| Popis: |
This study aimed to evaluate the effects concentrate levels in sugar cane diets on nutrient intake, digestibility, ingestive behaviour, ruminal parameters, and microbial protein synthesis of feedlot buffaloes. We used four Murrah buffaloes, with an average age of 15 months and an average body weight of 300 ± 50 kg, distributed in a 4 × 4 Latin square experimental design. The experiment consisted of four experimental periods, lasting 17 days each, with 13 days for the adaptation of the animals to the diets and the other four to obtain data and samples. The experimental diets were balanced so that they were isonitrogenated, using the sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) Variety RB92579 in natura, and cornmeal, wheat bran and soybean meal and containing increasing levels of concentrate (20, 40, 60 and 80%). The consumption of dry matter (DM) had an increasing linear effect (P < 0.05), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), total carbohydrates (TC) and non-fibrous carbohydrates (NFC). The digestibility of DM, OM, CP and EE carbohydrates and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) showed quadratic effect (P Concentrate levels associated with sugar cane in buffalo diets allow the maintenance of ruminal parameters and provide an increase in the consumption of DM and nutrients, the efficiency of feeding, the use of nitrogen compounds and ruminal microbial protein synthesis. |
