Abstract
The objectives of this study were to estimate genetic parameters for agronomic and nutritive value traits for leaves and stems of Brachiaria humidicola progenies and to compare the selection using an additive index considering the agronomic traits alone or combined with the main nutritive value traits. Fifty progenies of the cross cv. BRS Tupi x H31 were evaluated. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design with eight replications. The forage was cut seven times, at intervals of 30 - 35 days in the rainy season and two intervals of 60 days in the dry season. Trait variability among the progenies was confirmed. The mean progeny heritability ranged from 49.14% to 75.56% for the agronomic and from 19.59% to 71.11% for nutritive value traits. Nine of the ten best lines coincided in the selection for agronomic traits alone and in the selection including the main traits of nutritive value.
Highlights
In Brazil, the feeding of ruminant animals is based on pasture, and on approximately 50% of the area of planted pastures, species of the genus Brachiaria are grown (Macedo 2009)
Nine of the ten best lines coincided in the selection for agronomic traits alone and in the selection including the main traits of nutritive value
According to Resende (2007b), this shows the presence of heterogeneity of the variances or otherwise, varied accuracy in the evaluation of the progenies depending on the cut
Summary
In Brazil, the feeding of ruminant animals is based on pasture, and on approximately 50% of the area of planted pastures, species of the genus Brachiaria are grown (Macedo 2009). In Brachiaria species, one of the target traits for improvement is the total dry matter yield and traits related to the proportion of leaf blades. This plant component is preferred by cattle and has a higher nutritive value than the stem component (Baroni et al 2010), aside from being an important factor in the prediction of forage intake by cattle (Rego et al 2006). B. humidicola has a lower nutritive value than the other species of the genus Brachiaria (Valle et al 2009) This limitation could be overcome by breeding. These authors reported a higher crude protein content of B. brizantha compared to B. humidicola
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