The performance of 192 weaned Nelore steers grazing on Brachiaria brizantha pastures(Teste), or supplemented during the dry season (Seca), all year around (Ano) or with free access to a leucaena bank (Banco), was evaluated in a random block design with four replications. The dry season supplement had 46.9% CP, 70% rumen degradable, and the wet season supplement, 43.9% CP, 60% degradable. During the dry season, the animals of Ano and Seca showed higher gains than Banco and Teste (.534 and .486 vs .277 and .201 kg/day, respectively). In the wet season animals on Ano and Bank had higher gains than Seca and Teste (.782 and .741 vs .584 and .645 kg/day). The live weight gain per unit of area showed the same behavior of daily gain. Supplements with escape protein or access to a leucaena bank during the wet season showed an efficient alternative.
average daily gain; beef cattle; escape protein; feed supplement; protein bank; grazing; wet season
