The effects of energy levels in multiple supplements on productive performance and nutritional parameters were evaluated of finishing beef cattle grazing palisade grass (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu), during the rainy to dry transition season. For the performance evaluation, 24 crossbred bulls, 18 month old and 330 kg of initial body weight (BW), were distributed to a completely randomized design, in four paddocks of 1.5 ha each. Four treatments were evaluated: mineral mix (MM) and corn and whole soybean grain based supplements offered in three levels: 1.0; 1.5 and 2.0 kg/d, allowing TDN intake of, respectively, 0.832; 1.163 and 1.496 kg/d. There was a positive linear effect of the energy levels on the average daily gain and on the final body weight. The nutritional parameters were assessed in four crossbred bulls , with average initial 300 kg BW, fitted with esophageal, ruminal and abomasal cannula, and fed similar diets of those animals used in the performance. There was no ffect of supplementation on dry matter intake (DMI), although it was observed a linear reduction in forage intake. The intakes organic matter from pasture, of the NDF from the total diet and of the pasture was negative linearly affected by the energy levels. There were not observed effects of supplementation levels on the total apparent digestibility of the nutrients, except for CP, which showed a quadratic effect by the level of supplementation. Additional weight gain, ranging from 20 to 30%, can be obtained in beef cattle supplemented with increasing amounts of energy during the finishing phase; however, those gains depend of the substitution of forage intake by the supplement.
beef cattle; corn; pasture; ruminal digestibility; supplementation; soybean
