Malt rootlets as ration ingridients for swine on growing and finishing stages

Abstract

An experiment was carried out, in 1983, at Cooperativa Agrária, located in Guarapuava, PR, Brazil, aiming to determine the best malt rootlet level to be included in swine rations for growing and finishing stages, with animals' initial live weight of 24.79 ± 0.14 kg, and final live weight of 90.28 ± 1.63 kg. The treatments, with experimental design completely randomized, were represented by the rootlet levels of 0%, 7%, 14%, 21% and 28%, with four replications per treatment and six animals per experimental unit. Considering the total experimental period, a linear effect (P < 0.05) was obtained for the mean daily weight gain (GPDM = 757.8000 - 5.7214; R² = 0.52) and feed conversion (CA= 2.9610 + 0.0255 X; R² = 0.80). Decreasing linear regressions (P < 0.05) were obtained for the variables: dead carcass gain, ham weight, digestible dry matter, nitrogen retention, crude protein digestibility coefficient. Cubic regressions (P < 0.05) were calculated for metabolizable and digestible energies. The results suggest that, economically, malt rootlets should not be included in swine rations under conditions similar to those of the present experiment.