The effects of protein supplementation on degradability of dry mattter (DM), crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) were evaluated in beef cattle grazing Brachiaria brizantha cv Marandu. It was used four Nelore steers (395 ± 9 kg) fitted with ruminal cannula to evaluate kinetics and degradability of the liquid phase and of the particles. Forage samples were collected in other two steers with esophageal cannula. Supplements with 50, 40, and 30% of crude protein (CP) were given at the proportion of 400 g/animal/day when compared to control suplementation with only salt and mineral. The offer of protein supplement did not change potential degradability of dry matter, crude protein and neutral detergent fiber but promoted an increase from 36.85% to 48.97% on effective degratability of dry matter and from 22.06% to 30.05% on neutral detergent fiber degradability. Supplements with 40 and 30% of crude protein were higher than the control because they promoted higher efffective degradability of crude protein and higher particle exit rates. The liquid passage rate was 11.4% higher for the animals which received supplementation when compared to the control. The effective degradability of ADF was not affect by consumption and it ranged from 12.19% (control) to 16.75% (supplement with 30% of crude protein). The results of this work show the importance of protein supplementation to animals on pasture of low quality and also the N level of the supplements.
Brachiaria brizantha; degradability; protein supplement; tropical forage
