Effect of Supplementation Frequency on Forage Utilization by Heifers Grazing a Tropical Pasture during the Dry Season

In tropical pasture, low quality and availability forage during the dry season can limit the cattle intake. Energetic and protein supplementation is a viable practice to improve feed intake and animal performance. Previous studies have shown that infrequent protein supplementation decreases feeding cost achieving similar performance compared with every day supplementation (Farmer et al., 2004). Even though infrequent protein supplementation has been widely studied, little research has been carried out on infrequent energetic supplementation, especially its effect on pasture utilization. Some evidence indicates that negative effects on forage use at low levels of infrequent supplementation (Beaty et al., 1994). However, high levels of energetic supplementation can result in a substitution effect of forage for concentrate, reducing pasture utilization, even more when forage quality decreases as dry season progresses. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementation frequency (continuous or discontinuous, based on energetic concentrate) on forage utilization by heifers grazing a Chloris gayana pasture during the dry season in the Semiarid Chaco Region (Northwestern Argentine).