Productivity, utilization efficiency and sward targets for mixed pastures of marandugrass, forage peanut and tropical kudzu.

• Autor(a) principal: ANDRADE, C. M. S. de
• Data de Publicação: 2012
• Outros Autores: GARCIA, R., VALENTIM, J. F., FERREIRA, O. G.
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da EMBRAPA (Repository Open Access to Scientific Information from EMBRAPA - Alice)
• Texto Completo: http://www.alice.cnptia.embrapa.br/alice/handle/doc/922549
• topic: Amendoim forrageiro; Forage peanut; Cacahuete forrajero; Brachiaria brizantha cv Marandu; Arachis pintoi cv Marandu; Grazing depth; Profundidad de pastoreo; Horizonte pastoreado; Rendimiento de los cultivos; Acumulación de materia seca; Cultivares; Defoliación; Leguminosas forrajeras; Pastoreo mixto; Leguminosa forrageira; Rendimento; Variedade resistente; Capim Brachiaria; Brachiaria brizantha; Kudzu; Pueraria phaseoloides; Rotação de cultura; Matéria seca; Desfolha; Pastagem; Profundidade; Horizonte; Arachis pintoi; Forage legumes; Mixed grazing; Crop yield; Cultivars; Dry matter accumulation; Urochloa brizantha; Defoliation

This study was carried out to evaluate the productivity and utilization efficiency of a mixed marandugrass (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu), forage peanut (Arachis pintoi cv. Mandobi) and tropical kudzu (Pueraria phaseoloides) pasture, rotationally stocked at four daily forage allowance levels (6.6, 10.3, 14.3 and 17.9% of live weight), in order to define sward management targets for these mixtures. In each stocking cycle, dry matter (DM) accumulation rates, defoliation intensity (%), grazing depth (%) and grazed horizon (cm) were evaluated. Sward targets were defined according to the sward condition that best conciliated the grass-legume balance and the equilibrium between forage production and utilization. Pastures submitted to higher forage allowance levels showed higher productivity, but were less efficiently utilized. It was not possible to establish sward management targets for marandugrass-tropical kudzu pastures. For marandugrass-forage peanut pastures the best sward state was set with forage allowance of 10.3% of live weight. Under rotational stocking, the following sward targets were suggested for these pastures in the Western Amazon: pre-grazing height of 30-35 cm (June to September) or 45-50 cm (October to May) and post-grazing sward height of 20-25 cm (June to September) or 25-30 cm (October to May).