Comportamento ingestivo diurno de bovinos de corte em campos nativos de altitude do Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

In Rio Grande do Sul, the use of native grassland is one of the important means for the cattle production of the state, and, the diurnal ingestion behavior is one of the indicators of the quality of the pastoral environment. The present study aimed to characterize the diurnal ingestive behavior of beef cattle, Hereford breeders and Aberdeen-Angus breeders in native highland fields of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, from January to March, 2018. The study was conducted in São José dos Ausentes, Brazil, where the variables of time in grazing, rumination and other activities were analyzed, number of bites per food season with subsequent correlation with air temperature and Temperature and Humidity Index (UI) during the period of analysis. It can be verified that temperatures and UTI during the study did not significantly alter the daytime ingestive behavior of the animals. The time of grazing, rumination and other activities were 435, 200 and 225 min day-1, respectively. The number of bites for Hereford mongrel breeds was higher than the Aberdeen Angus breed. However, the meteorological conditions did not alter the ingestive behavior of the animals.