The chemical composition and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of corn and sorghum silages with and without microbial inoculants after several fermentation periods were evaluated in laboratory silos. A 6 x 2 x 3 factorial treatment combination (6 fermentation periods x 2 silages x 3 inoculants) was assayed in a completely randomized design to evaluate the dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) contents and a 4 x 2 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments (4 fermentation periods x […]

The experiment was conducted to estimate morphogenic and structural characteristics and dry matter accumulation rate of leaf blades in a pasture of Cynodon dactylon cv. coast-cross grass intermittently grazed by lactating cows. The evaluations were performed in Spring (October-November), in Summer (February-March) and in Fall (May-June). The study was conducted observing a completely randomized design. with six replications. Leaf length, appearance and senescence in marked tillers were registered over the rest period of the paddock. Tillers in sampling areas of […]

Bromus auleticus is a perennial, native species of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, which has demonstrated adaptability, potential yield of good quality forage as well as high morphological diversity. This work has analyzed band patterns from enzymatic systems and RAPD markers, with the objective to access the genetic variability in 16 accessions of Bromus auleticus from Rio Grande do Sul. The variability was evaluated using Jaccard similarity index. The method of grouping based on the average (UPGMA) was […]

The influence of a priori information on animal genetic evaluation was studied using a simulated 3.000 centimorgans genome, for a single trait governed by 800 loci, with two alleles for locus, and heritability varying from 0.40 to 0.60. Three populations with different sizes were derived from the base-population constituted by 1.500 males and 1.500 females: POP1 (100 animals), POP2 (300 animals) and POP3 (1.600 animals). Three a priori information levels were considered: no-informative priors (PNI), slightly informative priors (PPI) and […]

Weight records of 35.308 Tabapuã animals born between 1975 and 2000, made available by the Brazilian Zebu Breeders Association (ABCZ), were used to estimate genetic parameters for growth from birth to 570 days of age. Univariate analyses were used to fit three different models including fixed effects of contemporary group (owner, herd, sex, breeding management, year-month of birth and year-month of weight) and age of calf and age of dam (linear and quadratic) as covariates. Model 1 included only the […]

Reproduction efficiency of Holstein x Gir crossbred animals in Brazilian dairy farms were evaluated using data provided by the Brazilian Association of Girolando. A total of 2,600 records of age at first calving (IPP) and 3,763 records of calving intervals (IDP) were analyzed using the SAS® GLM procedure. Estimates of genetics effects: additive difference between Holstein and Gir breeds, dominance and additive x additive epistatic effects were obtained by regression models including genetic groups to model the performance of crossbred […]

The objective of this study was to evaluate body condition, weight, weight gain, food intake and efficiency of feedlot finished steers, purebreds (Charolais – C and Nellore – N), crossbreds from second (G2) (¾C ¼N and ¾N ¼C), third (G3) (5/8C 3/8N and 5/8N 3/8C) and fourth (G4) (11/16C 5/16N and 11/16N 5/16C) generations of rotational crossbreeding. The steers were fed the same diet containing 12.32% crude protein, 2.96 Mcal digestible energy/kg of dry matter and roughage:concentrate ratio of 52: […]

This work was conducted to evaluate the nutritional value of whole soybean submitted to different processing. Four trials were conducted to determine digestibility coefficients of dry matter (DCDM), ether extract (DCEE) and amino acids and the values of apparent and true metabolizable energy of the whole deactivated soybean processed by steam heated (WDS) and whole extruded soybean (WES) compared to a mixture of soybean meal plus soybean oil (SMO) and soybean meal plus soybean acid oil (SMAO). The trials one […]

The effects of full-fat extruded soybean at different temperatures (FES) on performance of broiler chickens were evaluated in this trial. Isonutritive diets were formulated to meet broiler requirements in the growing (22 – 35 days old) and finishing (36 – 45 days old) phases. The experimental treatments consisted of four soybean extrusion temperatures (125, 130, 135 and 140ºC) with nine replicates of 30 birds. The variables investigated were: feed intake, weight gain, feed:gain ratio and carcass composition (leg yield, breast […]

The experiment was conducted to determine the effect of dietary methionine + cystine (met + cys) requirement of 1-to-21-day-old broiler chicks on thermoneutral environment. Four hundred Avian Farm male broiler chicks were assigned to a randomized experimental design with five treatments (0.756, 0.810, 0.866, 0.920, and 0.976% of met + cys), eight replicates of ten birds. Weight gain (WG), feed:gain ratio, met + cys intake, protein deposition of absolute weights of liver, gizzard, and lung and relative weights of lung […]