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

Abstract

Pasture deferral consists of excluding grazing from a specific area of the property, allowing the accumulation of forage to be used during periods of scarcity. By deferring the use of pasture, it is possible to better deal with the seasonality of forage production from pastures. This work was carried out to evaluate the forage production and the structure of the deferred pasture of the following cultivars of Brachiaria brizantha: Marandu, MG4, MG13 Braúna, Xaraés, BRS Piatã and BRS Paiaguás. Forage grasses were the experimental treatments, which followed a completely randomized design, with three replications. The experiment took place at the Capim Branco Experimental Farm, at the Federal University of Uberlândia, from October 2022 to June 2023. The deferral period was 90 days, from March to June 2023. The mass and morphological composition of the forage were evaluated, as well as the number of tillers alive at the end of the deferral. Except for the percentage of dead leaves at the end of the deferral, the masses and morphological compositions did not vary between grasses. The forage production rate was higher in paiaguás grass and lower in braúna grass. Braúna, paiaguás and MG4 grasses had a greater number of live tillers than the others. Braúna and MG4 grasses also had lower percentages of reproductive tillers, compared to the others. Paiaguás, braúna, xaraés, MG4, marandu and piatã grasses are suitable for deferral of pasture use. Paiaguás grass stands out for its high forage production, while braúna and MG4 grasses stand out for their low level of flowering during the deferral period. Paiaguás grass, braúna, xaraés, MG4, marandu and piatã are recommended for deferral. Paiaguás grass is known for its high forage production during the rest period. Braúna and MG4 grasses are particularly notable for having a low flowering rate during rest