Steer performance on deferred pastures of Brachiaria brizantha and Brachiaria decumbens

The objective of this study was to compare structural, morphological and bromatological characteristics of forage as well as performance of Caracu beef cattle (200 ± 9 kg of initial body weight) supplemented with a multi-mineral mixture (0.25% of body weight) on deferred pastures of Brachiaria brizantha 'Marandu' and Brachiaria decumbens 'Basilisk' under continuous grazing. After the pasture was grazed to 10 cm of height, in March 2014, both grasses were left to rest and subjected to a 126-day deferment period. The experimental period lasted from July to October 2014; the sward characteristics and the animal's weight were evaluated every 28 days. The highest forage mass was recorded in 'Marandu' grass, whereas the highest leaves percentage and lowest dead material percentage were observed in 'Basilisk' pastures. Similarly, the highest crude protein content (8.1 vs. 7.0 ± 0.2%), in vitro organic matter digestibility (57.7 vs. 53.9 ± 0.4%), lowest neutral detergent fiber content (69.2 vs. 72.7 ± 0.4%), and; consequently, the highest average daily gain (680 vs. 530 ± 0.04g animal-1) were recorded for 'Basilisk' pastures. 'Marandu' and 'Basilisk' deferment was associated with a multi-mineral mixture supplementation as a management alternative for rearing beef cattle during the drought periods. Because of the duration of the pasture recovery period in this study, B. decumbens pastures were more likely to achieve the highest animal performance.