Dry-matter availability, botanical and chemical composition of guineagrass pastures

Authors

  • Ione Mabe Zootecnista
  • Vanildo Favoretto Universidade Estadual Paulista, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Jaboticabal, SP
  • Luís Roberto de Andrade Rodrigues Universidade Estadual Paulista, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Jaboticabal, SP

Abstract

This experiment was carried out at the Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias €œCampus€ de Jaboticabal . UNESP, Brazil, to evaluate the dry-mattar availability and the chemical and botanical composition of the following pastures: Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) alone, guineagrass fertilized with nitrogen (100 kg N/ha/year), and Guinea grass/perennial soybean (Neonotonia wightii) mixture. The pastures were grazed by Guzera steers using a rotational system and the stocking rates were adjusted throughout the experimental period according lo the availability of forrage. Samples 01 forrage were collected in the different paddocks at 49.day intervals. The pastures fertilized with nitrogen showed a better soil cover than the grass alone and the grass/legume pastures, presenting a grass percentage always greater than 50% and a low percentage of weeds and of bare ground, The percentage of legume in the grass/legume pastures was lower than 15% in almost all sampling dates and was considered insufficient to increase the protein level of the grass. Crude protein percentages of guineagrass showed small variation in three types of pastures and were always higher than 7% throughout the experimental period.

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Published

2014-01-29

Issue

Section

FORAGE CROPS AND PASTURES

How to Cite

Dry-matter availability, botanical and chemical composition of guineagrass pastures. (2014). Bulletin of Animal Husbandry, 45(2), 371-380. http://bia.iz.sp.gov.br/index.php/bia/article/view/690

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