Intercropping of corn, brachiaria grass and leguminous plants: productivity, quality and composition of silages

Patrícia Monteiro Costa,Severino Delmar Junqueira Villela,Vinícius Raimundi Andrade,Felipe Soares Coelho,Fernando De Paula Leonel,Saulo Alberto Do Carmo Araújo,Karoline Guedes Araújo,José Reinaldo Mendes Ruas

doi:10.1590/s1516-35982012001000002

Abstract

The present study was carried out with the objective to evaluate the productive and qualitative characteristics of forages produced in systems of intercropping of corn, brachiaria grass and different leguminous plants. Productivity, bromatological composition and the fermentative profile of the silages from the following treatments were evaluated: corn in exclusive cultivation (CEC); intercropping of corn with brachiaria grass (CB); intercropping of corn, brachiaria grass and Calopogonium mucunoides (CBCal); intercropping of corn, brachiaria grass and Macrotyloma axillare (CBMac); and intercropping of corn, brachiaria grass and Stylozanthes capitata (CBSty). The experimental design utilized was completely randomized. For each type of cultivation, five plots or replications of three linear meters were harvested, and the material was separated. The variables assessed were: dry matter productivity per area; dry matter productivity of corn per area; crude protein production per area and productivity of total digestible nutrients per area. The material originated from the cultures was ensiled, with dry matter between 28 and 32%. After, the material was placed and compacted appropriately in bucket silos. A sample was collected from each replication for determination of the contents of DM, crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), lignin, neutral and acid detergent fibers (NDF and ADF) and TDN. A fraction of the sample of silages from each treatment was compressed for extraction of the juice and determination of the silage quality. There was difference between the forms of cultivation for the dry matter production per hectare. The CEC with production of 11920.1 kg DM/ha did not differ from CB (8997.41 kg DM/ha) or CBCal (10452.10 kg DM/ha); however, it was superior to CBMac (8429.75 kg DM/ha) and to CBSty (8164.83 kg DM/ha). The contents of DM, CP, NDF, ADF, lignin and TDN did not differ between the silages from the different treatments. All the silages presented good quality with good fermentation patterns.

Highlights

Feeding constitutes one of the main components of cost in a cattle raising system
It was superior to the intercropping of corn, brachiaria grass and Macrotyloma axillare CBMac) and corn, brachiaria grass and Stylosanthes captata (CBSty)
The intercropped cultivations, in turn, did not differ from each other. These results demonstrate that the participation of the leguminous plants in the total dry matter obtained by the intercropping was low, and the corn cultures did not present DM increase

Summary

Introduction

Feeding constitutes one of the main components of cost in a cattle raising system. In tropical conditions like in Brazil, pastures are considered the most economically viable form of animal feeding. The pasture degradation, the scarcity of roughage feeds and the loss of nutritional values of these feedstuffs for the feeding of cattle during the dry period of the year have negatively affected the animal performance. It is necessary to recover the productivity of pastures, as well as to produce and store good-quality roughage for the period of scarcity of the year. One of the alternatives to recover these degraded areas or areas under degradation process is the integration of agriculture with animal raising, in which one can utilize the system of intercropping. Intercropping is a cultivation system that involves the planting of two or more species in

Objectives

Methods

Results