on dam birth year. Estimated genetic direct trends showed no progress or […]

The objective of this work was to estimate the requirement of lysine from 13 to 20 weeks and to evaluate the posterior effect on the performance of two egg-type strains. Three hundred egg-white pullets from 13 to 20 weeks of age and three hundred egg-brown pullets from 13 to 20 weeks of age were allotted to a randomised block design with five treatments and four replicates. A basal diet with 14.0% of crude protein and 2900 kcal metabolizable energy/kg was […]

The ingestive behavior patterns were evaluated in nine sheep 1/2 Texel + 1/2 Ile-de-France over a six month period. Sheep were fed the diet at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., which was composed by 250 g of concentrate (15.45% CP, 36.54% NDF) and ad libitum grass hay (6.69% CP, 69.10% NDF). Ingestive behavior was continuously measured for five days per period, and its activities or states were classified as eating, ruminating or idling, and sequentially registered. The probability estimates incorporated […]

This research aimed to evaluate the monensin effect on protein degradation of soybean meal, wheat middlings and corn meal. The rumen fluid was taken from a fistulated steer fed a 40% concentrate diet. The incubations were done in an anaerobic environment at 39ºC. It was used 100 mg of each feedstuff, 14.7 mL of ruminal fluid and 0.3 mL of ethanol with or without dissolved monensin (5 µM was the final concentration). The soybean meal, compared with wheat middlings and […]

The effect of environment and genotype on the Brazilian tropical sheep reproductive performance were evaluated on 480 native ewes, 48 Santa Inês rams and 1.474 F1 lambs from ten private farms in the state of Ceará. The studied traits were mating, fertility, prolificacy and weaning rates, as well as the weight gains at birth, 84 and 112 days, and average daily weight gains from birth to 56, from 56 to 84 and from birth to 112 days. There were effect […]