Diogo CostaCentral Queensland University · Institute for Future Farming Systems
Diogo Costa
Doctor of Philosophy
About
53
Publications
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Introduction
I work for Central Queensland University as a member of the Precision Livestock Management (PLM) team, recognised in Australia as the national leader in the field of tropical livestock research. Our area of speciality is the use of cutting edge technology to automatically gather phenotypic data such as animal liveweight, pregnancy status and parentage, as well as improve the understanding of animal behaviours, all with a view to improving on-farm profitability and productivity.
Skills and Expertise
Additional affiliations
June 2018 - September 2020
January 2014 - June 2016
March 2013 - December 2015
Publications
Publications (53)
Phosphorus (P) deficiency impairs productivity of ruminants and is the most expensive mineral used in supplements for cattle and buffalo under Brazilian grazing conditions. There is a need for the rational use of P, particularly under extensive grazing conditions, as this mineral resource is expensive and the world’s supplies are exhaustible. The d...
The aim of this case study was to evaluate the clinical and productive data of Nellore cows during pregnancy and lactation, supplemented or not with P. Ninety-five pregnant heifers were divided into two groups (G40 and G0). Until the date of calving animals from G40 received a mineral mixture composed of 224g of Na and 40g of P/kg, and G0 received...
There is a wide range of algae species originating from a variety of freshwater and saltwater habitats. These organisms form nutritional organic products via photosynthesis from simple inorganic substances such as carbon dioxide. Ruminants can utilize the non-protein nitrogen (N) and the cell walls in algae, along with other constituents such as mi...
The physicochemical characteristics of diets and faeces were evaluated in combination with data of rumen fluid and blood lactate collected from two distinct feedlot systems in Brazil to understand the causes and correlations to digestive disorders in these production systems. The data were collected during two visits to a finishing system which fed...
This chapter introduces the concept and history of development of on-animal sensors. It explores the different components that make up these systems and the various challenges and limitations that are faced by developers seeking to operationalize these on commercial livestock farms. The specific sensor systems that have been explored over the years...
The difficulty in selecting cattle for higher feed and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is an important factor contributing to poor growth and reproductive performance in dry-tropics rangelands. Therefore, the objectives were to examine the cattle variation in retaining nitrogen in a protein-deficient diet and the natural abundance of stable isotopes...
Context Beef cattle feed efficiency is challenged in northern Australian production systems due to the limited dietary protein, leading to changes in rumen bacterial populations and fermentation outcomes. Aims Two types of diets with different dietary protein contents were used to evaluate changes in rumen bacterial composition and diversity, aimin...
The wet-dry transition period brings unique challenges to cattle producers in the tropics as the forage quality starts to decrease and animal performance is negatively affected unless supplementation strategies are applied. Two experiments were conducted concomitantly to evaluate the performance and metabolic parameters of cattle supplemented with...
The rise of sequencing technology brought about a surge of new methodologies that offered a new and deeper level of understanding of the role of the microbiome in the health and performance of livestock. This started a chain reaction in technology evolution, and a decade later, we have developed a new appreciation of a healthy gut and the role of e...
Context: Neonate management remains a key issue in extensive beef production systems where producers are faced with substantial environmental and management challenges that limit their ability to monitor and manage livestock in a timely manner. Parturition is a critical event and can affect the calf health and survival, particularly in the perinata...
Integrating life cycle techniques and modelling with other approaches to evaluate the eco-efficiency and sustainability of industries and entire supply/value chains has been widely discussed. Life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) techniques and modelling capabilities comprehensively evaluate the three sustainability dimensions of complex syst...
This chapter presents and discusses the results of a case study completed to evaluate and develop strategies to improve the sustainability of beef production using the feedlot system in Australia. The study was developed to test a proposed sustainability assessment framework that uses Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) methodologies to ass...
Supplementation of grazing cattle may improve forage utilization, methane emission and efficiency of nutrients use. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different supllementation strategies on performance, metabolic parameters and methane emission in Nellore cattle reared on well-managed marandu palisadegrass (Urochloa brizantha cv Marandu) p...
The objective was to evaluate the effects of a specific strain of live yeast (LY) on growth performance, fermentation parameters, feed efficiency and bacterial communities in the rumen of growing cattle fed low-quality hay. In experiment (Exp) 1, twelve Droughtmaster bull calves (270 kg ± 7.6 kg initial BW) were blocked by BW into two groups, alloc...
Context. Cattle grazing tropical forages usually perform below genetic potential due to limited nutrient intake. Aims. Four experiments were conducted to evaluate supplementation strategies on performance and metabolism of cattle grazing intensively managed marandu palisade grass (Urochloa brizantha). Methods. Experiment 1 evaluated the average dai...
To evaluate the influence of supplementation strategies on the average daily gain (ADG) of cattle in a rotational grazing system of Guinea grass (Panicum maximum cv. Coloniao) pastures during the rainy season. It was further evaluated the residual effects in the feedlot finishing phase. Seventy-five 8 month-old crossbred bull calves averaging 200.1...
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of algae and cottonseed meal (CSM) supplementation on the fatty acid (FA) profile in the rumen fluid (RF) of steers fed a low-quality forage. Five Bos indicus crossbred steers, 187±7.5 kg liveweight (LW; mean±SD), were fed a low crude protein speargrass (Heteropogon contortus) hay as the basal...
Spittlebugs are the main pest of tropical pastures and Marandu palisade grass (Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu) is the most representative cultivated pasture in the tropics. Our objective was to characterize Marandu palisade grass responses subjected to Mahanarva (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) attack and to estimate the losses in terms of beef production f...
Animal temperament evaluation can be included in the cattle selection program also because of an existing correlation with performance. However, there are different assessment methods such as flight speed (time and speed that an animal takes to leave the crush) and exit score (indicating in which pace it does). Flight zone (FZ) refers to the distan...
Nutrition represents the major operating cost of beef cattle production. Improvements on feed efficiency (FE) can lead to significant economic benefits and reduce the environmental footprint of red meat production. Usually, livestock selected for FE on high-protein diets are expected to perform as efficiently on low-protein diets. This experiment u...
Nutrition for a positive growth path represents the major cost of any beef cattle enterprise. Improvements on feed efficiency (FE) can lead to significant economic benefits and reduce the environmental footprint. Usually, animals selected for FE on high-protein (HP) diets are expected to perform as efficiently on low-protein (LP) diets. This experi...
Performance of cattle in rangeland systems is driven by the ability to efficiently use nutrients during periods of restricted availability. Thirty Bos indicus steers (398 ± 24 kg BW) were used to evaluate the relationship between feed efficiency (FE) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). The hypothesis was that FE would be related to NUE in protein re...
The objectives were to evaluate the performance of bull calves under two grazing strategies and the use of energy supplementation in a rotational system of marandu palisade grass (Urochloa brizantha) and to assess the morphological and chemical composition of the grass. Eighty eight-month-old bulls of 224 ± 2.4 kg body weight (BW) were used in a co...
The effects of forage type and season on retention time (RT) and the fatty acid (FA) profile of the rumen fluid (RF) of steers grazing a range of grasses and a legume/grass mix were evaluated. Four rumen cannulated steers (790 ± 17 kg body weight (BW) grazed individual wet season pastures (herbage mass 2600-6200 kg DM/ha of C3 ryegrass Lolium peren...
The ability of cattle to grow and reproduce when ingesting low-protein diets is a crucial attribute for productive beef cattle systems in the seasonally dry tropics and subtropics. Nitrogen (N) recycling to the rumen is an important and known physiological mechanism allowing ruminants to efficiently grow in low-protein diets, but is usually disrega...
This study was conducted to determine if tylosin phosphate use could be restricted to the final 34 d on feed as a strategy to decrease antibiotic use, while still decreasing the incidence of liver abscesses. Crossbred steers (n = 336; 453 ± 15.5 kg initial BW) were blocked by previous treatment and randomly assigned, within block, to one of three t...
The needle test (NT) is a point-of-care test developed in Brazil to evaluate the Phosphorus (P) status in cattle. Based on bone resistance, the NT is a very inexpensive method which allows the diagnosis of any degree of P deficiency in a fast and simple way in vivo and directly on farm. The NT measures three levels of resistance in the transverse p...
The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of phosphorus supplementation (PS) on blood, chemical and physical parameters from bones of feedlot Nellore bulls. Forty-two animals were distributed in a completely randomised design consisting of three treatments and 14 replicates. The treatments consisted of no supplementary phosphorus (P; T1; 2.4...
Fertility, weight of calves at weaning, and the economic aspects of a breeding herd receiving mineral supplements containing 75 or 12.5 g of phosphorus (P)/kg were measured from 2013 to 2016. No differences in reproduction parameters or weight at weaning were found before and after the adoption of the new scheme of mineral supplementation. Before t...
T he lipids consumed by cattle are exposed to microbes initially within the rumen where unsaturated fatty acids (FA) undergo biohydrogenation (1). The time available for biohydrogenation is directly related to the retention time (RT) of the digesta in the rumen, and the source and amount of lipids in the diet will affect the FA profile reaching the...
Biohydrogenation within rumen fluid (RF) proceeds to varying degrees depending on retention time (RT) and type of basal diet, especially the profile of fatty acid (FA) being hydrogenised. The objective of this study was to examine the FA profile and the RT of liquid in the rumen of steers fed a low crude protein (CP) tropical grass (Chloris gayana...
The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of phosphorus supplementation (PS) on blood, chemical and
physical parameters from bones of feedlot Nellore bulls. Forty-two animals were distributed in a completely randomised design consisting of three treatments and 14 replicates. The treatments consisted of no supplementary phosphorus (P; T1; 2.4...
We developed and evaluated a fast and simple method to obtain suitable bone samples for densitometry and chemical analysis through biopsies of the 12th rib of cattle. The postoperative recovery, dry matter intake (DMI) and average daily weight gain (ADG) was evaluated in 36 Nellore steers, nine of which were randomly selected for the control group...
Three sward heights (15, 25 and 35 cm) and three supplement types (energy, energy-protein, and a mineral mix supplement) were evaluated in a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement distributed in a completely randomized design to study changes in forage search patterns in Nellore heifers in a continuous grazing system. Pasture data were collected using two rep...
This study aimed to describe the diagnosis of health problems and to evaluate the cost of their treatment for cattle raised in feedlots to be slaughtered or to be sold as sires for cow-calf systems. Bovine respiratory disease and digestive disorders were the main problems diagnosed in the feedlot for slaughter; the cost for treatment was high, acco...
A series of 3 experiments were conducted to evaluate the use of microalgae as supplements for ruminants consuming low-CP tropical grasses. In Exp. 1, the chemical composition and in vitro protein degradability of 9 algae species and 4 protein supplements were determined. In Exp. 2, rumen function and microbial protein (MCP) production were determin...
A series of 3 experiments were conducted to evaluate the use of microalgae as supplements for ruminants consuming low-CP tropical grasses. In Exp. 1, the chemical composition and in vitro protein degradability of 9 algae species and 4 protein supplements were determined. In Exp. 2, rumen function and microbial protein (MCP) production were determin...
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of sources of soybean oil [ground soybean (GS), soybean oil (SO) and calcium salts of soybean oil (CS)] on DM intake (DMI), ingestive behaviour and average daily gain (ADG) of heifers grazing marandu palisadegrass (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu) supplemented in two frequencies [daily and 3...
The objective of this study was to compare the use of an external marker titanium dioxide (TiO2) as an alternative to chromic oxide (Cr2O3) in dairy cows. Four dairy cows were allocated in individual pens and fed concentrate supplement and Pennisetum purpureum cv. Cameroon cut daily. Fecal excretion, forage and total dry matter (DM) intakes, and di...
Abstract Text:
Most of the grassland areas in Brazil are covered with tropical grasses. The majority of the milk (Stock et al, 2011) and beef (Millen et al., 2009) are produced on pasture based systems. In intensive grazing systems during the hot rainy season, stocking rates of 6 to 10 AU//ha (1 AU = 450 kg BW) can be achieved (Santos et al., 201...
Abstract Text: The objective of this experiment was to evaluate processing methods of flint corn grain (ground corn, particle size: 3.18 mm and steam-flaked corn with bulk density of 360 g/L) combined with dietary contents of 4, 7, 10 or 13% roughage NDF (DM basis) using sugarcane bagasse as source of fiber on performance of Nellore bulls finished...
Abstract Text: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of sodium monensin replacement for essential oils on behavior, DMI, ruminal pH and ammonium concentration in feedlot cattle. Sixteen Nellore bulls (339 ± 30 Kg initial BW) were allocated in individual pens to four 4 × 4 Latin square (LS) design, consisting of 21 d (including 14...
The beef herd of Australia is estimated to be approximately 26 million head (ABS, 2012) and with a current population of around 22 million people the export of cattle products play an important role in the country’s economy. Australia is one of the world's largest exporters of red meat, exporting to more than 100 countries, which represents over 60...
O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a substituição do milho moído fino (MM) por farelo de trigo (FT) ou farelo de glúten de milho (FGM) na ração de 36 bovinos não castrados, em terminação (14 meses; peso inicial de 382 kg) durante 87 dias. A ração continha 24% de silagem de capim e 76% de concentrado, constituído por polpa cítrica, farelo de soja, u...
Avaliou-se a substituição do milho moído fino (MM) por polpa cítrica (PC) em rações para bovinos machos não-castrados terminados em confinamento. As rações continham 70% de concentrado e 30% de silagem de cana-de-açúcar e foram formuladas com 0, 50, 75 e 100% de PC em substituição ao milho. Além dos suplementos energéticos estudados, as rações cont...
Seventy-two finishing Canchim bulls averaging 318 kg of initial body weight and 18 months of age were assigned to a completely randomized block design to evaluate the effects of replacing ground corn (GC) with dried citrus pulp (CP) on average daily weight gain, dry matter intake, feed efficiency, carcass yield, and Longissimus dorsi fat thickness....
O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a substituição do milho moído fino (MM) por farelo de trigo (FT) ou farelo de glúten de milho (FGM) na ração de 36 bovinos não castrados, em terminação (14 meses; peso inicial de 382 kg) durante 87 dias. A ração continha 24% de silagem de capim e 76% de concentrado, constituído por polpa cítrica, farelo de soja, u...
Projects
Projects (3)
Perinatal calf mortality costs the Australian beef industry an estimate $96 million annually. Before interventions can be proposed and implemented by producers, research is required to determine exactly where, how and why calves are being lost. Gathering this data remains a significant challenge in extensive grazing landscapes. This project seeks to develop and evaluate tools and systems that will provide this critical missing information.
Ninety Bos indicus steers are being evaluated under a diet supplying only 70% of the rumen degradable protein required and also a diet providing 100% of protein requirements. In both scenarios, efficiency of microbial protein production, using PB derivatives, and nitrogen recycling, with infusion of 15N-enriched urea, are being quantified. Rumen contents are also collected for rumen microbiome and transcriptome analysis. Further evaluation of a less-invasive estimation of nitrogen usage efficiency is done using plasma protein and tail hair for analyses of stable isotopes. The latter proposal relies on the analysis of stable isotopes on the tail hair as a diagnostic tool to detect more nitrogen efficient animals, which could not be detected with DNA sequencing technologies.
