Abstract
The narrow genetic variability of grasslands and the incidence of new biotic and abiotic stresses have motivated the selection of new Panicum maximum genotypes for use as forage for beef cattle in the Brazilian savannah. This study aimed to evaluate forage yield and nutritive value of P. maximum genotypes including 14 accessions (PM30 to PM43), four intraspecific hybrids (PM44 to PM47) and six cultivars (Aruana, Massai, Milênio, Mombaça, Tanzania and Vencedor), examining 24 genotypes over two years (2003 and 2004). Milênio cultivar was the genotype with the highest dry matter yield (DMY) in both years (18.4 t ha-1 and 20.9 t ha-1, respectively) although it presented a high proportion of stems (~ 30%). Genotypes that showed higher Leaf DMY in both years were the accession PM34 (14.7 t ha-1) and the hybrid PM46 (14.0 t ha-1), while Mombaça and Tanzania yielded 12.5 and 11.0 t ha-1, respectively. Leaf organic matter digestibility and leaf DMY for PM40 and PM46 genotypes exceeded the mean (> 656 g kg-1 and > 11.7 t ha-1, respectively). For this reason, PM40 and PM46 can be considered promising P. maximum genotypes for use as forage for grazing systems in the Brazilian savannah.
Highlights
The neotropical savannah known as Cerrado, located in the center of the Brazilian territory, presents 49 million hectares of cultivated pastures (Sano et al, 2007)
This study aimed to evaluate forage yield and nutritive value of P. maximum genotypes including 14 accessions (PM30 to PM43), four intraspecific hybrids (PM44 to PM47) and six cultivars (Aruana, Massai, Milênio, Mombaça, Tanzania and Vencedor), examining 24 genotypes over two years (2003 and 2004)
Milênio cultivar was the genotype with the highest dry matter yield (DMY) in both years (18.4 t ha–1 and 20.9 t ha–1, respectively) it presented a high proportion of stems (~ 30 %)
Summary
The neotropical savannah known as Cerrado, located in the center of the Brazilian territory, presents 49 million hectares of cultivated pastures (Sano et al, 2007). Even though they are quite well adapted to general environmental conditions, their narrow genetic variability makes these pastures vulnerable to novel biotic and abiotic stresses. Examples of this are the emergent sap-sucking insect well-known as the sugarcane spittlebug (Mahanarva spp.), and a syndrome called ‘sudden death’ that have reached large areas of Marandu grass To expand the genetic diversity with highly productive species and to decrease the susceptibility of Brazilian pastures to upcoming stresses, new grass genotypes have undergone assessment by Brazilian research institutions (Sousa et al, 2011, Pessim et al, 2010, Resende et al, 2004)
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