Inclusion of branches and fruits of Jurema preta and bran and the diet of Santa Inês sheeps- A review

Abstract

The sheep industry is an important activity in several continents, adapting itself to a wide variety of climas. O Brazilian Northeast is the region with the largest herd sheep in Brazil, but most animals have no breed standard is defined and created extensively and without proper feed management practices, and reproductive health. Moreover, the abundance of forage in four to five months of the wet season contrasts with the lack of quality food in the pasture during hot, dry season, which stretches for seven to eight months of the year and is an obstacle to the viability of livestock in the region. The forage plants native to the savanna are essential for the sheep industry in the Northeast, since they are adapted to the harsh climate of the region and participate in the diet of animals on pasture throughout the year. However, there is the possibility to collect and store some of this grass in full vegetation period for providing the animals at the time of food shortages, in the form of hay or silage. The jurema preta is a caatinga woody legume that is highly resistant to drought, is one of the first species to colonize degraded areas, and their fine branches and seeds are eaten fresh or naturally fenadas when they ripen and fall to the ground during the dry season, providing a food enjoyed by ruminants. The palm is a cactus forage adapted to hot, dry conditions in northeastern Brazil, supporting long periods of drought due to their physiology characterized by a photosynthetic process that results in huge water savings. Has high digestibility and low fiber content, despite the drawback of low dry matter and protein. It can be also used in the form of bran, which facilitates their storage and mixing in feed. Given the above, it is necessary to study the potential of these alternative foods in the diet of sheep, with the aim of improving and making the system sustainable production of sheep breeding and farming in the Northeast of Brazil.