Leveduras vivas em dietas de alta forragem para novilhas

Abstract

Low quality forage result in lower fermentation rates and negatively affect ruminant productivity. This justifies the use of feeding strategies capable of improving the exploitation of this type of forage by the animals. Live yeast can improve the efficiency of resources applied to animal feed. We evaluated the effect of yeast over performance and digestibility of dairy heifers fed with low quality and high diet inclusion, tropical or temperate forage. The heifers were individually fed in tie stall. We fed 36 hybrid heifers (initial weight of 144 ± 70 kg) a standardizing diet for 12 days and, subsequently, were treated for 126 days with co-variable adjustment in randomized blocks design. The treatments were arranged in 2x2 factorial scheme with two types of hay (Tifton or oat) and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) or control. A mixture of soy, mineral premix and 10 g of yeast (2x1010 c.f.u. of live cells) was offered daily and before the hay to guarantee total intake. Diet proportion (%DM) was of 91.5% of forage and 7.4% of soybean meal. The supplementation with yeast increased dry matter intake of the diet with Tifton hay (5.0 vs. 4.6 kg, P=0.05). The oat hay treatment provided higher gain than the treatment with Tifton hay (0.44 vs 0.29 kg) and higher efficiency (0.10 vs 0.07, P<0.01). The yeast induced height gain in the treatment with Tifton hay (117 vs 121, P<0.02). The digestibility of DM, OM and NDF (P<0.01). The supplementation with yeast tended to reduce the time of the first meal (P=0.11). Intake rate (kg/min) was higher in the treatment with Tifton hay (91 vs 80). Yeast stimulated the synthesis of microbial protein for Tifton hay (1.23 vs 1.00, P<0.01). The pH ruminal ammonia presented higher values with Tifton hay (average of 6.1 and 6.5, respectively). Yeast changed the digestive pattern when using oat hay, presenting higher intake in the afternoon (P<0.01) and lower in the morning (P<0.05). The treatments with Tifton induced higher rejection of fine particles (P=0.01). The diets with high forage and low quality, the supplementation with yeast did not improve digestibility of neutral detergent fiber. However, yeast presented a negative effect over intake, weight gain and feed efficiency of heifers fed oat hay and positive effects over intake of dry matter and the synthesis of microbial protein of heifers fed Tifton hay.