The effect of grazing system intensification on the growth and meat quality of beef cattle in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome

This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of four levels of intensification of grazing systems: 1) degraded pasture - DP; 2) irrigated pasture with high stocking rate - IHS; 3) dryland pasture with high stocking rate - DHS; 4) dryland pasture with moderate stocking rate - DMS; on growth, muscle development and meat quality of Nellore steers (271±2.2kg of live body weight - BW; 15months old) during two consecutive periods (17 and 15months). The final BW, the average daily BW gain, the hot carcass weight and the dress percentage were greater (P