Consumption of dry matter observed and predicted by the nutritional systems in senepol bulls kept in confinement

The objective was to compare the dry matter consumption (CMS) observed, through the use of the GrowSafe® electronic system, with that predicted by the BR-Corte (2010 and 2016) and NRC (2000) nutritional systems in confined Senepol bulls. To this end, 24 Senepol Bulls were used in a completely randomized design, uncastrated with an average initial weight of 368 kg and 16 months of age. The evaluation of the accuracy and approximation of the CMS estimates by the nutritional systems was adjusted by the simple linear regression model and the decomposition of the mean square of the prediction error (QMEP). The mean CMS observed was 10.33 kg.day-1, higher than the values predicted by the nutritional systems, in which the values predicted by the NRC (2000) and BR-Corte 2010 and 2016 underestimated the CMS by 29.62, 6.19 and 2.03%, respectively. The verification of QMEP and its decomposition made it possible to infer the proximity of the values predicted by the BR-Corte 2010 and 2016 models and the values observed, which presented a better adjustment in relation to the NRC. Surprisingly the values predicted by the NRC, created from a database with Bos taurus animals, showed greater distance from the values predicted and observed, and it was expected greater accuracy of the NRC models for this category and animal breed. It is concluded that the BR-Corte 2016 was the most appropriate model to estimate the CMS of confined Senepol bulls.