Efeito do estradiol, dietas e dura？？o do período seco sobre o consumo de matéria seca de vacas holandesas

the effects of anionic and cationic diets, associated or not with estradiol injection, and two dry periods (30 days and 60 days), were evaluated in dry matter intake in prepartum and postpartum. the trial was undertaken at dairy research unit of florida university, in gainesville, usa. forty holstein cows were randomly assigned to the treatments in a factorial design: 1. anionic diet, 30 days dry period (ad30) 2. cationic diet, 30 days dry period (cd30), 3. anionic diet, 30 days dry period plus estradiol (ad30e) 4. cationic diet, 30 days dry period plus estradiol (cd30e); 5.anionic diet, 60 days dry period (ad60); 6. cationic diet, 60 days dry period (cd60). after calving, a standard early lactation diet was fed to all cows for 21 days. the cows were under two different range of temperatures: up to 260c, that calved in autumn (season 1) and over 260c, (extreme temperatures) and calved in summer (season 2). ad did not affect prepartum feed intake, however it increases intake when compared to ca in postpartum. the contrasts between treatments showed ad increased postpartum intake in 60 days period (p<0.01) and in 30 days period only when associated with estradiol (p<0.01), suggesting that ad comes the cows faster to feeding, however, ad30 did not affect feed intake, and contrast was not significant (p>0,05).when diets associated with estradiol (ad30e and cd30e) were contrasted with the others, they showed lower intakes, what means that exogenous estrogen reduces postpartum intake. no differences were observed when 30 days period without estradiol injection were compared to sixty days dry period. the days in relation to peripartum showed cubic effects on intake (p<0,01), increasing the intake in the first week postpartum. both feed intake in prepartum and postpartum decreased in season 2, when contrasted to season 1 (p<0,01). in conclusion, however differences between treatments were not detected in prepartum, estradiol injection in prepartum can decrease feed intake.