Agronomic, morphogenic and structural characteristics of Marandu grass in silvopastoral systems composed of babassu palm and grass monoculture

• Autor(a) principal: Rodrigues, Rosane Cláudia
• Data de Publicação: 2016
• Outros Autores: Lima, Antonio José Temístocles de, Araújo, Ricardo Alves de, Jesus, Ana Paula Ribeiro de, Costa, Clésio Dos Santos, Santos, Francisco Naysson Sousa, Costa, Francivaldo Oliveira, Cutrim Júnior, José Antônio Alves, Shigaki, Francirose, Azevêdo, Danielle Maria Machado Ribeiro
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Semina. Ciências Agrárias (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://ojs.uel.br/revistas/uel/index.php/semagrarias/article/view/22543
• topic: Attalea speciose; Urochloa brizantha; Densities; Phyllochron; Morphogenesis; Rate of leaf appearance.; Attalea speciosa; Urochloa brizantha; Densidades; Filocrono; Morfogênese; Taxa de aparecimento foliar.

This study evaluated the agronomic, morphogenic and structural characteristics of palisadegrass (Urochloa brizantha) in silvopastoral systems (SSP’s) composed of babassu palms (Attalea speciosa) and grass monoculture in the Pre-Amazon region of the state of Maranhão, Brazil. The study followed a completely randomized design, with the arrangement in split plots with six replicates for the evaluation of agronomic characteristics and 30 repetitions for the morphogenic and structural characteristics. The plots were divided into pasture environments with different palm densities (monoculture, 80, 131, 160 palms.ha-¹), and the subplots were divided into the different seasons (rainy and dry). Total forage production was affected (P < 0.05) by the interaction between palm density and season. The rainy season, compared to the dry season, presented higher total forage production, whereas among silvopastoral systems, the one with 80 palms.ha-¹ presented higher production. The same pattern was found for leaf production. In the rainy season the production of culms increased, as did the ratio leaf.culm-1. Regarding the accumulation of dead material, the only observed difference was a smaller accumulation in the dry season for pastures with 160 palms.ha-¹. In the rainy season, the leaf elongation rate, leaf appearance rate, and final leaf length had higher values in the silvopastoral system with 131 palm.ha-¹, whereas during the dry season, these variables only differed in the monoculture system. Tiller elongation rate and the phyllochron were not affected (P > 0.05) by pastoral system during the rainy season, but in the dry period, higher responses were obtained in SSPs. Overall, SSPs with 80 palms.ha-¹ favored the agronomic characteristics of pastures. Morphogenic and structural characteristics were favored by increasing palm densities. Leaf senescence and duration were not affected by the system.