An experiment of two generations of divergent selection for water consumption, including a control line, has been carried out in Japanese quails in a farm placed in the delta of the Nile. The selected proportion was p=0.5 in both lines, high and low. The recorded traits were: body weight at 6 weeks (BW), individual egg weight (EW) and water consumption (WC), feed consumption (FC), the ratio between both (WC:FC), total egg mass produced (EM) and conversion index of feed to egg mass (IC) during a period of 30 days started at the seven week of age. Bivariate analysis of WC and each one of the other traits were performed to estimate heritabilities, genetic and residual correlations. High heritabilities (0.72-0.66) have been obtained for BW and EW, intermediate for IC (0.21) and intermediate-high for the other traits (0.30 to 0.46). The genetic correlations between WC and the other traits were always higher than 0.67 and the residual correlations lower than 0.21, excepting for WC: FC that was 0.9. The direct and correlated responses in the high line were always significant, important and favourable, in agreement with the estimated genetic parameters (between 4.6 and 16% of the trait means). An asymmetric response was showed for WC, FC and WC: FC.

Objetivou-se avaliar o efeito da suplementação concentrada (0, 1, 2 e 3 kg/animal dia) dos períodos chuvoso e seco (pastos diferidos) sobre as características estruturais, a composição morfológica, o valor nutritivo da forragem produzida e o desempenho de bovinos em pastos de Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk (capimbraquiária) manejados em lotação contínua. No experimento 1 (águas), janeiro a abril de 2011, os pastos foram manejados em lotação contínua e taxa de lotação variável, com o intuito de manter a altura em 20 cm. As doses de suplemento foram avaliadas em delineamento experimental de blocos completos casualizados com duas repetições. No experimento 2 (seca), julho a outubro de 2011, os pastos foram diferidos em abril e utilizados a partir de julho. Nessa ocasião, os pastos voltaram a ser pastejados por bovinos em lotação contínua e taxa de lotação fixa inicial de 2,2 UA/ha. Durante a utilização dos pastos, as doses de suplemento do pasto foram avaliadas em delineamento experimental de blocos completos casualizados com duas repetições. No experimento 1, o suplemento concentrado não influenciou as massas e os acúmulos de forragem e dos componentes morfológicos. As densidades populacionais de perfilhos vegetativos, mortos, vivos, aéreos e desfolhados, os teores de proteína bruta, digestibilidade in vitro da matéria orgânica e fibra em detergente neutro também não foram afetadas pelo nível de suplementação concentrada. No experimento 2, as alturas do pasto e da planta estendida diminuíram linearmente com aumento do período de pastejo. As massas de forragem total e de colmo vivo diminuíram linearmente com o período de pastejo. A massa da lâmina foliar viva foi influenciada, de maneira quadrática, pelas doses de suplemento e pelo período de pastejo. Os teores de proteína bruta e digestibilidade in vitro da matéria orgânica não foram influenciados pelo período de pastejo, apresentando, em média, 8,1 e 52,7%, respectivamente. O ganho de peso médio diário, a taxa de lotação e a produção por área aumentaram linearmente com a elevação na dose de suplemento. Mesmo sem a utilização de suplemento, os bovinos apresentaram ganho de peso médio diário de 0,441 kg/animal dia, taxa de lotação média de 2,76 UA/ha e produção média por área de 2,74 kg/ha dia. A elevação na dose de suplemento em pastos de capim-braquiária, manejada a 20 cm durante o período das águas e em pastos diferidos, durante o período da seca, resulta em maior desempenho animal em pastos de capimbraquiária. | The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of concentrated supplementation (0, 1, 2, and 3 kg/animal day) in the rainy and dry periods (deferred pastures) on the structural characteristics, the morphological composition, the nutritional value of the produced forage, and the cattle performance in pastures of Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk (signal grass) managed in continuous stocking. In experiment 1 (rainy), from January to April in 2011, the pastures were managed in continuous stocking and variable stocking rate, with the objective of maintaining the height at 20 cm. The supplement doses were evaluated in a complete randomized block design, with two replications. In experiment 2 (dry), from July to October in 2011, the pastures were deferred in April and used from July on. In this occasion, the pastures returned to be grazed by cattle in continuous stocking and fixed initial stocking rate of 2.2 UA/ha. Throughout the utilization of the pastures, the supplement doses of the pasture were evaluated in a complete randomized block design, with two replications. In experiment 1, the concentrated supplement did not influence the mass and the accumulation of forage and morphologic components. The densities of vegetative, dead, live, aerial and defoliated tillers, the content of crude protein, the digestibility in vitro of the organic matter, and the fiber in neutral detergent were not affected by the level of concentrated supplementation either. In experiment 2, the heights of the pasture and of the extended plant decreased linearly with the increase in the grazing period. The masses of total forage and of live stem decreased linearly with the grazing period. The mass of the live leaf lamina was influenced in a quadratic relation by the supplement doses and the grazing period. The content of crude protein and the digestibility in vitro of the organic matter were not influenced by the grazing period, presenting in average, 8.1 and 52.7%, respectively. The gain of the average daily weight, the stocking rate, and the yield per area increased linearly with the elevation in the supplement dose. Even without the supplement utilization, the cattle presented daily weight gain of 0.441 kg/animal day, average stocking rate of 2.76 UA/ha, and average yield per are of 2.74 kg/ha day. The concentrated supplementation in pastures of signal grass, managed at 20 cm during the rainy period, or deferred and used, during the dry period, increases the animal performance. | Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico