Avaliaram-se as características sensoriais da carne de novilhos não-castrados ou castrados terminados em confinamento e abatidos aos 16 (superjovens) ou 26 (jovens) meses de idade. A dieta com relação volumoso:concentrado de 50:50 continha 11,8% de proteína bruta e 2,83 Mcal de energia digestível/kg de matéria seca. A maior amplitude do pH final da carne foi observada nos novilhos jovens e a menor, nos superjovens. A carne dos animais não-castrados, independentemente da idade de abate, foi mais escura, mais grosseira e com menor grau de marmorização em comparação à dos castrados. A carne dos animais castrados teve maior perda de líquidos durante o processo de descongelamento em relação à dos não-castrados (8,55 vs 4,99%). Ocorreu interação entre categoria e sexo do animal para perda de líquido durante a cocção, palatabilidade e suculência. Novilhos jovens não-castrados apresentaram maior quebra à cocção, carne menos palatável e menos suculenta em relação aos jovens castrados e aos superjovens castrados e não-castrados. A redução da idade de abate de 26 para 16 meses de idade, independentemente da condição sexual, melhora a maciez da carne avaliada pelo painel de degustadores.

ResumoO objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a composição mineral, volume, resistência e densidade óptica radiográfica dos ossos longos (úmero, tíbia e fêmur) de frangos de corte de três grupos genéticos e duas densidades de alojamento. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi inteiramente casualizado em um esquema fatorial 3 x 2, em parcelas subdivididas, sendo os fatores principais os três grupos genéticos (Isa Label JA57, Ross 308 e Hybro PG) e as duas densidades de alojamento (10 e 16 aves/ m 2 ), e as subparcelas as idades de coleta dos ossos (7 semanas), totalizando deste modo seis tratamentos com cinco repetições cada um num total de 30 unidades experimentais. Os resultados deste trabalho apontaram que não houve diferenças significativas para as características avaliadas com exceção da resistência da tíbia para o grupo Isa Label JA57. O volume ósseo apresentou-se crescente com a idade da ave; já a resistência à quebra e densidade óptica radiográfica para a maioria dos tratamentos avaliados decresceram dos 28 aos 35 dias. O teor de minerais dos ossos avaliados para todos os tratamentos mostrou-se crescente nas três primeiras semanas, decrescendo no final do período experimental. O modelo de desenvolvimento ósseo foi o mesmo para todos os grupos genéticos, apesar da densidade de criação adotada, mostrando que os frangos de corte possuem uma curva padrão de crescimento ósseo, que não é afetada pelo grupo genético ou pela densidade de criação. Palavras-chave: Desenvolvimento, fêmur, frangos de corte, tíbia, úmero AbstractThe objective of this experiment was to evaluate the mineral composition, volume, bone breaking strenght and optical radiographic density of long bones (humerus, tibia and fêmur) of broiler chickens from three genetic groups and two rearing densities. The experimental design was a splitj-splot where the

The objective of this study was to assess the use of infrared thermography as a microclimate-evaluating tool and an estimate of the thermal comfort provided by four types of tree to cattle under grazing conditions in the central region of Brazil. The experiment was conducted at the Embrapa Beef Cattle Company, in Campo Grande, MS, Brazil, from June to August 2015. Evaluations were carried out over four consecutive days, at 1-hour intervals, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (local time; GMT − 4:00). Infrared thermography images of tree crowns and soil surface underneath them from the shadow projection of four tree species native to the Brazilian cerrado (savannah-like) biome were obtained. The microclimate was assessed by estimation of thermal indices: temperature and humidity index, black globe, and radiation thermal load. The previous was calculated based on records of air temperature, dew point temperature, black globe temperature, air relative humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation. The geometrical settings of the trees were assessed for each tree component. Five thematic groups were formed based on multiple factor analysis that summarizes three synthetic analytical dimensions to explain the total variance among the studied elements and the existing correlations between groups. Positive linear correlations were found between thermography and the temperature measurements, thermal comfort indices, and radiation, suggesting that infrared thermography can be used as a tool for estimating and monitoring the microclimate and thermal comfort, presenting a potential use of measurement in agroforestry systems.

In meliponini colonies, biometric characteristics may be associated with production traits, thus the study of correlations is extremely useful as a tool for colony selection process. The aim of this study was to estimate the correlations between biometric and productive parameters of Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides. We analyzed 128 colonies, from 60 parental and two generations, F1 and F2. The following parameters were evaluated: queen and colony weight; number, length and width of brood disks; number, width, depth and volume of honey pots; number, width and depth of pollen pots; glossa size, and estimate of the population and honey production. The queen weight was correlated with the number of brood disks (0.23) and population (0.23), as well as the characteristic number of pollen pots is related to the length and width of brood disks and population (0.88, 0.54 and 0.52, respectively). The characteristic honey production is related to the number (0.93), width (0.50) and volume (0.47) of honey pots. The results showed that honey production is directly correlated with number, volume, width and depth of honey pots. On the other side, the population size was correlated with the number of brood disks and pollen pots

-A total of 70 five-month-old female New Zealand White rabbits were assigned in a completely randomized design, over three reproductive cycles, with two treatments: a reference diet and a half-simplified diet containing 79.83% cassava byproduct. The study evaluated body weight and feed intake of does, feed cost, number and total body weight of kits at kindling and weaning per female during three cycles, number and percentage of mortality/female/cycle, and weight gain of kits from birth to weaning. No interaction was observed between the diets and among the reproductive cycles for any evaluated characteristics. The body weight of does at the moment of weaning was similar in both groups for all three reproductive cycles.However, does fed the half-simplified diet had lower feed intake during the three reproductive cycles and, consequently, more reproductive flaws. The number of kits at weaning, body weight of kits at kindling and weaning, weight gain of kits from birth to weaning, and total body weight of kits at weaning were lower for the group of does fed the half-simplified diet and, consequently, there was a higher number and percentage of dead kits in this group. The total numbers of kits at kindling and weaning and total body weight of kits at birth during all three reproductive cycles were similar between the groups; however, total body weight of weaning rabbits was higher for the animals receiving the reference diet. It is possible to conclude that although the use of the half-simplified diet decreases the reproductive performance of does, it reduces feed cost per kg of body weight by 23.63% compared with the reference diet, proving to be a viable nutritional option for rabbit production.Key Words: cassava meal, hay from the upper third of cassava foliage, reproduction Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia