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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Strategic supplementation of growing cattle on tropical pastures improves nutrient use and animal performance, with fewer days required on the finishing phase

Diogo Fleury Azevedo Costa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8118-8380 A B , Paulo Sergio Correia A , Joao Ricardo Reboucas Dorea A C , Jonas De Souza A , Guilhermo Francklin de Souza Congio A D , Alexandre Vaz Pires A , Pedro Antonio Muniz Malafaia E , James Drouillard F , Carlos Tadeu dos Santos Dias A , Albino Luchiari-Filho A and Flavio Augusto Portela Santos https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5583-3286 A G
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Animal Science, University of Sao Paulo, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, Av. Pádua Dias, 235 Piracicaba, SP 13418900, Brazil.

B Institute for Future Farming Systems, Central Queensland University, Bruce Highway, North Rockhampton, Qld 4702, Australia.

C Department of Dairy Science, University of Wisconsin, 1675 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA.

D Colombian Corporation for Agricultural Research, Agrosavia, Km 14 Via Mosquera, Bogota, CUN 250047, Colombia.

E Department of Animal Nutrition and Pastures, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, BR-465, Km 7 Seropedica, RJ 23897000, Brazil.

F Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University, 2900 College Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA.

G Corresponding author. Email: fapsantos@usp.br

Animal Production Science 61(5) 480-493 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN20005
Submitted: 10 January 2020  Accepted: 13 November 2020   Published: 14 December 2020

Abstract

Context: Cattle grazing tropical forages usually perform below genetic potential due to limited nutrient intake.

Aims: Four experiments were conducted to evaluate supplementation strategies on performance and metabolism of cattle grazing intensively managed marandu palisade grass (Urochloa brizantha).

Methods: Experiment 1 evaluated the average daily gain (ADG) of 72 young bulls (222 ± 25 kg bodyweight, BW) grazing palisade grass and supplemented (22% crude protein, CP) at 0.0%, 0.3%, 0.6% and 0.9% BW, and their ADG during the feedlot finishing phase. Experiment 2 evaluated the ADG of 80 bulls (240 ± 18 kg BW) grazing palisade grass and supplemented with energy (11.3% CP) or three protein sources (≈20.5% CP) at 0.6% BW. Experiment 3 investigated intake, rumen parameters and digestibility of nutrients in fistulated steers (410 ± 8.6 kg BW) fed an energy supplement, that is, ground corn, at 0.0%, 0.3%, 0.6% and 0.9% BW, with a parallel in vitro study of fermentation kinetics (Experiment 4).

Key results: Increased levels of supplementation resulted in linear increases (P < 0.05) in ADG, stocking rate (SR) and in BW gain per area. There were no differences (P > 0.05) in ADG, SR and BW gain per area among supplemental sources of protein or the energy supplement. Increasing energy levels caused a linear decrease (P < 0.05) in forage intake and grazing time and a linear increase (P < 0.05) in total dry matter and digestible-nutrient intakes, but did not affect (P > 0.05) fibre degradability. Corn supplementation also caused a linear decrease (P < 0.05) in acetate : propionate ratio, in ruminal ammonia-N and in N excretion, and a linear increase (P < 0.05) in rumen propionate concentration, in microbial synthesis and in N retention. The supplementation increased BW at the start of the feedlot phase, resulting in similar hot carcass weights with fewer days on feed and no effects on meat quality.

Conclusions: Overall, despite the source utilised, supplementation increased ADG, SR and BW gain per area, with fewer days being required on the finishing period.

Implications: Having adequate supplementation strategies in place will help producers increase the efficiency of their systems.

Keywords: Brachiaria brizantha, supplementation strategies, tropical grass.


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