Desempenho de bovinos nelore em pastagem de brachiara brizantha associada a leucaena leucocephala

The experiment was carried out at the Instituto de Zootecnia, Nova Odessa, SP, from Nov./92 to Ju1./94. It was evaluated the liveweight gains, per animal and per area, on  Brachiaria brizantha  and  Brachiaria brizantha  +  Leucaena pastures (the legume used as protein bank or in strips into the grass). The experimental design was the randomized block, with four replications, each one composed by three one hectare paddochs, rotationally grazed by Nelore steers. The liveweight gains, during 608 days, in the grass pastures (334 g/anim/day and 390 kg/ha) were lower than the ones in the grass + legume pastures, which were: 464 g/anim/day and 541 kg in the leucaena bank pastures or 457 g/anim/day and 535 kg/ha in the strip legume pastures.