Produção de forragem e estrutura do dossel de cultivares de Urochloa brizantha diferidas

Abstract

Pasture deferment is a management method used to minimize the negative effects of seasonal forage production. Urochloa brizantha cultivars, in general, are recommended for deferral. The objective of this work was to compare the forage production and the structural characteristics of the deferred canopy of Urochloa brizantha cvs. Marandu, Piatã, Xaraés and Paiaguás. The experimental design was completely randomized, with four treatments and three replicates. The work was carried out in the Forage Sector of the Federal University of Uberlândia, in Uberlândia, MG, during November 2017 to June 2018. The forage production rate (TPF) during the deferment period (PD) was higher for the grass -paiaguás, intermediary for the Xaraés grass and inferior in the marandu and piatã grasses. There was no difference in the percentage of morphological components in the forage mass among the cultivars. The forage mass at the end of the deferment period was higher in the paiaguás and xaraés cultivars than in the Marandu and Piatã cultivars. Thus, the cultivars Marandu, Piatã, Xaraés and Paiaguás can be used for the deferment, but the cultivar Paiaguás stands out for the high TPF during the PD.