RESUMO -Objetivou-se avaliar a influência do tempo de incubação in situ e do tamanho de partículas sobre as estimativas das frações indigestíveis da matéria seca (MSi), da fibra em detergente neutro (FDNi) e da fibra em detergente ácido (FDAi) em alimentos e fezes bovinas. Avaliaram-se amostras de fubá de milho, casca de soja, farelo de trigo, farelo de soja, farelo de algodão, silagem de milho, capim-elefante, cana-de-açúcar, feno de capim-braquiária, palha de milho e fezes de bovinos alimentados com dietas com alto ou baixo nível de concentrado. As amostras foram processadas em moinho com peneiras de porosidade 1, 2 ou 3 mm e acondicionadas (20 mg MS/cm 2 de superfície) em sacos de tecido não-tecido (100 g/m 2 ) de dimensão 4 × 5 cm. Os materiais foram divididos em três grupos, de modo que as amostras de cada grupo foram incubadas no rúmen de três novilhas mestiças (Holandês × Zebu). O procedimento de incubação foi repetido três vezes e, a cada período, procedeu-se à incubação dos grupos em animais distintos. Foram utilizados os tempos: 0, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, 168, 192, 216, 240 e 312 horas. Os teores de MSi, FDNi e FDAi foram avaliados seqüencialmente para interpretação dos perfis de degradação por modelo logístico não-linear. Não houve efeito do tamanho de partículas sobre as estimativas de FDNi e FDAi. Verificaram-se efeitos dos tamanhos de partículas sobre a velocidade de degradação da MS da silagem de milho e do fubá de milho, da FDN da cana-de-açúcar, da silagem de milho e da palha de milho e sobre a velocidade de degradação da FDA da cana-de-açúcar. Para esses alimentos, o tamanho de partícula associou-se positivamente ao tempo necessário para estimar a fração indigestível. Tempos de incubação de 240 horas para MS e FDN e de 264 horas para FDA são recomendados para obtenção de estimativas exatas das frações indigestíveis. O uso de partículas de 2 mm é recomendado por proporcionar maior precisão das estimativas.Palavras-chave: fibra em detergente ácido indigestível, fibra em detergente neutro indigestível, matéria seca indigestível Influence of incubation time and particles size on indigestible compounds contents in cattle feeds and feces obtained by in situ proceduresABSTRACT -The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of in situ incubation time and particles size on the estimates of indigestible fractions of dry matter (iDM), neutral detergent fiber (iNDF), and acid detergent fiber (iADF) in cattle feeds and feces. Samples of corn grain, wheat bran, corn silage, elephant grass, sugarcane, signal grass hay, corn straw, and feces obtained from cattle fed high and low concentrate diets were used. The samples were ground through 1 mm, 2 mm, and 3 mm screen sieve and put in 4 × 5 cm non-woven textile bags (20 mg DM/cm² of surface). The samples were divided in three groups, being each group incubated in the rumen of a crossbred heifer. The incubation procedure was conducted three times with the change of groups among animals. The following incubation times were used: 0, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 1...

Research in the area of sanitation in ruminant production has focused on discovery of potential agents for biological control of helminths with nematophagous fungi and has provided evidence of success. The antagonistic potential of the fungus Arthrobotrys cladodes var. macroides on infective larvae of bovine gastrointestinal parasitic nematodes was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, an in vivo test of the resistance to digestive processes and viability of the fungus was carried out using a formulation based on sodium alginate administered orally in cattle. Production of conidia and chlamydospores was high. In in vitro tests, the number of infective nematode larvae was reduced 68.7% by the fungus in the treated group compared to the control group. The interaction between the fungus and the nematodes was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. Plates containing fecal samples collected after oral administration of 100 g of pellets containing the A. cladodes fungus showed that the fungus survived passage through the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants, grew on agar, formed traps and preyed on L larvae of gastrointestinal parasites. The results of the present study provide a new opportunity for alternative, environmentally safe control of ruminant nematodes.

Cattle production in extensive systems favours the occurrence of gastrointestinal nematodes, and the use of nematophagous fungi complements the control strategies for these nematodes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the fungi Arthrobotrys cladodes and Pochonia chlamydosporia in the biological control of gastrointestinal parasitic nematodes in grazing cattle. Twenty-four calves were randomly divided into four groups and allocated to independent paddocks from February 2018 to January 2019. In the first group, the animals received pellets containing P. chlamydosporia. In the second group, the animals received pellets containing A. cladodes. In the third group, the animals received pellets containing a combination of the fungi A. cladodes and P. chlamydosporia. In the control group, the animals received pellets without fungus. The combined use of A. cladodes and P. chlamydosporia showed greater efficacy in the biological control of bovine gastrointestinal parasitic nematodes than the same fungi used separately. The parasite load was lower and weight gain was greater (P ⩽ 0.05) in the groups of cattle treated with nematophagous fungi. Therefore, the use of A. cladodes and P. chlamydosporia is promising in the biological control of nematodiosis in cattle.

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