Silagens com palma forrageira para novilhas mestiças leiteiras em região semiárida

Abstract

The success of the silage of highly productive and adapted crops can make it possible to supply the forage demand for intensive dairy systems in semiarid regions. Reality that would allow the correct management, including heifers for replacement. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of BRS 716 biomass sorghum silage and BRS capiaçu grass silage associated or not with forage cactus in the diet of crossbred Holstein x Zebu heifers on nutrient intake and digestibility, nitrogen balance, microbial synthesis, behavior ingestive and animal performance. The experimental design was in two simultaneous 5x5 Latin squares. The study included 10 heifers weighing 264.95 ± 19.4 kg, mean age 10 months. Five experimental diets were used: Diet 1 - volumax sorghum silage (SSF); Diet 2- BRS 716 biomass sorghum silage (SSB); Diet 3 - BRS capiaçu grass silage (SBRS); Diet 4- biomass sorghum silage BRS 716 (60%) with forage cactus (40%) (SSB+P); Diet 5- BRS capiaçu grass silage (60%) with forage cactus (40%) (SBRS+P). Diets containing SBRS and SBRS+P resulted in lower dry matter intake (5.61 kg/day; P0.05). The present study provides guidelines for the use of biomass sorghum silages and BRS capiaçu grass with cactus forage in diets of crossbred dairy heifers for herd replacement.