Advances and Mechanism of Compensatory Growth in Beef Cattle
With the rapid development of livestock husbandry and significant increase in feed prices,improving production efficiency and reducing costs of beef cattle have become urgent issues for the cattle industry in Chi-na.Low feed utilization efficiency is a prominent challenge in beef production system of China,and feed utili-zation and production efficiency could be enhanced through scientific management and nutritional regulation.Compensatory growth,a special physiological phenomenon,can significantly improve the performance and feed utilization efficiency of beef cattle by compensating for growth losses caused by nutrient restriction through rapid growth during the nutrient re-alimentation period.The mechanism of compensatory growth in beef cattle is complex and can be influenced by various factors,including the degree and duration of nutritional restrictions,as well as age and genetics in beef cattle,these can directly affect the efficiency and practical application effect of compensatory growth.This article systematically summarized the definition of compensatory growth,its im-portant influencing factors,and applications in beef cattle production.It particularly focused on maximizing the effect of compensatory growth through scientific management and nutritional regulation.Additionally,it sum-marized the underlying mechanisms of compensatory growth,which can provide a theoretical basis and techni-cal reference for the scientific application of compensatory growth in beef cattle production.[Chinese Journal of Animal Nutrition,2024,36(12):7544-7552]