Grazing height and supplementation to beef yearling bulls growing and effetcts on finishing period

Author(s)

Rondineli Pavezzi Barbero

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Jaboticabal. 2016-02-19.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias. Jaboticabal
• Defense date: 2016-02-02
• Advisor: Euclides Braga Malheiros; Ricardo Andrade Reis

Abstract

It was evaluated the effect of grazing height of Marandu grass, and the combination of increasing grazing heights with decreasing supplementation level (% of body weight (BW)) for yearling bulls during the wet season, on the average daily gain (ADG), gain per hectare (GPH) and emissions of methane (CH4). It were used 108 bulls in two experiments, each with three treatments and three replicates (paddocks) per treatment (n = 9). Exp. 1: grazing heights were 15, 25 or 35 cm. Exp. 2: (1) short height (15 cm) and high supplementation (0.6 % of BW of a supplement (SHHS), (2) moderate height (25 cm) and moderate supplementation (0.3 % of BW of a supplement (MHMS), or tall height (35 cm) without additional supplementation (THWS). The experimental design was completely randomized In the Exp. 1, the ADG increased linearly with increasing grazing height (P = 0.02), the opposite were observed in the GPH (P < 0.01), and the CH4/animal/day was not alter by treatments (P = 0.64). In the Exp. 2, the ADG was not altering by treatments (P = 0.14), but the SHHS treatment showed higher GPH (P < 0.01), lower CH4/animal/day (P < 0.01), lower CH4/metabolizable energy intake (P = 0,002), and CH4/GMD (P < 0.01). In the dry season, it were evaluated the effects of growth system on ADG, BW, weight and carcass yield in finishing period on grasslands with supplementation (1 kg/100 kg BW) (experimental unit = lot of three bulls; n = 9), or feedlot (experimental unit = individual stalls; n = 27). The grazing systems at growth phase during the wet season exhibited no effects on the studied variables (P ≥ 0.09) on finishing phase during the dry season. The forage resources on growth phase during the wet season allowed greatest production efficiency compared to finishing phase during the dry season in both finishing systems, exhibiting greatest BW gain until the slaughter time, expending less supplements costs. The growth phase productions systems during wet season can be used according the economic background or production targets, because did not influence the finishing phase. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/14956-6 - Impacts productive, environmental and economic of the supplementation strategies of the diet of beef cattle under grazing heights and termination strategies
• Grantee: Rondineli Pavezzi Barbero
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate