The experiment was carried out from September 1995 to September 1996, to evaluate the total dry matter/ha (TDM), of leaves/ha (LDM), regrowth vigor (RV), tillers number (TN), and percentage of eliminated apical meristems (AME) in six grass cultivars (Aruana, Centenario, Colonião, Mombaça, Tanzania and Tobiatã) and two genotypes (K249 and KK8) of Panicum maximum Jacq., at two cutting heights (20 and 40 cm), during dry and rainy season. A split plot experimental design was used. The height cutting only influenced […]

With the objective to evaluate the effect of dietary starch on the productive yield and cecal microbial activity for rabbits in the growing, four experimental diets were formulated to contain increasing corn starch levels (23, 28, 33 and 38 % total starch levels in dry matter basis). A total of 32 White New Zealand rabbits were allotted to finishing cages in a completely randomized block design. The results showed a decreasing linear effect for the feed intake and feed:gain ratio, […]

Records of 4,595 lactations from 2,254 cows, daughters of 145 sires and 1,618 dams of Gyr breed from 18 herds, with observed calving time from 1980 to 1997, were used to estimate the genetic and phenotypic parameters of milk yield up to 305 days and projected partial lactations. From 91, 151, 211 or 241 days in milk, 10, 30, 50 or 70% of the milk yield were projected for the observed and 305 days of lactation. The genetic parameters were […]

Two assays were carried out to evaluate the precision of internal markers in relation to the total feces collection method to estimate the apparent digestibility of nutrients in diets for equines. Six adult crossbreed horses, averaging seven years old, were used. In the first assay, the values of digestibility of the nutrients of coast-cross hay using HCl-insoluble ash (AIA), acid detergent insoluble ash (ADIA) and lignin by the total feces collection method were compared. In the second assay, the digestibility […]

ABSTRACT – The objective of this paper was to determine the economic weights for the use in selection index for protein, fat and milk without fat and protein (carrier) appropriated for the payment systems of two important milk processors in the States of Parana and Minas Gerais. The prices of each one of those components were calculated, and the prices for protein, fat and carrier were 1.35, 1.89 and 0.17 R$/kg, in Parana, and 0.20, 0.80 and 0.20 R$/kg, in […]

Forty gilts, averaging 15,47 kg initial weight, allotted to a randomized complete block design, with five treatments: .49, .54, .59, .64 and .69% of total threonine, four replicates and two animals per experimental unit, were used to determine the threonine requirement for gilts from 15 to 30 kg. The experimental diets were formulated with corn, sorghum, and soybean meal and corn gluten meal, supplemented with minerals, vitamins and amino acids and supplied ad libitum to the animals. At the end […]

Data related with semen characteristics such as volume (VOL), gross motility (TURB), motility (MOT), vigor (VIG), concentration (CONC), major defects (DMA) and minor defects (DME) from 807 semen output (CS) of 105 sires of the Gyr breed selected for milk production, and their measurements of scrotal circumference (CE) were used to study factors that affect these traits and the correlations among them. Uni and bivariate animal models that included the fixed effects of AI company, year and season of CS […]

Milk production records of 5,258 lactations at first calving from straightbred Gyr and crossbred Gyr:Holstein cows were used to evaluate the relationship between sire predicted transmitting ability (PTA) and the milk production of their progeny. Animal model was used to calculate the PTA using straightbred Gyr daughter only, the crossbred Gyr daughters only and all daughters at the same time. Subsequently, the PTA regressions and correlations of the sires obtained under different alternatives, with the straightbred and, or crossbred daughters […]

An experiment was conducted, on extraction and analysis of n-alkanes, to investigate the use of n-alkane (C35) present in forages as an internal marker for the digestibility determination. Samples of forages and feces were taken from conventional digestibility trials, which were previous conducted from 1978 to 1982. The C35 underestimated the dry matter and organic matter digestibilities, presenting an average difference in relation to in vivo of 4.68 (± 0.69) and 4,43 (± 0.85) perceptual units, respectively. The coefficient of […]

Four hundred and fifty Avian Farms male broilers chicks with 48±0.3g of live weight were used in an experiment carried out at climatic chambers to evaluate the effect of the metabolizable energy levels (2850; 2925; 3000; 3075 and 3150 kcal of ME/kg), from 1 to 21 days, maintained at high environmental temperature (34ºC and 60% RH). A completely randomized design, with five treatments (ME levels), nine replicates and ten birds per experimental unit, was used. Performance and carcass composition were […]