In this study, seven elephant grass cultivars and seven Pearl Millet x elephant grass hybrids were evaluated under grazing conditions. The evaluated characteristics were dry matter yield (DMY), forage height (FH), stem diameter (SD), leaf blade/stem ratio (LB/S), leaves blade dry matter yield (LBDMY), basal tillers number (BTN), lateral tillers number (LTN) and lateral tillers/basal tiller ratio (LT/BT). The results showed higher DMY, LBDMY, FH, SD, and LB/S for the cultivars group, as compared to the hybrids group. The values […]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the intake, apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC), nitrogen balance, pH and nitrogen ammonia concentration (N-NH3) in the ruminal fluid of sheep. The animals were fed diets composed by concentrates with different ruminal degradability of the fractions starch and protein from the used sources: starch with high (triticale) and low (corn) ruminal degradability combined with nitrogen (N) sources of high (canola meal plus urea) and low (cottonseed meal plus meat and bone meal) ruminal […]

The present study was carried out to estimate the average lactation curve of 7239 lactations of Caracu cows based on 299,949 weekly records. The functions fitted to the mean data of the lactation curve were: Linear Hyperbolic and Logarithmic Quadratic as linear and Incomplete Gamma and Inverse Polynomial function as non-linear. The parameters were estimated by iterative methods, Gauss-Newton method. The adjusted Coefficient of Determination (R²A), the Durbin-Watson test (DW) and the deviations (%) from actual and predicted total milk […]

Adigestibility assay was carried out to evaluate the nutritional value of hay from the upper third of cassava foliage, variety “Mantiqueira” (Manihot esculenta, Crantz) in sixteen rabbits of New Zeland White breed, eight males and eight females, with 50 days of age. A completely randomized design, with two treatments and eight replicates for treatment, was used. In the test diet, cassava foliage hay replaced 30% DM of the reference diet, containing 19.30% of crude protein, 12.86% of crude fiber and […]

Chemical composition and the potential and effective degradabilities of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) of passion fruit residue (shelves) were studied in the varieties yellow (Passiflora edulis f. Flavicarpa Degener), purple (Passiflora edulis Sims) and sweet (Passiflora alata) and in the mixture of yellow and purple varieties. DM intake, ruminal concentrations of N-ammonium, volatiles fatty acids (VFA) and pH, and rate of liquid and solid rumen digesta flows were also studied. The residues (shelves) […]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the season of the year on the spermprogressive motility (PM), vigor, volume of semen and sperm concentration of rams from the Bergamacia, Corriedale and Hampshire Down (Hd) breeds, with three-four years of age, from March/96 to March/97. Twenty-four rams nine Bergamacia (Be), eight Corriedale (Co) and seven Hampshire Down (Hd) were used. The semen collection and the climatic variables: wind speed (ws), air temperature (Ta), globe temperature (GT) and […]

The objective of this work was to verify the effect of the supply LT 516 strain of Lactobacillusacidophilus, adjoining to the milk, on dairy calves performance from birth to 56 days of age. Thirty-six newborn calves were allotted to a randomized blocks grouped by sex, breed and birth weight. The daily supply of a concentrate with viable cell (1,9 x 1010 UFC/anim) of Lactobacillusacidophilus (LT 516), from birth to 56 days of age (Treatment 1); the daily supply of the […]

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the performance up to 24 months of age of males from two breeding systems, straightbred (Charolais – C and Nellore – N) and crossbred (1/2 CN, 1/2 NC), submitted to two ages of weaning: T3-weaning at three months of age; T7-weaning at 7 months of age. The calves were maintained from birth to the weaning time with the cows on native pasture and, after weaning, both animals from T3 and T7 were […]

This research was conducted to study the kinetic of phosphorus (P) in tissue of swine growing phase fed diets containing crescent levels of total phosphorus (.30, .40, .51, .65 e .73%), using 32P as tracer. The rate of 32P retention and the relative specific activity and standard in the bone, liver, heart, kidney and muscle were the markers of inorganic P concentration. Ten commercial crossbred barrows, with 20 kg, were allotted to a completely randomized design in a split plot […]

The effect of different doses of hCG administration on the emergence of a new follicular growth wave and the number of recruited follicles from this wave, the accessory corpus luteum formation, the diameter of the dominant follicle and of the spontaneous corpus luteum on the day of a luteolitic administration and subsequent synchronization rate and the interval between the PGF2α administration and the estrus manifestation were evaluated. Twenty crossbred female cattle in diestrus, divided in four treatments containing five animals […]