Abstract

VELASQUEZ-MOSQUERA, Juan Carlos  and  NAVAS-PANADERO, Alexander. Productive Evaluation of Zebu Bullocks Crossbred with Criollo Breeds BON and Romo in the Eastern Plains Foothills. Rev. Med. Vet. [online]. 2021, n.42, pp.67-76.  Epub Mar 18, 2022. ISSN 0122-9354.  https://doi.org/10.19052/mv.vol1.iss42.8.

Zebu races crossbred with criollo races can be an alternative to increase the meat production efficiency. This study aims to determine the productive performance of Brahman bullocks crossbred with romosinuano and black-ear white races. The research was developed in the farm San Miguel, located in the town Paratebueno (Cundinamarca). A group of contemporary Brahman, Brahman x romosinuano and Brahman x black-ear white bullocks was evaluated after living together in Brachiaria sp. pastures under continuous herding for one year. The weight gain, production and forage quality were estimated. Temperature, relative humidity and rainfall were also measured and the temperature-humidity index was also determined. A fully random design was used herein including descriptive statistics and analysis of variance. Infostat® software was used to that end. Differences were found in the weight gains between the race groups during the highest rainfall season (p = 0.013); it was higher in the Brahman x romosinuano group. During the lowest rainfall season (p = 0.002) the Brahman x black-ear white group showed a lower performance. Likewise, differences were observed in the forage production (p = 0.0017) and in the nutritional quality of the pastures, with the best forage during highest rainfall season. Throughout this study, the temperature-humidity index was above 82, which indicates that the animals were under caloric stress condition. Under the agricultural-ecological conditions in the study area, the Brahman x romosinuano crossbreeding is an alternative to improve the meat production systems in the Eastern Plains Foothills.

Keywords : adaptation; caloric stress; weight gain; meat cattle.

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