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Supplement intake behavior and weight gain per area of Nellore cattle finished with high intake supplementation in pasture

Beatriz Lima Vellini  ; Ivanna Moraes de Oliveira ; Rodolfo Maciel Fernandes ; Ana Paula Reiff Janini ; João Marcos Beltrame Benatti ; Flávio Dutra de Resende ; Gustavo Rezende Siqueira
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This project aimed to evaluate the supplement intake behavior and weight gain per area (GA; kg/ha/day) of Nellore cattle finished with high intake supplementation in Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu pasture. Two forage allowance (FA; 2.5 and 4.5 kg DM/kg of body weight -BW) and two energy sources (ES; corn and citrus-pulp) were evaluated. The supplement (14% of crude protein; 71% of total digestible nutrients) was provided in the amount of 2% of the BW at 8 a.m. daily. Were used 48 uncastrated Nellore cattle with 30 months of age and BW of 430 ? 3 kg. Data were evaluated in randomized blocks, in a 2x2 factorial arrangement, being the paddock the experimental unit (3 repetitions/4 animals per paddock). The data were analyzed in repeated measurements (PROC MIXED; SAS; P > 0.10). There was no interaction between ES and FA for any variable studied (P > 0.10). The supplement intake was higher for animals fed with corn than those who received citrus pulp (8.4 vs. 7.5 kg/day; P = 0.04), and it was not affected by FA (7.8 kg/day; P = 0.23). The stocking rate (SR) was lower in paddocks with high FA in relation to those with low FA (9.6 vs. 5.9 UA/ha; P < 0.01). The GA was higher for animals kept in low FA, when compared to the high FA ones (10.3 vs. 6.6 kg/ha/day; P < 0.01). The SR and GA were not affected by ES of supplement (7.8 UA/ha; P = 0.44 and 8.5 kg/ha/day; P = 0.45). Regarding the disappearance rate, which it can evaluate the behavior of supplement intake over the day, it was observed effect of the FA (P = 0.04) and interaction ES vs. time (P < 0.01). Animals kept in high FA consumed less supplements until 12 p.m. when compared with animals kept in low FA (62% vs. 54%, leftover), after this period the intake behavior was the same. At 6 p.m. the leftover was the same for the both FA (19%). The supplement containing corn presented higher intake rate in each observation, with depletion of supplement at 4 p.m. (1.2%). In the same time, for animals which consumed supplement containing citrus-pulp, still remained 46% of the supplement to be consumed. In conclusion, the use of corn as an ES promotes faster supplement intake. Thus, the maintaining of low FA can promote a greater GA, but the efficiency concentrate used is worst.