Publication Date

1993

Description

Animal gains on pasture are influenced by the forage dry mailer on offer (DMO). To ascertain this relationship a pangola grass (Digitaria eriantha) pasture was evaluated under forage DMO levels of 3.5%, 7.0%, 10.5% and 14.0% of live weight (LW)/head/day. Two steers were assigned to each treatment as tester animals plus a number of put-and­take steers to maintain the desired levels of forage DMO, at the Estacao Experimental Agronomica • UFRGS • 30°S, from November 1989 to March 1990 (period I) and from October 1990 to May 1991 (period II). Pasture DM production and crude protein were not affected by forage DMO. lVOMD and leaf percentage were higher for the lower levels of forage DMO. There was a curvilinear relationship between average daily live-weight gains (DLG) and forage DMO. The best DLG was 0,76 kg for both periods, with corresponding DM residues of 2500 and 2100 kg/ha, respectively. The maximum gain/ha of 540 kg in period l, and 757 kg in period II, were at the 9.3% LW.

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Cultivated Pasture, Forage on Offer and Animal ResponseG

Animal gains on pasture are influenced by the forage dry mailer on offer (DMO). To ascertain this relationship a pangola grass (Digitaria eriantha) pasture was evaluated under forage DMO levels of 3.5%, 7.0%, 10.5% and 14.0% of live weight (LW)/head/day. Two steers were assigned to each treatment as tester animals plus a number of put-and­take steers to maintain the desired levels of forage DMO, at the Estacao Experimental Agronomica • UFRGS • 30°S, from November 1989 to March 1990 (period I) and from October 1990 to May 1991 (period II). Pasture DM production and crude protein were not affected by forage DMO. lVOMD and leaf percentage were higher for the lower levels of forage DMO. There was a curvilinear relationship between average daily live-weight gains (DLG) and forage DMO. The best DLG was 0,76 kg for both periods, with corresponding DM residues of 2500 and 2100 kg/ha, respectively. The maximum gain/ha of 540 kg in period l, and 757 kg in period II, were at the 9.3% LW.