Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of pasture height at pre-grazing of Massai grass on the quality of available forage, forage intake and the performance of lambs raised for meat production. The treatments consisted of four pre-grazing canopy heights (35, 40, 45 and 50 cm). Pastures were managed by the intermittent stocking method and 32 sheep were used. Dry matter intake (DMI) was estimated by Lipe® indicator. Green forage allowance was not affected by pre-grazing heights. There was no effect of heights on the chemical composition of the stem or the leaf blades, except for crude protein content of leaf blades, which showed an inverse linear effect. Grazing time had a quadratic response in function of canopy height. The minimum point was at 42.6 cm, with 502.9 min/day. DMI increased linearly with increasing pasture height. Average daily weight gain (ADG) and stocking rate (SR) responded linearly to pre-grazing heights. Weight gain per hectare was not affected by height as a result of the compensation between SR and ADG. The increase from 35 to 50 cm in Massai grass canopy height reduces its nutritional value and individual performance and increases DMI of sheep intended for meat production. Keywords : Panicum maximum, tropical pasture, voluntary intake
Highlights
Introduction Panicum maximumJacq. cv Massai grass stands out for its high capacity of emitting leaves and tillers, being promising for ruminant production systems
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of pre-grazing pasture height of Massai grass on the quality of forage available, forage intake and the performance of lambs intended for meat production
The ratio between leaf blade mass and stem mass were not modified by pre-grazing canopy heights (P >0.05)
Summary
Introduction Panicum maximumJacq. cv Massai grass stands out for its high capacity of emitting leaves and tillers, being promising for ruminant production systems. According to Fernandes et al (2014), this forage may be an alternative for sheep production systems in regions with low rainfall, that is, up to 150 mm distributed over six months. According to Ferro et al (2015), the great challenge in pasture management is to find the balance between frequency and intensity of grazing in order to achieve greater animal production, in terms of the eco-physiological limits of the plants. Canopy height is a structural feature that affects animal productivity in pasture, as it has a direct effect on forage mass and biting depth, in addition to altering plant components and grazing dynamics (Pedreira et al, 2009). It is of paramount importance to identify pre-grazing canopy heights to optimize forage production (intermittent grazing management), the consumption pattern and the resulting animal performance, as the success of pasture systems is achieved in large part by forage and grazing management
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