Abstract
Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the morphogenic and structural characteristics of Megathyrsus maximus 'BRS Tamani', subjected to increasing nitrogen doses, as well as the components of its biomass. The experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design with four treatments (0, 300, 600, and 1,200 kg ha-1 N per year) and three replicates, in 12 experimental units of 12.5 m² each. The evaluations were performed in the rest period of the pasture, after defoliation to a residual leaf area index of 1.0, until the pasture reached the number 3.0 of new leaves produced per tiller. Leaf and stem elongation rates increased with the increment in N doses up to 1,200 kg ha-1 N per year. There was a decreasing linear response for phyllochron and leaf life span. Increases of 704% were observed for the harvestable green leaf biomass, at the dose equivalent to 1,200 kg ha-1 N per year. The biomasses of dead forage and harvestable stem were not affected by the N doses. Nitrogen fertilization shows a positive effect on the morphogenic, structural, and productive characteristics of 'BRS Tamani' guinea grass up to the dose equivalent to 1,200 kg ha-1 N per year.
Highlights
The areas of cultivated pasture have competed for space with other demands of the society for the food production of vegetal origin, as well as for the generation of energy and provision of environmental services (Thornton, 2010)
The objective of this work was to evaluate the morphogenic and structural characteristics of 'BRS Tamani' guinea grass subjected to increasing N doses fertilization, and its biomass components
An increasing linear response was observed for leaf elongation rate (LER), with estimated mean values of 2.53 and 5.01 cm per tiller per day, at the doses of 0.0 and 1,200 kg ha-1 N per year, respectively
Summary
The areas of cultivated pasture have competed for space with other demands of the society for the food production of vegetal origin, as well as for the generation of energy and provision of environmental services (Thornton, 2010). These issues become more serious in regions with climate vulnerability, where some of the factors of production are made available in an erratic way, increasing the uncertainty of plant and animal productivity. In the last few years, morphogenic characteristics have been used by several authors to evaluate the responses of forage plants to environment conditions, and to determine rational strategies for grazing and pasture management (Silva et al, 2015)
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