The present study used meta-analysis to assess the effects of supplementation on beef cattle performance in pastures in Brazil, classifying data by forage type. There were reviewed articles published from 1999 to 2007, and was done comparisons between performance animals without supplement (control) and supplemented animals, to determine the real effect of supplementation on performance, and to find the corrected daily gain in each study. The regression equations were obtained through the covariance, and correlation and level of significance, between dependent and independent variables were obtained using the SAS statistical program PROC CORR. In tropical pastures, animals showed a corrected daily gain of 0.31 kg day-1, with TDN intake from supplement equal to 0.43% of LW day-1. Temperate pastures showed a corrected daily gain of 0.17 kg day-1 and TDN intake from supplement was 0.77% of LW day-1. Supplements used in tropical forages, showed an average of 29% CP, with animals having a corrected daily gain of 0.25 kg day-1 and in temperate forage, crude protein was 17.4%.
tropical grasses; temperate grasses; substitution effect; meta-analysis