Considerations on the fiber degradation of tropical forage associated with energy or nitrogenous supplements.

The carbohydrates constitute between 70 and 80 % of ruminant’s diet and are fundamental for your demands by energy, synthesis of microbial protein, milk components and maintenance of the animal health. The tropical forage grass present, normally, lower contents of crude protein, which are associated with highest fiber contents that can represent around 60 % of the forage dry matter. The fiber represents the carbohydrate fraction of slow digestion or nondegradable that occupies space in gastrointestinal system and, in function of his concentration and digestibility, imposes limitations to the nutrients voluntary intake, dry matter and energy. The energy or nitrogenous supplements can supply the needs in energy and protein of the microorganisms and of the ruminant, providing favorable conditions to the rumen environment, maximizing the microbial growth and the utilization of the forage fibrous compounds. The synchronization between carbohydrates and protein sources can maximize the microbial efficiency and the diminution of the loss of nitrogen as ammonia and the carbohydrates energy, promoting improvement dry matter digestion, especially forage fibrous fraction. In this paper are analyzed the effects of energy and/or protein supplementation about the degradation and fiber voluntary intake of the tropical forage grasses.