Intake, digestibility, and rumen dynamics in cattle fed low-quality tropical forage and supplemented with nitrogenous compounds / Consumo, digestibilidade e dinâmica ruminal em bovinos alimentados com forragem tropical de baixa qualidade suplementados com compostos nitrogenados

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2007

RESUMO

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of supplementation with nitrogenous compounds on intake, digestibility, nitrogenous compounds balance, efficiency of microbial synthesis, and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) rumen dynamics in cattle fed low-quality forage. Five crossbred heifers, with average live weight of 191 kg and fitted with rumen canullae, were used. The animals were fed ad libitum with signal grass (Brachiaria decumbens Stapf.) hay, which had crude protein (CP) content of 4.86% of dry matter (DM). The five treatments were defined according to the level of CP in the diet (0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 percentile points above the CP level of the roughage). The supplement was a mixture of urea, ammonium sulfate, and albumin (4.5:0.5:1.0, respectively). The experiment was carried out according to a 5 x 5 Latin square design, with five experimental periods. The average CP levels in the diets were: 5.19, 7.11, 8.60, 11.67, and 13.02% in DM basis. The intakes of DM, organic matter (OM), NDF, and NDF corrected for ash and nitrogenous compounds (NDFom(n)) showed a quadratic profile according to CP levels in the diet (P<0.10) with maximum responses on 10.24%, 10.27%, 10.12%, and 10.05% of CP, respectively. The digestibility coefficients of DM and NDFom(n) were not affected by CP levels (P>0.10). The average concentration of rumen ammonia nitrogen (RAN) was linearly increased with CP levels (P<0.10). The RAN estimate associated with the maximum DM intake was 9.64 mg/dL. The microbial nitrogen flow in small intestine was linearly increased with the CP level in the diet (P<0.10). The efficiency of microbial synthesis was not affected by supplementation (P>0.10). The potentially degradable NDF was linearly increased (P<0.10) according to CP levels in diet until 6.97% CP. From this point, there was stabilization of estimates (47.87% of NDF). The degradation rate of potentially degradable NDF has been increased linearly with CP levels in diet (P<0.10). The rumen flow of fibrous particles (L) had a linear response-plateau according to CP levels in the diet (P<0.10). The plateau (maximum) for the estimates has begun on 7.24% of CP. The mean retention time in rumen-reticulum and the rumen fill effect of undegradable NDF was affect by CP levels similarly to (L) (P<0.10), with plateau (minimum) beginning on 6.90 and 6.97% of CP, respectively.

ASSUNTO(S)

rumen degradation nutricao e alimentacao animal repleção ruminal supplementation degradação ruminal rumen fill suplementação

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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