The aim of this work was to evaluate the weight gain of growing and finishing steers, the life weight gain per hectare, and the forage quality in different grass production systems in the winter and summer. In the winter, the black oat pasture (BOP) and star grass (SGA) production systems were evaluated. In the summer, the millet (MIL), Mombaça (MOM), and star grass (SGA) production systems were evaluated and the effect of the production systems used in the winter on the animal performance in the summer was evaluated too. In the winter, the BOP system resulted in higher final body weigh (FW 381 kg) higher average daily gain (ADG 0,64 kg/day) and higher life weight gain/ha (LWG/ha 233 kg) when compared with SGA system (FW 332 kg, ADG -0,01 kg/day and LWG/ha -1,38 kg). The animals kept on BOP system in the winter had lower performance in the summer. For the growing animals, the BOP in the winter and MIL in the summer resulted in higher final body weigh (447 kg) when compared with BOP in the winter and MOM in the summer (414 kg) and SGA in the winter and MOM in the summer (397 kg). For the finishing steers, there was no difference between the systems evaluated. In the winter, the BOP and SGA presented means levels of 15 and 5% of crude protein (CP), 51 and 81% of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), 31 and 51% of acid detergent fiber (ADF), and 81 and 45% of in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD). In the summer, the SGA, MOM and MIL presented means levels of 9, 9, and 18% of CP, 65, 64, and 54% of NDF, 40, 39, and 32% of ADF, and 55, 60, and 80% of IVDMD.
black oat; Cynodon; Mombaça; production system; weight gain
