Análise da granulometria, matéria seca e consumo de bovinos da raça Senepol submetidos a prova de eficiência alimentar

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical quality of the diet provided throughout the day and its influence on the consumption of Senepol animals participating in the food efficiency test. The experiment was conducted at Capim Branco Farm, Federal University of Uberlândia, using the diet provided for 38 young Senepol bulls, lasting 91 days, with 21 days of adaptation and 70 days of testing, from January to April of the year of 2015, confined with use of the GrowSafe electronic troughs system. The treatments were used as treatments, collections and measurements in 14 times, between 8:30 and 20:00 each day, after the experimental period in which the food efficiency test occurred, dry matter (DM, kg ) were processed, the data of consumption, such as: total number of visits to the trough (NV, n) were also collected in the GrowSafe system database; number of visits to the trough with consumption (VCC, n); number of visits to the trough without consumption (VSC, n); total consumption in kilograms (CT, kg) and feeding time in minutes (TA, min). The data were submitted to normality tests, after verification of the parametric and non-parametric data, and SAEG (2007) method tests were applied, followed by regression and correlation analyzes. For the MS variable, there was a significant difference from the first to the third day of collection between the times, and there were no fourth and fifth collection days. For the other variables (NV, VCC, CT and TA) there was a significant difference between the times in the five days of collection, among these characteristics there was a weak, moderate and strong positive correlation. Linear and quadratic regression analyzes do not explain the behavior of these variables. There was no statistical difference between the times on each day of collection for the granulometry variable, however among the sieves within each collection day there existed. From this research, it can be concluded that the physical changes of the diet during the day did not influence the consumption of food of Senepol cattle.