Marandu grass management and supplementation on performance and methane mitigation of Nellore bulls

Author(s)

Andre Luis da Silva Valente

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Jaboticabal. 2015-06-17.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias. Jaboticabal
• Defense date: 2015-02-27
• Advisor: Ricardo Andrade Reis

Abstract

Canopy height and supplementation is the mainly strategies to increase animal production or area gain in system on pasture. However, some reporter diverge about the correct management in tropical forages, furthermore, the effect of supplementation with soybean differently available in rumen in pasture still inconclusively. By this sense, two trials were conducted to evaluate the effect of supplementation for young Nellore bulls grazing Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu with different sward height on herbage characteristics, dry matter intake, digestibility, animal performance and gain per area during the rainy season. Hundred and eight animal young Nellore bulls were used. Treatments corresponded to three different canopy height (15, 25 and 35 cm) when years where analyzed and the combined with sward height and supplementation with mineral salt, supplement with soybean grain or supplement with protect fat. The level of supplementation was 0.5% of BW. Pastures were fertilizer according to local recommendations following soil analysis plus 135 and 90 kg of nitrogen by urea during first and second year, respectively. Increase the canopy height increased herbage mass whilst decreased stocking rate. There was no difference in hand-plucked herbage CP, NDF and IVDMD concentration among treatments. Supplemented animals had higher DM intake and digestibility values of all nutrients except protein when compared to the control treatment. However, the supplements did not affect the production of CH4 expressed as g CH4/day. The increase in liveweight gain using either supplement caused a decrease in the production CH4/ kg product and g CH4/kg DMI. Considering that relation between animal performance and stocking rate, marandu pastures should be not be grazed below 20-cm stubble or above 30-cm for greater productivity. By other hand, supplementation with lipid of low ruminal degradation can increase performance with higher effect of protect fat source ... (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/12762-7 - Influence of sward management and supplementation with fat sources in growing beef steers during the rainy and termination strategies in the dry season
• Grantee: Andre Luis da Silva Valente
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate