Forty steers averaging 371 kg BW were allotted to a randomized block design, in a factorial scheme 3 x 3 to evaluate the effect of feeding different protein sources (urea, amiferm, soybean meal) and forage (sugar cane, corn silage and pasture Bracharia brizantha) on performance and carcass dressing. Diets were formulated to contain similar ME and CP protein levels. Forage and nitrogen source interaction was not significant for all studied factors. Daily live weight (LWG/day) of animal fed sugar cane (0.83 kg) did not differ from those fed in pasture (0.82 kg), but both were different from corn silage (1.09 kg). The different protein sources resulted in similar LWG/day, with value of 0.94; 0.83 e 0.97 kg, for urea, Amiferm and soybean meal, respectively. Soybean meal diets showed higher daily carcass gain (0.57 kg) in relation to Amiferm (0.46 kg) but both nitrogen sources did not differ from urea (0.55 kg). There was no difference among forage and nitrogen sources for carcass dressing, carcass dressing in function of empty weight (%EBW), carcass yield of weight gain and fat layer, mean of 51.03%, 54.49%, 60.10% e 8.5 mm, respectively. The use of Amiferm provided weight gain and carcass dressing similar to the others nitrogen sources.
Amiferm; Brachiaria brizantha; corn silage; soybean meal; sugar cane; urea
