UTILIZAÇÃO DEBANANA PRATA (MUSASAPIENTUM) E BANANA OURO (MUSAACUMINATA) NO CONTROLE DE NEMATÓIDES GASTROINTESTINAIS DE BEZERROS

Cattle, both beef and dairy, are of great importance for Brazil, as it moves a good part of the country economy. But gastrointestinal infections caused by nematodes cause significant damage to cattle due to weight loss of animals, decreased production index, increased mortality rate, and increased expenses by producers. This work aims to demonstrate the elimination of gastrointestinal nematodes through the use of the leaves of two different banana species in calves and to verify if there are differences in the effectiveness of both. For the study, 30 calves were selected, aged between 3 and 8 months, of both sexes and already fed on pasture. These were divided into three groups. Group A was treated with banana leaves of the Musa sapientum species; Group B – was treated with banana leaves of the Musa acuminata species; Group C – control group, in which no substance was found administered. The feces collection was performed at intervals of 7 days, totaling 3 collections. The samples were taken directly from the animals' rectum, stored in a plastic bag, and placed in a styrofoam container with ice, and then the material was taken to the laboratory for the eggs per gram (eggs/g)examination. It can be concluded that the use of banana leaf proved to be effective in reducing the parasitic load of intestinal nematodes in calves, proving that the use of Musa acuminata was more efficient than the result of the use of Musa sapientum when compared.