The aim of this work was to evaluate the agronomic and bromatologic aspects of nine herbaceous forage legumes. Legumes studied included C. ternatea L., D. heterocarpon (L.) DC. subsp. ovalifolium (Prain) Ohashi cv. Itabela, A. pintoi Krap and Greg. cv. Amarillo, Pueraria phaseoloides (Roxb.) Benth, S. guianensis (Aubl.) Sw. cv. Bandeirante, cv. Cook and cv. Mineirão and Stylosanthes macrocephala Ferreira e Sousa Costa cv. Pioneiro. The following response variables were measured: soil cover, plant height, fresh matter production, stand, seed production, FDN, FDA, hemicellulose, lignin, PB and MM concentrations of leaves and stems. Four cuts were performed during the experimental period. Cutting intensities were at the ground level for the first cut and 5 cm for the following cuts. It was used a complete randomized block design with *Trabalho realizado através do convênio IPA/ UFRPE.
Nutrients from fecal return may improve herbage growth and chemical composition, but herbage rejection may occur around dung pads. Rejected herbage increases in maturity and might be rejected in future grazing cycles. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of dung pad on soil and herbage characteristics of signalgrass [Urochloa decumbens (Stapf) R. D. Webster (syn. Brachiaria decumbens Stapf.)] pastures managed under three stocking rates (1.9, 3.2, and 4.2 animal units (Alls) ha^''; 1 AU = 450 kg of cattle live weight). Herbage and soil responses were measured at different distances from the dung pad border (0 to 20, 20 to 40, and 40 to 60 cm). A rotational stocking was applied with 3 d of grazing and 32 or 67 d of resting for the dry and rainy seasons, respectively. Herbage mass increased near the dung pad by 40% compared to the surrounding areas but was not affected by stocking rate. Herbage rejection was greater near the dung pad and rejection was greater at lower stocking rate. Plants distant from the dung pad presented lower P concentration. Regardless of stocking rate, K, N, and P fecal and herbage concentrations were affected by the grazing cycle, and there was a higher nutrient concentration during the rainy season. Soil beneath dung pad had higher pH value (5.6 vs. 5.2), Mehlich-I P (22.4 vs. 12.5 g m-^), and K concentration (9 vs. 5 mol m"^) compared to soil from the surrounding areas. Grazing management practices should improve fecal distribution in pastures to maximize nutrient return via this pathway.
An experiment was carried out to determine the chemical composition, metabolizable energy values, and coefficients of nutrient digestibility of corn germ meal for layers. The chemical composition of corn germ meal was determined, and then a metabolism assay was performed to determine its apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and apparent metabolizable energy corrected for nitrogen (AMEn) values and its dry matter and gross energy apparent metabolizability coefficients (CAMDM and CAMGE, respectively). In the 8-day assay (four days of adaptation and four days of total excreta collection), 60 29-week-old white Lohman LSL layers were used. A completely randomized experimental design, with three treatments with five replicates of four birds each, was applied. Treatments consisted of a reference diet and two test diets, containing 20 or 30% corn germ meal. Results were submitted to analysis of variance and means were compared by the Tukey tests at 5% probability level. The chemical composition of corn germ meal was: 96.39% dry matter, 49.48% ether extract, 1.87% ashes, 7243 kcal gross energy/kg, 11.48% protein, 0.19% methionine, 0.21% cystine, 0.48% lysine, 0.40% threonine, 0.72% arginine, 0.35% isoleucine, 0.83% leucine, 0.57% valine, and 0.37% histidine, on as-fed basis. There were no statistical differences in AME, AMEn, CAMDM, and CAMGE values with the inclusion of 20 and 30% corn germ meal in the diets. On dry matter basis, AME, AMEn, CAMDM, and CAMGE values of corn germ meal were: 4,578 and 4,548 kcal/kg, 4,723 and 4,372 kcal/kg, 64.95 and 61.86%, respectively.
Parrotfish are fundamental species in controlling algal phase-shifts and ensuring the resilience of coral reefs. Nevertheless, little is known on their ecological role in the south-western Atlantic Ocean. The present study analysed the ontogenetic foraging activity and feeding selectivity of the Brazilian endemic parrotfish Scarus zelindae using behavioural observation and benthic composition analyses. We found a significant negative relationship between fish size and feeding rates for S. zelindae individuals. Thus, terminal phase individuals forage with lower feeding rates compared to juveniles and initial phase individuals. The highest relative foraging frequency of S. zelindae was on epilithic algae matrix (EAM) with similar values for juveniles (86.6%), initial phase (88.1%) and terminal phase (88.6%) individuals. The second preferred benthos for juveniles was sponge (11.6%) compared with initial (4.5%) and terminal life phases (1.3%). Different life phases of S. zelindae foraged on different benthos according to their availability. Based on Ivlev’s electivity index, juveniles selected EAM and sponge, while initial phase and terminal phase individuals only selected EAM. Our findings demonstrate that the foraging frequency of the endemic parrotfish S. zelindae is reduced according to body size and that there is a slight ontogenetic change in feeding selectivity. Therefore, ecological knowledge of ontogenetic variations on resource use is critical for the remaining parrotfish populations which have been dramatically reduced in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean.
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