Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different levels of nitrogen on deferred pastures of Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu, and the implications on the economic viability of production of Nellore heifers. This was a completely randomized design with four treatments (T1 = deferred pasture without nitrogen fertilization; T2 = deferred pasture fertilized with 50 kg N ha-1, T3 = deferred pasture with 100 kg N ha-1, T4 = deferred pasture with 150 kg N ha-1) and four replications (16 fertilized paddocks). First, there were used 48 Nellore heifers, average eight months of age and initial body weight of 178.69 ± 26.67 kg, with three heifers in each paddock, in all treatments, in a continuous grazing system, with variable stocking rate. Only the treatment the without nitrogen fertilization showed negative monetary values of R$ -181.96, R$ ha-1 -72.79 and R$ @-1 -32.11. The treatment with 50 kg N ha-1 achieved the highest positive monetary values of R$ 756.02, R$ ha-1 302.40 and R$ @-1 50.52. Economic viability data in beef heifer production demonstrate that the treatment with 50 kg N ha-1 is the most financially viable under the conditions of this study.
Highlights
Among the alternatives to mitigate the seasonality of forage production, the deferment has shown promise for being inexpensive and implemented (Euclides, Flores, Medeiros & Oliveira, 2007b)
The most suitable forage for this practice are those with low accumulation of stems and good retention of green leaves, which result in minor reductions in nutritional value over time, in this case, the genus Brachiaria (Urochloa) have been highlighted (Euclides, Flores, Medeiros & Oliveira, 2007b), especially Urochloa brizantha cv
Nitrogen fertilization can allow greater flexibility in the pasture deferment period, since nitrogen increases the growth rate of the grass and the amount of forage produced per unit time
Summary
Among the alternatives to mitigate the seasonality of forage production, the deferment has shown promise for being inexpensive and implemented (Euclides, Flores, Medeiros & Oliveira, 2007b). The most suitable forage for this practice are those with low accumulation of stems and good retention of green leaves, which result in minor reductions in nutritional value over time, in this case, the genus Brachiaria (Urochloa) have been highlighted (Euclides, Flores, Medeiros & Oliveira, 2007b), especially Urochloa brizantha cv. Nitrogen fertilization can allow greater flexibility in the pasture deferment period, since nitrogen increases the growth rate of the grass and the amount of forage produced per unit time
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