&lt;b&gt;Forage yield in pastures with bermuda grass mixed with different legumes

Amanda Nunes Assis Dos Anjos,Fabiene Tomazetti Dos Santos,Caroline Paim Sauter,Daiane Cristine Seibt,Aline Rodrigues Silva,Clair Jorge Olivo

doi:10.4025/actascianimsci.v38i3.31114

<b>Forage yield in pastures with bermuda grass mixed with different legumes

Amanda Nunes Assis Dos Anjos, Fabiene Tomazetti Dos Santos + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4025/actascianimsci.v38i3.31114

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Abstract

Three grazing systems with Coastcross-1 bermuda grass (CC) + 100 kg N ha-1 year-1 + common vetch; CC + 100 kg N ha-1 year-1 + arrowleaf clover; and CC + 200 kg N ha-1 year-1 were evaluated. Thirteen grazing cycles were performed during the experimental period (313 days), with two, five, four and two cycles respectively in winter, spring, summer and fall. Lactating Holstein cows were used in the evaluation. Daily accumulation rate, forage production, rate of forage disappearance, agronomic intake, grazing efficiency, herbage allowance and stocking rate were evaluated. Mean rates of forage yield and stocking rate were 20.8; 17.6 and 19.7 t DM ha-1 and 7.0; 6.8 to 6.8 animal units ha-1 day-1 for the respective forage systems. The mixture Coastcross-1 plus common vetch, fertilized with 100 kg N ha-1 year-1 and Coastcross-1 fertilized with 200 kg N ha-1 year-1 provided greater productivity and better distribution of forage throughout the seasons.

Highlights

Pastures on most dairy farms in South Brazil are the main roughage source for milking cows
Rainfall and temperature data were retrieved from the Meteorological Experimental Station of the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 8th Meteorological District of the Brazilian Institute of Meteorology (INMET), distant 500 m from the experimentation site
Thirteen grazing cycles comprising mixture of arrowleaf clover and legume-less system and twelve grazing cycles in the forage system with vetch were performed during the evaluation period, between seeding of legumes till the last grazing (313 days)

Summary

Introduction

Pastures on most dairy farms in South Brazil are the main roughage source for milking cows. Difference in forage accumulation rate occurred (p < 0.05) between the systems in the summer with low rate for Coastcross-1 mixed with vetch (Table 1), due to legumes that interfere in the development of the accompanying grass (Aguirre et al, 2014).

Results

Conclusion