Moringa oleifera Lam., Difusão educacional e avaliação de ganho de peso em bovinos no Instituto Federal Minas Gerais Campus São João Evangelista.

Abstract

With the objective of constituting a demonstration area, that is, a living laboratory to be used with the function of consolidating the teaching of research and extension, it was implanted in the IFMG-SJE, in the months of June and July 2018, a Moringa oleifera Lam. plantation of one (01) hectare in an area called "Demanda", characterized by flat soil and average fertility. It was used in the seeding in thickened systems 10 kg of seeds, and estimated production of one hundred thousand (100,000) plants. To evaluate the performance in weight gain, Girolando cattle were supplemented with M. oleifera hay. The experimental groups consisted of 16 calves with an approximate age of 180 days, with a mean body weight of 127 kg, and allocated to four treatments (T1): T1) 0.0%, T2) 0.2%, T3) 0.4% and T4) 0.6%. These concentrations express the amount of M. oleifera hay, added to the standard amount of 2 Kg of meal in relation to the total mass of the animal, or animal live weight (PV). The performance was evaluated through weight gain; body growth, through measurements of croup height. The experimental design was adopted in entirely randomized blocks, with four treatments and four repetitions, each experimental unit being represented by an animal. Data organized in a cumulative manner were submitted to nonlinear regression analysis using the iterative method of Levenberg-Marquardt. The logistic model of three parameters was adjusted for each treatment to estimate the accumulated growth per animal in height (cm) and mass (kg) as a function of time, in days. The logistic model was chosen because of its biological basis and ease of interpretation of its parameters. The highest estimates in terms of height and mass were verified in the T3 treatment (0.4% of M. oleifera hay). However, little difference in the estimated mass at 60 days after experimental installation was observed between T3 and T4 treatments. The performance of demarcated calves was positively influenced by the addition of Moringa hay to the bran feed.