Abstract
ABSTRACT The success of the integrated crop-livestock system depends on the correct pasture management, particularly regarding nitrogen fertilization and grazing intensity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the total production of forage and the proportion of the botanical and structural components of black oat and annual ryegrass mixture. The experimental design was randomized blocks with three replicates and the treatments were arranged in a three-factorial scheme: seed inoculation (with and without Azospirillum brasilense inoculation), grazing management (conventional grazing, where the animals were kept in pasture with no control of pasture height; 30, 20 and 10 cm at the end of grazing, and a control without grazing), and nitrogen fertilization (0, 50 and 100 kg nitrogen ha-1). In treatments with pasture heights where grazing ended at 30, 20 and 10 cm, the height was monitored and biomass was collected when the animals entered and exited the plots. Manual separation of the components was used to determine the dry mass of green leaves, stems, senescent material and inflorescence. Total dry mass production was obtained based on the initial forage mass plus the daily accumulation rates. The proportion of structural components varied according to the different grazing managements, nitrogen doses and inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense. Biomass production of black oat and ryegrass mixture was increased by nitrogen application and Azospirillum brasilense inoculation.
Highlights
The integration between crop and livestock (CLI) is a system with greater sustainability (KUNRATH et al, 2014) and more intensive
The objective of this study was to evaluate the total production of forage and the structural components of black oat and ryegrass managed under different grazing heights, nitrogen doses and seed inoculation with A. brasilense in a croplivestock integration system
The dry mass of green leaves (DMGL) of the black oat-ryegrass intercropping showed an increase of 7.72 kg ha-1 of DM for each kg of N applied
Summary
The integration between crop and livestock (CLI) is a system with greater sustainability (KUNRATH et al, 2014) and more intensive. Bacteria of the genus Azospirillum are classified as symbiont bacteria, contributing to the improvement of crop yield (AON et al, 2015; AAZADI et al, 2014). These bacteria are capable of fixing nitrogen and producing plant growth hormones such as gibberellins, auxins and cytokinins (HUNGRIA; NOGUEIRA; ARAUJO, 2015). Increments in grass yield have been reported in some studies with the use of Azospirillum brasilense (MULLER et al, 2016; DOMINGUES NETO et al, 2014). Research using this bacterium in cold-season grasses is limited. Bilal et al (2017) observed increases in dry mass and crude protein yield when using A. brasilense as a substitute for nitrogen
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