Avaliação biométrica e nutrientes das culturas de milho, milheto e sorgo

The objective of this work was to evaluate the biometric measurements and nutrient contents of the corn, sorghum, and pearl millet crops from 30 days after sowing up to ensiling time. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design, in which the three crops were evaluated with eight replicates. Stem height and diameter and leaf length and width were measured to determine plant growth. In addition, samples were collected to evaluate plant chemical composition. For the characterization of nutrient accumulation and biometric evaluation, linear and nonlinear models were used. Dry matter accumulation did not differ between corn and sorghum, but decreased in pearl millet from the fiftieth day up to ensiling. Crude protein, ashes, and neutral detergent fiber tend to reduce over time. The biometric variables do not differ between corn, pearl millet, and sorghum from 30 days after sowing until ensiling time.O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as medidas biométricas e o conteúdo de nutrientes das culturas de milho, sorgo e milheto desde 30 dias após a semeadura até o momento da ensilagem. O experimento foi conduzido em delineamento de blocos ao acaso, tendo-se avaliado as três culturas, com oito repetições. A altura e o diâmetro do caule e a largura e o comprimento das folhas foram medidos para determinar o crescimento das plantas. Além disso, foram coletadas amostras para avaliar a composição química das plantas. Para a caracterização do acúmulo de nutrientes e a avaliação biométrica, foram utilizados modelos lineares e não lineares. O acúmulo de matéria seca não diferiu entre o milho e o sorgo, mas diminuiu no milheto do quinquagésimo dia até a ensilagem. Proteína bruta, cinzas e fibras em detergente neutro tendem a diminuir com o tempo. As variáveis biométricas não diferem entre o milho, o milheto e o sorgo desde 30 dias após a semeadura até o momento da ensilagem

Evaluation of sugarcane rind on the nutritional value of ruminant feeding

ABSTRACT Several studies on the kinetics of sugarcane’s fiber digestion have been published, but, to date, no study has evaluated the influence of sugarcane rind on the digestion of fresh sugarcane by ruminants. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of sugarcane components (rind and pith) on chemical composition, in vitro digestibility, metabolizable energy, and sugarcane quality. A randomized block design was used in a split-plot scheme with five sugarcane genotypes [plot] (RB068027, RB058046, RB987917, RB867515, and RB855536) and three sugarcane components [sub-plot] (rind, pith, and whole cane), Each treatment consisted of four replicates. The chemical composition, in vitro gas production, in vitro digestibility, metabolizable energy, and sugarcane quality were evaluated. No interaction between components and genotypes was observed for the variables analyzed herein. Although the rind had a higher crude protein content, it showed a large amount of insoluble crude protein. The rind had higher fibrous fractions, comprising 87.33 % of the indigestible fraction of the neutral detergent fiber (NDF). The sugarcane rind showed ~ 71.20 % more lignin than the pith tissue. Further, the rind decreased by 6.5 % in vitro dry matter digestibility compared to the whole sugarcane. The in vitro NDF digestibility of the rind was 18.38 % lower than the whole sugarcane. The RB068027 genotype showed the lowest sugarcane quality. Despite the higher content of potentially digestible neutral detergent fiber (pdNDF) in the rind, its high lignin content influences the quality of the final fibrous fractions of sugarcane and negatively impacts the nutritional value. The genotypes do not differ nutritionally, but RB855536 presented higher biomass and energy yields