Puerária como fonte protéica em dietas de ovinos.

Abstract

The legume kudzu is an important source of protein for having high leveis of crude protein, which characterizes it as protein supplementation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inclusion in the voluminous part of different concentrations of kudzu as a protein source in diets of sheep Santa Ines by determining the optimal concentration of inclusion of kudzu based on digestibility, intake, nitrogen balance and behavior ingestive. During the 20-day trial period, 20 sheep fed diets formulated, whose voluminous portion (60%) consisted of elephant grass and kudzu, included in different concentrations (0; 25; 50 and 75%, based on dry matter). 40% of the concentrate portion consisted of cracked com and soybean meai adjusted to obtain isoproteics diets (18% CP). Chemical and bromatological analyzes, determination of intake, digestibility, nitrogen balance and feeding behavior analysis were performed. No differences (p> 0,05) on intake and digestibility of DM CP, EE, NDF, HEMI, NEC and TDN values, as well as in feeding behavior (feeding times, ruminating and resting in h/day) and nitrogen balance among diets were observed. The kudzu is an altemative to reduce the inclusion of noble protein foods (in this case, soybean meai) in sheep diets.