Effects of low- and high-crude protein diets supplemented up to the fourth limiting amino acid for two commercial crosses of starter piglets

• Autor(a) principal: Souza, Fábio Nicory Costa
• Data de Publicação: 2024
• Outros Autores: Genova, Jansller Luiz, Azevedo, Liliana Bury de, Rupolo, Paulo Evaristo, Santana, Ana Lúcia Almeida, Melo, Fúlvio Viegas Santos Teixeira de, Carvalho, Silvana Teixeira, Costa, Leandro Batista, Ribeiro, Cláudio Vaz Di Mambro, Carvalho, Paulo Levi de Oliveira
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Semina. Ciências Agrárias (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://ojs.uel.br/revistas/uel/index.php/semagrarias/article/view/48807
• topic: Economic feasibility; Genetics; Nutrient digestibility; Pig performance; Urea concentration.; Viabilidade econômica; Genética; Digestibilidade de nutrientes; Desempenho suíno; Concentração de ureia.

This study was composed of two experiments conducted to assess the effects of low- and highcrude protein diets supplemented up to the fourth limiting amino acid and two commercial crosses on the growth performance, plasma urea concentration (PUC), economic feasibility, apparent nutrient digestibility, and nitrogen balance in starter nursery piglets. In Expt. I, a total of 128 piglets (14.02 ± 1.96 kg initial BW and 48 d of age) were allotted based on initial BW in a randomized block design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Two commercial crosses (DB and PIC) and two crude protein diets (low-crude protein, LCP, and high-crude protein, HCP) were evaluated. A total of four treatments, eight replicates, and four piglets per experimental unit were used. Expt. II was conducted using 24 entire male piglets (20.00 ± 1.41 kg initial BW) housed in metabolic cages for 12 d and distributed in the same experimental design as in Expt. I (six replicates). The results of the Expt. I suggest piglets fed HCP showed better growth performance. An increase of 25.2% in PUC was observed in piglets fed HCP. There was an increase of 18.2% in the economic efficiency index piglets fed HCP, and a reduction in the cost per kg of BW gain was also observed. In Expt. II, piglets fed HCP showed higher apparent nutrient digestibility coefficients, digestible protein and energy, N intake and absorption. There was an increase of 18.2% in the economic efficiency index when piglets were fed HCP, and a reduction in the cost per kg of BW gain was also observed. In Expt. II, piglets fed HCP showed higher apparent nutrient digestibility coefficients, digestible protein and energy, N intake and absorption. There was no effect of commercial crosses on growth performance and metabolism variables. In conclusion, HCP diets, regardless of genetics, promoted improvements in performance and economic feasibility index, but increased PUC in piglets. In addition, HCP diets positively influenced apparent nutrient digestibility and N intake and absorption.