Estratégias para o rebaixamento do capim-marandu submetido ao diferimento: efeitos sobre a produção de forragem

Abstract

This work was conducted from October 2017 to June 2018, in Uberlândia, MG, Brazil, in order to understand the way in which the different forms of grazing before deferment modify forage production during the deferment period of Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu syn. Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu. The experimental area with marandu palisadegrass was constituted of nine pickets. Three pasture depletion strategies at the beginning of the deferment period, which occurred in March 2018, were evaluated: 1) marandu palisadegrass maintenance with 15 cm for five months before deferral (15/15 cm); 2) maintenance of the marandu palisadegrass with 25 cm from November/2017, but at the beginning of the deferment period the pasture was lowered to 15 cm (25/15 cm); and 3) maintenance of the marandu palisadegrass with 35 cm from November/2017, but at the beginning of the deferment period grass was lowered to 18 cm (35/18 cm). The abrupt lowering of the marandu grass from 35 cm to 18 cm reduces forage production during the deferment period of marandu palisadegrass. To maximize forage production in the deferment period, the marandu palisade grass can be maintained at 15 cm for five months before deferment. Another possibility to increase forage production in the deferment period would be to maintain the marandu palisade grass with 25 cm and lower it before deferment to 15 cm.