- COURSE LIST -

Presentation and discussion of relevant issues of specific interest to Animal Science, in the areas of Forage Plants and Animal Production. Topics will be offered by the initiative of the teachers responsible and / or students. Content to be offered will be approved by the competent authority and reported in the semester preceding the one in which the discipline will be offered. Practical approaches to some issues may be included in the program.

Activities to be developed within undergraduate-level courses, preferably in the master’s or doctorate concentration areas. Practical experience preparing, planning and/or teaching content in the undergraduate discipline, under supervision of the responsible major professor. Graduate student assessment is the responsibility of the adviser and will be held in conjunction with the undergraduate major professor.

Objectives of using forage crops and their characteristics. Establishment of sown species; correction and fertilization. Nutrient cycling in grazing systems. Studies of the major genera, species and crops. Forage swaps. Use of forage species; strategic pasture use and management. Grazing animal behavior.  Preserved forage and their importance and use. Silvopastoral systems. Agronomic evaluation of forage species.

Basics of plant breeding. Methods of propagation and reproduction in higher plants. Evolution of reproductive systems in cultivated species. Gametogenesis and fertilization. Reproductive barriers. Pollination. Mechanisms of self-incompatibility. Apomixes and improvement. Improvement of apomixic grasses.

Introduction and evaluation of forage plants. Planning and implementation of evaluations. Types of experiments. Phases and evaluation schemes. Evaluation of forage availability and botanical composition. Agronomic experiments and animal response. Conducting grazing tests. Experimental delineations. Computer methodology. Pasture supplementation studies and evaluation techniques. Prof. Paulo César de Faccio Carvalho

Flowering, pollination and fruiting of the main forage species. Genetic, environmental and management factors affecting seed production components. Management techniques of major forage species: timing, methods and seeding density, fertilization, cutting or grazing, irrigation and legume pollination. Determination of harvest. Harvesting methods. Drying, processing and storage. Seed quality: definitions, longevity, germination, factors affecting physiological quality, quality preservation. Evaluation of physiological quality: sampling, testing viability and vigor.

Native vegetation, management and potential for animal production. Pasture defferal and its implications. Animal species and manipulation of vegetation effects on productivity and composition of pastures. Pasture dynamics. Potential of Forage Agriculture. Forage species as alternative soil use. Pasture establishment. Qualitative and quantitative aspects of pasture. Stages of plant and animal diet. Grazing systems and methods. Fixed and variable carrying capacity. Preserved forages. Grazing supplementation. Alternative pastures. Crop-livestock integration. Integrated animal production systems in pastures. Seeds. Prof. Paulo César de Faccio Carvalho and Prof. Carlos Nabinger

General considerations on the morphology and development of grasses and forage legumes. Mineral nutrition: redistribution and reuse of elements, interactions in absorption and element activity. Synergism and antagonism. Analysis of growth. Leaf area and plant communities. Carbohydrate reserves. Nitrogen in the soil and the plant. Competition between crops and pastures. Grass-legume intercropping. Discussion of management practices. Prof. Carlos Nabinger

Continuous interactions between forage plants subjected to defoliation and on pasture herbivores. Foraging strategies. Principles and processes involved in defoliation. Grazing resistance mechanisms. Implications of the structure of rangelands on vegetation dynamics, diet selection and feed consumption. Ingestion behavior and bite geometry. Grazing process.  Prof. Paulo César de Faccio Carvalho

Development and maturation, morphology, structure, dispersion and geographic adaptation of seeds. Dormancy, polymorphism and kinetics of germination. Effects of disturbance on the composition and dynamics of seed banks in the soil and its links with plant species composition. Soil seed banks and recovery factors for the floristic composition of natural and improved pastoral ecosystems. Seed bank and integrated invasive plant management in cultivated ecosystems. Methodologies for seed bank demographic research. Introduction to seed identification. Prof. Lúcia Brandão Franke

DNA, chromosomes and genes. Chromosome structure. Transmission of genetic material: mitosis and meiosis. Fertilization, embryogenesis. Chromosomal alterations. Aneuploidy and polyploidy. Posomic and disomic heritage. Bases of genetic variability. Evolution. Evolutionary processes in plants. Types of natural selection. Reproductive systems in plants. Heritage and cytoplasmic male sterility. Apomixes and self-incompatibility. Hybridization. Reproductive barriers. Estimation of genetic diversity in plants using biochemical and molecular markers. Genetic transformation. Prof. Carine Simioni

Anatomy and histology. Fish physiology, emphasizing osmoregulation and electrolyte balance; cardiovascular system, respiratory system; bioenergetics and metabolism; digestion and absorption; sense organs; central nervous system; endocrine system, with emphasis on reproduction; reproductive system; renal system; stress. Prof. Danilo Peter Streit Junior

Physical aspects of classical / chemical / biological limnology; Water quality in fish production and control; management of primary production; support capacity; water change system; aeration management; aquatic macrophyte control; nursery bed sediment and soil management; liming and fertilization; filtering system. Prof. Danilo Peter Streit Junior

Address the different production systems for aquaculture. Management at all stages of culture. Maintenance of reproduction, spawning induction, sex control techniques, incubation of eggs, larviculture, fingerling 1 and 2 rearing, fattening. Nutrition in different phases. Installation of equipment. Registers and economic aspects of the activity. Prof. Danilo Peter Streit Junior

Classification of minerals and their presence in the animal organism. General functions. Essential and toxic minerals. Metabolism, functions and deficiencies. Pathogenesis. Soil-plant- animal relationships. Sources. Mineral interactions. Profs. Julio Octavio Jardim Barcellos and Maite Vieira

Fat and hydro-soluble vitamins. Structure. Properties. Metabolism. Functions. Deficiencies. Pathogenesis. Sources. Prof. Luiz Sérgio Vieira

Methods for the study of the endocrine system. Functions and cellular mechanisms of hormonal action. Structure, cell synthesis, release, transport and metabolism of hormones.  Relationships between hypothalamus-pituitary, neuro-pituitary, middle pair, pancreas, thyroid, para-thyroid, adrenal cortex and medulla.

Chemistry of living cells. Bioenergetics. Enzymes. Metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. Biochemistry of nucleic acids and cell multiplication. Regulation of metabolism

Indirect analytical methods for evaluating animal feed. Analysis of biological materials. Prof. Ernie Rose Prates and Maite Vieira

Anatomy and development of the mammary gland. Synthesis of milk constituents. Factors affecting the composition and quantity of milk. Physiology and mechanisms of milking. Prof. Vivian Fischer

Mechanisms governing elements of the reproductive cycle to improve reproductive efficiency of males and females, focusing on the physiological aspects related to endocrine control of reproductive cycle stages. Manipulation of the estrous cycle. Nutrition action mechanisms. Effect of light and temperature on the reproductive behavior of species of zootechnical interest and the principles governing reproduction biotechnologies and their potential to increase the reproductive performance of the herd.

Continuous traits, metric traits, values and averages, variance, resemblance between relatives, heritability, selection. Prof. Jaime Araújo Cobuci

Studies of current average productivity of beef cattle at experimental and at private property levels. Management of the different categories of animals for the production and use of natural, improved natural and cultivated pastures. Supplementary feeding. Confinement. Operations for increasing the reproduction rate and reducing age of first service. Steer management and fattening. Desirable characteristics. Benefits of using crosses and forming composite breeds. Animal behavior in relation to environmental conditions. Social behavior of animals and its effect on production. Prof. José Fernando Piva Lobato

Knowledge, study and discussion of the latest developments in swine production.

Study of vital phenomena in higher animals based on the cell structure and physio-chemical mechanisms governing different systems: integumentary, muscular, endocrine, nervous, circulatory,digestive, urinary and reproductive systems. Prof. Alexandre de Mello Kessler

Concepts of population and quantitative genetics as applied to animal breeding.Emphasis on problem solving and extensive interaction with the literature.. Prof. José Neto Braccini

General principles of classical bioenergetics. Energy gains and losses in relation to animal production and measurement systems. Use of dietary energy and methods to establish the fate of energy consumed by the animal. Prerequisite: ZOO 00059. Prof. Alexandre de Mello Kessler

Biochemical and physiological basis of the effects of food additives and their relationship to metabolism and performance of domestic animals. Prerequisite: ZOO 00057 and ZOO 00060.

Using computer applications like word processing, spreadsheets, graphics and statistical programs.

Computer basics, program sources editing, MS-DOS 3.0 operating system.Problem solving with algorithms. Development and use of FORTRAN programs to solve common biological problems. Special project. Prerequisite: ZOO 00073, knowledge of any programming language, availability of 10h a week to solve exercises.

Deepen knowledge through specialized literature to understand the relationship between nutrition and the physiological processes that control reproduction. Role of the bovine growth curve. Integrate knowledge in different beef cattle production systems. Analyze the different technological variables in the production process.Integration of production systems within the bovine supply chain.Prof. Julio Octavio Jardim Barcellos

Deepen knowledge through specialized literature to understand the processes that determine the growth of animals, changes in the size, shape and composition of the body structure, the growth curve and weight gain. Understanding of growth,from cellular changes to the finished product destined for human consumption.Aspects of handling growth through nutrient distributors, nutrient alterations and hormonal treatments. Phenomena that determine the composition of weight gain in different tissue types for finishing animals.Prof. Julio Octavio Jardim Barcellos

Animal domestication and contribution to human welfare. Human concerns on animal products in the diet. Competition between humans and animals for food in a world of scarce resources. Non-nutritive elements in animal diets and their impact on human life. Livestock production and the environment. Industrialization and globalization of livestock production. Quality and safety of food of animal origin. Bioethics: animal welfare, animal rights, and concerns about the advancement of biotechnology. Fungal toxins, natural waste and pollutants and their impact on animal production. Integrated livestock production systems and sustainable use of resources. Animal welfare and its impact on the quality of food of animal origin.rof. Sergio Luiz Vieira

History and concept of wellness, relationship with the meat market, general principles of stress, pain, suffering, animal behavior (description and classification) and welfare evaluation. Problems associated with human-animal interactions and interactions among animals and farm, transport, pre-slaughter handling and slaughter management. Effect of management on final product quality. Market demand and changes in production systems. Evaluation of possible

Study of the interaction of animals with the pastoral environment, considering management principles, ingestion behavior, grazing strategy and consumption of different types of sheep. Planning and implementation of feeding programs and management practices for grazing sheep. Ovine production systems. Research training in production and management of sheep grazing systems.Prof. Cesar Henrique Spirit Candal Poli

Nutritional aspects of grazing ruminants. Nutrient content of pasture. Consumption. Digestibility. Efficient use of nutrients. Supplementation. Use of mathematical models in nutrition and feeding of ruminants. Nutritional requirements. Energy. Protein. Minerals. Formulation of feed and supplements.Validation of nutritional programs.Prof. Harold Ospina Patiño

Using mixed models in animal genetic evaluation via best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP). Restricted maximum likelihood and Bayesian methodologies applied to animal breeding. Software compilation through FORTRAN. Using software for recoding paternity records. Using MTDFREML, WOMBAT,MTGSAM REMLF90 or software components in estimating (co)variance.Component estimation of (co)variance using models with traits and multiple traits.Prediction of genetic value based on animal models. Analysis of longitudinal data in animal improvement models through repeatability and random regression.Prof. Jaime Araujo Cobuci

Nutritional requirements, ingredients and metabolism of nutrients for domestic carnivores. Anatomical, physiological and biochemical characteristics of species to choose the ingredients and essential nutrients for the manufacture of balanced diets. Food processing techniques and evaluation.Prof. Luciano Trevizan