Consórcio milho e braquiária seguido de cultivo de sorgo forrageiro

Abstract

The region of Monte Carmelo, Minas Gerais, is characterized by a long period of water shortage between the months of April to September. The farmers use the traditional system of single maize cultivation to produce silage during the summer harvest, leaving the soil exposed after cutting the plants. There is no other opportunity to produce fodder in the same agricultural year due to water restrictions in the region. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the maize and brachiaria consortium regarding the characteristics for silage production and uses of the remaining brachiaria for direct grazing or as mulching of the soil for subsequent crops and to evaluate the phytotechnological characteristics of sorghum in succession to the consortium of maize and brachiaria. The treatments consisted of the combination of maize and brachiaria sowing: T1 - single maize; T2 - maize (M) + brachiaria (B) in the sowing line; T3 - M + B in the sowing line; T4 - M + B in the sowing line in V2; T5 - M + B in the sowing line in V4; and T6 - M + B in the sowing line in V6. The characteristics of the aerial part and the forage production of maize, sorghum and brachiaria were evaluated. The collected data were submitted to analysis of variance and descriptive analysis or the Tukey test. There were no differences between the treatments used in the maize and brachiaria consortium, regarding the maize response variables, and the treatment that presented better operability was the sowing of the brachiaria together with the maize in the sowing line, which seems more feasible to be adopted by the producer. In relation to sorghum, there were also no differences between treatments. 'The production of fodder produced in the area. Finally, the formation of pasture of brachiaria in consortium with maize for silage proved to be viable, since sowing until the V4 stage of maize, being the sowing in the line next to the fertilizer the one that presented better operability, since it does not require any adaptation to the seeder.