SUMMARYThe ability to adapt to a range of edaphic conditions favours the widespread use of marandu palisade grass in high as well as low input systems of animal production in Brazil. However, little information exists regarding the influence of grazing management practices on sward structure and the carry-over effects on animal responses. The present experiment was planned to evaluate animal behaviour, herbage intake (HI) and nutritive value, herbage accumulation and body weight gain (BWG) of beef cattle heifers grazing marandu palisade grass subjected to intensities of continuous stocking management. Treatments corresponded to four sward surface heights (SSH: 100, 200, 300 and 400 mm) and were allocated to experimental units (1200 m2 paddocks) according to a randomized complete block design with four replications. Herbage accumulation rate (HAR) varied with season of the year and SSH, with highest and lowest values recorded during summer and winter, respectively. During the summer, herbage accumulation was larger on swards managed at 200, 300 and 400 mm, with the opposite occurring during winter/early spring. Stocking rate (SR) and number of grazing days (GD) followed a similar seasonal pattern of variation, with values decreasing as SSH increased. Crude protein (CP) and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) of hand-plucked herbage decreased as SSH increased from 100 to 400 mm, while the inverse happened with BWG (from 0·190 to 0·930 kg/day, respectively). Bite mass (BM) increased and rate of biting and grazing time (GT) decreased as SSH increased, with daily HI being larger on tall (300 and 400 mm) relative to short (100 and 200 mm) swards. Grazing management affected the nutritive value and the amount of herbage consumed, particularly through changes in BM. However, variations in intake were relatively more important than variations in nutritive value in influencing animal performance, highlighting the importance of providing favourable harvest conditions for grazing animals by establishing adequate sward targets for management.

Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) are potent anticarcinogens in animal and in vitro models as well as inhibitors of fatty acid synthesis in mammary gland, liver, and adipose tissue. Our objective was to evaluate long-term CLA supplementation of lactating dairy cows in tropical pasture on milk production and composition and residual effects posttreatment. Thirty crossbred cows grazing stargrass (Cynodon nlemfuensis Vanderyst var. nlemfüensis) were blocked by parity and received 150 g/d of a dietary fat supplement of either Ca-salts of palm oil fatty acids (control) or a mixture of Ca-salts of CLA (CLA treatment). Supplements of fatty acids were mixed with 4 kg/d of concentrate. Grazing plus supplements were estimated to provide 115% of the estimated metabolizable protein requirements from 28 to 84 d in milk (treatment period). The CLA supplement provided 15 g/d of cis-9,trans-11 and 22g of cis-10,trans-12. Residual effects were evaluated from 85 to 112 d in milk (residual period) when cows were fed an 18% crude protein concentrate without added fat. The CLA treatment increased milk production but reduced milk fat concentration from 2.90 to 2.14% and fat production from 437 to 348 g/d. Milk protein concentration increased by 11.5% (2.79 to 3.11%) and production by 19% (422 to 504 g/d) in the cows fed CLA. The CLA treatment decreased milk energy concentration and increased milk volume, resulting in unchanged energy output. Milk production and protein concentration and production were also greater during the residual period for the CLA-treated cows. The CLA treatment reduced production of fatty acids (FA) of all chain lengths, but the larger effect was on short-chain FA, causing a shift toward a greater content of longer chain FA. The CLA treatment increased total milk CLA content by 30% and content of the trans-10,cis-12 CLA isomer by 88%. The CLA treatment tended to decrease the number of days open, suggesting a possible effect on reproduction. Under tropical grazing conditions, in a nutritionally challenging environment, CLA-treated cows decreased milk fat content and secreted the same amount of milk energy by increasing milk volume and milk protein production.

Feeding trans-10, cis-12 CLA to lactating ewes reduces milk fat by down-regulating expression of enzymes involved in lipid synthesis in the mammary gland and increases adipose tissue lipogenesis. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase α (ACC-α) is a key regulated enzyme in de novo fatty acid synthesis and is decreased by CLA. In the ovine, the ACC-α gene is expressed from three tissuespecific promoters (PI, PII and PIII). This study evaluated promoter-specific ACC-α expression in mammary and adipose tissue of lactating cross-bred Lacaune/Texel ewes during milk fat depression induced by rumen-unprotected trans-10, cis-12 CLA supplement. In all, 12 ewes arranged in a completely randomized design were fed during early, mid and late lactation one of the following treatments for 14 days: Control (forage + 0.9 kg of concentrate on a dry matter basis) and CLA (forage + 0.9 kg of concentrate + 27 g/day of CLA (29.9% trans-10, cis-12)). Mammary gland and adipose tissue biopsies were taken on day 14 for gene expression analysis by real-time PCR. Milk fat yield and concentration were reduced with CLA supplementation by 27%, 21% and 35% and 28%, 26% and 42% during early, mid and late lactation, respectively. Overall, our results suggest that trans-10, cis-12 CLA down-regulates mammary ACC-α gene expression by decreasing expression from PII and PIII in mammary gland and up-regulates adipose ACC-α gene expression by increasing expression from PI.

The extent to which CLA supplements inhibit milk fat synthesis is highly dependent on the amount of trans-10, cis-12 CLA reaching the mammary gland. Secondary events such as changes in milk yield, dry matter intake (DMI), body weight (BW) and energy balance (EB) may also occur depending on the magnitude of milk fat depression. This study investigated the effects of feeding a rumen unprotected CLA methyl ester supplement on milk fat yield and fatty acid (FA) profile, yield of milk and other milk components, DMI and metabolic variables in dairy goats. Twenty primiparous, non-pregnant Toggenburg goats, paired by BW, days in milk (DIM) and milk yield (MY) [2.8 ± 0.4 (mean ± SEM) kg milk/day, BW of 40 ± 3.7 kg and 75 ± 3 days in milk] were used in a crossover design with 14 days treatment periods and a 6 days washout. Goats were randomly assigned to the following treatments: Control (30 g/day of calcium salts of FA) or CLA [30 g/day of a rumen unprotected CLA methyl ester supplement (29.9% trans-10, cis-12 CLA)]. There was no treatment effect on BW, milk yield, or milk protein and lactose content and yield. However, compared to Control, CLA decreased milk fat content and yield by 13.9 and 13.3%, respectively, and CLA treated goats consumed 6.5% less corn silage. The CLA treatment increased the concentration of both CLA isomers (cis-9, trans-11 and trans-10, cis-12) in milk fat. The concentration of short and medium chain milk FA (C16) was decreased by CLA, while long chain FA were increased. However, the daily secretion was lower for FA of all chain lengths in CLA treated goats. Glucose and insulin were not affected by treatment, while CLA treatment decreased non esterified FA by 22.2%. The CLA treatment improved calculated EB by 0.3 Mcal/day. Overall, CLA methyl ester supplements are effective in causing milk fat depression in lactating dairy goats and improving EB, which may be used as a nutritional tool in some circumstances.

RESUMO Os extratores de fósforo (P) Mehlich 1 (M-1), Mehlich 3 (M-3) e Resina Trocadora de Ânions (RTA) apresentam sensibilidade ao conteúdo de argila do solo. Ainda, o uso de equações para conversão do P disponível extraído por M-3 em valores equivalentes de M-1 pode não ser adequado para um conjunto de solos contrastantes. O objetivo do trabalho é avaliar a influência do conteúdo de argila na extração de P por M-1, M-3 e RTA, bem como avaliar a efetividade de utilização de equações para conversão dos teores por M-3 em valores equivalentes de M-1. Foram selecionadas 301 amostras de solo no laboratório de rotina do CAV/UDESC, distribuídos em quatro classes de argila: 0-20, 21-40, 41-60 e > 60% de argila. As amostras foram preparadas e foi extraído o P disponível por M-1, M-3 e RTA. Os extratores M-3 e RTA extraíram quantidades de P 12 e 11% superiores ao M-1, respectivamente. M-1 extraiu menos P que M-3 e RTA em solos de textura arenosa e extraiu mais P que os demais extratores em solos de textura argilosa. A equação sugerida pela CQFS - RS/SC (2016) para conversão dos teores de M-3 para equivalentes em M-1 subestimou os valores de P em até 24%. Com isso, alternativamente, se propõe a utilização da equação P-M1eq (mg dm-3) = (P-M3 / (1,38-0,01*Arg)). Os métodos avaliados apresentam sensibilidade ao teor de argila do solo, devendo ser realizada a classificação da disponibilidade P por faixas de textura.

Little is known about the gender differences in energetic requirements of goats in early life. In this study, we determined the energy requirements for maintenance and gain in intact male, castrated male and female Saanen goat kids using the comparative slaughter technique and provide new data on their body composition and energy efficiency. To determine the energy requirements for maintenance, we studied 21 intact males, 15 castrated males and 18 females (5.0±0.1 kg initial body weight (BW) and 23±5 d of age) using a split-plot design with the following main factors: three genders (intact males, castrated males, and females) and three dry matter intake levels (ad libitum, 75% and 50% of ad libitum intake). A slaughter group included three kids, one for each nutritional plane, of each gender, and all three animals within a group were slaughtered when the ad libitum kid reached 15 kg in BW. Net energy requirements for gain were obtained for 17 intact males, eight castrated males and 15 females (5.1±0.4 kg BW and 23±13 d of age). Animals were fed ad libitum and slaughtered when they reached 5, 10, and 15 kg in BW. A digestion trial was performed with nine kids of each gender to determine digestible energy, metabolizable energy and energy metabolizability of the diet. Our results show no effect of gender on the energy requirements for maintenance and gain, and overall net energy for maintenance was 205.6 kJ/kg0.75 empty body weight gain (EBW) (170.3 kJ/kg0.75 BW) from 5 to 15 kg BW. Metabolizable energy for maintenance was calculated by iteration, assuming heat production equal to metabolizable energy intake at maintenance, and the result was 294.34 kJ/kg0.75 EBW and km of 0.70. As BW increased from 5 to 15 kg for all genders, the net energy required for gain increased from 9.5 to 12.0 kJ/g EBW gain (EWG), and assuming kg = 0.47, metabolizable energy for gain ranged from 20.2 to 25.5 kJ/g EWG. Our results indicate that it is not necessary to formulate diets with different energetic content for intact male, castrated male and female Saanen goat kids weighing from 5 to 15 kg.

Feeding trans-10, cis-12 CLA supplements in a rumen-protected form has been shown to cause milk fat depression (MFD) in cows, ewes, and goats. Methyl esters of CLA were shown to be as effective as FFA in inducing MFD when infused postruminally, but their efficacy as a feed supplement has not been addressed in studies with lactating ruminants. In the present study, we investigated the effects of an unprotected trans-10, cis-12 CLA supplement as methyl esters on performance, milk composition, and energy status of dairy goats. Eighteen multiparous Toggenburg goats were randomly assigned to dietary treatments in a crossover experimental design (14 d treatment periods separated by a 7 d washout interval): 30 g/d of calcium salts of fatty acids (Control) or 30 g/d of a rumen unprotected CLA supplement containing 29.9% of trans-10, cis-12 CLA as methyl esters (CLA). Lipid supplements were mixed into a concentrate and fed individually to animals 3 times a day as a total mixed ration component. The DMI, milk yield, milk protein and lactose content and secretion, and somatic cell count were unaffected by CLA treatment. On the other hand, milk fat content and yield were reduced by 19.9 and 17.9% in CLA-fed goats. Reduced milk fat yield in CLA-fed goats was a consequence of a lower secretion of both preformed and de novo synthesized fatty acids. The CLA treatment also changed the milk fatty acid profile, which included a reduction in the concentration of SFA (2.5%), increased MUFA and PUFA (5.6 and 5.4%, respectively), and a pronounced increase (1576%) in milk fat trans-10, cis-12 CLA. Consistent with the high milk fat trans-10, cis-12 CLA content, all desaturase indexes were reduced in milk fat from CLA-fed goats. The MFD induced by CLA reduced the energy required for milk production by 22%, which was accompanied by an improvement in the estimated energy balance (P < 0.001), greater blood glucose concentration (P < 0.05), and a trend for increased BW (P = 0.08). Approximately 7.2% of trans-10, cis-12 CLA was estimated to escape from rumen biohydrogenation and indirect comparisons with data obtained from other studies suggest equivalent MFD between dietary CLA in the methyl ester form and rumen protected sources. Thus, despite the apparent low degree of rumen protection, our results suggest that methyl esters of CLA could be an alternative to rumen protected CLA supplements due to manufacturing and cost advantages.

The n-alkanes have been used to estimate forage dry matter intake, digestibility and the diet composition in grazing animals. The objective this study was to compare chromium oxide and nalkanes techniques used to estimate forage intake. Twenty lactating dual-purpose cows receiving two sources of fat (treatments: conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) or Megalac (control)) plus 4 kg of concentrate were dosed with n-alkanes and chromium oxide to estimate the intake of stargrass (Cynodon nlemfüensis Vanderyst var. nlemfüensis). The in vitro dry matter (DM) digestibility of the stargrass and concentrate were used to estimate the nutritive value of the digesta. The n-alkanes between C 23 and C 36 were quantified in the digesta and feces. The regression between metabolizable energy requirement (MEr, ) and supply derived from forage DM intake estimated using chromium oxide was ME Intake Cr = 19.1 + 0.62 MEr (R 2 = 0.27) and the same relationship estimated using C 35 :C 36 n-alkane ratio was ME Intake C35:C36 = 9.3 + 0.77 MEr (R 2 = 0.52). There was a treatment effect on fecal concentration of chromium oxide with daily and period variations. For the n-alkane technique, treatment and period effects and a linear effect of day of collection on the fecal concentrations of C 35 were found. For C 36 fecal concentrations, there was a treatment effect and a quadratic effect of collection day. There was no treatment effect on the fecal concentration of the C 35 :C 36 ratio, but a period effect and a linear effect of day of collection were found. Estimates of daily intake using the two markers were different, but those obtained using the C 35 :C 36 pair of n-alkanes were more precise than those obtained using chromium oxide and in vitro digestibility. Management of experimental animals could have influenced the concentration of markers in the feces, determining variations and inconsistencies that partially explain the inaccuracy of the estimates. Key words: diet composition, digestibility, grazing ESTIMATIVA DO CONSUMO DE FORRAGEM EM VACAS MESTIÇAS LACTANTES USANDO ÓXIDO CRÔMICO E N-ALCANOS COMO MARCADORES EXTERNOSRESUMO: Os n-alcanos têm sido utilizados para estimar o consumo de matéria seca, a digestibilidade e a composição da dieta de animais em pastejo. O objetivo desse estudo foi comparar as técnicas de óxido crômico e n-alcanos usadas para estimar o consumo de forragem. Vinte vacas lactantes cruzas Holandês × Gir recebendo duas fontes de gordura (tratamentos: CLA (ácido linoleico conjugado) ou Megalac (controle)) mais 4 kg de concentrado foram dosadas com n-alcanos e óxido crômico para estimar o consumo de estrela-africana (Cynodon nlemfüensis Vanderyst var. nlemfüensis). A digestibilidade in vitro da matéria seca da estrela africana e do concentrado foi usada para estimar o valor nutritivo da dieta. Foram quantificados n-alcanos entre C 23 e C 36 na dieta e fezes. A regressão entre exigência e o consumo de energia metabolizável (EMr, ) derivada da matéria seca da forragem calculada usando óxido de cromo foi ConsumoCr = 1...