Abstract
The objective of the present study was to evaluate herbage accumulation, morphological composition, growth rate and structural characteristics in Mombasa grass swards subject to different cutting intervals (3, 5 and 7 wk) during the rainy and dry seasons of the year. Treatments were assigned to experimental units (17.5 m2) according to a complete randomised block design, with four replicates. Herbage accumulation was greater in the rainy than in the dry season (83 and 17 %, respectively). Herbage accumulation (24,300 kg DM ha-1), average growth rate (140 kg DM ha-1 d-1) and sward height (111 cm) were highest in the 7 wk cutting interval, but leaf proportion (56 %), leaf:stem (1.6) and leaf:non leaf (1.3) ratios decreased. Herbage accumulation, morphological composition and sward structure of Mombasa grass sward may be manipulated through defoliation frequency. The highest leaf proportion was recorded in the 3-wk cutting interval. Longer cutting intervals affected negatively sward structure, with potential negative effects on utilization efficiency, animal intake and performance.
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