Rumen transit and degradation dynamics of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) in cattle fed low-quality tropical forage and nitrogenous compounds were evaluated. Five crossbred heifers fitted with rumen cannulae were used. The animals were fed ad libitum with signal grass (Brachiaria decumbens Stapf.) hay, which had crude protein (CP) content of 5.08% in dry matter (DM). The five treatments were defined according to the level of CP in the diet (0, 3, 5, 7, and 9 percentile points above the CP level of the roughage). The supplement was a mixture of urea, ammonium sulfate, and albumin (4.5:0.5:1.0, respectively). The experiment was carried out according to a 5 x 5 Latin square design. The average CP levels in the diets were: 5.28, 8.08, 9.82, 11.87, and 13.63% in DM basis. The potentially degradable fraction of NDF was linearly increased (P<0.05) by CP levels in diet until 8.62% CP. From this point, there was stabilization of estimates (47.92% of NDF). The degradation rate of potentially degradable NDF showed a quadratic response (P<0.05) to CP levels, with maximal response at 13.39% of CP. The ruminal rate of passage of fibrous particles showed a linear-response-plateau (P<0.05) according to CP levels in the diet, with plateau beginning at 7.59% of CP.
Brachiaria decumbens; rumen fill; supplementation; degradation rate; passage rate
