Diferentes períodos de armazenamento da palma orelha de elefante mexicana (Opuntia stricta Haw)

Abstract

The dairy livestock in the Northeast it is an alternative and source economic, mainly, social, to maintain man in the field. Thus, growers they have the use of alternative foods adapted to the region. The spineless cactus is an important food source for the semiarid regions, adapted to local conditions, has anatomical and morphological characteristics for good development in this region, with shallow roots and opening the stomata at night, providing a further loss of water. It is an excellent source of water for the animals, especially during the dry season, rich in energy, excellent source of non fibrous carbohydrates and total digestible nutrients. Thus, the management in spineless cactus Mexican Elephant Ear (MEE) in storage form for use longs periods not change its nutritional value which could reduce production costs, increasing the efficiency of the production system work. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of storage period in spineless cactus Mexican Elephant Ear. Were used five heifers Girolando (5/8 HZ), with average initial body weight of 284 kg, distributed in a 5x5 square design. The treatments consisted of four storage periods spineless cactus MEE (0, 7, 14 e 21 days), and a control treatment consisting of spineless cactus Miuda. The palms do not differ in chemical composition for organic matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber corrected for ash an protein, non fibrous carbohydrates, total carbohydrates, lipids and mineral matter. Differing only dry matter and fiber in neutral detergent indigestible MEE palm compared to Miuda. With too, there was no difference for MEE storage periods, so as a result there is possibility of economy in its harvest, making the concentration of the cutting and transport in one day, and store it for longer. Both spineless cactus they can be used in animal feed. There was no difference between the palms, as there was no effect of storage periods on the nutrient intake, digestibility and feeding behavior. The diet allowed a 1.35 kg weight change with little participation concentrate (20%), probably due to large proportion of spineless cactus in diets (50%). The spineless cactus Mexican Elephant Ear can be stored for up to 21 days, keeping constant chemical composition, nutrient intake, digestibility and feeding behavior of dairy heifers.