Abstract
ABSTRACT An evaluation of productive potential is not the only factor used to determine grazing management efficiency; it is also necessary to know the structural characteristics of the canopy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of two management styles on Marandu palisade grass pastures under rotational stocking with respect to the herbage mass, morphological composition, and structural characteristics of the pasture. The treatments under consideration were a) a fixed rest period of 30 days (RP30) or b) a rest period based on the time necessary for the canopy to reach 95% light interception (LI95). The experimental design was a completely randomized block with two blocks and three replicates within the blocks. Animals were placed in the paddocks when the grass reached the established management criteria, which were maintained for three days to reach 25 cm in stubble height. Shorter grazing intervals (22.8 vs. 30 days), lower pre-grazing heights (35.9 vs. 42.3 cm), and lower forage masses (4,411 vs. 5,290 kg/ha.cycle) were observed in LI95 pastures. The LI95 treatment had a higher leaf percentage (48.3 vs. 41.1) and the lowest percentage of dead forage (19.0 vs. 25.4) in the pre-grazing forage mass of the pasture in relation to that of RP30. Performing pasture management based on RP30 throughout the season is harmful to the pasture structure because it reduces the leaf percentage and increases the stem and senescent material in the available forage. The lower pre-grazing forage mass observed under LI95 management is offset by more grazing cycles within the rainy season.
Highlights
IntroductionThe rotational stocking method has come into wide use, especially in dairy farming, but the use of a fixed rest period has been inefficient in terms of the control of canopy features (Pedreira; Pedreira; Silva, 2007; Voltolini et al, 2010)
The rest period varied between grazing periods for the treatment with 95% light interception (LI95) (Table 1)
A shorter rest period was found for LI95 compared to that of RP30 (22.8 vs. 30 days)
Summary
The rotational stocking method has come into wide use, especially in dairy farming, but the use of a fixed rest period has been inefficient in terms of the control of canopy features (Pedreira; Pedreira; Silva, 2007; Voltolini et al, 2010). Only the works of Pedreira, Pedreira, and Silva (2007) and Voltolini et al (2010) aimed to compare the rotational stocking method while using a fixed defoliation frequency and a variable frequency based on 95% LI in Xaraés The aim of this study was to compare the effects of two intermittent grazing criteria with variable resting periods with 95% canopy light interception or a fixed resting period of 30 days and to assess their effects on the forage mass, morphological composition, and structural traits of marandu palisade grass pastures
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